San Francisco Giants (1971–72)
Breaking the stereotype of ballplayers in his era,Stone said:
Charlie Fox (manager of the Giants in 1971) felt the only way a ballplayer could perform was to chew tobacco,wear a sloppy uniform and,as he put it,not be afraid to get a bloody nose,and eat,drink and sleep baseball. I never thought a bloody nose was all that comfortable,and tobacco upsets my stomach. I like to eat –but not baseball –and I never thought sleeping with the game would be all that enjoyable. I think he thought reading hurt your eyes. [12]
Ron Fimrite mused in Sports Illustrated in May 1971 that Stone was "a Jewish intellectual …who just might be a right-handed (Sandy) Koufax." [5]
In 1972 he was 6–8 with a 2.98 ERA. [10] After suffering a sore arm,Stone was traded by the Giants with Ken Henderson to the Chicago White Sox for Tom Bradley on November 29,1972. [13]
Chicago White Sox (1977–78)
In November 1976,after suffering a torn rotator cuff and undertaking cryotherapy after refusing surgery and cortisone injections,he signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox for $60,000 ($407,000 today),turning down offers from four other teams.
In 1977,he was 15–12 with a 4.51 ERA in 207.1 innings. [10] During that year on August 29,Stone gave up a home run to Cleveland Indians second baseman Duane Kuiper –Kuiper's only career home run in 3,379 at bats. [5] In 1978,when he was paid $125,000 ($584,000 today),he was 12–12 with a 4.37 ERA in 212 innings. [10] [1]
Baltimore Orioles (1979–1981)
In November 1978,he signed a 4-year,$760,000 ($3,550,000 today) deal as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles,again turning down four other offers. In 1979 Stone was 11–7 with a 3.77 ERA in 186 innings,and was 7th in the league in fewest hits allowed per 9 innings pitched (8.37). [10]
His best year was 1980,when he went 25–7 (.781) for the Orioles,won the Cy Young Award and The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award,and came in 9th in the AL MVP voting. [10] Stone's relief pitchers did not blow a save for him all season until his last start of the year. He led the league in wins (his 25 wins set a team record) and won-lost percentage,and was second in games started (37),seventh in ERA (3.23),strikeouts (149),hits allowed/9 IP (8.04),and hit batsmen (6),and ninth in innings pitched (250.7). [10] [4] He also won the American League June 1980 Pitcher of the Month Award. [10] He also started and pitched three perfect innings in the All-Star Game that year. [5]
"I knew it would ruin my arm. But one year of 25–7 is worth five of 15–15."
— Stone, on throwing over 50% curveballs in 1980
Stone threw as many as 73 curveballs in a game at least twice that season, even though he knew he might damage his pitching arm. [16]
"I used to try not to lose before", Stone said in 1980. "Now, when I go out, I go out to win every time, and I'm certain I am. I try to envision myself literally walking off the mound a winner. I allow no negatives in my thinking. When certain ones start creeping in, I erase them and make it like a blank blackboard waiting to be filled in with things like, 'The team is going to play well, is going to score some runs, I'm going to throw strikes, I'm going to win.' " [17]
After his Cy Young season, the pitcher who was listed as 5' 10" commented:
All my life, because of my size, people have been telling me what I couldn't do. They said I was too small and not durable enough. First they said I'd never pitch in high school. Then they said I'd never pitch in college. Then they said okay, but you'll never pitch professionally. Then they said well, maybe you're pitching professionally but you'll never make it out of the minors. When I got to the majors, they said well, you may be in the majors but you'll never be good. Now those same people are saying I won't have a good year this year. That kind of thing is reiterated by people who've never achieved a great deal themselves. [4]
Stone suffered from shoulder tendinitis in 1981, going 4–7 with a 4.60 ERA. [18] [6] He appeared in a pair of spring training contests before going on the disabled list on March 21, 1982. He announced his retirement as an active player 2+1⁄2 months later on June 2 due to recurring arm problems. His MLB career record was 107–93, 40–21 with the Orioles for a .656 winning percentage which was the best ever by a Baltimore pitcher over a three-year span. [19]
He is considered one of the best Jewish pitchers in major league history. [2] [20] [21] [22] Through July 2011, Stone was third among Jewish pitchers in career wins (107) and strikeouts (1,065), behind Ken Holtzman and Sandy Koufax and directly ahead of Jason Marquis, and ninth in games pitched (320), behind Barry Latman. [23] Reminiscing about Sandy Koufax's influence on him and others when he was a child, he said, "He gave little Jewish boys some hope." [24]
