Pitcher, Baltimore
Orioles
2nd season
with Browns/Orioles
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’2” Weight: 215
Prior to 1954:
An Illinois
native, Turley was banned from his youth baseball league in East St. Louis at
age 12 due to his size and strength relative to other boys his age. Pitching in
a municipal league, he regularly faced adults as a teenager. Drawing the
interest of the St. Louis Browns, just across the Mississippi River from his
home city, Turley signed for $200 per month following his high school
graduation in 1948. The 17-year-old hurler was first assigned to Belleville of
the Class D Illinois State League where he posted a 9-3 record and a 4.45 ERA
while walking 71 batters over 97 innings along with 53 strikeouts. Struggling
to control his outstanding fastball, Turley moved on to Aberdeen of the Class C
Northern League where he went 23-5 with a 2.31 ERA and 205 strikeouts, as well
as 131 walks in 230 innings pitched. With teams at the Class A and AA levels in
1950 he produced a combined 11-16 tally and 4.58 ERA with 137 walks. In 1951
with San Antonio of the Class AA Texas League (the team he finished up with in 1950),
Turley’s record was 20-8 with a 2.96 ERA, 200 strikeouts, and 142 walks over
268 innings. Receiving a September call-up to the Browns he lost an 8-3
decision to the Chicago White Sox. Turley spent 1952 in the Army, where he
played service baseball. Joining the Browns in 1953 he appeared in 10 games (7
of them starts) and was 2-6 with a 3.28 ERA, 61 strikeouts and 44 walks in 60.1
innings of action. With the move of the Browns to Baltimore in 1954, where they
were rechristened the Orioles, the hard-throwing Turley sought to improve his
consistency and control.
1954 Season Summary
Appeared in 35
games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 35
Games Started –
35 [2]
Complete Games
– 14 [9, tied with Bob Keegan]
Wins – 14 [12, tied
with Ned Garver & Jack Harshman]
Losses – 15 [6,
tied with Bob Porterfield, Mickey McDermott & Billy Hoeft]
PCT - .483 [20]
Saves – 0
Shutouts – 0
Innings Pitched
– 247.1 [7]
Hits – 178
Runs – 106 [3,
tied with Don Larsen]
Earned Runs – 95
[4]
Home Runs – 7
Bases on Balls
– 181 [1]
Strikeouts – 185
[1]
ERA – 3.46 [20]
Hit Batters – 7
[5, tied with Tom Brewer & Harry Byrd]
Balks – 1 [5,
tied with eighteen others]
Wild Pitches – 5
[7, tied with Dean Stone, Harry Byrd & Mel Parnell]
League-leading bases
on balls surrendered were +67 ahead of runner-up Arnie Portocarrero
League-leading
strikeouts were +30 ahead of runner-up Early Wynn
Midseason
Snapshot: 7-9, ERA - 3.70, SO – 103 in 138.2 IP
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Most
strikeouts, game – 14 (in 9 IP) vs. Cleveland 4/21
10+ strikeout
games – 4
Fewest hits
allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) vs. Cleveland 4/21, (in 9 IP) vs. Bos.
Red Sox 8/7
Batting
PA – 90, AB – 81,
R – 8, H – 11, 2B – 2, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 5, BB – 2, SO – 23, SB – 1, CS –
0, AVG - .136, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 6, SF – 0
Fielding
Chances – 43
Put Outs – 7
Assists – 35
Errors – 1
DP – 1
Pct. - .977
Awards & Honors:
All-Star
23rd
in AL MVP voting, tied with Hank Bauer, NYY & Al Kaline, Det. (4 points, 1%
share)
The relocated Orioles went 54-100 to finish seventh in the AL, 57 games behind the pennant-winning Cleveland Indians, thus matching their last record as the St. Louis Browns the previous year. The pitching staff led the league in walks issued (688). The offensively challenged Orioles were 14-26 by the end of May and continued to struggle through the summer, including an August 14-game losing streak, to finish only three games out of the cellar.
Aftermath of 1954:
While having demonstrated better control of his fastball, slider, sinker, changeup, and curve, Turley was typically outstanding for the first few innings of his starts before wearing down. Having been an All-Star for the first time, he was traded to the Yankees in the offseason as part of a 17-player deal. Already named by The Sporting News as the hardest throwing pitcher in the major leagues with his live fastball, “Bullet Bob” started off well with his new club in 1955 and was an All-Star again on his way to a 17-13 tally with a 3.06 ERA and 210 strikeouts, while once more topping the AL in walks with 177. The Yankees won the pennant and lost to the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series as Turley lost his lone start. Starting only 21 games in 1956, Turley had a respectable 8-4 record along with a poor 5.05 ERA. Having lost his spot in the starting rotation in September due to losing manager Casey Stengel’s confidence, he developed an innovative (for the time) no-windup delivery at the urging of pitching coach Jim Turner. In the World Series rematch with Brooklyn and following RHP Don Larsen’s perfect game utilizing a similar delivery, Turley started Game 6 and struck out 11 batters and pitched 9 shutout innings before losing in the tenth. A spot starter and reliever for much of 1957, he went 13-6 with a 2.71 ERA, 9 complete games, and 152 strikeouts. He started and won Game 6 of the World Series against the Milwaukee Braves, who went on to win behind RHP Lew Burdette in the decisive Game 7. The Yankees won a fourth straight pennant in 1958 and Turley had an outstanding season, posting a 21-7 record with 19 complete games. Relying more on his curve and slider, he was able to pitch more effectively deep into games, but his rate of strikeouts dropped. He ended up with 168 over 245.1 innings. In the World Series rematch against the Braves, he was knocked out of Game 2 in the first inning. But with the Yankees down three games to one, Turley’s five-hit Game 5 shutout proved to be the turning point. Turley relieved and picked up the final out to save Game 6. Relieving Larsen in Game 7, he pitched 6.2 innings and picked up the decisive win as well as Series MVP recognition. In addition, he received the major league Cy Young Award. 1959 proved to be a rough year for both Turley and the Yankees. Turley was demoted to the bullpen at one point on his way to an 8-11 record with a 4.32 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 154.1 innings pitched. While the club returned to pennant-winning form in 1960, Turley, bothered by back and elbow injuries, started only 24 of 34 games he appeared in and posted a 9-3 mark with a 3.27 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 173.1 innings. Hindered by bone chips in his elbow in 1961, Turley dropped to 3-5 and a 5.75 ERA while managing only 72 innings. Following surgery to remove the bone chips in the offseason, he made it into only 24 games in 1962 with mediocre results. Sold to the Los Angeles Angels following the season, he lasted until July of 1963 when he was released with a 2-7 tally and finished the year with the Boston Red Sox. He retired after the ’63 season and became a pitching coach for Boston in 1964. An abortive attempt to catch on with Houston in 1965 never made it past spring training and he retired for good. For his major league career, Turley compiled a 101-85 record with a 3.64 ERA, 78 complete games, 24 shutouts, and 1265 strikeouts in 1712.2 innings. With the Browns/Orioles he was 16-22 with a 3.51 ERA, 17 complete games, 1 shutout, and 251 strikeouts in 315 innings pitched. Appearing in 15 World Series games, his record was 4-3 with a 3.19 ERA, and 46 strikeouts in 53.2 innings. A three-time All-Star, he was at his best during his 1958 Cy Young-winning season, before arm woes set in, but he first displayed his ability with the Browns and Orioles. In retirement from baseball he became highly successful in the insurance industry and real estate until his death in 2013 at age 82.
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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.
