Pitcher, New
York Yankees/Los Angeles Angels
Age: 32
4th season
with Yankees
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’2” Weight: 190
Prior to 1961:
A Wisconsin
native, Duren grew up working on a family farm which caused him to develop
strong arm muscles. He developed a passion for baseball while listening to
Chicago Cubs games on the radio when bedridden for six months with a bad case
of rheumatic fever. Unimpressive while playing baseball in high school, he
began working in a factory in Beloit after graduation and played sandlot ball
on weekends in his hometown of Cazenovia in 1948. The hard-throwing Duren led
his team to the county championship and was signed by the St. Louis Browns for
$300 per month and a $500 bonus. Nearsightedness combined with poor depth
perception and light sensitivity had Duren wearing thick tinted glasses. He had
difficulty with the lighting in minor league ballparks and walked 114 batters
over 85 innings with the Wausau Lumberjacks of the Class D Wisconsin State
League in 1949. He also recorded 145 strikeouts while posting a 4-5 record with
a 3.81 ERA. In 1950 he moved on to Pine Bluff of the Class C Cotton States
League where he had a 15-7 tally and 3.17 ERA while walking 157 batters over
the course of 190 innings. Advancing to Dayton of the Class A Central League in
1951 he went 17-8 with a 2.73 ERA, while issuing 194 walks and 238 strikeouts
over 198 innings. After playing winter ball in Venezuela, Duren started the
1952 season with the San Antonio Missions of the Class AA Texas League where he
walked 19 batters in 22 innings pitched and was sent to the Anderson Rebels of
the Class B Tri-State League. He appeared in 10 games with Anderson and
produced a 4-4 record and a 3.17 ERA while walking 73 and striking out 100 over
71 innings. Along the way he no-hit Asheville over 11 innings before losing the
no-hitter, and the game, in the twelfth. Returning to San Antonio in 1953 he
was 12-12 with a 2.63 ERA and league-leading 212 strikeouts. The Browns moved
to Baltimore in 1954 and Duren went to spring training with the rechristened
Orioles but, wild and inconsistent, he was returned to San Antonio where he
compiled a 14-14 tally and a 3.44 ERA along with 224 strikeouts and 144 walks. Called
up to the Orioles in September, a hand injury sidelined him until the season
finale, in which he pitched two innings in relief, gave up two earned runs, and
recorded two strikeouts. In an effort to improve his control, Baltimore manager
Paul Richards had him throw more breaking balls which led to a sore arm. He
spent 1955 with San Antonio and Seattle of the Pacific Coast League and
hindered by the sore arm, his combined record was 4-7 with a 3.87 ERA and 98
strikeouts with 53 walks over 86 innings. Optioned to Vancouver of the PCL in
1956, manager Lefty O’Doul significantly tutored Duren in pitching technique
and he went 11-11 with a 4.13 ERA and 183 strikeouts while lowering his walks
to 87 over 205 innings. The Orioles traded him to the Kansas City Athletics in
September. Starting the season with the A’s in 1957, inconsistency and control
issues continued to be a problem and he was 0-3 with a 5.27 ERA in 14
appearances (6 of them starts) when he was traded to the New York Yankees in
June. Assigned to the Denver Bears of the Class AAA American Association, he
pitched a seven-inning no-hitter in his first start and went on to post a 13-2
record and a 3.16 record with 116 strikeouts and just 33 walks in 114 innings. He
also encountered problems with heavy drinking and rowdy behavior. Duren stuck
with the Yankees in 1958 and excelled as a reliever (or “fireman”, as bullpen
closers were called at the time) as he made 44 appearances and produced a 6-4
tally with a league-leading 19 saves and 2.02 ERA while striking out 87 and walking
43 over 75.2 innings. He was also an All-Star along the way and was involved in
a much-publicized fight with coach Ralph Houk (who had been his manager in
Denver) while drunk. In the World Series win against the Milwaukee Braves,
Duren made three appearances and was 1-1 with a save and 14 strikeouts in 9.1
innings. He also was fined $250 by commissioner Ford Frick for a “choke”
gesture he made at the home plate umpire in Game 6. Offseason knee surgery led
to a slow start in 1959 before he put together a run of 17 consecutive
appearances without surrendering a run. An All-Star once again, Duren went 3-6
with 14 saves, a 1.88 ERA, and 96 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched until a
broken wrist ended his season in September. An intimidating mound presence with
his thick and dark glasses and penchant for throwing hard and occasionally
wild, his pitching performances would send him into severe mood swings spurred
by his heavy drinking. In 1960 Duren started the season well until he was once
again beset by problems with control and consistency. After losing his role as
the bullpen closer to LHP Bobby Shantz in June he went on to appear in a total
of 42 games, compiling a 3-4 record and a 4.96 ERA with 8 saves while recording
67 strikeouts and surrendering 49 walks over 49 innings pitched. The Yankees
returned to the World Series, losing to Pittsburgh in seven games, and Duren
made two appearances and struck out 5 batters in 4 innings of play. With Ralph
Houk replacing Casey Stengel as manager in 1961, Duren was rendered irrelevant
in the bullpen, and following just four appearances, he was dealt to the
expansion Angels as part of a five-player trade in May.
1961 Season Summary
Appeared in 44
games (NY Yankees – 4, LA Angels – 40)
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 44 [20]
(NYY – 4, LAA – 40)
Games Started –
14 (LAA)
Games Finished
– 11 (NYY – 2, LAA – 9)
Complete Games
– 1 (LAA)
Wins – 6 (LAA)
Losses – 13
[14, tied with four others] (NYY – 1, LAA – 12)
PCT - .316 (NYY
– .000/LAA – .333)
Saves – 2 (LAA)
Shutouts – 1
(LAA)
Innings Pitched
– 104 (NYY – 5, LAA – 99)
Hits – 89 (NYY
– 2, LAA – 87)
Runs – 73 (NYY
– 3, LAA – 70)
Earned Runs – 60
(NYY – 3, LAA – 57)
Home Runs – 15
(NYY – 2, LAA – 13)
Bases on Balls
– 79 [19, tied with Pedro Ramos] (NYY – 4, LAA – 75)
Strikeouts – 115
[18] (NYY – 7, LAA – 108)
ERA – 5.19 (NYY
– 5.40, LAA – 5.18)
Hit Batters – 3
(LAA)
Balks – 0
Wild Pitches – 7
[14, tied with Milt Pappas, Camilo Pascual & John Gabler] (LAA)
Midseason
Snapshot: 3-9, ERA - 4.98, SV – 2, SO - 68 in 59.2 IP
---
Most
strikeouts, game – 12 (in 8 IP) vs. NY Yankees 6/28
10+ strikeout
games – 2
Fewest hits
allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 3 (in 9 IP) at Cleveland 8/12, (in 8 IP) vs. NY Yankees
6/28
Batting (Combined)
PA – 29, AB – 25,
R – 2, H – 1, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 3, BB – 3, SO – 15, SB – 0, CS – 0,
AVG - .040, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 1, SF – 0
Fielding
(Combined)
Chances – 14
Put Outs – 6
Assists – 6
Errors – 2
DP – 0
Pct. - .857
Awards & Honors:
All-Star
---
In their
inaugural season, the Angels went 70-91 to finish eighth in the AL, 38.5 games
behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees. The pitching staff led the league
in walks (713), strikeouts (973), and fewest complete games (25). Opening the
season on the road, the Angels lost 7 of their first 8 games but proved to be
more competitive the rest of the way, especially at home at LA’s Wrigley Field,
where they produced a 46-36 record and drew 603,510 fans. Duren provided
highlights with his 3-hit shutout of the Yankees and another game against the
Red Sox where he struck out 7 consecutive batters.
Aftermath of 1961:
Hospitalized for pneumonia, but more due to the effects of alcoholism, in the offseason, he returned to the Angels in 1962, who moved from Wrigley Field to the new, and more pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. As part of a bullpen closer-by-committee, Duren appeared in 42 games and posted a 2-9 tally with a 4.42 ERA, 8 saves, and 74 strikeouts with 57 walks over 71.1 innings. The 34-year-old fireballer was waived during spring training in 1963 and joined the Philadelphia Phillies. Staying sober and utilizing more off-speed pitches, he put together a solid season, appearing in 33 games (7 of them starts) and going 6-2 with a 3.30 ERA, two saves, and 84 strikeouts while issuing 52 walks in 87.1 innings pitched. He started the 1964 season with the Phillies but was traded to Cincinnati in May. He made 26 appearances with the Reds, all in relief, and went 0-2 with a save, a 2.89 ERA, and 39 strikeouts over 43.2 innings. Released by the Reds in 1965 due to alcohol-related incidents, he was dealt back to the Phillies, where he lasted for only six games. Released again, Duren caught on with the Washington Senators. He performed poorly and threatened suicide before he was again released, thus ending his major league career. Less than six months later he was committed to a mental hospital in Texas. Later, he relocated to Wisconsin and received treatment that allowed him to overcome his dependance on alcohol and he became an addiction counselor until his death at age 81 in 2011. For his major league career, Duren posted a 27-44 record with a 3.83 ERA, 55 saves, and 630 strikeouts and 392 walks issued over 589.1 innings pitched. With the Angels he went 8-21 with a 4.86 ERA, 10 saves, and 182 strikeouts with 132 walks in 170.1 innings pitched. He appeared in five World Series games, all with the Yankees, and was 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA, 1 save, and 19 strikeouts over 13.1 innings. A talented but troubled pitcher due to his drinking, the four-time All-Star managed to meaningfully change his life following his baseball career. In 1983 he was presented with the Yankee Family Award for overcoming his problem drinking and his work as a counselor helping others.
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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum
of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who
led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a
minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between
the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc.
players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the
postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.
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