RIP Bob Welch

Former Dodgers and As pitcher. Last man to win 25 games.

Dead at 57:

http://www.mercurynews.com/athletics/ci_25935510/former-cy-young-award-winner-bob-welch-dies

 

Welch had a well-publicized battle with alcohol in his Dodgers days. Hope substance abuse was not the cause.

 

Ebony Eyes was a great song. RIP

 

I have a bad feeling about this one. I hope I'm wrong.

 

Great Dodgers pitcher went on to become great A's pitcher who won 27 games one year in the late '80s.

I was 7 when this happened in the World Series. Watched it live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26fRnCj4SYQ&feature=youtu.be

 

Heart attack. Damn.

I was the scorekeeper for Eastern Michigan's baseball team for a couple years. Even though he reached the majors, he never forgot his roots and would come around when he could.

He was a good guy. A troubled guy, but a good guy.

 

Was scheduled to pitch in Game 3 of the 1989 World Series before the 5:04. RIP.

 

I read his book, "5 O'Clock Comes Early," when I was 14 or so. That book did as much as anything to convince me to be careful with the bottle. RIP.

 

The first World Series game I attended was in 1978 when Welch struck out Reggie Jackson to end the game. RIP

 

Great at bat. I loved how Welch came high and tight with pure smoke twice in that at bat and Reggie didn't so much as glance out to the mound. Trying to imagine that happening today.

Also, skip to about the 5:14 mark when a fan gets near the pitcher's mound, stumbles, then just gets the hell out of there. Hilarious. I think it actually might be Gary Dell'Abate.

 

Hall of Fame baseball writer Bob Hunter used to tell him, "I liked you better when you were a drunk."
Welch laughed along with all of us.
In 1983, he was pitching in a spring game in West Palm Beach against the Braves. Some of us had tickets for Bob Seger that night in Hollywood. We told him to pitch fast because we didn't want to be late for the concert.
That night when we got to the concert, a helicopter landed and out came Welch. He'd taken the bus back to Vero and had the helicopter waiting at the Vero Beach airport, courtesy of his Detroit buddy Bob Seger.
Sorry to hear this sad news.

 

Great story, SCD.

Welch is one of the worst Cy Young picks ever (Roger Clemens, Dave Stieb, Dave Stewart and Chuck Finley all had far better years in 1990), but he had a good career. RIP.