Don Demeter

At the start of the 1958 season, The Sporting News listed Demeter as the "kid with greatest potential" and the "best bet for batting title" in the Dodgers' organization. The team had relocated to Los Angeles, California, following the 1957 campaign.[44] After serving a six-month term with the Army in San Antonio, Texas, Demeter was discharged on April 17, 1958 and left to immediately join the major league Dodgers in Los Angeles.[45] Playing time was scarce for him, as he only appeared in six games before being optioned back to St. Paul on May 9.[46] In 80 games with St. Paul, Demeter hit .283 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI.[9]

Demeter was recalled by the Dodgers on July 30, when Randy Jackson's rights were sold to the Cleveland Indians for $20,000.[47][48] In the month of August, Demeter hit .148 with one home run and two RBI in 54 at bats. His numbers went up in mid-September, as he batted .263 with four home runs in his final 12 games.[49] Demeter finished 1958 with a .189 batting average, five home runs, and eight RBI in 43 games for Los Angeles.[1]

On February 16, 1959, Demeter signed a new contract with the Dodgers for $8,500.[50][51] By that year, he was the only one of the Capitol Hill alumni signed after his senior year who was still in professional organized baseball in any capacity.[52] At the Dodgers camp in Vero Beach, Florida, Demeter took the time to try to reinvent himself as a hitter. Previously, he had always tried for home runs, which resulted in 32 strikeouts in 106 at bats in 1958. Manager Walter Alston and new coach Pee Wee Reese worked with him on his swing. Believing Demeter was upper-cutting at the ball, Reese had him cut down on his swing. Alston had Demeter stand outside the batting cage and hit ground balls to the infielders while waiting for his turn in the cage. Demeter and Alston agreed that the simple exercise helped level off Demeter's swing.[3] While adapting his new batting style, Demeter pulled a muscle in his right leg on February 27.[53] It was not serious, and Demeter returned to spring training play in less than a week. On March 12, he had a game-winning single with the bases loaded against the Cincinnati Reds in the 9th inning to give the Dodgers the 7-6 win.[54]

The Dodgers finally carried out their plan to make Demeter their center fielder, though they shifted Snider over to right field instead of left.[30] He did not play on Opening Day, as Snider played center and the left-handed hitting Ron Fairly got the start in right field against the right-handed pitching Bob Anderson of the Chicago Cubs.[55] In his first start of the season the next day, Demeter was given his first start of the season with the temperature around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Demeter made the best early impression he could, hitting a home run and a single while driving in two runs as the Dodgers prevailed by a score of 5-3.[3] After pinch-hitting in the third game of the year, Demeter hit back-to-back home runs in games four and five.[3] Snider's lingering knee problems helped cement Demeter's place as the team's starting center fielder.[3][56]

On April 21 against the San Francisco Giants, Demeter hit three home runs and had six RBI. In the third inning off Giants pitcher Dom Zanni, Demeter hit the first ever inside-the-park home run at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The next inning saw another home run, this time to deep left off of Mike McCormick. Demeter capped off the performance by hitting a game winning walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning off Al Worthington to win the game 9-7.[3] As of July 2009, only 22 players in the history of the majors since 1900 had three home runs in a single game during their rookie season. Demeter was the first Dodger and ninth overall to accomplish the feat, sharing the accomplishment with Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews and Mickey Cochrane.[57] The next morning, a photographer got Demeter out of bed at five o'clock in the morning to take photos for an afternoon Los Angeles newspaper.[3][52] In Demeter's first 15 games, he hit .345 with six home runs and 21 RBI.[56] On Demeter's early success, Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer remarked, "Seldom have I seen a player come so far so fast. When I saw him for the first time late last season, he was just another journeyman. Now he's a real good-looking ball player."[3]

Demeter had another multiple home run game in an 11-0 win over the Phillies on June 11.[58] For the months of May and June, he batted a combined .278 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI.[56] In July and August, he batted below .160 in both months and hit only two home runs.[56] Snider was moved back to center field on August 12, and Demeter was mainly used as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement for the rest of the year.[56][59] On August 18, he dropped an "easy" pop fly against the Milwaukee Braves in the bottom of the ninth inning.[60] Seeing that Bill Bruton was attempting to score, Demeter fired the ball to home plate. "It was a perfect strike," Demeter described the throw. "But there was nobody there to catch it, because (Johnny) Roseboro was out at the mound congratulating (Don) Drysdale on the victory."[61] The Braves tied the game on his error, but the Dodgers later won 7-6 in 13 innings.[60] On the bus ride to the hotel, Demeter shook every one of his teammate's hands, showing his appreciation for "the team's win". At season's end, the Dodgers were tied with the Braves for the NL pennant, forcing the teams to play a tie-breaker series, which the Dodgers won in two games. Reflecting on what might have happened had they lost the series, Demeter said, "My error could have lost us the World Championship."[62]

In 139 games, Demeter hit 18 home runs and 70 RBI in 139 games.[1] He was hit by six pitches, tied with Richie Ashburn and Tony Taylor for the fourth-highest total in the NL. However, he finished seventh in the NL with 87 strikeouts.[63] Defensively, he had the fifth-highest fielding percentage among NL center fielders with a mark of .983.[64]

Demeter played in all six games of the 1959 World Series for the Dodgers. He replaced Snider late in the first two games, started the next three, and came off the bench once more in the decisive game six. In 12 at bats, Demeter hit .250, scoring two runs as the Dodgers defeated the Chicago White Sox in six games for their first World Series championship in Los Angeles.[2][1] Following the example Dark had impressed him with five years earlier, Demeter tithed his World Series earnings to his church.[65]

Early in the offseason, there were talks of trading Demeter. Near the end of November, there was a six-player deal proposed between Los Angeles and the Washington Senators, involving Washington replacing Sandy Amorós with Demeter.[66] The Dodgers were reluctant to lose their 24-year-old hitter, offering outfielder Ron Fairly to the Senators instead. Washington continued to hold out on the trade for Demeter until Los Angeles officially killed the deal on December 2.[67] The Dodgers had confidence in Don, believing that his offense was improving.[68]

Demeter signed a $14,000 one-year contract with Los Angeles on February 11, 1960.[51][69] Coming into training camp, team management was pleased that he had gained 12 pounds in the offseason, raising his total weight to 185 pounds.[70] In an intrasquad game on March 11 at Vero Beach, Demeter hit a home run off eventual Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax.[71]

On April 12, Demeter had his first Opening Day start in the Major Leagues.[72] He started the majority of the team's games in center field until July 3, where he fractured his wrist on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates after colliding with Los Angeles shortstop Maury Wills. The injury prematurely ended his season.[73] In 64 games, he hit .274 with nine home runs and 29 RBI.[1]

In a November interview, Bavasi expressed his belief that Demeter would help the 1961 Dodgers hit more home runs. "If Don can show us the Demeter of early 1959, we won't have to look for added power. We'll have all we need."[74] It was announced on February 14, 1961, that Demeter had signed his new contract with the Dodgers for around $16,000.[75][76] However, Demeter would have stiff competition to regain his starting role in center field. Newcomer Willie Davis, coming off a huge season in the Pacific Coast League and last season's number one player of the year as named by The Sporting News, was considered a serious threat to take Demeter's job.[77] Davis won the role in spring training, and Demeter began the year as a reserve player.[78]

Before Opening Day in 1961, talks had already started between the Dodgers and the Phillies about a potential trade, in which the Phillies would send reliever Turk Farrell to Los Angeles for Demeter.[79] The trade became a reality on May 4, as Los Angeles sent Demeter and Charley Smith to Philadelphia for Farrell and Joe Koppe.[80] Phillies manager Gene Mauch was glad about the deal, announcing after the trade that Demeter would be a starter immediately. Mauch remarked, "There aren't many better center fielders around than he is, and you can put it in the book right now that he'll hit more than 20 home runs any year he plays a full season in our park."[81] Demeter would prove his manager correct, hitting 21, 29, and 22 home runs in his three seasons with Philadelphia.[1]

After batting .219 for the Phillies in May, Demeter hit .337 in June, with four home runs and 21 RBI.[82] In August 1961, the Phillies began experimenting with moving him to first base.[83] From August 15 through 25, he racked up six home runs and 13 RBI, including three consecutive games in which he hit a home run.[82] However, as the season dragged on, Don's nagging injuries caught up with him. Over the course of the year, Demeter had to sit out for a week in May with a pulled groin muscle, several more days in June after a jammed middle finger on his right hand, and four times with a left knee injury, with the fourth occurrence shutting him down for the short remainder of the season.[83]

On September 12, Demeter faced his old team. With the Phillies at 50 games under .500 and the Dodgers trying to stay in contention for the NL Pennant, Demeter hit three home runs and drove in seven runs en route to a 19-10 win, hurting Los Angeles's pennant chances.[84] Demeter finished the season with a .257 average to go along with 68 RBI and a 20 home runs.[1] Adding his totals from Los Angeles, he batted .251 with 21 home runs and 70 RBI.[1]

At the end of 1961, the Phillies had expected Demeter to be their Opening Day first baseman in 1962.[83] Plans changed in March when Andy Carey, who the team had traded for with the expectation that he would play third base, announced his retirement. This caused the Phillies to become interested in making Demeter the third baseman.[85] Mauch had high expectations, predicting that Demeter and Roy Sievers would be the two catalysts to help the team successfully improve upon its 47-107 record from 1961.[86] This marked the first season where Demeter knew he would have regular playing time for the Phillies no matter what, whether it be at third base or in the outfield. "We have to have Don's bat in the lineup somewhere", said his manager.[87]

On Opening Day, against the Reds, Demeter hit a home run and had three RBI to contribute to a 12-4 win.[88] He had three multiple home run games throughout the season.[89][90] On May 11, he had two hits and six RBI, including a third-inning grand slam against Dick Ellsworth, in a 12–2 win over the Cubs.[91] In August, Demeter hit .398 with a .669 slugging percentage, eight home runs, and 31 RBI in 32 games.[89] On August 15 against the New York Mets, Demeter attained a unique feat. He hit two home runs that day off two separate players named Bob Miller. In the third inning, he hit a homer against Bob Lane Miller, and in the ninth, he hit another against Bob Gerald Miller.[92] Demeter's stellar play down the stretch helped the Phillies win 30 of their final 44 games, giving them a final record of 81-80.[93]

1962 was a breakout season for Demeter. He led his team in all triple crown categories and more. His home runs, RBI, and batting average were all top marks, as were his slugging percentage, OPS, and sacrifice flies.[94] Demeter became the first Phillie to drive in over 100 runs since Del Ennis in 1955.[95] Against other NL players, Demeter placed eighth in home runs with 29 (tied with Eddie Mathews and Joe Adcock), seventh in RBI with 107, ninth in batting average with a .307 mark, sixth in slugging percentage with a .520 mark, ninth in OPS with an .879 mark, 10th in at bats per home run with 19, second in times hit by a pitch with 10 (tied with Curt Flood, and first with 11 sacrifice flies (also a major league best). Demeter carried an offensive wins above replacement (WAR) mark of 5.4, seventh-best in the NL.[96][97] He finished 12th in the voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award.[1]

Defensively, his errors were way up from last season. In 1961, Demeter had only four errors.[1] Playing a new position in 1962, Demeter's 18 errors were fifth-worst in the NL, and his .937 fielding percentage in 105 games at third base was the worst in the NL for all players that played 60 or more games at the position.[98] Regular centerfielder Tony González suffered a back injury in mid-August that left him hospitalized for three weeks, forcing Demeter back into his old position in the outfield for the remainder of the season.[99][100] On September 1, he committed an error in a 7–6 loss to the Pirates; it would be a few years before he made another as an outfielder.[2][101] After season's end, Demeter played in an October 21 exhibition game for an NL squad managed by Cardinals manager Johnny Keane in an All-Star game sponsored by the Houston Professional Baseball Players Association against a team of American League (AL) All-Stars.[102]

In a move to potentially get Demeter playing left field on a regular basis, the Phillies acquired Hoak from Pittsburgh in November of 1962.[103] However, he began the season playing first base, as Sievers was dealing with a broken rib.[104][105] Demeter started the season hitting .455 with four home runs and 12 RBI in an 11-game hit streak.[104] The Cardinals finally brought his streak to a close in the second game of a doubleheader on April 21, but Demeter had two hits in his next game.[106]

On May 5, Demeter was involved in a dramatic play to end a game against the Houston Colt .45's. Phillies pinch hitter Wayne Graham hit a ground ball back toward Houston pitcher Hal Woodeshick, who threw the ball back to catcher John Bateman. Demeter attempted to run towards home plate from third base and collided with Bateman, knocking the ball loose and scoring the final run in a 6-5 win.[107] On May 17, he became one of the select few in MLB history to score a run in a game against a pitcher that ended up throwing a no-hitter. Don Nottebart of Houston held the Phillies hitless, but in the fifth inning, Demeter hit a ground ball past J. C. Hartman, resulting in what was recorded as a two-base error. Clay Dalrymple dropped a bunt to successfully move Demeter to third, and he later scored on a sacrifice fly from Hoak to tie the game at 1-1. Houston went on to win the game 4-1.[108] Demeter missed several games in May against the Colts after taking a pitch that hit his right hand on the middle and index fingers,[109] and two more in June when he jammed his right ankle while sliding back into first base against the Cardinals on June 12.[110] Beginning on the day of Nottebart's no-hitter, Demeter was platooned to third base. Hoak was not living up to expectations at third, hitting just .197 before being benched.[111]

In the last half of June, Demeter six home runs over a period of nine games.[112] He had his second multi-homer outing of the year on June 19 at Cincinnati in a 6-5, 10-inning loss,[113] but had 10th-inning heroics of his own on June 25 at Pittsburgh when he launched a home run against Harvey Haddix.[112] Demeter suffered another minor injury on July 28 when Drysdale of the Dodgers hit him on his right forearm, resulting in several more missed games.[114]

Despite the injuries, Demeter finished the season as the team leader in RBI with 83, one ahead of Sievers. He was also second in home runs with 22, behind right fielder Johnny Callison's 26.[115] Demeter ranked sixth in the NL in at bats per home run with a mark of 23.4. His 10 intentional walks were tied with Ken Boyer for eighth in the league.[116] Despite committing seven errors at third base, Demeter was the only MLB outfielder to finish with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.[117] He tallied 63 runs scored, 20 doubles, and a .258 batting average, finishing 21st in the MVP balloting.[1]

In a 1965 interview, Demeter alleged that when the Phillies put him at third base, they would sometimes alter the dynamics of the infield. He said, "They used to let the grass grow for me whenever I played third base over in Philly. And whenever Cal McLish pitched, they'd be out there in the afternoon wetting down the grass in front of the plate." This was designed to make ground balls to Demeter roll slower.[118]

After the 1963 season, the Phillies began entertaining trade offers on Demeter. Pittsburgh expressed interest, but Mauch said he'd only consider the offer if Bill Mazeroski or Roberto Clemente were involved in the deal.[119] On December 5, 1963, the Phillies traded Demeter and reliever Jack Hamilton to the Detroit Tigers for catcher Gus Triandos and eventual Hall of Famer Jim Bunning.[1]

Tigers manager Charlie Dressen assigned Demeter to center field, moving previous starter Bruton to left. Commenting on the trade, Dressen remarked, "Demeter is a better all-around player than Rocky Colavito." Dressen's plan early on was to have Demeter bat third in the lineup against right-handed pitchers and fifth against lefties. Demeter was excited to play alongside right fielder Al Kaline, saying, "I've always thought he was the greatest thing to put on a uniform."[120] In spring training, Demeter hit .364 in his first eight games as a Tiger,[121] including a bases-loaded three-RBI triple against the Cardinals on March 18.[122] In 27 spring training games, he recorded 12 RBI, second only to Norm Cash.[123]

Demeter injured his ankle in the first game of a doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins on April 19, hitting two foul balls off of it. After X-rays came back negative, he rejoined the team on April 22 against the Los Angeles Angels with a special guard for the ankle.[124][125] The setback resulted in a .138 batting average in his first seven games in the AL. However, on April 26, he hit his first home run as a Tiger off Jim Kaat.[126] On April 29, he hit a decisive home run in the top of the 10th inning against John Wyatt of the Kansas City Athletics, leading the Tigers to a 5-4 win.[127]

On May 23, against the Indians, Demeter went back to catch a long fly ball from Leon Wagner. As he tried to catch the ball, he hit his head on a padded metal bar on top of the outfield fence. The ball bounced off his glove and over the fence, resulting in a three-run home run for the Indians. Dressen remarked that he had seen the same incident occur with Bruton on a three-run home run by Tommie Reynolds at Kansas City on April 30.[128]

For the first two months of the season, Demeter recorded two home runs and 14 RBI in 37 games to go along with a batting average of .238.[129] On June 8 and 9, he hit a combined two home runs and recorded nine RBI in two games against the Twins. He homered again on June 13 against the Angels, and he delivered a game-winning double on June 14 to complete a sweep of the three-game series.[130] On July 14, Demeter hit a home run and drove in two runs, also making what was described as a "spectacular" diving catch that denied the Angels an opportunity to score the tying run in the ninth inning. He commented that the game was his best since joining the Tigers.[131]

On July 31, Demeter set an MLB record with 206 consecutive errorless games in the outfield, passing former Phillies teammate Tony González's mark of 205.[132] The streak began two seasons prior on September 3, 1962.[133] Demeter downplayed the record, citing it as "deceptive." He remarked, "With the Phillies, I started quite a few games at third base and went to the outfield in the late innings." He claimed that he thought he made two errors throughout the 1964 season. "I lost one ball in the sun. Another one I didn't play very well in the wind. They were scored as hits. In my mind, they are errors."[132] At season's end, he had extended his streak to 228 games.[65]

From August 25 to 27, against the Boston Red Sox, Demeter had game-winning hits in all three games of a Tiger sweep.[134] In the September 7, 1964 issue of Sports Illustrated, Demeter was named the Player of the Week for his clutch performances.[135]

Demeter finished the 1964 season with similar numbers to the prior season with the Phillies. He had 22 home runs and 80 RBI, batting .256. Demeter led all MLB outfielders with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.[1] He finished second on the Tigers in RBI to Cash's 83;[136] eight of these tied games for the Tigers, and 28 gave the Tigers the go ahead run.[137]

In January 1965, Demeter signed a new contract with the Tigers for the amount of $30,000.[137] He joined Dressen on an annual press-radio-television tour that went to Toledo and outstate Michigan in late January.[138] Demeter was cited by sportswriter Allen Lewis as the Tigers most clutch hitter,[135][139] but he still wasn't satisfied with his power output. He trained in Oklahoma during the winter, chopping wood and gaining 12 pounds to raise his total weight to 202.[137] On February 5 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Demeter was given the Art Griggs Award, presented annually to Oklahomans with the most outstanding performance at the major league level. He remarked, "I would have to thank Mickey Mantle for moving out of the state, Allie Reynolds for retiring and Warren Spahn for just getting old."[140]

In spring training, Demeter had a two homer outing against the Washington Senators on April 2,[141] followed by another solo home run against the Reds on April 4.[142] He later admitted after his two-homer outing, in which he hit one over the left field wall and another over the right, that he wanted to try for a third home run over the wall in center field. However, he didn't get the chance as he was walked and subsequently pulled for a pinch runner. "It tears me up to walk when I'm swinging that good", Demeter said.[143]

Demeter was the Opening Day starter in center field on April 12, 1965, in Kansas City. Though hit by a pitch from Moe Drabowsky in the first inning, Demeter finished the game with hits in all three of his at bats, including a triple. He scored two runs as well.[144] Although Demeter began the year in the outfield, he started playing first base in May due to struggles by Cash.[145] Later that month, Demeter sat out several games with a minor case of whiplash sustained from a head-first slide into third base.[146]

Demeter played at first for almost every game for two months before returning to the outfield full time in July to resume his record errorless streak,[147] only for it to abruptly come to an end at 266 games on July 15 in improbable fashion against Kansas City. Charlie Finley, the Athletics owner, had some trained dogs serving on the grounds crew at Municipal Stadium, and one of these ran onto the field as Demeter fielded a ball hit to him. The dog and the throw arrived at shortstop at about the same time, Dick McAuliffe was unable to handle the ball, and Demeter was charged with the error.[148]

On August 12 against the Athletics, Demeter hit a grand slam and had seven RBI, tying a career high.[149][150] Against the Angels the next evening, in the fifth inning, a pitch from Dean Chance struck Demeter in the head. Carried off the field in a stretcher, Demeter was hospitalized overnight, and he would miss two games.[150][151] He suffered another injury against the Angels on August 27, damaging his left wrist while trying to make a diving catch on a line drive hit by Jimmy Piersall. After 12 X-rays, it was finally determined to be a sprain and not a broken wrist as originally diagnosed. It was the same wrist he broke in 1961 during his tenure with the Dodgers. Several key players were injured at the time, leading Demeter to remark, "I really feel sick for Charlie (Dressen). The poor guy gets his team where it can make a move and then injuries hit him."[152]

Injuries limited Demeter to 122 games, in which he had 16 home runs and 58 RBI.[1] His batting average improved over last season, jumping from .256 to .278, second to Kaline's .281 on the Tigers.[1][153] He was hit by six pitches on the year, tied with Pete Ward and Willie Horton for sixth in the AL.[154] As a pinch hitter, he batted .400, furthering his reputation as the most clutch hitter for the Tigers.[155]

Demeter was one of the last players to sign his contract for the 1966 season, receiving a raise to $33,000 in March.[156] Unlike years past, Demeter's spot as everyday starter in center field was not guaranteed. By March, it was already being predicted that Demeter was going to lose his position to a young Mickey Stanley, who was described by Baseball Digest as a defensive ace.[157] Demeter had trouble with a sore right shoulder during spring training, requiring a cortisone shot. Eventually, it was officially announced that he had lost his slot in center field to Stanley.[158]

After Stanley batted .143 in his first six games, Demeter began getting most of the starts in center field on April 19.[159][160] However, from April 25 through May 3, Demeter had an 0-for-23 slump, the worst of his career. It got to the point where Dressen told him to "not pick up a bat," benching him for six games.[159][161] A broken finger suffered by Stanley helped ensure his return to the lineup.[159][162] On May 17 against the Yankees he broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run homer off New York pitcher Fritz Peterson.[163] Demeter remarked that the day was his wedding anniversary. "I've hit home runs six of the last seven years for her."[164] Later, against the Baltimore Orioles on May 21, Demeter started a six-run rally in the fourth inning with a three-run home run off pitcher John Miller to tie the game 4-4.[165] He again lost the starting job on May 4, as Kaline was shifted to center and Jim Northrup began getting the starts in right field.[159][166][167] In 32 games through June 14, Demeter batted .212 with five home runs and 12 RBI.[159]