When towering Don Drysdale took the mound, National League batsmen made certain they stayed good and loose at the plate. "I've never thrown deliberately at a batter's head in my life," the 6-ft. 6-in. pitcher once said. What he unquestionably did do was snap off blazing sidearm fastballs and dancing curves with bullwhip fury. In the process, he set a lifetime league record for most hit batsmen (154). This year, the overpowering ace of the Los Angeles Dodger staff proved he had as much guts as the batters who had faced him during the past 13 seasons. He pitched game after game despite an injury deep in his shoulder socket that robbed his arm of its power and left him in agony after every throw. He spent five weeks on the disabled list and completed only one game in twelve starts. But he kept coming back to give it another try Said Coach Jim Gilliam: "He is as great a competitor as I've ever seen. He is a pitcher who never quits."
Last week Drysdale, 33, finally did call it quits. At a crowded and emotion-charged news conference in Los Angeles, he gravely announced: "I deeply regret having to retire, but as they say, there are some things that are inevitable —like death, taxes and retirement from professional sports. The elasticity is gone from my arm, and I haven't been able to throw a good fast ball all year. I couldn't stand to be a four-inning pitcher, and that's just about all I'm good for now." Appearing with Drysdale, Manager Walt Alston wept unashamedly. "I'm sure I owe as much to Drysdale," he said, "as I owe any individual on the Dodgers over the years."
Alston may have been overwrought by the drama of the moment, but his statement was coldly accurate. The last of the old Brooklyn Dodgers on the Los Angeles staff, Drysdale became one of the most formidable pitchers in baseball history. He teamed with the brilliant lefthander, Sandy Koufax, to lead the traditionally weak-hitting Dodgers to five National League pennants. Although he often pitched in Koufax's shadow, he was the workhorse of the Dodger staff; from 1962 to 1965 he hurled more than 300 innings a season. He holds the club record for most games won (209), most strikeouts (2,486) and most shutouts (49). He shares with Koufax and St. Louis Cardinal Bob Gibson a league record for registering 200 or more strikeouts during each of six seasons. He won the Cy Young Award as the outstanding pitcher in the majors in 1962, when he posted a 25-9 record. Drysdale appeared in eight All-Star games and was the winning pitcher in 1967 and 1968. Last season he broke Walter Johnson's 55-year-old record by pitching 58 scoreless innings, a string that included six shutouts.