Decisions, Decisions: Al Dark's Gaffe

A lesson in knowing your pitchers and recognizing key games

The great Juan Marichal pitched in just one World Series during his fabulous, 16-year career. He made one start in the Series in 1962, and was shutting out the Yankees in Game 4 when he hurt his hand while trying to bunt in the top of the fifth inning and had to leave the game. He never pitched in the World Series again.

And, if not for his manager inexplicably bumping back his turn in the rotation, he wouldn’t even have been in that game.

That was the second year of Al Dark’s tenure as manager of the Giants, his first managing job in the big leagues. Though the team was immensely talented, and they’d won 85 games and then 103 in those two years, things hadn’t exactly been smooth. Dark had struggled to get his best bats in the lineup, insisting on giving regular playing time to aging veteran Harvey Kuenn at the expense of Willie McCovey, and couldn’t settle on the positions McCovey and Orlando Cepeda should play. He also clashed with the Latino players on the team, angering them by insisting they speak only English in the clubhouse and dugout.

Marichal, of course, was one of those Latino players, and 1962 was his first real breakout season. Just 24 years old, he’d won 18 games with a 3.36 ERA, made both of that year’s All-Star teams, and got some down-ballot MVP votes after the season. He’d pitched over 260 innings, and thrived on the workload. For the most part, Dark used a set four-man rotation of Marichal, Billy O’Dell, Jack Sanford, and Billy Pierce. A pair of 23-year old future Cy Young Award winners, Mike McCormick and Gaylord Perry, got 22 starts between them, but neither was very effective. Besides, Dark loved his veterans, and he had that in three of his four regular starters.