Steve Dalkowski

Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939<ref name=Register>Template:Cite book</ref> – April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko,<ref name="Nickname">Template:Cite news</ref> was an American left-handed pitcher. He was sometimes called the fastest pitcher in baseball history and had a fastball that probably exceeded Template:Convert. Some experts believed it went as fast as Template:Convert, others that his pitches traveled at less than that speed.<ref name="Hoffman">Template:Cite magazine</ref> As no radar gun or other device was available at games to measure the speed of his pitches precisely, the actual top speed of his pitches remains unknown. Regardless of its actual speed, his fastball earned him the nickname "White Lightning".<ref name="WORSTINA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Such was his reputation that despite his never reaching the major leagues, and finishing his minor league years in class-B ball, the 1966 Sporting News item about the end of his career was headlined "Living Legend Released."<ref name="SI" />

Dalkowski was also famous for his unpredictable performance and inability to control his pitches. His alcoholism and violent behavior off the fieldTemplate:Citation needed caused him problems during his career and after his retirement. After he retired from baseball, he spent many years as an alcoholic, making a meager living as a manual laborer. He recovered in the 1990s, but his alcoholism left him with dementia<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and he had difficulty remembering his life after the mid-1960s.

Screenwriter and film director Ron Shelton played in the Baltimore Orioles minor league organization soon after Dalkowski. His 1988 film Bull Durham features a character named Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh (played by Tim Robbins) who is based loosely on the tales Shelton was told about Dalkowski.<ref name="Nickname" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Brendan Fraser's character in the film The Scout is loosely based on him.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Unreliable source? In 1970, Sports Illustrated's Pat Jordan wrote, "Inevitably, the stories outgrew the man, until it was no longer possible to distinguish fact from fiction. But, no matter how embellished, one fact always remained: Dalkowski struck out more batters and walked more batters per nine-inning game than any professional pitcher in baseball history."<ref name="SI" />

A full biography of Dalkowski was published in 2020, Dalko: The Untold Story of Baseball's Fastest Pitcher.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In "Sudden" Sam McDowell's foreword to the book, he writes: "I will tell you this about Steve Dalkowski with absolute certainty, after seeing and listening to his fastball, and witnessing some very wild pitches: I truly believe he threw a lot harder than I did! It's likely he delivered the fastest pitch I ever saw!" McDowell was regarded as one of the fastest MLB pitchers during the 1960s. McDowell led the American League in strikeouts five times (twice with over 300 in a season) and averaged nearly a strikeout per inning as a starter over his career.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> McDowell, who himself suffered from alcoholism, later became a consultant for B.A.T. (the Baseball Assistance Team) which worked with baseball players suffering from alcoholism, among many other services.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Dalkowski participated in the BAT program, but was unable to control his drinking.<ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Early life

Dalkowski was born on June 3, 1939, in New Britain, Connecticut, the son of Adele Zaleski, who worked in a ball bearing factory, and Stephen Dalkowski, a tool and die maker.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1" /> He began playing baseball in high school, and also played football as a quarterback for New Britain High School.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref> He is reputed to have been able to throw a football 100 yards.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During his time with the football team, they were undefeated,<ref name=":2" /> and won the division championship twice, in 1955 and 1956.<ref name=":4" />

However, he excelled the most in baseball, and still holds a Connecticut state record for striking out 24 batters in a single game.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He started the 1957 season with consecutive no hitters.<ref name=":4" /> In three high school seasons, he had 313 strikeouts in 154 innings, with 180 walks.<ref name=":3" />

In 2001, he was inducted into the New Britain High School Sports Hall of Fame.<ref name=":4" />

Baseball career

Template:External media After graduating from high school in 1957, scout Frank “Beauty” McGowan signed Dalkowski with the Baltimore Orioles for a $4,000 signing bonus, and allegedly other payments. <ref name=":4" /> Dalkowski initially played for their class-D minor league affiliate in Kingsport, Tennessee. He spent his entire career in the minor leagues, playing in nine different leagues during his nine-year career.<ref name=":1" /> His only appearance at the Orioles' Memorial Stadium was during an exhibition game in 1959, when he struck out the opposing side.<ref name="WORSTINA" /><ref name=":4" />

Dalkowski's claim to fame was the high velocity of his fastball. Accurate measurements at the time were difficult to make, but the consensus is that Dalkowski regularly threw well above Template:Convert. Dalkowski's raw speed was aided by his highly flexible left (pitching) arm,<ref name="Ganis, Mike">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and by his unusual "buggy-whip" pitching motion, which ended in a cross-body arm swing. Teammate, and future hall of fame executive, Pat Gillick reported Dalkowski had hypermobility in his shoulder and wrists.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Dalkowski disagreed with Gillick on that.<ref name=":4" /> “I hit my left elbow on my right knee so often, they finally made me a pad to wear", recalled Dalkowski.Template:Citation needed

Dalkowski often had extreme difficulty controlling his pitches. He often walked more batters than he struck out, and many times his pitches would go wild — sometimes so wild that they ended up in the stands. Batters found the combination of extreme velocity and lack of control intimidating. Oriole Paul Blair stated that "He threw the hardest I ever saw. He was the wildest I ever saw".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

During a typical season in 1960, while pitching in the California League, Dalkowski struck out 262 batters and walked 262 in 170 innings.<ref name="Hoffman" /><ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Dalkowski for 1960 thus figures at both 13.81 K/9IP (strikeouts per nine innings pitched) and 13.81 BB/9IP (bases on ball per nine innings pitched) (see lifetime statistics below). In comparison, Randy Johnson currently holds the major league record for strikeouts per nine innings in a season with 13.41.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In separate games, Dalkowski struck out 21 batters, and walked 21 batters.

Because a pitcher is generally considered wild if he averages four walks per nine innings (a rate considered awful by Sabermetrics)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> a pitcher of average repertoire who consistently walked as many as nine men per nine innings would not normally be considered a prospect. But such was the allure of Dalkowski's explosive arm that the Orioles gave him chance after chance to harness his "stuff", knowing that if he ever managed to control it, he would be a great weapon.

Pitching for the Kingsport (Tennessee) Orioles on August 31, 1957, in Bluefield, West Virginia, Dalkowski struck out 24 Bluefield hitters in a single minor league game, yet issued 18 walks, and threw six wild pitches.<ref>Kingsport Times News, September 1, 1957, page 9</ref> Dalkowski had been unnerved early in the game when he beaned a batter, sending him to the hospital. Orioles assistant farm director Harry Dalton attended the game, and stated the ball rebounded off the batter’s helmet like a pop up to second base.<ref name=":4" /> Dalkowski pitched a total of 62 innings in 1957, struck out 121 (averaging 18 strikeouts per game), but won only once because he walked 129 and threw 39 wild pitches.<ref name="WORSTINA" />

Moving to the Northern League in 1958–59, he threw a one-hitter but lost 9–8 on the strength of 17 walks. On May 17, 1959, he struck out 21 and walked eight for the Aberdeen Pheasants, in pitching his only no hitter.<ref name=":0" /> In 1957–58, Dalkowski either struck out or walked almost three out of every four batters he faced. In 1958, he gave up 81 earned runs on only 46 hits, but walked 207 batters in only 104 innings, and also had 203 strikeouts.<ref name=":1" />

Playing under Earl Weaver

File:Earl Weaver 2011 CROP.jpg

Earl Weaver managed Dalkowski with the Aberdeen Pheasants in 1959 and for several years with the Elmira Pioneers.

During the 1960s under Earl Weaver, then the manager for the Orioles' double-A affiliate in Elmira, New York, Dalkowski's game began to show improvement. Weaver had given all of the players an IQ test and discovered that Dalkowski had a lower than normal IQ.<ref name="delving">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Weaver believed that Dalkowski had experienced such difficulty keeping his game under control because he did not have the mental capacity. Weaver kept things simple for Dalkowski, telling him to only throw the fastball and a slider, and to just aim the fastball down the middle of the plate. This allowed Dalkowski to concentrate on just throwing the ball for strikes. Weaver knew that Dalkowski's fastball was practically unhittable no matter where it was in the strike zone, and if Dalkowski missed his target, he might end up throwing it on the corners for a strike anyway.<ref name="Ganis, Mike"/>

Under Weaver's stewardship, Dalkowski had his best season in 1962, posting personal bests in complete games and earned run average (ERA), and walking less than a batter an inning for the first time in his career. Weaver got him down to 6.4 walks per nine innings, after never having been lower than 13.9, and after having been at 17.1 just a year earlier.<ref name=":2" /> His 3.04 ERA was over two runs lower than his previous best.<ref name=":1" /> In an extra-inning game, Dalkowski recorded 27 strikeouts (while walking 16 and throwing 283 pitches).<ref name=":3" />

Final playing years

Dalkowski was invited to major league spring training in 1963, and the Orioles expected to call him up to the majors. On March 23, Dalkowski was used as a relief pitcher during a game against the New York Yankees. Most sources say that while throwing a slider to Phil Linz, he felt something pop in his left elbow, which turned out to be a severe muscle strain. Some uncertainty over the cause of his injury exists, however, with other sources contending that he damaged his elbow while throwing to first after fielding a bunt from Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton.<ref name="Wright">Template:Cite news</ref> Either way, his arm never fully recovered.

When he returned in 1964, Dalkowski's fastball had dropped to Template:Convert, and midway through the season he was released by the Orioles.<ref name="baseball-reference.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He played for two more seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Angels organizations before returning briefly to the Orioles farm system but was unable to regain his form before retiring in 1966.<ref name="baseball-reference.com"/>

Dalkowski had a lifetime win–loss record of 46–80 and an ERA of 5.57 in nine minor league seasons, striking out 1,396 and walking 1,354 in 995 innings.<ref name="baseball-reference.com"/>

Pitching speed

Dalkowski's wildness frightened even the bravest of hitters. Ted Williams faced Dalkowski once in a spring training game. "Fastest ever", said Williams. "I never want to face him again."<ref name="Wright" /> Longtime umpire Doug Harvey also cited Dalkowski as the fastest pitcher he had seen: "Nobody could bring it like he could."<ref name="google1">Template:Cite book</ref>

Estimates of Dalkowski's top pitching speed abound. Cal Ripken Sr. guessed that he threw up to Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Most observers agree that he routinely threw well over Template:Convert, and sometimes reached Template:Convert.<ref name="Holtz" /> Radar guns, which were used for many years in professional baseball, did not exist when Dalkowski was playing, so the only evidence supporting this level of velocity is anecdotal. It is certain that with his high speed and penchant for throwing wild pitches, he would have been an intimidating opponent for any batter who faced him. Andy Etchebarren, a catcher for Dalkowski at Elmira, described his fastball as "light" and fairly easy to catch. According to Etchebarren his wilder pitches usually went high, sometimes low; "Dalkowski would throw a fastball that looked like it was coming in at knee level, only to see it sail past the batter's eyes".<ref name="google1"/>

Dalkowski's greatest legacy may be the number of anecdotes (some more believable than others) surrounding his pitching ability. He was said to have thrown a pitch that tore off part of a batter's ear. Some observers believed that this incident made Dalkowski even more nervous and contributed further to his wildness. Another story says that in 1960 at Stockton, California, he threw a pitch that broke umpire Doug Harvey's mask in three places, knocking him Template:Convert back and sending him to a hospital for three days with a concussion. Dalkowski once won a $5 bet with teammate Herm Starrette who said that he could not throw a baseball through a wall. Dalkowski warmed up and then moved Template:Convert away from the wooden outfield fence. His first pitch went right through the boards.<ref name=WORSTINA /> On another bet, Dalkowski threw a ball over a fence Template:Convert away.

The only recorded evidence of his pitching speed stems from 1958, when Dalkowski was sent by the Orioles to Aberdeen Proving Ground, a military installation. Here, using a radar machine, he was clocked at Template:Convert, a fast but not outstanding speed for a professional pitcher. However, several factors worked against Dalkowski: he had pitched a game the day before, he was throwing from a flat surface instead of from a pitcher's mound, and he had to throw pitches for 40 minutes at a small target before the machine could capture an accurate measurement. Further, the device measured speed from a few feet away from the plate, instead of 10 feet from release as in modern times. This cost Dalkowski approximately Template:Convert, not even considering the other factors.<ref name="Holtz">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

According to the Guinness Book of Records, a former record holder for fastest pitch is Nolan Ryan, with a pitch clocked at Template:Convert in 1974, though several pitchers have recorded faster pitches since then. That seems to be because Ryan's speed was recorded Template:Convert from the plate, unlike 10 feet from release as today, costing him up to Template:Convert.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Earl Weaver, who had years of exposure to both pitchers, said, "[Dalkowski] threw a lot faster than Ryan."<ref name="delving" /> The hardest throwers in baseball currently are recognized as Aroldis Chapman and Jordan Hicks, who have each been clocked with the fastest pitch speed on record at Template:Convert.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:As of, Guinness lists Chapman as the current record holder.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Scientists contend that the theoretical maximum speed that a pitcher can throw is slightly above Template:Convert. Beyond that the pitcher would cause himself a serious injury.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Life after baseball

In 1965, Dalkowski married schoolteacher Linda Moore in Bakersfield, but they divorced two years later. Unable to find any gainful employment, he became a migrant worker. Dalkowski experienced problems with alcohol abuse.<ref name=Fall>Template:Cite news</ref> He drank heavily as a player and his drinking escalated after the end of his career. He received help from the Association of Professional Ball Players of America (APBPA) periodically from 1974 to 1992 and went through rehabilitation. He was able to find a job and stay sober for several months but soon went back to drinking. The APBPA stopped providing financial assistance to him because he was using the funds to purchase alcohol.<ref name="Wright" />

Poor health in the 1980s prevented Dalkowski from working altogether, and by the end of the decade he was living in a small apartment in California, penniless and suffering from alcohol-induced dementia. At some point during this time, Dalkowski married a motel clerk named Virginia, who moved him to Oklahoma City in 1993. She died of a brain aneurysm in 1994. Dalkowski had lived at a long-term care facility in New Britain for several years.<ref name=Mandelaro>Template:Cite news</ref> In a 2003 interview, Dalkowski said that he was unable to remember life events that occurred from 1964 to 1994.<ref name=Wright/>

For his contributions to baseball lore, Dalkowski was inducted into the Shrine of the Eternals on July 19, 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Sports Illustrated's 1970 profile of Dalkowski concluded, "His failure was not one of deficiency, but rather of excess. He was too fast. His ball moved too much. His talent was too superhuman... It mattered only that once, just once, Steve Dalkowski threw a fastball so hard that Ted Williams never even saw it. No one else could claim that."<ref name="SI">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Death

With complications from dementia, Dalkowski died from COVID-19 in New Britain, Connecticut, on April 19, 2020. He was one of the many nursing home victims that succumbed to the virus during the COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

References

Online

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• Steve Dalkowski Page
• No Crying in Baseball
• The Birdhouse: The Phenom, an interview with Steve Dalkowski in October 2005
• Vecsey, George "A Hall of Fame for a Legendary Fastball Pitcher" The New York Times, Sunday, July 19, 2009
• Posnanski, Joe. "How do you solve a problem like Dalkowski?" NBC Sportsworld (April 2015)

Literary

• Brooks, Ken (1986). That Last Rebel Yell. Template:ISBN.
• Eisenberg, John (2001). From 33rd Street to Camden Yards: An Oral History of the Baltimore Orioles. Template:ISBN.
• Jordan, Pat (1973). The Suitors of Spring. Template:ISBN.

Personal

• Krieger, Kit: Posting on SABR-L mailing list from 2002. Used with permission. (See talk).
• Beverage, Dick: Secretary-Treasurer for the Association of Professional Ballplayers of America.