An Unlikely Opening Day Hero: Ken Heintzelman, Phillies 1949

On April 1st this year Aaron Nola is scheduled to take the mound for the fourth time as the Philadelphia Phillies opening day starter. Nola will join famed Phillies pitchers like Steve Carlton (14), Robin Roberts (12), Chris Short (6), Curt Schilling (5), and Grover Cleveland Alexander (5) as Phillies pitchers who have started four or more opening day games. On the list of opening day starters who started just one opening day game are such lesser lights as the wonderfully named Johnny Lush (1906), as well as Flint Rhem (1933), and Omar Daal (2001). Another of these one time opening day starters was an unlikely choice indeed, the journeyman left-hander, 33 year-old Ken Heintzelman, who was manager Eddie Sawyer's pick to open the season in 1949 against the defending National League champion Boston Braves.

Heintzelman came to the Phillies in 1947 after having spent eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his time with the Pirates, Heintzelman recorded a less than sterling 37-43 won-loss record and 4.17 ERA. In the 35 starts he had for the Phillies in 1947 and 48 things did not get any better, as he went 13-21  with a 4.20 ERA. Heintzelman, however, had an excellent spring training in 1949, allowing only three runs in 26 2/3 innings, so Sawyer, who had an otherwise young starting pitching staff featuring Robin Roberts, Curt Simmons, and Russ "Mad Monk" Meyer, decided to go with his veteran lefty. Opposing Heintzelman would be the ace of the Braves staff, Johnny Sain. Sain had won at least 20 games in each of the past three seasons and had teamed with Warren Spahn as the duo made famous as "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain" who had led Boston to the pennant in 1948.

Heintzelman responded to the only opening day assignment of his career by pitching one of his finest games ever. He hurled a complete game, five-hit shut out and the Phillies scratched out four runs off the surprisingly shaky Sain for a 4-0 victory. Heintzelman walked three and, amazingly, did not strike out a batter, relying on getting the Braves to hit the ball on the ground. The Phillies infielders recorded 14 assists on the day.

The game was played at Braves Field in Boston in front of what Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, Stan Baumgartner, said was a "frost-bitten crowd of 9,195." The Phillies got off to a fast start in the top of the first, when lead-off batter Richie Ashburn singled and then beat Sain's ill-advised throw to second on Granny Hamner's sacrifice bunt. Eddie Waitkus also bunted and again Sain tried to nab Ashburn, this time with a throw to third base. Again Ashburn beat the throw and the bases were loaded. After Ennis lined out on a spectacular leaping grab by Braves shortstop Alvin Dark, Bill Nicholson walked, forcing in Ashburn with the game's first run. Willie Jones popped out to second, but Sain then walked  Eddie Miller, forcing in Hamner and Heintzelman had a 2-0 lead before he threw a pitch.

The Phillies extended their lead in the third, again thanks to some shaky defense by Sain. Ennis opened the frame with a single and then Nicholson bunted. Sain fielded the bunt, but threw wildly to first, allowing Ennis to advance to third, where he scored as Willie Jones bounced into a double play. Meanwhile, Heintzelman was mowing the Braves down with the help of his infield defense. In the second, fifth, and sixth innings, the Braves got their leadoff man on, only to have the runner wiped out by a double play. That double play in the fifth was particularly important as the Braves followed that twin killing with singles by Phil Masi and Sain, but were unable to score.

Heintzelman retired the Braves in order in the seventh and eighth and the Phillies padded their lead in the ninth. Stan Lopata opened the frame with a single, and Heintzelman aided his own cause by laying down a sacrifice bunt moving Lopata to second. Ashburn grounded out to second, moving Lopata to third. Hamner then lashed a double to left-center scoring Lopata with the fourth and final Phillies run.

Dark opened the Braves ninth with a double, the only extra base hit Heintzelman allowed on the day, but the next three batters popped out and the Phillies had an opening day victory and Heintzelman had his shut out.

The game proved to be a harbinger for the 1949 season. Ken Heintzelman had his finest season in a thirteen year major league career, going 17-10, with an excellent 3.02 ERA. He led the Phillies that season with a 6.1 WAR. He also led the league with five shutouts. From July 5 to July 23 he twirled 32.2 consecutive shut out innings, a run that included consecutive 1-0 victories over the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs.  The St. Louis game was won in dramatic style when Del Ennis hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth off the Cards' Hal Lanier. In the meantime, Johnny Sain had the worst year of his career, falling to 10-17 (the exact reverse of Heintzelman's record) with a high 4.81 ERA.

Unfortunately, Heintzelman could not repeat his 1949 performance during the Phllies pennant winning season of 1950. That year his record was 3-9 with a 4.09 ERA and he lost his place in the starting rotation. During the World Series against the Yankees, however, with his pitching staff decimated by military call-ups and injury, Eddie Sawyer called on the old pro to start game three. The Phillies were already down 2-0 in the series when Heintzelman took the mound. He pitched very well, giving up just one run through the first seven innings. In the eighth he recorded two outs and then walked three consecutive batters. He was replaced by Jim Konstanty and a Hamner error allowed in the tying run in a game the Phillies eventually lost 3-2.

After two more indifferent seasons with the Phillies and three seasons in the minor leagues, Heintzelman retired at 39 with a career major league mark of  77-98. His son, Tom Heintzelman played four seasons as a utility infielder for the Cardinals and San Francisco Giants.

How Tadahito Iguchi Saved the Phillies 2007 Division Championship

Second Baseman Tadahito (Tad) Iguchi was the first ever Japanese player to don a Phillies uniform. He did so on July 28, 2007. He came to the Phillies in an emergency trade with the Chicago White Sox made necessary because All Star second baseman and soul of the team, Chase Utley, had been hit by a pitch that broke his right ring finger. The injury would require surgery and Utley would be out for an undetermined period of time. At the time, the Phillies were in second place tied with Atlanta four games behind the New York Mets.

Everyone recognized that Utley was impossible to replace, but management thought the 32 year-old, soon-to-be free agent Iguchi was the best player available. He did not disappoint. Iguchi reached base by hit or walk in the first 14 games he played for the Phillies. He had 21 hits in those 14 games for a .362 average. On July 30th, he had two hits, including a home run in a 4-1 win over the Cubs. On August 5th, he contributed three hits and scored two runs in a 5-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. 

When Utley returned to the lineup on August 27th, Iguchi was relegated to the bench for the first time in his professional career (eight years in Japan and three in the US). That night, in his first appearance as a pinch hitter for the Phillies, he launched a two run home run in a vital 9-2 win over the division leading Mets. Three days later, on August 30th, Iguchi scored the winning run in the Phillies thrilling 11-10 come from behind win that completed a four game sweep of the Mets and propelled the Phils to the division championship one month later. In that game, Iguchi had a pinch hit RBI single in the ninth to tie the game. He then stole second base and scored the winning run when none other than Chase Utley singled him home.

Throughout September, Iguchi served as a key pinch hitter and occasional replacement for Utley at second base. On the last day of the season, with the Phillies needing a win to take the division championship from the Mets, Iguchi had a sixth inning pinch hit sacrifice fly that lengthened the Phillies lead to 5-1 in a game they eventually won by a score of 6-1, garnering their first division championship in 14 years. It is hard to see how they could have done this without Iguchi's contributions. In his 45 games with the Phils, he slashed .304/.361/.442 and played flawlessly in the field, recording a 1.000 fielding percentage and turning 30 double plays. 

Iguchi appeared three times as a pinch hitter in the Division Series, walking twice, as the Phillies bowed out of the playoffs with three straight losses to the Colorado Rockies. A free agent, he signed a one year deal with the San Diego Padres, where he had an off year in 2008 and was released on September 1. The Phillies picked him up for the stretch drive and he appeared in four games for the Phillies in that Championship year. Iguchi was not eligible for post season play because he was signed after September 1, but he received a much deserved World Series ring anyway.

In 2009, Iguchi returned to Japan, where he played 9 more seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines. Retiring at 42 years of age, he is now the manager of the Chiba Lotte team.

The Legend of Robert Dodd

Robert Dodd was a left-handed relief pitcher who appeared for the Phillies in four games in 1998. Dodd achieves legendary status, not only because he finished his major league career with a 1.000 winning percentage (1-0), but also for the unlikely way he did it. In the Philadelphia Phillies 137 year history, 47 pitchers have achieved a perfect 1.000 winning percentage. Included in that number are notable non-pitchers like Hall Of Fame slugger, Jimmie Foxx and utility infielder extraodinaire, Wilson Valdez. None of them earned a less likely victory than did Robert Dodd.

Dodd was drafted by the Phillies in the 14th round out of the University of Florida, and worked his way steadily through the minor league system including stops in Batavia, Clearwater, Reading, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Beginning his career as a starter, by the time he reached Reading Dodd was a lefty specialist, usually appearing for one inning or less. Also while at Reading, Dodd suffered from debilitating back pain that required disc surgery. 

After the surgery his normal 6'2" inch height had grown to 6'3". Dodd's surgery gave him new found life on his pitches and he was assigned to the Phillies top farm club at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin the 1998 season.

On May 24, the Phillies placed left-handed reliever Yorkis Perez on the disabled list and recalled Dodd. Dodd made his first major league appearance on May 28 against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field. He relieved Curt Schilling in the sixth inning with the Phils down 7-1 and pitched to a no-decision in one shut out inning. The Phillies eventually came back to win the game 8-7. In his next two games, Dodd was hit around a bit in games the Phillies lost by scores of 11-0 and 14-8.

By the time Dodd was called in to mop up in the ninth inning of a June 16th game at Veteran's Stadium against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was burdened with a 9.00 ERA. When he entered the game, the Phillies were down 7-1. The Pirates had scored early and often off of Phils starter Tyler Greene, while the Phillies had managed just the lone run on a Gregg Jefferies sixth-inning home run off the Pirates' Esteban Loaiza. The game was interrupted by a lengthy rain delay in the sixth inning, which managed to send most of the 24,000+ who attended scurrying for the exits. Dodd worked around a lead-off single by Jason Kendall and escaped the ninth inning unscathed. He then sat down in the dugout and watched as an improbable Phillies rally gave him his first and only major league win.

In the bottom of the ninth, Phillies second baseman Mark Lewis greeted Pirates reliever Ricardo Rincon with a single to right. Bobby Abreu followed with a triple to score Lewis. Catcher Mark Parent and shortstop Desi Relaford both walked. That was all for Rincon and Pirates' manager Gene Lamont called on Rich Loiselle from the bullpen. Third baseman Alex Arias then smacked a double play ground ball that shortstop Lou Collier kicked into centerfield. Abreu and Parent scored, while Relaford moved to third and Arias held on at first. The game now stood at 7-4 with the tying run coming to the plate. 

The crowd, aroused by the sudden rally, got louder. "I don't know if it was their alcohol consumption or what," said Relaford, "but they were behind us and we had nothing to lose.”

Doug Glanville lofted a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Relaford. Kevin Sefcik hit a double play ground ball to Tony Womack at second, but Womack tagged Arias who bumped Womack just enough so that Sefcik was able to beat the throw to first by a whisker. At this point, Scott Rolen's place in the order came up, but Rolen had been tossed from the game in the fourth inning, along with manager Terry Francona, for arguing balls and strikes with ump Greg Gibson. So, up to the plate came Rolen's replacement Kevin Jordan. Jordan walked. With the score 7-5 and two men on base, Mike Lieberthal came to the plate to pinch hit for Dodd. Lieberthal worked the count to 2-2 and then launched  a line drive shot over the wall in left field for an improbable walk-off win.

Robert Dodd had his first, and only, major league win. In the video below, he can be seen briefly celebrating the win with his teammates. When he got back to the Phillies clubhouse, Dodd was told that he was being sent back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Manager Terry Francona apologized to him for the bad timing, but the decision had been made before the game was played. Dodd never made it back to the big leagues. After a few more years in the Phillies system, Dodd pitched three years for the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League, before hanging his spikes up for good in 2003 at the age of 30.

H/T @TheReliefRoom for bringing this story to my attention.