Steve Stone (baseball)
Steve Stone | |
---|---|
Pitcher | |
Born: South Euclid, Ohio, U.S. | July 14, 1947|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 8, 1971, for the San Francisco Giants | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 29, 1981, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 107–93 |
Earned run average | 3.97 |
Strikeouts | 1,065 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Steven Michael Stone (born July 14, 1947) is an American former
Stone pitched for four MLB teams between 1971 and 1981. In 1980, he was the AL
Early life
Stone is Jewish, and was born in
At
Draft and minor leagues
In 1968, he was drafted by the
From 1969–1971, Stone pitched in the
Major league career
San Francisco Giants (1971–72)
Breaking the stereotype of ballplayers in his era, Stone said:
Charlie Fox (manager of the Giants in 1971) felt the only way a ballplayer could perform was to chew tobacco, wear a sloppy uniform and, as he put it, not be afraid to get a bloody nose, and eat, drink and sleep baseball. I never thought a bloody nose was all that comfortable, and tobacco upsets my stomach. I like to eat – but not baseball – and I never thought sleeping with the game would be all that enjoyable. I think he thought reading hurt your eyes.[12]
Ron Fimrite mused in Sports Illustrated in May 1971 that Stone was "a Jewish intellectual … who just might be a right-handed (Sandy) Koufax."[5]
In 1972 he was 6–8 with a 2.98 ERA.[10] After suffering a sore arm, Stone was traded by the Giants with Ken Henderson to the Chicago White Sox for Tom Bradley on November 29, 1972.[13]
Chicago White Sox (1973)
In
Chicago Cubs (1974–1976)
Stone was acquired along with Steve Swisher and Ken Frailing by the Chicago Cubs from the crosstown White Sox for Ron Santo on December 11, 1973.[14] Jim Kremmel was also sent to the Cubs to complete the transaction one week later on December 18.[15] In 1974 he was 8–5 with a 4.14 ERA.[10] In 1975 he was 12–8 with a 3.95 ERA, and pitched 214.3 innings.[10]
Chicago White Sox (1977–78)
In November 1976, after suffering a torn rotator cuff and undertaking cryotherapy after refusing surgery and cortisone injections, he signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox for $60,000 ($407,000 today), turning down offers from four other teams.
In 1977, he was 15–12 with a 4.51 ERA in 207.1 innings.[10] During that year on August 29, Stone gave up a home run to Cleveland Indians second baseman Duane Kuiper – Kuiper's only career home run in 3,379 at bats.[5] In 1978, when he was paid $125,000 ($584,000 today), he was 12–12 with a 4.37 ERA in 212 innings.[10][1]
Baltimore Orioles (1979–1981)
In November 1978, he signed a 4-year, $760,000 ($3,550,000 today) deal as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles, again turning down four other offers. In 1979 Stone was 11–7 with a 3.77 ERA in 186 innings, and was 7th in the league in fewest hits allowed per 9 innings pitched (8.37).[10]
His best year was 1980, when he went 25–7 (.781) for the Orioles, won the
"I knew it would ruin my arm. But one year of 25–7 is worth five of 15–15."
— Stone, on throwing over 50% curveballs in 1980
Stone threw as many as 73 curveballs in a game at least twice that season, even though he knew he might damage his pitching arm.[16]
"I used to try not to lose before", Stone said in 1980. "Now, when I go out, I go out to win every time, and I'm certain I am. I try to envision myself literally walking off the mound a winner. I allow no negatives in my thinking. When certain ones start creeping in, I erase them and make it like a blank blackboard waiting to be filled in with things like, 'The team is going to play well, is going to score some runs, I'm going to throw strikes, I'm going to win.' "[17]
After his Cy Young season, the pitcher who was listed as 5' 10" commented:
All my life, because of my size, people have been telling me what I couldn't do. They said I was too small and not durable enough. First they said I'd never pitch in high school. Then they said I'd never pitch in college. Then they said okay, but you'll never pitch professionally. Then they said well, maybe you're pitching professionally but you'll never make it out of the minors. When I got to the majors, they said well, you may be in the majors but you'll never be good. Now those same people are saying I won't have a good year this year. That kind of thing is reiterated by people who've never achieved a great deal themselves.[4]
Stone suffered from shoulder
He is considered one of the best Jewish pitchers in major league history.[2][20][21][22] Through July 2011, Stone was third among Jewish pitchers in career wins (107) and strikeouts (1,065), behind Ken Holtzman and Sandy Koufax and directly ahead of Jason Marquis, and ninth in games pitched (320), behind Barry Latman.[23] Reminiscing about Sandy Koufax's influence on him and others when he was a child, he said, "He gave little Jewish boys some hope."[24]
Sportscasting career (1982–present)
Monday Night Baseball / ABC Sports (1982)
Following his retirement, Stone was hired by ABC[25] to serve as a color commentator[26] for their Monday Night Baseball[27] telecasts. Stone was normally paired with Al Michaels[28] and Bob Uecker[29] in the booth.
Chicago Cubs / WGN (1983–2004)
In 1983, Stone became a color commentator for the
Stone temporally took over play-by-play duties from Caray while the latter was recovering from a stroke at the start of the 1987 season. WGN announced that until Caray was well enough to return, guest announcers would fill in and sit alongside Stone.[31]
On August 7, 1993, Stone provided commentary alongside Jim Kaat for a Cubs game against the St. Louis Cardinals for CBS.[32][33]
Leaving the Cubs booth
Stone refused a contract extension as the Cubs color-man after the 2004 season amid a controversy involving Cubs players who felt he was being overly critical of their performance. Even so, he was a fan favorite. One reason he was so well-liked was his ability to accurately predict what might happen in various game situations, explaining to the audience why the strategy or pitch would be successful prior to the play. A famous example of this was him expressing "I wouldn't pitch to this guy" in a 2004 game, seconds before the batter (Adam Dunn) hit a home run off Cubs pitcher Mike Remlinger to give the Cincinnati Reds the lead.
Stone expressed frustration with Cubs manager Dusty Baker for not controlling his players. At one point during the 2004 season, Kent Mercker called the broadcast booth from the bullpen during a game to complain about comments made, also confronting Stone in a hotel lobby.[34] Among the comments that reportedly irked Mercker were Chip Caray's praise of Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt. It was also reported that Mercker and left fielder Moisés Alou shouted at Stone on a team charter plane to a road game in 2004, and that Alou tried to have Stone and Caray banned from the team charter flights.[35]
On September 30, 2004, in the wake of a 12-inning loss to the Cincinnati Reds that all but eliminated the Cubs, Stone strongly criticized the team. "The truth of this situation is [this is] an extremely talented bunch of guys who want to look at all directions except where they should really look, and kind of make excuses for what happened. ... This team should have won the wild-card [playoff berth] by six, seven games. No doubt about it."[36] The comments stunned manager Baker and were a factor in Stone's resignation as a Cub broadcaster the following month.[37]
Chicago White Sox (2005–present)
In early 2005 Stone was hired by Chicago radio station
In early August 2007, Stone filled in for
On September 13, 2008, Stone accepted the job as the color commentator for White Sox television broadcasts for six years beginning with the
After Harrelson's retirement, Stone had been paired with Jason Benetti on White Sox telecasts. Benetti has since departed for division rival the Detroit Tigers, and John Schriffen will work with Stone beginning in 2024.[40]
Writing
In 1999, Stone, along with Barry Rozner of the Chicago suburban area
See also
Books
- Where's Harry? (1999) (with Barry Rozner) Taylor Publishing; ISBN 0-87833-233-2
- Said In Stone: Your Game, My Way (2011) Triumph Books; ISBN 1-60078-538-7
References
- ^ a b c Steve Stone | Society for American Baseball Research
- ^ ISBN 1-56171-973-0.
- ^ a b Steve Stone on his 70th birthday: Harry, Hawk and Playgirl pictorial | Chicago Sun-Times
- ^ a b c A STONE'S THROW: Steve Stone - The Washington Post
- ^ a b c d e f 70 short stories for Steve Stone's 70th birthday - Chicago Tribune
- ^ a b Steve Stone – Jewish Baseball Museum
- ^ Cape Cod Baseball League: Welcome Page
- ^ "Stone on golf: 'I just get up and hit it'". Chicagotribune.com. May 15, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "Jewish Baseball Stars". Jewsinsports.org. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Steve Stone Stats | Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ "Steve Stone Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Archived from the original on February 27, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "Exhibit Page". Jews In Sports. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "White Sox Acquire Henderson And Send Bradley to the Giants," The New York Times, Thursday, November 30, 1972. Retrieved March 10, 2020
- ^ "Santo Stays in Chicago, Cubs Trade Him to White Sox," United Press International (UPI), Tuesday, December 11, 1973. Retrieved October 30, 2020
- ^ "White Sox Finish Trade for Santo," United Press International (UPI), Tuesday, December 18, 1973. Retrieved October 30, 2020
- ISBN 9780743261586. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- ^ "Jews In Sports". December 17, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ISBN 9780824604332.
- ^ "Steve Stone, the former Cy Young winner who once...," United Press International (UPI), Wednesday, June 2, 1982. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-56171-907-5.
- ISBN 0-19-508555-8.
- ISBN 0-7864-2779-5.
- ^ "Jewish Major Leaguers Career Leaders". Jewishmajorleaguers.org. Archived from the original on August 3, 2004. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-06-177900-8.
- ^ "Interview: Steve Stone". The Heckler. September 6, 2004.
- ^ Paintadosi, Roger (August 13, 1982). "There's No Play-by-Play Like Home".
- ^ "STEVE STONE: THINKING OUT OF THE STRETCH". Arizona Jewish Life. April 1, 2013.
- ^ Hirdt, Steve (July 23, 2021). "Yes, Al, We Do Believe In Miracles". The Analyst.
- ISBN 9781461732471.
- ^ Schollmeyer, Josh, Stone in Exile Chicago Magazine, October 2007.
- ^ "Guest announcers for Harry Caray, 1987". Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- ^ "Quip About Beating Wife Gets Green in Trouble". St. Paul Pioneer Press. August 5, 1993. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
- ^ Prentis Rogers (August 6, 2012). "Monday Night Football intro will vary". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
- ^ Unchanged Stone will be back in '05 Chicago Sun-Times
- ^ "Donovan: Second half went sour for these clubs". Sports Illustrated. September 3, 2004. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ Carrie Muskat. "Stone's criticism surprises Cubs". MLB.com. Retrieved January 22, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Steve Stone Resigns". The Cubs Chronicle. October 28, 2004. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ISBN 1-58013-183-2.
- ^ "x". Aolnews.com. August 9, 2007. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ "White Sox hire new play-by-play announcer to work alongside Steve Stone". NBC Sports Chicago. January 25, 2024.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Jewish Major League career leaders
- Twitter page