Books and articles about Vic Raschi

Raschi was already 28 when he broke into the Yankees' starting rotation for good in 1948. He then ran off consecutive records of 19-8, 21 10, 21-8, and 21-10. The Springfield, Massachusetts native had tremendous determination and a blazing fastball. His size (6'1" 205 lbs.) and the menacing scowl on his dark, unshaven face were helpful, too. He never missed an assignment although his knees deteriorated painfully.

RELATED LINKS Book Excerpts » "[Stengel] made established 20-game winners, Allie Reynolds and Johnny Sain, into terrific relief pitchers, but saw it wouldn't work with Vic Raschi": Leonard Koppett Around the Web » Vic Raschi from baseball-reference.com » Jack Quinn from thediamondangle.com Jump directly to Library content from any website!

With the Yankees, Raschi was a big-game winner. He won the 1948 All-Star Game, driving in the winning run. And he beat Boston on the final day of the 1949 season to break a first-place tie with the Red Sox, then won the WS clincher against Brooklyn, a feat he duplicated against the Giants in 1951. He two-hit the Phillies 1-0 in the 1950 WS, and won twice more against the Dodgers in the 1952 WS. Raschi was a fair hitter (.184 career average). On August 3, 1953 his seven RBI set an AL single-game record for pitchers. In February 1954, he was sold to the Cardinals for $85,000 after contract battles with the Yankees. (MG)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 30, 1937: At Boston, Senators pitcher Pete Appleton pitches and bats his way to an 11–4 win over the Sox. Appleton drives in six runs, hitting a single and triple with the sacks full in the 2nd and 3rd and going 4-for-5, to beat Fritz Ostermueller. Appleton's RBI mark ties the major-league record for pitchers that Vic Raschi will top (7 on August 4, 1953). Wes Ferrell did it last year. » May 20, 1948: At Chicago, Joe DiMaggio hits for the cycle and adds another homer to drive in six runs, as the Yanks coast, 13–2. DiMag almost has a 6th extra base hit, but left fielder Ralph Hodgin snares it at the wall. Johnny Lindell adds a homer to back Vic Raschi's pitching over Orval Grove. DiMaggio is the first Yankee in eight years to hit for the cycle. DiMag last cycled in 1937. » July 13, 1948: Vic Raschi of the Yankees drives in the winning runs with a bases-loaded single in the 4th inning and is the winning pitcher as the American League again tops the National League 5–2 in the All-Star Game at Sportsman's Park. Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, George Kell, and Hal Newhouser miss places in the lineup due to injuries. » July 22, 1948: The Yankees take the rubber game of the series with the Indians as Vic Raschi earns the decision over Bob Feller, 6–5. Joe DiMaggio's grand slam is the big blow for the Bombers: he has hit four homers and a triple in Feller's four starts against New York. His eight RBIs in the three games with Cleveland gives him a league-leading 82. » August 7, 1948: Before 66,000 fans, New York's Vic Raschi (14-4) allows four singles in stopping the Indians, 5–0. DiMaggio has a pair of doubles, drives in three runs, and swipes home on the front end of a double steal. » May 9, 1949: At Detroit, the Tigers set back the first-place Yankees, 4–1, behind the five-hit pitching of Ted Gray. Vic Raschi also allows just five hits, including a homer by Dick Wakefield, in taking the loss. » August 9, 1949: Dom DiMaggio's 34-game hitting streak is on the line against Vic Raschi and the Yankees. Hitless in his first four at bats, Dom hits a sinking line drive in the eighth that his brother Joe catches at his shoetops. The Red Sox win 6-3 to move 5 1/2 games behind the Yankees. Dom had started his streak after going hitless against Raschi. » October 2, 1949: The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox enter the final day of the season tied for first place. Nearly 70,000 pack Yankee Stadium to see the finale. Vic Raschi nurses a 1-0 lead into the 8th against Ellis Kinder before the Yankees score 4 against a tired Mel Parnell and an unlucky Tex Hughson. A Sox rally falls short, and the Yankees win the game and the pennant 5-3. » May 3, 1950: Yankee Vic Raschi, troubled by the new rule that requires a one-second stop before delivery with men on base, balks four times in one game, a club record and two fewer than the single-season record. Nevertheless, he wins, 4–3, over the White Sox. He'll finish the season with six balks to tie the since-topped American League mark. » September 14, 1950: In Detroit, Vic Raschi posts his 20th win of the season to give New York a hard-fought 7–5 win. Raschi walks in two runs in the opening inning as Detroit tallies four runs, but New York comes back as DiMaggio cracks his 29th HR and Mize follows a walk to Bauer with his 10th HR. New York takes over first place by a half game. » October 4, 1950: Relief ace Jim Konstanty of the Phils starts and loses to Vic Raschi and the Yankees in Philadelphia 1–0 in Game one of the World Series. Bobby Brown doubles and comes around on two long flies to score the lone run. » April 17, 1951: Rain cancels yesterday's presidential opener in Washington, washing out the debut of rookie Tom Morgan. Morgan would have been the first Yankee rookie ever to start an opener. Clad in an army uniform, Whitey Ford tosses out the first pitch today at Yankee Stadium, and Vic Raschi scatters six singles to shut out the Red Sox, 5–0. Bill Wight gives up all the Yankee runs, including a two-run homer to Jackie Jensen in the 3rd inning. Mickey Mantle, making his debut before 44,860, has one hit and scores a run. Also debuting is public address announcer Bob Sheppard. » May 1, 1951: The Yankees' new phenom, Mickey Mantle, connects for his first ML home run, off Randy Gumpert of the White Sox. Minnie Minoso becomes the first black to play for the White Sox. He plays 3B and, facing Vic Raschi in his first ML at bat, rips a home run to CF. The Yankees win 8–3, with Mantle collecting three RBIs. » June 8, 1951: Before 53,940 at Comiskey Park, Vic Raschi and the Yankees edge the Sox, 4–2. Mantle, leading the Yankees with 33 RBIs, ties the game with a single and throws out Nellie Fox, who tries to score from 3B on Minoso's fly to right. » July 12, 1951: At Cleveland, Allie Reynolds of the NY Yankees no-hits Cleveland 1–0 for the first of his two no-hitters this season. Gene Woodling’s seventh inning HR off loser Bob Feller is the difference in the 1–0 game. The Chief's no-hitter is the first by a Yankee since Monte Pearson in 1928. New York takes the nitecap behind Vic Raschi as Joe DiMaggio cinches it with a three-run homer off Chuck Stobbs. » September 9, 1951: The Yanks hit five homers—4 off the Nats' Dick Starr—to win, 7–5. Mickey Mantle's leadoff homer on the first pitch, which starts the scoring, slams against the bottom of the flag holder on the top of the right field stands. Vic Raschi then wins the nitecap, 2–0, in a game called after the 6th inning because of "darkness." Though Yankee Stadium has lights, unlike the National League, these cannot be used on Sunday. The Yankees (88-49) remain virtually tied with the Indians (88-51). » September 28, 1951: Allie Reynolds pitches his 2nd no-hitter of the season, defeating the Red Sox in Yankee Stadium 8–0. It is his 7th shutout of the year. With two outs in the 9th, Ted Williams hits a foul pop that catcher Yogi Berra drops. Williams then hits another foul fly that Berra grabs for the last out. The Chief is the first American League hurler with two no-hitters in a season; Vander Meer's pair in 1938 is the only other time a pitcher has thrown two in a season. In the 2nd game, the Yankees clinch their 3rd straight pennant under Casey Stengel as Vic Raschi wins 11–3 for his 21st victory. Mickey Mantle drives home three runs with a pair of doubles and Joe DiMaggio belts the final homer of his career—a three run shot. The Yankees are three 1/2 games ahead of slumping Cleveland with two to play. » July 13, 1952: Vic Raschi gives up only one hit as the Yankees rout the Tigers 11-1 in the first game of a doubleheader. » May 10, 1953: Vic Raschi makes his 1st relief appearance in two years, limiting the Red Sox to three hits in four innings, as the Yankees win, 7–4. Billy Goodman sustains a freak rib accident, which will keep him out of action for three weeks, when Jim Piersall picks him up and lugs him from the field to break up Goody's argument with umpire Jim Duffy. Del Wilber hits his 2nd consecutive pinch homer in the 8th; his first came on May 6th. » August 4, 1953: Yankees hurler Vic Raschi sets the record for RBI by a pitcher with seven, as the Yanks roll over Detroit 15-0. Raschi singles in 2 in the 2nd, doubles home three in the third, and singles home the last two in the eighth. His teammates fill his locker with bats after the game. » February 23, 1954: The Cards purchase Vic Raschi from the Yankees for $85,000. » April 15, 1954: Vic Raschi makes his National League debut but the host Braves knock the Cardinal vet out of the game. Harvey Haddix, in relief, takes the loss, 7–6, with Warren Spahn the winner for the Braves. Hank Aaron has his first hit as he goes 2-for-5. » April 23, 1954: At Sportsman's Park, Henry Aaron hits the first of his 755 ML home runs, a solo shot off Vic Raschi of St. Louis. The Braves win in 14 innings 7–5 on an error by Hemus. Card rookie Wally Moon is 5-for-5. » May 14, 1954: After 12 straight defeats at Ebbets Field, stretching over two years, the Cards finally top the Dodgers, 10–1, behind Vic Raschi. Homers by Stan Musial and Tom Alston pace the Birds attack. » July 3, 1966: Pitcher Tony Cloninger hits two grand slams and drives in nine runs, as the Braves rout the Giants at Candlestick Park 17–3. Cloninger is the first National League player to slam two in a game, and the first pitcher ever, and his nine RBIs are a major-league record for pitchers, breaking Vic Raschi's mark of 7. The National League record for pitchers was 5, held by several: the last hurler to collect five RBIs in a game is Cloninger, who had five on June 16th against the Mets (as noted by Tom Zocco).