Early each season, since 2014, Baseball Roundtable has announced the John Paciorek Award (JPA). The JPA recognizes players who have had short, sometimes very short, major-league careers, but whose accomplishments, nonetheless, deserve recognition. Past winners have included: a player whose every MLB hit (three in nine career at bats) was a home run; a player who had only one MLB at bat, but earned a World Series ring and a Purple Heart; a player who had just two home runs in 61 MLB at bats (for the vaunted Yankees and Dodgers), but whose “body of work” made him one of just two players in MLB history to homer in their first and final official appearances in a major league batter’s box; a war hero who pitched in the majors on one leg; and more. There are links to the bios of past honorees later in this post. (Note: Information on John Paciorek’s career – the inspiration for the JPA – can be found at the end of this post. Paciorek’s day in the sun constitutes arguably the best one-game MLB career ever.)
This year’s JPA honoree is one of the better known (if not the best known) players to appear on this list – Southpaw Karl Spooner, who holds a share of the record for strikeouts in an MLB debut (15) and also threw complete-game shutouts in each of his first two starts. Let’s look at how Spooner got to these pages.
Karl Spooner was born and raised in Oriskany Falls, New York, where – was a teenager – he played not only for his high school, but also for the local townball team. He became known for a trio of high-velocity pitches (fastball, curve and sinker). After his junior year in high school, Spooner was signed by the Dodgers (1950). He quickly established himself as a hard thrower with good stuff – but command issues. In 1951, with the Class-D Hornell Dodgers the 20-year-old Spooner went 10-12 – leading the league with 200 strikeouts in 170 innings, but also walking 163. In 1952 (in Class-C & -B), he went 4-12, 5.42 – and continued to rack up strikeout and walks. Things stared to come together in 1953, when he went 12-12, but with a 2.75 ERA at A-level. He fanned 233 batters in 203 innings, but still walked 164.
Then came that marvelous 1954 season. Spooner started the year with the Double-A Fort Worth Cats – and went 21-9, 3.14, with 262 strikeouts and 162 walks in 238 innings. That earned him a September call up to the Dodgers – and a place in MLB history.
The Dodgers threw the 23-year-old rookie right into the fire – starting him on September 26 against the first-place Giants (6 ½ games up on the Dodgers) and Johnny Antonelli, who was 21-6, 2.29 at the time. In the first frame, it looked like it might be a short game for Spooner – as his command issues were exposed. It took him 32 pitches to get out of the inning (17 strikes – 15 balls). He gave up a single and two walks and had to fan Giants’ 3B Bobby Hoffman with the bases loaded and two out (on a 3-2 pitch) to escape unscathed.
In the second inning, something seemed to “click.” Spooner needed just 13 pitches to retire the Giants (10 strikes), fanning two – and would have gotten back to the dugout sooner if strikeout victim Antonelli hadn’t reached first on a third-strike passed ball. From the second inning on, Spooner dominated the eventual World Series Champion Giants. In that span, he threw 111 pitches, 72 for strikes, fanning 14 batters – bringing his whiff total to an MLB-debut record 15 for the game (a record which still stands, tied by the Astros’ J.R. Richard in 1971). Over those last eight frames, Spooner gave up just two singles and a walk, and no runner reached second base. He finished his debut with a 3-0, complete-game, 15-strikeout shutout victory.
Karl Spooner hit the very first MLB pitch he ever saw (from Johnny Antonelli) for a double to center. He finished his inaugural game one for three with a walk and a run scored.
But the story gets better. Four days later (September 26), Spooner made second MLB appearance – a start against the Pirates (in Brooklyn). In this one, he threw another complete-game shutout – giving up four hits and fanning 12 in a 1-0 win. His 27 strikeouts in his first two appearances remain an MLB record. Those 27 whiffs in his first 18 MLB innings are even more notable when you consider that, in 1954, the MLB average for strikeouts per nine innings was 4.2.
That man had a fastball that was unbelievable, not for sheer speed, but for how much the ball moved. He was one of the toughest left-handers that I’ve ever seen.
Dodger Pitcher Clem Labine
Spooner clearly was off to a blazing start, but the fire was dimmed quickly – by a shoulder injury suffered in Spring Training the following year (1955). Long story short: Spooner didn’t get his first start of the 1955 season until May 15, but things were still apparently not right – as he gave up five hits and four tuns in 2 1/3 innings. He didn’t pitch again until June 5, when he lasted four innings (four hits, four runs, two walks, six strikeouts). He finished the season, his last in the major leagues, 8-6, 3.65 in 29 games (14 starts) – fanning 78 in 98 2/3 innings (41 walks). He also pitched in two games in the 1955 World Series, giving g\up five runs in 3 1/3 innings. His last MLB appearance was on October 3, 1955, when he started Game Six of the World Series (against the Yankees in New York). He faced six batters, got just one out (appropriately a strikeout) and gave up five runs on two walks, two singles and a home run. His final major-league pitch was hit for a three-run home run by Moose Skowron. Spooner pitched for three more seasons in the minors, but never recaptured 1954 glory. Still, he put on a show well worth recognizing – and still unmatched – in his first two MLB appearances.
Nobody ever threw harder than that kid did in the first two games he pitched in the majors. He’s the greatest young pitcher I’ve ever seen.
Hall of Fame Dodger Catcher Roy Campanella
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Now, here are links to the stories of past JPA honorees.
2014 – Brian Scott Dallimore
In his first start (not his first game) for the 2004 Giants, Dallimore had two singles, a Grand Slam (his first MLB hit and only MLB home run), a walk and a hit by pitch. For the full JPA take on Dallimore’s 27- game MLB career, click here.
2015 – Roy Gleason
Gleason played in just eight MLB games, had a double in his only MLB at bat – but also earned a World Series ring (1963) and a Purple Heart. Ultimately, he was the only ballplayer with MLB experience to serve on the front lines in Vietnam. For the full JPA take on Gleason, click here. Note: Gleason’s life is detailed in the book “Lost in the Sun – Roy Gleason’s Odyssey from the Outfield to the Battlefield.”
2016 – John Allen Miller
Miller played just 32 MLB games (during the 1966 and 1969 seasons), taking the field (at 1B/LF/3B/2B) for the Yankees and Dodgers. Miller collected ten hits in 61 MLB at bats (.164 average) and hit just two home runs – but he made those long balls count – becoming one of just two players in MLB history to homer in their first and final official appearances in a major-league batter’s box. For more on Miller, click here.
2017 – Chris Saenz
RHP Chris Saenz’ big day came on April 24, 2004 – when he was called up from Double-A Huntsville (where he was 1-1, 3.86) to make a spot start against the Saint Louis Cardinals, whose powerful lineup included the likes of Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds and Reggie Sanders. The rookie went six innings, giving up just two hits, three walks and no runs, while fanning seven. Two days after this debut, he was on his way back to Huntsville, where he suffered an elbow injury and never returned to the majors. Statistics before 1900 can be sketchy, but baseball-reference.com shows that Saenz is the only pitcher to complete a one-game MLB career of at least five innings pitched, without giving up a single run (earned or unearned). For more details on this JPA honoree, click here.
2018 – Keith McDonald
McDonald’s MLB career (Cardinals 2000-2001) covered just eight games and 11 plate appearances (nine at bats) and three hits – but he made them count. All of McDonald’s safeties were home runs – making him the only MLB player with more than one career hit who can look back on major league career in which his every hit was a home run. .For the full story, click here.
2019 – Harley Hisner
Hisner’s MLB tenure encompassed the day of September 30, 1951. That’s when the 24-year-old righty faced the New York Yankees – and a lineup that included five future Hall of Famers: Mickey Mantle in RF; Joe DiMaggio in CF; Phil Rizzuto at SS; Johnny Mize at 1B; and Yogi Berra behind the plate. In is very first MLB inning, Hisner faced five batters, four of them future Hall of Famers, and gave up two singles and no runs. His place in history? One of those singles was Joe DiMaggio’s last MLB safety. For more on Hisner and his ongoing involvement in and love of the game (he went on to earn the Northeast Indiana Baseball Association Colin Lister Award for “dedication to the game of baseball and its historic legacy,” click here.
2020 – Bert Shepard
Shepard set aside his baseball mound dreams in 1943 – after four minor-league seasons – to enlist in the U.S. Army, where he became a P-38 Lightning fighter pilot. Shepard was shot down on his 34th combat mission and, while a prisoner of war, his wounds resulted in the amputation of his right leg below the knee. Upon his release (a prisoner exchange), Shepard did not surrender his dreams and fought his way back to the major leagues. He made one major-league appearance (for the Washington Senators), pitching 5 1/3 innings of three-hit, one-run ball. While Shepard’s MLB career consisted of that sole appearance, he did continue to pitch, coach and manage in minor leagues – and his story proved an inspiration for disabled veterans. For more of Bert Shepard story, click here.
2021 – Henry Schmidt
Henry Martin Schmidt didn’t make it to the big leagues until eight seasons after his professional (minor-league) debut. In fact, he was just two months shy of his 30th birthday when he first took the major-league mound. Why did it take so long? Simple answer – location. He had considerable difficulty “locating” his pitches. While it took a long time for Schmidt to make it to the major leagues, it didn’t take him long to leave MLB. He lasted just one season – and is the only pitcher in MLB history who was a 20-game winner in his only major league season. Why was his MLB career so short? Simple answer – location. He did not care for the geographic “location” of major league baseball. For more on Henry Schmidt’s unusual career, click here.
—–INSPIRATION FOR THE JPA—–
John Paciorek – signed out of Saint Ladislaus High School in Hamtramck, Michigan (where he had starred in football, basketball and baseball) – appeared in his first major-league game on the final day of the 1963 season (September 29) at the age of 18. The 6’ 1”, 200-pound outfielder had spent the 1963 season with Class-A Modesto Colts. The Colts’ parent club, the Houston Colt .45s (that was the current Astros’ franchise name back then), was suffering through a difficult season. The team was 65-96 going into that final game. Looking to the future, Houston had, in fact, fielded an all-rookie lineup (average age 19) on September 27. Youth was still being served two days later when John Paciorek started his first MLB game. The results were surprising – and worthy of recognition.
Playing right field and batting seventh in a 13-4 win over the NY Mets, Paciorek ended up with three hits and two walks in five plate appearances, with four runs scored and three runs batted in. Perhaps equally surprising is that it was not only Paciorek’s first major-league appearance, it was to be his only MLB appearance. Back pain the following spring, followed by surgery (he played 49 minor league games in 1964 and missed all of the 1965 season), put an end to his MLB playing days. (Paciorek did play in four more minor-league seasons.) Still, you will find John Paciorek in the Baseball Encyclopedia and his is arguably the greatest one-game MLB career ever. Among one-gamers, he holds the record for times on base and runs scored, and shares the record for batting average, on base percentage and RBIs.
Paciorek, by the way, went on to become a high school teacher and multi-sport coach and is the author of the books (Plato and Socrates – Baseball’s Wisest Fans; The Principles of Baseball: And All There Is To Know About Hitting; and If I Knew Then What I Know Now. You also can enjoy Paciorek’s prose (and expertise) at his blog “Paciorek’s Principles of Perfect Practice” by clicking here. You can find out even more about Paciorek in Steven Wagner’s 2015 book Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Game Wonder.
A final note. John Paciorek’s insight into the national pastime should come as no surprise. Paciorek comes from a true “baseball family.” He was the first born of eight siblings and was followed to the big leagues by younger brothers Jim and Tom Paciorek. (Like John, Jim’s MLB career was short – 48 games for the Brewers in 1987. Brother Tom, however, achieved a .282 average over an 18-season MLB career.
Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; The Third K, by Harold Uhlman, Think Blue LA, January 15, 2013; Karl Spooner SABR bio, by Richard S. Cohen.
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