Results tagged “Eddie Plank” from The Southpaw

Every World Series has its memorable moment. Or two. Or three.
One player can make a name for himself as a goat or a hero.
Here is each World Series summed up in one sentence.

Of course, everyone remembers the out.
Vic Wertz did everything he could to beat the Giants that September day. Nobody remembers that he had four hits and drove in each of his team's 3-2 runs in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.
Nobody remembers any of that.
When baseball fans hear the name Vic Wertz the thought they develop is not that he absolutely clobbered the ball all day, but that his furthest hit was chased down with a beautiful, over-the-shoulder catch by Willie Mays.
It was the center fielder's signature moment and has been immortalized with statues, pictures and the video of him spinning like a top, his arm unfurling at the right moment as he launches the ball toward the infield to keep the runners from scoring.
When the play is over and being described as an "optical illusion" Mays looks like he's screwed himself into the ground.
Wertz of course is nowhere in the picture.
Like the other York and Adams countians who've made it to baseball's biggest stage, he never shines in the spotlight. Sometimes it wasn't a lack of effort or even production that kept the local boys from being the star. Sometimes there's a connection to a teammate or opponent's glory. Usually, though, their playoff experience is lost to the dusty shelves and box scores of history.
And Wertz is the prime example.
Come to think of it, nobody seems to remember that Wertz had one of the most dominant performances in series history that year. He batted a robust .500. That's right, with a "5." Not .400 or .300.
He also hit a home run, a triple and two doubles.
But he's remembered for the out.
The problem for Wertz is that his teammates never seemed to get on base in that series. So he only drove in three runs.
Again, the circumstances just weren't right.
Which seems to be the theme for area players who've made appearances in the playoffs.

Hanover is famous for its many pretzel and chip manufacturers, but a new book shows it's ties to Cooperstown are just as plentiful.
John G. Coulson has written a thoroughly well-researched tome, "Hanover Raiders Minor League Baseball in Hanover, Pennsylvania," about the borough's history as a minor league town.
A very interesting note is that one former player was Clyde Sukeforth, who played in 486 games. Sukeforth was far-from the team's most famous alumnus as far as what he went on to do on the playing field goes. What Sukeforth is best remembered for is that he signed Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Gettysburg is a town that lives on the dead, their legends, speeches and actions.
Most restaurants, gift shops and museums have themes that deal with the borough's famous battlefield and presidential history.
Restaurant owner Bill Wills, however, has found a different niche in Gettysburg's history: Eddie Plank, a legendary baseball player who was born and lived in the town.

The Gingerbread Man in Gettysburg, one of The Southpaw's favorite restaurant's, has confrimed it has changed its name to Gettysburg Eddie's. While the tiny borough might be known for a great battlefield and an almost as famous speech, the town also boasts being the birthplace to one of the greatest pitchers in history, Eddie Plank.