Not a great Birthday Team today, despite the two Hall of Famers.

C: Carlton Fisk
1B: Chris Chambliss
2B: Omar Infante
3B: Jeff King
SS: Ozzie Smith
LF: Jeff Stone
CF: Lee King
RF: White Wings Tebeau

SP: Ray Sadecki
SP: Storm Davis
SP: Al Jackson
SP: Al Milnar
SP: Herman Pillette
RP: Stu Miller

Good Field, No Hit: Mario Mendoza
Not that one: Chris Carpenter

Walk offs come to mind looking at that team today. Fisk and Ozzie had legendary walk off homers and Stone had the walk off hit in one of the most exciting baseball games I've ever seen.

Chambliss had a legendary walk off HR as well.

15,000 days ago, the Dodgers made two trades involving prominent players. That puts us in the 1971-72 offseason. Can you guess who any of the players involved in the trades were before clicking on the link?

I just looked up Herman Pillette semi-randomly. A 275 inning 136 ERA+ rookie season at age 25, a 250 inning 101 ERA+ at 26 and then only had 3 starts/16 relief appearances the next year for an 87 ERA+ and gone from the majors for good. It looks like he pitched regularly in the PCL until age 40 and pitched sparingly there through age 49. Wikipedia offers no insight why he disappeared from the majors permanently.

That's Herman Polycarp Pillette by the way. Father of Duane, born in dad's rookie year, who pitched mehly for the Browns/Orioles in the 50s.

A friend of mine gave me all of James' Abstracts for Christmas and I was just reading the 1984 entry for Dickie Thon.

He ranks Thon number 2 among SS behind Yount.
"why do I have this feeling that some tragedy is waiting for him? Things seem too perfect, too good, as if someone was setting him up for something..."

Dick Allen for Tommy John

edit: And Frank Robinson for ???

Wikipedia offers no insight why he disappeared from the majors permanently.

His son, Duane Pillette, wrote a letter quoted on a web site explaining that after his father broke his knee-cap from a line drive late in the 1923 season, and struggled through the 1924 season, the Tigers told him he was through. I assume they released him. The family moved back to the west coast, where Pillette was from (he was from Oregon). A friend who was a pitcher in the PCL recommended a different doctor, and Pillette went to see him, rehabilitated his injury, and signed with Vernon in the PCL.

I'd speculate that it was a combination of the doctors in the majors assuming he was through, and then after he rejuvinated his career in the PCL, where he was closer to home, he just may have felt more comfortable and happy there.

He ranks Thon number 2 among SS behind Yount.
"why do I have this feeling that some tragedy is waiting for him? Things seem too perfect, too good, as if someone was setting him up for something..."

Hate to call you out on this, but I just found my copy of the 1984 Abstract, and that quote (on page 209) was actually about Cal Ripken.