Читать книгу Rage. The Legend of "Baseball Bill" Denehy онлайн

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Later in the season when I was playing in the minors for Single-A Auburn, Eddie visited, and he asked me, “Have you gotten any better throwing first-pitch breaking balls for strikes?”

“Yeah, I have,” I said.

“Let’s find out,” Eddie said. “I’ll give you a $300 sharkskin suit if you throw a first-pitch curveball for a strike.”

The first batter stepped in. I threw a curveball. “Ball,” said the umpire.

I didn’t miss by much, and I didn’t get my sharkskin suit.

The first game I pitched in my professional career was against the Washington Senators’ Instructional League team in Plant City, Florida. I struck out the first batter on a fastball eye-high—he wasn’t a professional. I walked a couple of batters, but got out of the inning without giving up a run.

A couple of days later Johnny Murphy, the general manager of the Mets, invited me for a bullpen session. Murphy had been a star pitcher for the New York Yankees during the 1930s and 1940s, seven times leading the American League in wins by a relief pitcher. John had pitched in eight World Series, and he was meeting with me to tell me he didn’t like my pitching motion because I fell off the mound after every pitch.