First Base
Dick Stuart was awful in the field. Just the nicknames of “Stone Fingers” and “Doctor Strange Glove” should be a clue. Stuart had range, but never used it. Stuart also refined the matador style to a ground ball that became an art form. Pitchers absolutely despised Stuart. How much?
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In 1963 – Stuart’s first season in Boston – he was going for the home run title against Harmon Killebrew of the Twins. The Twins came to Boston for a late season three-game set and Killer hit five out. In the first game of the series, he blasted three and the one I remember was late in the game against Arnold Earley.
Earley was a hard throwing lefty and he tossed Stuart a muffin that I could hit. The next two games saw two more dingers and Killebrew won the title 45-42. Stuart could do one thing with spectacular results – hit towering home runs and it showed with his insatiable ego.
With the Pittsburgh organization, a young Stuart hit 66 home runs one season in the low – very low – minors. After that, Stuart had a penchant for signing his autograph Dick “66” Stuart. Two seasons and it was out-of-town for Stuart.