Dan Petry confronted 644 totally different batters throughout the 1979-1991 seasons, and whereas he definitely doesn’t keep in mind all of them, his degree of recollection is spectacular. Now 67, the previous All-Star right-hander proved as a lot when he turned the most recent pitcher-turned-broadcast analyst to sort out one my a matchup-focused profession quizzes. As did David Cone, Mark Grant, Mark Gubicza, and Jeff Montgomery — these items will be discovered right here, right here, right here, and right here — “Peaches” reached into his private reminiscence financial institution to take a stab at answering my questions, and to supply entertaining anecdotes whereas doing so. Our dialog occurred at Fenway Park this previous weekend.
I started by asking him which batter he confronted probably the most occasions.
“It must be someone within the American League East,” replied Petry, who performed the majority of his profession with the Detroit Tigers and is now Dan Dickerson’s major accomplice within the workforce’s radio sales space. “I’ll say Robin Yount.”
It was certainly Yount, who stepped in in opposition to Petry 89 occasions. I proceeded to ask which participant recorded probably the most hits off him.
“That is likely to be a trick query, as a result of possibly it’s Robin Yount,” stated Petry, earlier than going with a distinct reply. “However I feel loads of my solutions are going to be George Brett, so I’ll say George Brett.”
He ought to’ve trusted his preliminary intuition, as a result of Yount was the reply once more. The Corridor of Famer logged 24 hits in 83 at-bats in opposition to the right-hander, who went 119-93 as a Tiger and 125-104 total, whereas tossing 2,080 1/3 innings over 370 massive league outings.
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“He’s a man who I’ve at all times, to today, have a lot respect for,” Petry stated of the Milwaukee Brewers icon. “I keep in mind when he was simply a youngster. At the moment [when Yount was in the majors at age 18], I used to be a youngster additionally, and fascinated with whether or not I’d ever get that chance to play, like he was doing. So, simply attending to face him was amongst my best moments.”
How concerning the batter to whom he surrendered probably the most dwelling runs?
“Once more, I’d most likely must guess George Brett,” replied Petry, naming the participant who, with six, is tied with Greg Walker for the second-most gophers off him. “However Mark McGwire was a man the place it appeared like he both hit a house run off me, or I walked him.”
Massive Mac, who had three dwelling runs and three walks in 16 plate appearances, wasn’t the proper reply. Fred Lynn has that distinction, having taken Petry deep seven occasions.
“I keep in mind some in Tiger Stadium, with the overhang in proper area, however I wouldn’t have thought that,” admitted the erstwhile hurler. “I keep in mind giving up dwelling runs right here [at Fenway Park], however extra so to Dwight Evans and Jim Rice, not a lot to Fred Lynn. Once more, a pair at Tiger Stadium, and never seven of them.”
Lynn by no means did go deep in opposition to Petry at Fenway Park, nor did he accomplish that whereas enjoying with the Purple Sox. Three of the homers got here at Tiger Stadium, three extra at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, and one at Anaheim Stadium.
The batter he walked probably the most occasions?
“Oh boy. How about Wade Boggs?” Petry replied, nailing the proper reply. “That jumped proper to my thoughts. He didn’t thoughts hitting with two strikes — he most likely hit .400 with two strikes — and he took loads of pitches. I additionally walked loads of guys.”
Boggs drew 21 walks, whereas Evans, with 16, had the following highest complete. I requested Petry concerning the latter, who slashed .368/.500/.649 with 4 dwelling runs in 74 plate appearances in opposition to him.
“He had a fantastic strategy,” Petry stated of the arguably Corridor-worthy outfielder. “He knew that I used to be going to throw loads of sliders, and I keep in mind him not chasing fairly often. He was very disciplined in opposition to me; he would spit on loads of good sliders that I’d throw to him. He was one other a kind of Purple Sox gamers who, once you got here to Fenway — and Fenway is a troublesome place to pitch, anyway — was a problem. You concentrate on that lineup that they had: Evans, Lynn, Rice, Carlton Fisk… it was a fantastic lineup.”
The batter he struck out probably the most occasions?
“The primary title that jumps into my head is Reggie Jackson, however I don’t suppose that’s proper,” responded Petry. “Any person from the Texas Rangers. Oddibe McDowell?”
That certified as the printed analyst’s greatest miss. Petry dominated McDowell to the tune of permitting simply 4 hits in 21 at-bats, however he fanned him simply 4 occasions. There have been two appropriate solutions, with a dozen strikeouts every: Todd Cruz and the aforementioned Mr. October.
Why did Petry have a lot success in opposition to Jackson, who went simply 8-for-46 (.174) in opposition to his choices?
“I really instructed a narrative to Dan Dickerson about Reggie Jackson yesterday,” Petry stated. “I went the longest time in my profession with out giving up a house run to him, and at last he received me — late in his profession, and late in my profession. That will have been a fantastic bragging piece, that I by no means gave up a house run to Reggie Jackson.”
Which batter went 2-for-3 with a pair of dwelling runs in opposition to him? I wasn’t positive if that will be a straightforward one to reply, or a particularly tough one. It turned out to be a bit of of each.
After initially saying Ken Phelps, then including, “No, I confronted him greater than thrice,” Petry was rather more assured when he answered: “Oh, Kevin Maas.”
The Maas guess was one — the flash within the pan Yankees slugger went 1-for-2 with a stroll and a house run — however it wasn’t the appropriate reply. A touch elicited a direct nailing of the proper title.
“Cecil Fielder,” Petry replied after being instructed that one of many hits was a grand slam. “It was right here. I pitched for Boston for about six weeks. The Tigers got here to city, I got here out of the bullpen, and he hit one up into the online, proper down the left-field line. He was laughing all the way in which across the bases. This was in 1991, and I had performed with the Tigers earlier within the 12 months earlier than getting traded to Atlanta, after which right here, so I knew Cecil very properly. My boys performed with Value [Fielder]. Prince would come over to the home and run round with my children.”
The batter he placed on base with a hit-by-pitch 4 occasions proved to be a straightforward query.
“Brian Downing,” Petry promptly replied. “He stood proper on the plate and leaned his arms over. I used to be by no means afraid to pitch inside, as a result of I wanted to open up the surface a part of the plate for my slider, and he would lean into it. This was earlier than hitters had all of the padding. I by no means drilled him; he was simply form of sticking his arms on the market to get on base. And he had massive arms. I really performed with him for 2 years with the Angels, so there was no animosity. It was simply a part of the sport.”
A query that did show tough was the participant with the best batting common amongst those that logged 15 or extra hits off him.
“I imply, I at all times say George Brett to all the things, as a result of he was so good,” stated Petry. “However… I don’t know if he received 15 hits in opposition to me, however how about Don Mattingly?”
Shut, however no cigar. The New York Yankees legend went 21-for-47, for a .447 common, which was second-highest mark. Petry then surmised Cecil Cooper, who went 19-for-54, for a .352 common. The right reply was yet one more left-handed hitter, one whose .537 common got here through 17 hits in 30 at-bats. Petry rattled off the title shortly after I instructed him that it was a Seattle Mariner.
“Oh, that’s proper. Alvin Davis,” he stated. “You already know, the Mariners have been a kind of groups that… and Phil Bradley (10-for-25) was one other one. He was a right-handed hitter. They have been robust outs. Alvin Davis was a troublesome out for all of us, so it wasn’t simply me. However left-handed hitters gave me bother, as a result of I couldn’t at all times throw a changeup. If I had changeup, I used to be in nice form, however it was flip a coin if I used to be going to have changeup.”
Yet one more query appeared so as. As he introduced up Brett a number of occasions, does Petry have a favourite story concerning the batter in opposition to whom he yielded 20 hits in 58 at-bats?
“I don’t have a favourite one, however there may be one that also form of haunts me a bit of bit,” Petry instructed me. “I hit Willie Wilson [with a pitch] within the cheek at Royals stadium. I keep in mind strolling in as he was on the bottom, and [Brett] and I have been standing subsequent to one another. I stated, ‘I didn’t imply to do this.’ He didn’t say a phrase. I feel these have been the one phrases I’ve ever spoken to him in my life. There was simply that face-to-face interplay, which I keep in mind to today. It was a scary second. However George Brett was simply so good. He was so, so good.”