Baltimore Orioles: Remembrances of the Late Milt Pappas

Sep 11, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter (26) holds his hat during the seventh inning stretch against the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Milt Pappas has died at age 76.

Older Orioles fans will certainly remember Milt Pappas for his time in Baltimore. And many who are younger and have heard of him will probably remember the name more for his involvement in a trade than for what he did on the field.

Pappas was the principle player in the trade 50 years ago to get Frank Robinson from Cincinnati. It is oft remembered as a lop-sided deal in regard to the incredible Hall of Fame caliber of successes that Robinson had in the golden years of O’s history. But lost in this narrative is the fact that he was a rather good pitcher.

Coming up with the Orioles, he had a nine-year record in Baltimore of 110-74 and an ERA of 3.24. What would the O’s give to have a starter right now with numbers like that!

After the trade he pitched the rest of his career in the National League for the Reds, Braves and Cubs. Combined he was 99-90 with a 3.57 ERA.

There are two seasons in his career that particularly stand out. The first of these was his final year with the Orioles where he was an All-Star and went 13-9 on a 2.60 ERA and WHIP of 1.102. This helps to explain the trade … at least a little bit.

The other great season was his next-to-last campaign in 1972. His final record for the Cubs was 17-7 with an ERA of 2.77 and WHIP of 1.108. A unique event in September of this season came against the Padres, pitching a perfect game to 26 batters before walking the 27^th on a controversial 3-2 call. He did record the no-hitter but never forgave the ump.

But the thing that I will always remember about Milt Pappas is that he was the starting pitcher for the Orioles on the occasion of the first time I ever attended a major league game. It was May 2^nd, 1964 against the Indians. This was game #12 of the season for the Birds, just as last evening’s was for this version of the O’s. Pappas was already starting his fourth game of the season dating back to opening day.

I don’t recall the circumstances, but Pappas only pitched 2.2 innings that day before being lifted after giving up two runs on five hits and a walk. He then also missed his next turn in the rotation. The Orioles would go on with a 2-2 tie, giving up a run in the 12^th, but also scoring a third run … only to lose 6-4 by being outscored 3-1 in the 13^th frame.