On the other side of the game without running or hitting

“To be on the other side of a three game without a run or a hit, you have to get a little lucky first, but you also have to have the opportunity to work with great pitchers,” says the former Dodgers and California Angels, by phone. the sun.

“Sandy’s perfect match, I was only 23 and this was only my second season in the major leagues. It was very exciting because, on top of that, we were in the middle of a championship with the San Francisco Giants,” the 81-year-old explained. .

Almost perfect

Torburg also recalls that in that game, a 1-0 win, Cubs starter Bob Hendley was also perfect, allowing only one hit, one walk and an unearned run. “The special thing is that the man who scored the goal, Lou Johnson, was the same one who took the only shot, but not in the same sequence,” he said.

Johnson had walked a base, advanced to second on a fly ball, then stole third and returned to the plate on an error by catcher Kris Krogh. After two innings, he hit what was to be the only batter in this match that lasted just 1 hour and 43 minutes: a double.

“That year, we won the World Series with an overall batting average of . 245! That goes to show you how dominant our pitchers are. You can’t really go wrong with Sandy, Don Drysdale, Claude Osteen, and Johnny Podres. They were guys who made receivers look good.” And we had a team helping each other all the time.”

– Jeff Torburg

“For my part, I was lucky to have John Roseborough as a mentor. He was like a big brother to me and really showed me how to deal with these stars, ”Torburg continues.

Singer and Ryan

In 1970 Torborg would go on to do it again and was behind the plate for the Bill Singer no-hitter and in 1973 with the Angels, for the first time out of seven for that landmark Nolan Ryan.

Bill was coming back after I got sick and I still remember the last time I got out of that game: a fly ball I caught near the dugout. I still have a picture of that rather special moment, because usually it’s the pitcher who finishes the game without a run or strikeout, while This time it was me!

Of Ryan, Torburg would say he was fun to work with even though his 100+ mph fastballs hurt his hands. “He and Sandy were different pitchers. Sandy had the best curveball I’ve ever seen. He threw in the area with such fluidity that the ball “blew up,” he explains.

with Expos

A year-league coach of the year with the Chicago White Sox in 1990, Torborg joined the Montreal Expos in 2001, succeeding Felipe Alou as manager after the team was purchased by Jeffrey Loria.

“When I replaced my friend Frank Robinson as manager of the Cleveland Indians, I cried when I accepted because I didn’t want to take his job. I had the same feeling when I replaced Felipe in Montreal, a man I respect and admire everyone. »

“I had less than a year in Montreal, because Jeffrey brought me with the Marlins the next season, but I loved the city and the team. We had good players and I reconnected with Ozzie Guillen, who I had as a receiver when I was manager of the White Sox.”

His wife, Susie, adds that the family loved the city. “We lived in the city center and frequented francophone companies and the local church. I also remember an occasion when we went to see a show by Claudette Dion, Céline’s sister! Adds Ms. Torbourg.

At the Expos, Jeff Torburg was also supported by his two sons, Dale, who was a coach and physical trainer, and Greg, who took care of the computer side. “Dale later became a professional wrestler nicknamed ‘The Devil’ in WCW and then resumed his job as a baseball coach while Greg is now a lawyer,” Torburg concludes.

the number

26

The Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera ranks in the career home run column after hitting his 509th long-running home run, and only his second of the season, on Tuesday in a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins. Cabrera, who announced his retirement after the season, tied the total with Gary Sheffield, who also played for the Tigers.

Grand Slam

Felix Bautista, reliever for the Baltimore Orioles, has hit 108 so far, which ranks him 68th in all-time majors on Wednesday. What is special is that he is the only one among the first hundred people who is not a beginner pitcher. He accomplished the feat of 58 innings pitched and third relief with an average of 16.95 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. The Dominican thus approaches the record of 17,667 set by Aroldis Chapman in 2014 and James Karinchak and Devin Williams in 2020.

The golden sombrero

Seattle Mariners reliever Matt Brush is totally unlucky: More than 40% of balls played against him (. 416) become hits, the highest in the league. However, the 25-year-old Canadian pitcher managed to lower his ERA from 5.00 at the end of May to 3.35 with a series of solid performances.