Books and articles about Curt Simmons

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A native of Egypt, PA, Simmons received one of the largest bonuses paid to a teenager during his day when he signed with the Phillies for $65,000 in 1947. Promoted to the majors at the end of that season, he did not master his control until 1950, when he became a key member of the NL champion Whiz Kids. He went 17-8 that season despite missing more than a month for National Guard training. Because his unit was activated, he missed the World Series. He returned in 1952 to go 14-8 with a league-high six shutouts. In 1953 he missed a month after slicing off part of his left big toe in a lawn mower accident. Released by the Phillies in 1960 after suffering arm trouble the previous season, Simmons signed with the Cardinals and made a successful adjustment from hard thrower to breaking-ball pitcher. In his last winning season, he recorded a career-high 18 victories for the 1964 World Champion Cardinals. He allowed the Yankees one run in eight innings of WS Game Three, but was not involved in the decision; in the sixth inning of Game Six, he gave up home runs to Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle on consecutive pitches, and lost. (AL)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 2, 1948: The Phillies and Dodgers divide a doubleheader, Brooklyn outslugging the Blue Jays 9–6 in the opener, then losing, 2–0, to Ken Heintzelman. Furillo has a home run, triple and single in the opener, while Duke Snider hits his first two ML homers—the first, inside-the-park—a triple and a single, good for four RBIs. Ben Chapman starts Dutch Leonard but after one out brings in Curt Simmons against the lefty Dodger lineup. In the nitecap, Carl Furillo's 2-out single in the 7th is the first hit off Heintzelman, who pitches a 4-hitter. » May 18, 1948: The lowly Cubs edge the Phillies, 3–2, as Johnny Schmitz outduels young Curt Simmons. Four Phillie errors let in all three Cub runs. » August 13, 1948: The Phils score 10 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning, including a ML-record nine runs before the first out is recorded, then hold on to beat the Giants 10–7. Rookie Curt Simmons lasts six innings for the win. » August 28, 1950: At Wrigley Field, Hank Sauer socks three consecutive home runs, off Curt Simmons, as the Cubs edge the Phillies 7–5 in game 1. Sauer will connect for three homers off Simmons once more, in 1952. Knuckleballer Dutch Leonard, in his only start of the year, is today's winner. The Phils then take the nitecap, 9–5, to move five 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers. » September 5, 1950: Phils lefty Curt Simmons is the first player inducted into the Army as a result of the Korean conflict. He will get one more start before reporting. » October 3, 1950: Baseball rules that Phils lefty Curt Simmons cannot play in the World Series despite his being on furlough from the Army. » May 13, 1952: In his first ML start since returning from 19 months in the army, the Phils Curt Simmons allows just two hits while fanning 12 to beat the Cubs, 2–0. Joe Hatten is the loser. » June 11, 1952: The Cubs Hank Sauer hits three HRs off Curt Simmons at Wrigley Field to account for all the scoring. The Cubs beat the Phillies 3-0. » July 8, 1952: The NL defeats the AL 3-2 behind the pitching of Phils Curt Simmons and Cubs Bob Rush in Philadelphia. The game is ended after five innings because of rain. Cub Hank Sauer's homer with Stan Musial aboard in the fourth proves to be the deciding run. » September 9, 1952: The Cardinals Stan Musial gets his 2,000th hit, off Curt Simmons, as the Cardinals lose 4-2. » May 16, 1953: After the Braves' Billy Bruton's leadoff single in the first, Phillies P Curt Simmons retires the next 27 batters to win, 3–0 at Milwaukee. The loss snaps the Braves six-game win streak. » April 18, 1954: After Philley pitchers had thrown 32 scoreless innings, P Curt Simmons makes a 6th inning error to allow the Pirates to score. The Phils win the doubleheader nitecap 7–1. » May 11, 1958: In the Phils 10–4 loss in the lidlifter with Pittsburgh, Phils OF Richie Ashburn pulls a muscle. He sits out the 2nd game, ending his consecutive game streak at 473. Bob Friend wins the opener, overcoming back-to-back first inning home runs by Rip Repulski and Granny Hamner. In game 2, American League castoff Bob Porterfield wins a brilliant pitching duel with Curt Simmons, winning 1–0 in 11 innings. » May 12, 1960: The Phils release P Curt Simmons, who had no decisions this year or last. The Cardinals sign the veteran, who will win 69 games for the Birds over the next seven seasons. » August 9, 1960: With fine relief pitching of Lindy McDaniel in the opener and a 5-hitter by Curt Simmons in the nitecap, the Cards sweep the Phils, 5–4 and 6–0. Phillie Tony Taylor ties a major-league record for 2B by going the entire doubleheader (18 innings) without a putout, the first to achieve the feat since Connie Ryan of the Phillies, June 14, 1953. » June 18, 1961: Pittsburgh takes the first game 5–3 as Don Leppert makes his ML debut with a home run in his first at bat, off Curt Simmons. The Cards salvage a split with a 7–3 nightcap win. » September 30, 1962: Gene Oliver's dramatic 9th-inning home run off Johnny Podres gives Curt Simmons and St. Louis a 1–0 win against the Dodgers and a three-game sweep at Chavez Ravine. The heartbreaking loss for LA forces the 4th playoff in National League history. The Giants won five of their last seven games, but only seven of their last 17, while the Dodgers manage just three wins in their last 13 games. » July 2, 1963: Nipping Curt Simmons and St. Louis 1–0, Don Drysdale puts the Dodgers into first place for good. » August 12, 1963: Back in action for the first time since being beaned by Bob Gibson, the Giants' Jim Ray Hart returns to the hospital after Curt Simmons plunks him in the head. Simmons had an 0–2 count in the 9th on Hart during an easy 13–0 Cardinal win at San Francisco. » September 1, 1963: P Curt Simmons of the Cardinals drives in a run with a triple in the second and then steals home on an aborted squeeze play. He also knocks in another run and beats the Phils 7–3. Simmons, who in his 20-year career will steal just two bases, is on 3rd base when a squeeze play goes awry, and beats a wide throw to home from P Chris Short. It is the last steal of home by a pitcher until 1983, and just the 4th in the NL in the last 40 years. Harry Dorish in 1950 stole home, the last time an AL pitcher did pull off a theft. » May 12, 1964: The Cardinals Curt Simmons continues to beat up on the Phillies, winning 4–2, with relief help from Roger Craig. Since the Phillies released him in 1960, Simmons is 13–2 against them. » June 16, 1964: For the second time in his career, Ken Boyer hits for the cycle to pace the Cardinals to a 7–1 win over Houston. Curt Simmons is the winning pitcher. » August 16, 1964: Sandy Koufax (19-5) pitches a 3–0 win against St. Louis, but he will miss the rest of the season because of a elbow injury suffered when he slid back into 2B against Milwaukee on August 8. In the nightcap, Curt Simmons matches Koufax with a 4–0 shutout of the Dodgers. Card CF Curt Flood has eight straight hits in the doubleheader split. » September 13, 1964: St. Louis becomes the first National League club to score in each inning since the Giants did it on June 1, 1923. They coast, 15–2, at Wrigley Field with Curt Simmons improving his record to 15–9. Dick Ellsworth goes to 14-15 for Chicago. Julian Javier, Lou Brock, and Mike Shannon homer for the Birds. » September 30, 1964: The Phillies lose their 10th straight game as Curt Simmons of the Cards beats Jim Bunning 8–5. The Phils now trail by two 1/2 games with just two to play, but have a glimmer of hope since the Cardinals have three games left against the 10th-place Mets. » October 10, 1964: After Jim Bouton and Curt Simmons battle to a 1–1 tie through eight innings, Mickey Mantle homers on Barney Schultz's first pitch in the 9th, and the Yankees win 2–1. » October 14, 1964: Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle hit home runs on back-to-back pitches from Curt Simmons, and Joe Pepitone belts Gordie Richardson for a grand slam. New York wins 8–3 at St. Louis and evens the World Series. » August 18, 1965: The Braves take first place when Tony Cloninger beats St. Louis, 5–3. Hank Aaron of the Braves hits a home run off Curt Simmons, but has it nullified when umpire Chris Pelekoudas says Aaron stepped out of the batter's box when he made contact. » September 2, 1965: The Cubs beat St. Louis 5–3 at Wrigley Field, as Ernie Banks hits his 400th home run, a three-run shot off Curt Simmons, in the 3rd. Simmons teed up the 400th home run of Willie Mays in 1963. Banks will end the season with 28 home runs and 106 RBI. Ron Santo and Billy Williams will also knock in over 100 runs, the only team with three such sluggers, but the Cubs will finish 8th. » September 6, 1965: The Phils split with the Cards, taking the 2nd game 10-5 behind Chris Short. Curt Simmons, who had won 17 of 20 from the Phils since they released him, is the loser. Rookie Adolfo Phillips has three doubles and his first ML homer to pace the attack. In the opener, the Cards win, 10–3 behind the spark of Curt Flood, who singles home a run, steals his 56th base, and hits a 3-run homer. He adds a 2-run homer in the nitecap.