Who was Warren Spahn? Former Milwaukee star is among greatest left-handed pitchers ever
JR Radcliffe
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers would have been almost six years old when the Milwaukee Braves won the 1957 World Series, led in part by the eventual Cy Young Award winner that season, Warren Spahn.
On the short list of the greatest left-handed pitchers in Major League history, Spahn remained with the organization until 1964, when he was traded to the Mets just before the franchise left for Atlanta.
He was, perhaps oddly, back in the news Monday as the name used on an email account by Evers.
Here's what to know about one of the legends of Milwaukee sports:
He was great, per usual, in 1957
Tuesday actually marks the 66th anniversary of the day Spahn was awarded the Cy Young Award for his brilliant 1957 season, the only time he won the award. But that belies his greatness; he also finished second in the voting in 1958, 1960 and 1961, plus third in 1956. During his 12 full seasons in Milwaukee, he received league MVP votes in nine.
Coincidentally, Hank Aaron won his one and only MVP award that season, as well.
In 1957, Spahn posted a 2.69 ERA and 1.177 WHIP, with a 21-11 record. He won 20 games in six straight seasons and nine of 11 with the Braves in Milwaukee.
Oddly enough, Spahn was beaten in Game 1 of the World Series that year against the Yankees, dropping a 3-1 decision to opposing pitcher Whitey Ford. But he gutted through 10 innings and got the win in Game 4, a 7-5 victory that concluded with an Eddie Mathews two-run home run at County Stadium.
With Spahn battling the flu, the club turned instead to Lew Burdette for Game 7 on just two days rest, and Burdette delivered a shutout to cap an unforgettable World Series MVP performance. Burdette finished with three complete-game victories in the series.
"We never figured on that man," Yankees star catcher Yogi Berra said afterward about Burdette. "The man we were worried about was Spahn."
The 5-0 win gave Milwaukee its only World Series championship to date.
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Spahn had a number of additional milestones
- In 1961, Spahn reached the hallowed 300-win plateau.
- He threw two no-hitters, one in 1960 against the Phillies and one in 1961 against the Giants, both at Milwaukee County Stadium.
- He made nine all-star teams.
- He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 on the first ballot. He played 21 years on the Major Leagues total, finishing in 1965 at age 44.
- A statue of Spahn was unveiled outside Turner Field in Atlanta and then moved to the franchise's new home at Truist Park. He's in the Braves Hall of Fame and also the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame and is part of the Walk of Fame at American Family Field.
- He won 75 games after age 40.
- He was on hand for the closure of County Stadium in 2000, three years before his death in 2003.
He was already an established star when the Braves came to Milwaukee
Spahn's age-32 season came in 1953, the first year the Braves played in Milwaukee after moving from Boston. Spahn was already a four-time all-star by that point and one of the top pitchers in the game, one who regularly received MVP votes. He had spent three years in military service but already had a career 122 wins, with a 3.02 career ERA.
On the last day of the 1956 season, Spahn was on the hill for a crushing 12-inning loss to St. Louis, one that kept the Braves from winning the National League pennant.
In 1958, when the Braves lost the World Series in seven games to the Yankees, Spahn lasted 10 innings in another walk-off win, a Game 1 victory that finished on Bill Bruton's single. In Game 4, he pitched a shutout that spotted the Braves a 3-1 series lead, allowing just two hits and two walks in the 2-0 triumph.
But he took the loss on two days rest in Game 6 when he was responsible for two runs in his 10th inning of work, and New York came back to win Game 7 and the series.
He could also hit a little bit
Spahn belted 35 career home runs at the plate, the most for a National League pitcher. He had two hits and an RBI in Game 1 of the 1958 World Series.