When Miller was called up by the Cardinals in mid-1952 and manager Eddie Stanky first
saw the harmless-looking, 165-lb pitcher, he asked the clubhouse man, "Who's that
stenographer?" In his initial start that August 12, Miller shut out the Cubs 1-0.
When he first faced the Dodgers, he no-hit them into the eighth inning. But he struggled
after his rookie season and spent time in the minors before emerging as one of baseball's
best relievers.
It was said that Miller threw at three speeds - slow, slower, and
slowest; that "he threw a pitch that stopped"; and that "if you wait five minutes,
the ball gets to you fairly fast." He got by on a variety of curveballs and by changing
speeds on his changeup. With his herky-jerky windup, he baffled hitters in both leagues.
With the Giants in 1958, he recorded a league-best 2.47
ERA, starting and relieving.
He was the NL Fireman of the Year in 1961, when he registered league highs of 17
saves and 14 relief wins. Well-remembered for being literally blown off the mound
by a gust of wind at Candlestick Park in the '61 All-Star Game, he won the contest,
striking out Mickey Mantle, Roy Sievers, and Elston Howard in succession.
Miller
saved 27 games to win his second Fireman of the Year Award in 1963, his first season
as an Oriole; he broke the AL record by appearing in 71 games. That April 30, he
combined with Steve Barber to no-hit the Tigers, though the Orioles lost 2-1 because
of walks, a wild pitch, and an error. When Miller retired in 1968, he was third,
behind Hoyt Wilhelm and Roy Face, in career saves and in wins plus saves. He has
since been passed by more than a dozen relievers.
(NLM)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»August 12, 1952:
Stu Miller of the Cardinals blanks the Cubs 1-0 in his major-league debut. In his next start Miller will lead 2-0 with 2 outs in the 9th only to have a Solly
Hemus error allow a run. He will win 2-1.
»May 11, 1956: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. The Cards trade pitchers Harvey Haddix, Stu Miller, and Ben Flowers to Philadelphia for P Herm Wehmeier and Murry Dickson. Wehmeier, who lost to the Cards two days ago, has never beaten St. Louis, losing his first game to them on July 3, 1949. The string of 14 losses to one team ties the ML record. The Cards also trade 2B Solly Hemus for SS Bobby Morgan in a separate deal.
»October 11, 1956:
The Phillies buy Jim Hearn from the Giants and
send Stu Miller to the Giants farm club in Minneapolis.
»September 4, 1958: At the Coliseum, the Giants score eight in the 1st inning off Johnny Podres and Stu Miller then coasts to a 13–3 win. The Giants take the season series from the Dodgers, 16–6.
»July 11, 1961: Strong winds dominate the first All-Star Game of 1961. A capacity crowd sees P Stu Miller blown off the mound in the 9th inning at Candlestick Park. A balk is called, and it enables the American League to forge a 3–3 tie before losing 5–4 in 10 innings.
»August 22, 1961:
The hot Giants sweep a pair from the National League-leading Reds, winning 12–2 and 5–3. Visiting SF features 20 hits in the opener to back Mike McCormick. Orlando Cepeda's 35th home run, NL high, starts the scoring in the nitecap, as Sam Jones and Stu Miller combine. Mays has his 32nd and 33rd homers in the twinbill.
»April 30, 1967:
Orioles Steve Barber and Stu Miller combine to pitch a no-hitter but lose 2–1 to the first-place Tigers in the first game of a doubleheader. Barber walks 10 in his eight 2/3 innings, but in the 9th two runs come in on a wild pitch and an error. Miller walks none. In his first start of the year, Barber held the Angels hitless for eight 1/3 innings. Just two hits today matches the American League record for fewest safeties by two clubs in one game. Three catchers are used by Baltimore, a major-league record of sorts for a no-hitter.
»May 14, 1967: Mickey Mantle becomes the 6th member of the 500-HR club in New York's 6–5 win against Baltimore. Mantle connects batting left-handed off Stu Miller.
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