Ken Holtzman

I was watching the Philles-Rays game last night when Phils pitcher Joe Blanton went deep for I believe the first home run of his career. Not a good sign for the Rays, who ended up losing like 13-2. The announcers revealed that Ken Holtzman was the last pitcher to homer in the World Series, in 1974 against the Dodgers. That was the second World Series I ever remember watching, and I recall Holtzman's blast. Of course, a year earlier, Holtzman hit two doubles against the Mets. The guy was a .163 lifetime hitter with a .203 slugging percentage. In three Word Series' with the A's, he hit .333 with an .833 slugging percentage. He also had a 4-1 pitching record in the October Classic.

Here's what Ken Holtzman looked like in the mid-1970s. White shoes, green hats, yellow uniforms, great mustaches- the A's were the epitome of style to a wide-eyed youngster like myself. Ahh, the 1970s...