Pressure And Phenoms

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 5:20 am

Stephen Strasburg is THE phenom of the past few years. But, what he did for a short stretch before reaching the majors paled in comparison to Ron Necciai.

At the same time, Strasburg's major league stay has already been more productive than that of Necciai.

Here's the story.

Necciai (pronounced, 'neck shy')was a 19 year old kid in the Pirates farm system in 1952. Nicknamed 'Necktie". he had a fastball that had broken an opponents arm. Even breaking a schoolmates ribs while just throwing batting practice. His curveball was wicked too.

Necciai did have a flaw. His body could not handle the pressure he put on himself while playing the sport he loved. Consumed with worry before a game started, he would throw up before and even during some of his school baseball games.

Signing as a professional put added pressure on Necciai. Throwing up was replaced by having an ulcer.

Ulcer or not, his arm was thought to be the best 19 year old arm that baseball had ever seen.

On May 13,1952, pitching for Bristol, Necciai accomplished something that had never been done before in professional ball before, and will never be done again.

He threw a no-hitter, while striking out 27 hitters.

His ulcer pained him so much during the game, that in the fifth inning, he called time out and asked for the batboy to deliver some milk to soothe the ulcer.

His teammates knew they were about to watch something special that night. They had seen his velocity before, but he seemed even faster on this day. The Welsh Miners, the opposing team knew it too. They started trying to lay down bunts, but to no avail, they could only foul them off.

News of the 27 strike out performance made it's way to AP Wire services and Necciai was besieged with phone calls. He was genuinely surprised that this was the first time that 27 strike outs were recorded in a game. Typical of being a pitcher in the day, he let reporters know that he had gotten one of the six hits that Bristol had recorded that night.

'The Sporting News' did a story of his game, whetting baseball fans appetite for his arrival in the Big Leagues.

Before thinking this game was a fluke, here is a glimpse of what Necciai did before and after that game...

In relief, Necciai came in with the bases loaded and nobody out. He struck out the side and the next eight batters to boot. Setting a minor league record of 11 consecutive strike outs.

In his next start after the 27 strike outs , Necciai struck out 24 batters in throwing a two-hitter. In this game, he struck out five batters in one inning. In his 27 strike out game, he had struck out four batters in the ninth inning.

Catching his stuff, was tough.

After 51 strike outs in 18 innings, Branch Rickey was touting him as the coming of a new Christy Mathewson or Dizzy Dean.

He finished Bristol with 109 strike outs in just 43 innings.

Moving up to the Carolina League, he struck out a league high 172 in 126 innings.

By now, his nickname had changed from Necktie to 'Rocket Ron'. And, in August, he was called up to the Majors.

In never ending pain from his ulcer, he gave up seven runs in his first game. He ended the year with one win and six losses.

America was In the midst of the Korean War, and Necciai was called to serve. Still in constant pain from his ulcer, however, Necciai could not keep food down while in the military. He lost 25 pounds and was given a medical discharge from the Army.

He gave pitching another try, but strained his arm and the worry over his arm made the ulcer worse.

In 1955, he decided to quit playing baseball.

The next day after his decision, the constant knot that was felt in his stomach for years was gone. The ulcer had vanished.

Ron became a salesman of sporting equipment and has never had a problem with ulcers since.

Another story of pressure and a phenom....

Willie Mays so truly enjoyed the minor leagues.

When he got the call to come up to the Big Leagues, he refused.

Mays loved playing baseball, was comfortable with his surroundings, and did not need the Majors to be happy.

Upon hearing the news about Mays, Leo Durocher, the Giants Manager took a trip for a face to face with Mays.

Durocher asked Mays, "What are you hitting now?"

Mays replied, ".477"

Durocher stopped to think a fleeting minute about what a .477 hitter could do for his club, and made himself angry in the processing of that thought.

He replied, "Well, do you think you can hit two-fuckking-fifty for me?!"

Mays went 0-12 in his first at bats at the highest level. He sulked about being away from his friends and the nicer game of the minor leagues.

He faced Warren Spahn, the winningest left hander in baseball history. Mays crushed the ball over the left field roof where few had seen balls hit before.

After the game, when asked about the pitch, Spahn said,"It looked great for sixty feet"

He would later say it was a 'doubly pretty pitch'.

It looked pretty coming in, it looked prettier going out.

But, the at bat was lost on Mays He would go hitless in another 13 at bats following the home run.

Despondant, Durocher found Mays crying in the dugout at the end of a game.

"Mr. Leo, I can't hit this pitching. Bench me or send me back down to the Minors. I was home there"

Durocher put his arm around him. "Son, you are done with the Minors. You're a part of this team and will have to be for a long time.

I'm starting you in center field tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.

Kid, THIS, is your home"

Mays got two hits the next day and you know the rest of that story.

[ June 06, 2011, 04:45 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

Edwards Kings · Post by **Edwards Kings** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 5:47 am

And now you know...the REST of the story!

Paul Harvey.

Good day!

viper · Post by **viper** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 8:46 am

I had to google this one. Made me think of the great Sidd Finch.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 9:05 am

Originally posted by viper:

I had to google this one. Made me think of the great Sidd Finch. So right.

It doesn't seem real.

For somebody to accomplish that, and have his name forgotten by most baseball people just doesn't seem right.

A good story, and unlike Sidd Finch, a true one..

Red Sox Nation- · Post by **Red Sox Nation-** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 10:14 am

Great story Doughboys. That's an amazing story. It's too bad those ulcers ruined that career.

Dub · Post by **Dub** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:14 am

Doughy- Check out John Donaldson as "the greatest pitcher who nobody ever heard of"

He had a 31-strikeout game (18 innings), a 27-strikeout game and four 19-strikeout outings.

http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201 ... ever-heard

Outlaw · Post by **Outlaw** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:36 am

My son about about 13 years ago in an early round Little league World Series game struck out the first 17 batters. The 18th batter, last kid in the lineup went 3-2 on the count, got out of the way of about a 75 mph FB that would have been ball four, the ball hit his bat and dribbled down to the 1B who stepped on the bag.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:42 am

Originally posted by Dub:

Doughy- Check out John Donaldson as "the greatest pitcher who nobody ever heard of"

He had a 31-strikeout game (18 innings), a 27-strikeout game and four 19-strikeout outings.

http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201 ... ever-heard Thanks.

A great story.