Jim Palmer, Baltimore’s Prolific World Series Performer

As Jim Plamer celebrates his 78^th birthday today he, like all his fellow Baltimore Orioles fans, share the disappointment of a super season that ended too quickly. Though the Orioles made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 their failure to reach the World Series, despite having the best record in the American League, is hard to accept. Nonetheless it is a good time to recognize the achievements of their Hall of Fame hurler.

Since moving to Baltimore in 1954 the Orioles have made it to six World Series and have won half of them. Remarkably, Jim Palmer appeared in all six of them and he is the only pitcher in World Series history to record wins in three different decades.

Palmer’s first appearance in the World Series was a stunning success. In 1966, nine days before his 21^st birthday, he faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ stellar southpaw, Sandy Koufax in game two. The upstart Orioles had shocked the defending World Champion Dodgers with a 5-2 victory in the opener when the Robinson boys, Frank and Brooks, hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning against LA ace Don Drysdale. Even more remarkable, the unheralded reliever Moe Drabowsky pitched 6.2 scoreless innings to secure the victory. Surely Koufax would avenge that opening loss in game two. Afterall, Koufax was the premier pitcher in the majors after another fabulous season with 27 wins and a 1.73 ERA. But the young Palmer wasn’t fazed a bit and cruised to a 6-0 shutout aided by an astonishing six LA errors. Ironically Palmer became the youngest pitcher ever to record a shut out in the World Series on the very day of Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax’s last game. Koufax retired at the end of 1966 due to an arthritic left elbow.

Palmer would go on to record World Series victories against the Reds in 1970 and the Pirates in 1971. In the 18^th year of his 19-year career Palmer pitched in relief against the Philadelphia Phillies in game three of the 1983 World Series. He entered the game in the fifth, pitched two shutout innings retiring four fellow future Hall of Famers, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Mike Schmidt, and Steve Carlton and earned the victory. Palmer wound up with a World Series record of 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA. For his career Palmer recorded 268 wins versus 152 losses and a 2.86 ERA. He won the American League Cy Young award three times in 1973, 1975 and 1976.

On a personal note: I’ll always remember Palmer for his high leg kick, rising fastball, sweeping curve and the way he dominated my Yankees in the late sixties and throughout the seventies. As an American League fan, I rooted for Palmer and the Orioles in those six World Series and was ecstatic with the way he handled the Dodgers in 1966. The Orioles were big underdogs that year and nobody expected them to matchup against the tremendous LA pitching. But when they did, with a four-game sweep, I was nothing but smiles.

References:

Baseball Almanac

Baseball-Reference.com

A History of the World Series, The Grandest Stage by Tyler Kepner