2⁄3 innings after being tagged for four earned runs on eight hits. [3] After another ineffective start on April 19, [4] Harshman was demoted to the bullpen. He continued to struggle until being given another start on June 6. He responded by throwing a seven-hit shutout against the Washington Senators. [5] On July 25, he struck out 16 Red Sox hitters, including Ted Williams in a complete game for a 5–2 win. [6] At the time, it was the most strikeouts in the long history of Fenway Park. The record would stand for 32 years until a young flamethrower named Roger Clemens fanned a Major League best 20 batters. [7] After that, Harshman settled down and had a largely successful season overall, including an exceptional performance for the month of August. Jack posted a 6–0 record with 47 strikeouts and a microscopic 0.77 ERA. His first full season posted some impressive numbers: a 14–8 won-loss record, a 2.95 ERA, four shutouts, and 134 strikeouts, the latter of which was fifth in the American League. [1]
Harshman found moderate success in the 1955 season by putting up an 11–7 record and a 3.36 ERA while finishing ninth in the AL in strikeouts with 116. [1] On June 21, 1956, at Comiskey Park, Jack achieved a rarity in Major League Baseball that had only happened twice before in the modern era. Both he and the opposing Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Connie Johnson threw a one-hit complete game. Harshman picked up the win, 1-0. [8] Jack would go on to throw three more shutouts in the season, compiling a 15–12 record with a 3.10 ERA and 143 strikeouts, good enough for eighth in the league. [1]
Baltimore Orioles
The 1956 season turned out to be the last solid campaign for Harshman. Following an 8–8 season with the 1957 White Sox, [1] Harshman, Larry Doby and Jim Marshall were traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Billy Goodman, Tito Francona and Ray Moore at the Winter meetings. [9] When it was discovered by the Orioles that Harshman was suffering from a slipped disc, Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick ordered the Chisox to send either $20,000 or an acceptable player to the Orioles. Russ Heman was sent to Baltimore to complete this deal. [10]
Harshman was the first Orioles pitcher to win each of his first five appearances with the ballclub, a feat which was matched by Zach Eflin in 2024. [11] Many of his numbers improved in 1958. His ERA was a career-low 2.89, third best in the AL, and he compiled a career-high 161 strikeouts to go with three shutouts. However, run support was scarce and he ended the season with a 12–15 record. [1]
Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians
Harshman became a journeyman in 1959, playing for three different teams during the season. Harshman began with an 0–6 record and a 6.85 ERA before being traded to the Boston Red Sox for Billy Hoeft on June 15, 1959. [12] Harshman would only spend one month with the Red Sox, going 2–3 with a 6.57 ERA in two starts and six relief appearances. [1]
The Cleveland Indians bought Harshman's contract on July 30, 1959. [13] Over the remainder of the season, he posted a 5–1 record to go with a 2.59 ERA in 66 innings of work. [1]
The 1960 season would prove to be the last for Harshman in the majors. At the age of 32, his back problems were catching up with him. He was forced onto the disabled list on April 24 after checking into the Cleveland Lakeside Hospital to treat problems connected to slipped discs. [14] It would take three months before he would take the mound again. Right from the start, he could not regain his groove. On July 24, the Red Sox scored five runs on three hits and four walks before Harshman was pulled after three innings. He would never get back on track, ending his final season with a 2–4 record and a 3.98 ERA. [1]
In October, Harshman was released by the Indians. [15] In 1961, Jack participated in spring training in an effort to make the Los Angeles Angels roster, but instead ended up with a familiar team from his first professional year, the AAA Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres. He would go on to pitch in only four games, compiling a 0–1 record and a 6.00 ERA. [1]
Death
On August 17, 2013, Harshman died in Georgetown, Texas, where he lived. He was 86 years old. [16] He was buried at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California.
Personal life
Harshman was survived by his wife Virginia. He was related to the actress Margo Harshman and former Washington State University and University of Washington basketball coach Marv Harshman. He had daughters Patricia and Joyce with wife Genevieve; a stepdaughter Laveen with wife Frances; a son Jack, Jr. with wife Dorothy; a daughter Jacquelyn with wife Lillian, and stepsons with wife Virginia.
See also
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References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pitching Splits, Batter Matchups, Daily pitching logs at Retrosheet and daily pitching gamelogs at Baseball-Reference.com.
- ↑ "Giants Acquire San Diego Star". Sarasota Herald-Tribune . December 4, 1947. p. 9.
- ↑ "Chisox Whip Hoeft; Dorish Stars in Relief". The Milwaukee Sentinel . April 15, 1954. p. D1.
- ↑ Burns, Edward (April 20, 1954). "Sox Fall, 6 to 3; Lemon Yields 3 Hits". Chicago Tribune . Associated Press. p. 4-2.
- ↑ "White Sox Extend Streak to Five By Beating Senators, 5-3 and 6-0; Minoso's 2-Run Homer Wins Opener -- Harshman Triumphs on Mound in Second Game". New York Times . Associated Press. June 7, 1954. p. 26.
- ↑ Prell, Edward (July 26, 1954). "16 Harshman Whiffs Spur Sox". Chicago Tribune . p. B1.
- ↑ Shaughnessy, Dan (April 30, 1986). "Clemens fans a record 20". The Boston Globe .
- ↑ "White Sox Shade Orioles in Duel of One-Hitters, 1-0". The Sporting News . June 27, 1956. p. 10.
- ↑ "Chisox Get Francona, Moore & Goodman". Milwaukee Journal . December 4, 1957. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Heman Goes to Orioles in 7 Player Deal". Portsmouth Times . February 1, 1958.
- ↑ Perkins, Owen. "Eflin's dazzling return boosts O's amid tight AL East race," MLB.com, Sunday, September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Red Sox Get Harshman; Hoeft Goes to Orioles in Trade of Southpaws". New York Times . June 16, 1959. p. 42.
- ↑ "Indians Purchase Jack Harshman". The Milwaukee Journal . July 30, 1959. p. 14.
- ↑ "Hurler Jack Harshman Put On Disabled List". Sarasota Herald-Tribune . Associated Press. April 24, 1960. p. 34.
- ↑ "Indians Drop Harshman". New York Times . October 19, 1960. p. 58.
- ↑ "Death Notices". The Austin American-Statesman . August 22, 2013. p. B4. Retrieved February 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
External links
- Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Jack Harshman at Find a Grave
| Jack Harshman | |
|---|---|
 Harshman in 1958 | |
| Pitcher / First baseman | |
| Born:July 12, 1927 San Diego, California, U.S. | |
| Died: August 17, 2013 (aged 86) Georgetown, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 16, 1948, for the New York Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1960, for the Cleveland Indians |
|