Pitcher, Baltimore Orioles
Age: 32 (Aug. 20)
2nd season
with Orioles (1st complete)
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’4” Weight: 195
Prior to 1956:
A native of
Holland, Michigan, Zuverink grew up listening to Detroit Tigers game broadcasts
and sought to become a pitcher. Tall and thin, he played basketball in high
school and joined the baseball squad as a senior. Afterward he joined the Army
during World War II and played service baseball where he further developed his
pitching while serving in the Philippines. He signed with the St. Louis
Cardinals following the end of his military commitment in 1946 and was assigned
to Fresno of the Class C California League where he posted an 11-13 record and
4.41 ERA with 17 complete games, one shutout, and 110 strikeouts with 82 walks
over 241 innings. Released by the Cardinals, in 1947 he pitched for his
hometown semipro team, the Holland Flying Dutchmen and produced a 13-0 tally
with 138 strikeouts and just 13 walks. In 1948 Zuverink joined a Cleveland
Indians farm team in Spartanburg, South Carolina that was in the Class B
Tri-State League. He produced an 18-12 record and 4.20 ERA in 45
appearances that included 17 complete games, 2 shutouts and 112 strikeouts with
100 walks over 251 innings. A natural side-arm pitcher, his best pitch was a
sinker that was both tough on hitters and catchers. After spending the winter in
the Panama Canal Zone League, Zuverink moved on to Oklahoma City of the Class
AA Texas League in 1949. He compiled a 16-7 tally and 3.22 ERA with 11 complete
games, 3 shutouts, and 112 strikeouts over 229 innings. Failing to land a spot
in Cleveland’s strong pitching staff in 1950, he was sent to San Diego of the
Class AAA Pacific Coast League where he produced a 20-14 record and 3.71 ERA
with 15 complete games, 3 shutouts, and 116 strikeouts over 279 innings. Along
the way he corrected a flaw in his delivery that tended to tip his pitches. Zuverink
made the Cleveland staff as a reliever in 1951 and appeared in just 16 games,
only once after July 15 as the club was in the midst of the AL pennant race. He
had no decisions and finished with a 5.33 ERA. Starting the 1952 season with
the Indians, Zuverink was soon sent down to Indianapolis of the Class AAA
American Association where he went 12-11 with a 3.75 ERA. Back with
Indianapolis in 1953, he improved to 13-8 with a 3.59 ERA. Frustrated in the
Cleveland organization, Zuverink was sold to the Cincinnati Reds (or Redlegs at
the time) where he started the 1954 season but was sold to the Detroit Tigers
following two disappointing appearances. He started out in the Detroit bullpen,
but with improved control joined the starting rotation and ended up with a 9-13
tally and 3.59 ERA, although he lost four of his last six decisions. Working
out of the bullpen for the Tigers in 1955, Zuverink had a 0-5 record and 6.99
ERA when he was sold to the Orioles in July. His performance improved with the
Orioles, where he was a reliever and occasional starter and in 28 appearances
went 4-3 with 4 saves and a 2.19 ERA.
1956 Season Summary
Appeared in 62
games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 62 [1]
Games Started –
0
Games Finished
– 40 [1]
Complete Games
– 0
Wins – 7
Losses – 6
PCT - .538 [20,
tied with Mel Parnell]
Saves – 16 [1]
Shutouts – 0
Innings Pitched
– 97.1
Hits – 112
Runs – 52
Earned Runs – 45
Home Runs – 6
Bases on Balls
– 34
Strikeouts – 33
ERA – 4.16 [Non-qualifying]
Hit Batters – 3
Balks – 1 [5,
tied with twenty others]
Wild Pitches – 1
League-leading
games pitched were +8 ahead of runner-up Jack Crimian
League-leading
games finished were +12 ahead of runners-up Ike Delock & Al Aber
League-leading saves
were +5 ahead of runners-up Don Mossi & Tom Morgan
Midseason
Snapshot: 4-5, ERA - 2.74, G – 36, SV – 15, SO – 28 in 69 IP
---
Most
strikeouts, game – 3 (in 6 IP) vs. Washington 4/21
10+ strikeout
games – 0
Batting
PA – 22, AB – 17,
R – 0, H – 2, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 2, BB – 1, SO – 7, SB – 0, CS – 0,
AVG - .118, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 4, SF – 0
Fielding
Chances – 25
Put Outs – 8
Assists – 17
Errors – 0
DP – 2
Pct. - 1.000
---
The Orioles
went 69-85 to finish sixth in the AL, 28 games behind the pennant-winning New
York Yankees. Under the guidance of second-year manager Paul Richards, the
Orioles showed pitching improvement but still dropped quickly into the second
division where they remained.
Aftermath of 1956:
Having performed well out of the bullpen in 1956, Zuverink again was Baltimore’s top reliever in 1957, once again leading the league in pitching appearances (56) and games finished (37) although his saves total dropped to 9, which was best on the club if not in the AL. His record was 10-6 with a 2.48 ERA. Zuverink remained as a quality reliever in 1958, appearing in 45 games and producing a 2-2 tally with 7 saves and a 3.39 ERA. Shoulder stiffness in 1959 imited him to six games until he was sent down to Miami of the International League where he went 3-4 with a 2.95 ERA in 30 appearances. He was back in the Pacific Coast League in 1960 and retired after 9 appearances. For his major league career, Zuverink appeared in 265 games, 31 of them starts, and compiled a 32-36 record and 40 saves with a 3.54 ERA and 223 strikeouts over 642.1 innings. He was at his best with the Orioles where he pitched in 197 games and produced a 23-18 record with 36 saves, a 3.07 ERA, and 123 strikeouts over 378.1 innings. He never appeared in the postseason. He was inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and died at age 90 in 2014.
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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.
