Milt Pappas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Milt Pappas |
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Pappas in 1973 with the Chicago Cubs
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: May 11, 1939 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Died: April 19, 2016 (aged 76) Beecher, Illinois, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 10, 1957, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 18, 1973, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 209–164 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.40 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,728 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Milton Steven Pappas (born May 11, 1939 – died April 19, 2016) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1957 to 1973. Nicknamed "Gimpy", he played for 17 years. Pappas pitched for the Baltimore Orioles (1957–1965), Cincinnati Reds (1966–1968), Atlanta Braves (1968–1970), and Chicago Cubs (1970–1973).
He was known for his control when pitching. Pappas played in 520 games, starting 465 of them. He had 209 wins and 164 losses. He also recorded 43 shutouts and 1,728 strikeouts. His ERA was 3.40 over 3,186 innings pitched. He was chosen as an All-Star three times for the Orioles. In 1985, he was honored by being inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.
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Playing for the Baltimore Orioles
Pappas was born in Detroit, Michigan. His parents were from Greece. His birth name was Miltiades Stergios Papastergios. In 1957, while a senior at Cooley High School, many teams wanted to sign Pappas. He chose to sign with the Orioles. This was suggested by Hal Newhouser, a former star pitcher.
Pappas signed for $4,000. He pitched only three games in the minor leagues. Then, he was called up to the Major Leagues in August 1957. His first Major League game was on August 10, pitching in relief against the New York Yankees. In 1958, he joined the Orioles' starting pitchers. He began a streak of 11 years where he won at least 10 games. That year, he had a record of 10 wins and 10 losses.
Pappas quickly became the best pitcher for the Orioles. He was named an All-Star in 1962. He pitched in both All-Star games that year. From 1959 to 1962, Major League Baseball held two All-Star games each season. He was also the starting pitcher in the 1965 All-Star Game. From 1959 through 1965, Pappas always had more wins than losses. He won between 13 and 16 games each year.
In 1998, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa broke Roger Maris’ single-season home run record. Pappas shared that he only threw fastballs to Maris in 1961. This led to Maris hitting his 59th home run. Pappas said he was upset that the commissioner wanted to list Maris's record separately. This would happen if Maris didn't break Babe Ruth's 60 home runs by the Yankees’ 154th game.
Time with the Cincinnati Reds
In December 1965, Pappas was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He moved with pitcher Jack Baldschun and outfielder Dick Simpson. In return, the Reds sent superstar Frank Robinson to the Orioles. Robinson would later become a Hall of Famer.
The Reds' president, Bill DeWitt, thought Robinson was "not a young 30." Fans in Cincinnati were very upset about this trade. This made it hard for Pappas to get used to pitching for the Reds. In 1966, he had a winning record of 12 wins and 11 losses. However, his ERA was 4.29. This was much higher than his usual ERA.
In 1967, Pappas won 16 games. This was the most wins for him in a season and for his team. But in 1968, he started the season slowly. So, on June 11, 1968, the Reds traded him. Pappas, along with Bob Johnson and Ted Davidson, went to the Atlanta Braves. In exchange, the Reds received Tony Cloninger, Clay Carroll, and Woody Woodward.
Playing for the Atlanta Braves
Pappas pitched well for the Braves, with 10 wins and 8 losses. His ERA was 2.37. In 1969, injuries kept him from playing much for the first four months. He only won 6 games and lost 10, with a 3.62 ERA. Still, Atlanta won the National League West title. This was the team's first time in the postseason since 1958.
Pappas finally got to play in the postseason. In the playoffs against the New York Mets, he made his only postseason appearance. He allowed three runs in three innings while pitching in relief.
Years with the Chicago Cubs
In 1970, the Braves removed Pappas from their starting rotation. This happened after only three starts. His ERA was 6.06, and he gave up six home runs. On June 23, the Braves sold his contract to the Chicago Cubs. This gave him another chance to show he could still be a Major League starter. Pappas had a 7–2 record with a 2.36 ERA at home. Overall, he finished the season with 10 wins and 8 losses, and a 2.68 ERA.
In 1971, Pappas had a great season, winning 17 games. This was his career best. His ERA was 3.51. On September 24, against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field, Pappas made history. He struck out all three batters on nine pitches in the fourth inning. This is called an immaculate inning. He was the 10th National League pitcher to do this.
Five days later, Pappas was part of another historic moment. This time, it was against him. He pitched to Ron Hunt of the Montreal Expos. Hunt was hit by Pappas's pitch for the 50th time that season. This broke the record of 49 set in 1896. Pappas argued that the pitch was over the plate. He said Hunt did not try to get out of the way.
In 1972, Pappas had a strong season with 17 wins and 7 losses. His 2.77 ERA was his best since 1965. On September 2, at Wrigley Field, Pappas pitched a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. He retired the first 26 batters. He was one strike away from a perfect game. But the umpire called two close pitches balls, giving a walk to Larry Stahl. Pappas believed he had struck out Stahl.
Pappas ended the game by getting the next batter out. His no-hitter was the last one for the Cubs until 2008. It was also the last no-hitter pitched at Wrigley Field until 2015. Eleven days after his no-hitter, Pappas earned his 200th career victory. This also happened at Wrigley Field, as he defeated the Montreal Expos 6–2.
In 1973, he won only 7 games and lost 12, with a 4.28 ERA. He was released by the Chicago Cubs on April 2, 1974. He finished his career with 209 victories. He was the first pitcher to win over 200 games without winning 20 games in any single season.
During his career, Pappas was often among the top pitchers. He was in the top 10 for ERA in eight seasons. He was also in the top 10 for wins in six seasons. He had a perfect fielding percentage (1.000) in four seasons. Pappas also hit 20 home runs as a pitcher. On August 27, 1961, he pitched a two-hit shutout and hit two home runs himself. He was the last American League pitcher to hit a home run in a 1–0 game before the designated hitter rule.
Life After Baseball
Milt Pappas's wife, Carole, went missing on September 11, 1982. She had left their home in Wheaton, Illinois. For five years, no trace of her or her car was found. On August 7, 1987, workers found her car and her body. This happened while they were draining a pond near their home. An investigation determined the cause of death was accidental drowning. Police thought she might have mistaken a driveway near the pond for a road.
After his baseball career, Pappas managed a professional softball team. He also owned a restaurant in Baltimore. Later, he worked for a beer and wine distributor. He then sold building supplies. Milt and Carole Pappas had two children, Michelle and Steve. Carole was his childhood sweetheart, and they were married for 22 years.
In 1990, Pappas moved with his second wife, Judi, and their daughter Alexandria. Judi is a teacher for children with special needs. Pappas died on April 19, 2016, from natural causes.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball all-time leaders in home runs by pitchers
- List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
- List of solved missing person cases: pre-2000
Images for kids
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Milt Pappas at an old-timers' appearance in 2014
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