Skip to main content

Sunday School: History Lesson 53

Claude Passeau was a pitcher with the Phillies from 1936-1939. He was included as a throw-in in a trade with Pittsburgh that sent Earl Grace to the Phils for Al Todd. Passeau spent the first half of his first season with Philadelphia as a relief pitcher, and was given his first start against Brooklyn on July 4th. On that day he shut out the Dodgers 4-0. Passeau would go on to win 4 of his next 6 games and had locked his place in the Phillies' starting rotation.

The following season, in 1937, Passeau would fast become the work horse of the Phils' staff. His 34 starts and 292 1/3 innings pitched led the National League. Passeau's win-loss record was not outstanding at 14-18, but he completed 18 games including a shutout of the Giants.

Passeau, a Mississippi native, experienced success thanks to the speed of his pitches. After his playing days were over, he recalled, "I never learned to throw a curveball. I'd throw a fastball and it would sail. That's what I got by on. I was one who would start you off with a fastball. They knew what I was throwing. I would throw for the middle of the plate and it would sail one way or the other. They didn't take very many pitches on me."

Passeau developed a reputation for intimidating hitters. He told stories of intentionally hitting Leo Durocher for trying to bunt, to speed up a game. Passeau said, "I let him have it. I guarantee you, right in the chest."

Through three full seasons with the Phillies, Passeau put together a 36-51 record. After starting the 1939 season with a 2-4 record through 8 starts, Passeau was traded to the Cubs for Ray Harrell, Kirby Higbe and Joe Marty. This would prove to be a poor trade for the Phillies as Harrell only pitched that one year with the Phils, Higbe pitched 1 1/2 seasons with the Phils, and Marty, an outfielder, was never a star in his 2 1/2 seasons with the team.

With the Cubs, Passeau excelled. During his first full season with Chicago, Passeau won 20 games and posted a 2.50 ERA, which was 2nd lowest in the league. Passeau also went on to become a 4-time All-star for the Cubs. The highlight of his career came in game 3 of the 1945 World Series, when he threw a complete game one-hit shutout in one of his two starts against the eventual champion Detroit Tigers.

The Passeau to Chicago deal was just one on a long list of poor deals the Phillies have made over their long history.

---------------------------------

Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE!


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This Guy Speaks For All of You

This individual, interviewed by FOX 29 on Friday as the Phillies arrived back at Citizens Bank Park, said it best. When asked how he felt regarding the Phillies, he told Steve Keeley that he was, "Stoked, baby!" The unidentified phanatic then proclaimed, "We are talking about the Fightins here, the Fightins! Said!" Check out the media player below, as the transcribed version certainly does not do this phireball of phandom justice. The Phillies forced game 6 of the National League Championship Series with a 4-2 victory over the Giants in San Francisco on Thursday night. Game 6 will feature Roy Oswalt vs. Jonathan Sanchez in a return pitching match up from game 2. First pitch is scheduled for 7:57 pm EST at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Be sure to tune in on 97.3 ESPN's Weekend Sports Guide with Tyrone Johnson this afternoon around 1:15pm to hear me chatting about the Phillies! 97.3 is based in Atlantic City. You can listen live online HERE . _________
Post a Comment
Read more

Who is Your Favorite Willie 'Mays' Hayes?

PhoulBallz.com is wondering which individual who has portrayed Willie "Mays" Hayes is the favorite of the public. Hayes, of course, is the character made famous in the Major League motion picture series. In Major League , Willie "Mays" Hayes was portrayed by budding Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes, who would go on to action movie superstardom. Snipes has starred in major motion pictures like the Blade trilogy, Passenger 57 , Undisputed and many more. Snipes remains an impact Hollywood actor, despite legal troubles related to income tax evasion. Snipes was replaced for the sequel, Major League II when his busy career, and possibly the film's budget, would not allow him to return, by Omar Epps. Another budding actor, Epps had previously worked with director David S. Ward, on the film The Program , and landed the role of Hayes, who had become a Hollywood action star over the off-season that occured between the two films. Epps' career portraying athletes rol
1 comment
Read more

Wassup with dat? Vito Friscia edition

Friscia, image- Jay Floyd What's up with that Vito Friscia guy?  Well, he's a 24-year-old righty batting catcher that was drafted by the Phillies out of Hofstra University in 2019 with the team's final selection, 1200th overall, in the 40th round. But what's his deal?  Friscia opened the season with Class A Advanced Jersey Shore, where, in 16 games, he notched a .264 batting average with a pair of home runs, five doubles and seven RBI.  Last week, when Triple-A Lehigh Valley needed a reserve backstop, Friscia was promoted to fill their void.  When Rafael Marchan returned from a short stint in the big leagues, Friscia was assigned to the Double-A Reading roster.   Is he just a backup catcher?  For now, it seems that's his role.  But check out this quote from BlueClaws skipper Chris Adamson from earlier this month when I asked him about which player stood out to him as a guy that deserved recognition, but may not be getting it. "Vito Friscia is a guy that, earl
Post a Comment
Read more