Warren Spahn at Turner Field, August 12, 2003. Click to enlarge photo.
photo by Tim Evearitt
Warren Spahn, the winningest left-handed pitcher in Major League history, died peacefully at the age of 82 in his Broken Arrow, Okla., home on Monday afternoon. Funeral arrangements are pending.
When Spahn visited Atlanta this past summer, he displayed that same fighting spirit that gave him so much success throughout his playing career. He has been fighting various illnesses over the past few years and was forced to begin using a wheelchair last year.
"I am terribly saddened to learn of the passing of Warren Spahn today," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a released statement. "As a young Milwaukee Braves fan during the 1950s, I have many wonderful and vivid memories of the great Warren Spahn on the mound at County Stadium. He is a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game. More importantly, he was my friend. I will miss him. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family and friends."
Spahn, who played 20 seasons with the Boston and Milwaukee Braves from 1942-64, won at least 20 games 13 times.
He amassed 363 career wins, the fifth-most in Major League history. The southpaw was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1973, the first year he was eligible.
Making his accomplishments even more remarkable is the fact that his career was shortened while he served a three-year tour of duty in World War II, during which he received a battlefield commission.
His first big-league win didn't come until he was 25 years old in 1946.
"You know, the thing that amazes me, well, the 363 wins definitely," fellow Cooperstown enshrinee Phil Niekro said earlier this summer. "But you know he was in the Army for four years in his prime. If you take those four years and put them back into Major League Baseball, he probably wins another 30, 40 or 50 games, and that puts him above 400 [wins]."
While remembering Spahn on Monday, former Milwaukee Braves shortstop Johnny Logan compared his former teammate to Curt Schilling, a current-day pitcher who is known for his ferocity on the mound.
Spahn, who was an inaugural inductee into the Braves Hall of Fame in 1999, was always a warrior during his playing days.
Each year from 1947-63, he tossed at least 16 complete games and tossed 20 or more during 12 of those seasons.
One of Sphan's greatest competitive displays actually resulted in a Braves loss. On July 3, 1963, a 42-year-old Spahn locked up in a classic duel with a 25-year-old Giants right-hander named Juan Marichal. The two future Hall of Famers each worked into the 16th inning of a scoreless game that ended when Willie Mays hit a solo homer off Spahn.
Spahn's career included two no-hitters. His final one came in 1961, when he was 40 years old.
His patented high leg kick has not been duplicated. But his mental approach has been copied by the likes of Tom Glavine, whose father was among the many members of the past generation to view Spahn as the greatest pitcher who ever lived.
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Adapted from article on the MLB.com website.
Last August Warren Spahn was immortalized with this larger-than-life bronze statue in front of Turner Field. Click to enlarge photo.
photo by Tim Evearitt