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Thursday, May 08, 2003

By Rich Emert

Bob Purkey can be filed under the heading of "One who got away" from the Pirates. Originally signed by the Pirates in 1948 out of South Hills High School, he pitched in the major leagues for the club from 1954-57 but was traded to Cincinnati after the '57 season and had his most productive years with the Reds.

	Bob Purkey says Willie Mays was the best player he faced in the major leagues. Purkey started with the Pirates but had his best years with the Cincinnati Reds in the early 1960s.

A right-hander, he helped the Reds reach the World Series in 1961 by going 16-12 with a 3.73 ERA. The next season, he was 23-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 18 complete games. Purkey closed out his career with the Pirates in '66 and ended with a 129-115 record and a 3.79 ERA. While he played in Cincinnati, he continued to make his home in Western Pennsylvania. Purkey, 73, resides in Bethel Park with his family and is retired from the insurance industry.

Q: Living in Pittsburgh and playing for Cincinnati, how tough was it for you watching the Pirates win the World Series in 1960?

A: Actually I was glad for the trade. When I came up with the Pirates, if we won 50 games that was a big deal. Cincinnati had a team that scored a lot of runs but didn't have much pitching, so it was a good deal for me to go there. In 1957, I was 11-14 for Pittsburgh and Bob Friend won 14 games. Then there was a story in the paper that said the Pirates' starting pitching was set for next season with Friend, Ronnie Klein and Vern Law. That kind of gave me an idea where I stood.

Q: Still, was it tough in 1960 because you could have been a part of that Pirates team?

A: It might have been if we hadn't won the pennant and made it to the Series the next season. [Former Pirates general manager] Joe Brown always said trading me [for Don Gross] was the worst deal he ever made.

Q: Pirates announcer Bob Prince always said you could throw a knuckleball and make it go where you wanted. Was he right?

A: He lied. If you throw a good knuckleball you have no idea what it's going to do. I just tried to throw it down the middle. I was basically a sinkerball, slider pitcher. I didn't have a great fastball, but I had pretty good location and that's the most important thing. I started to throw the knuckleball because I needed a strikeout pitch for the big swingers.

Q: What are your thoughts on starting pitchers rarely going nine innings these days?

A: There are some guys, like Randy Johnson, who go nine innings. There is no reason a pitcher can't go nine innings today. We had good relief pitchers when I played, but when you went out as a starter you were expected to complete the game. The difference is that there are pitchers and throwers. There are a lot of guys who throw hard today but aren't pitchers.

Q: Were you glad to end your career with the Pirates?

A: I was. What happened is that I felt a pop in the back of my shoulder while pitching a spring training game in 1963 and that started my demise. I played two more years with Cincinnati and then went to St. Louis because they had a trainer who thought he could help me. Pittsburgh then purchased me from St. Louis and it was nice to come home and play.

Q: Who was the toughest guy for you to get out?

A: Willie McCovey of the Giants. You had to pitch him in on his fists because if you got the ball over the plate he'd hit it over the wall. Even then, he was strong enough that he could hit that inside pitch for a single.

Q: Was there a player you had a lot of success against?

A: Yes, I did well against Roberto Clemente. First of all, I had a knuckleball that he didn't like very much. The way he stood at the plate, he looked like you could pitch him on the outside but that wasn't the case. You had to pitch him in. There was a situation in one game where some guys were hit with pitches, and I told the umpire before one inning that my first pitch to Roberto was going to be 6 inches inside and that my second pitch was going to be even more inside and that my third pitch might be behind him. I said, "I'm not trying to hit him, that's just the way I pitch him and I guarantee he's going to swing at two of those pitches."

Q: Who was the best player you played with or against?

A: I'd have to say it was Willie Mays of the Giants. I played with Frank Robinson in Cincinnati and he was great. Mays and Clemente did a lot of the same things well, but I'd give the edge to Mays because he had that home run power. That was the only difference.

Q: Best game you ever pitched?

A: I never had a no-hitter, but I had a couple of two-hitters. I guess the one that stands out the most is the third game of the World Series in 1961.

Q: Is that the one where Roger Maris hit the home run off you in the ninth?

A: I can still see it. I threw him an off-speed curveball on the inside, figuring he'd pull it foul and I'd get a strike. He hit it inside out and over the fence and we lost, 3-2.

Q: Speaking of home runs, you were a good-hitting pitcher, right?

A: I did OK. I hit a grand slam in a game at old Crosley Field in Cincinnati and then came up again with the bases loaded and hit one off the fence that just missed going out or I would have had two grand slams in one game.

Q: Why is it most pitchers these days are not good hitters?

A: It's tough when you get just three swings every five days. When I played at least you usually got eight swings every four days.

Q: Did you ever have the opportunity to get into coaching?

A: I did. I could have been a pitching coach in the Cardinals, Reds or Pirates organizations. Maybe I should have done that, but I couldn't see doing all the traveling, and the money for coaching wasn't what it was for playing, and I had gotten into the insurance business.

Q: Do you think you played in the golden era of baseball?

A: Yes I do, but if I was still able to run and throw I'd still be playing.

Have an idea for a Where are they Now? E-mail emert196@attbie.com