Bio Of Don Drysdale

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Born on an early July 23 morning in 1956, Donald Scott Drysdale was already going to be trouble for the managers in the major league. Growing up in a town in California called Van Nuys he lived a very sheltered life, as he heard Brooklyn was so close together it was like staying in your own little bubble. He traveled to New York for a game against the White Sox, because he was on Chicago's broadcasting team. So he went to Brooklyn and stopped by Ebbets Field on Montague Street.

Then in 1956 on April 17 he made his debut as a dodger. He was a right handed pitcher and was known to intimidate batters. Drysdale had his own code of pitching ethics "My own little rule was two for one. If one of my teammates got knocked down then I would knock down two on the other team." He showed so much promise that the dodgers signed this pitch right out of high school in 1954.

He and sandy Koufax were great entertainers on the same team. They both were strikeout kings Koufax had thrown 382 strikeout with Drysdale throwing only 210. This set an all-time National league record for most strikeouts by two teammates. The way that Drysdale had learn this great pitching technique was from a master of aggressive pitching Sal Maglie. Drysdale hung around this man for awhile in Brooklyn " what being around Maglie did for me" Was to confirm this idea in my mind and refine it.

It was part of the game I watched Maglie and listened to him and it all sunk in it just sort of clicked.

That's why he such a good pitcher and asking the Brooklyn Dodgers for a 500,000 three year contract to play and do what he loves, play the game of baseball.

In 1969 a torn rotator cuff ended his career. He eventually went into the broadcasting company and became a consummate play-by-play man. He became good at telling his old stories of his days as a dodger and was greatly in demand for his wit and story telling abilities around the world.

His aggressive pitching technique was exactly the opposite of his off field personality. He had plenty of admirers in and out of baseball including Governor and later on President Ronald Regan.

In 1984 Drysdale was elected to the Hall of Fame and the dodgers retired his uniform number 53 on July 1st of that year. Don Drysdale dies from a heart attack while in Montreal to announce a game in 1993. He was only 56 years old.