The Fight of Their Lives

by John Rosengren

  7. (fn.) making Marichal a Giant.: Author interview with Marichal, March 26, 2013.

  7. new clothes with his signing bonus.: Marichal, My Journey, 29–34; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 25–26; Ruck, Tropic of Cancer, 75.

  8. in love with a white girl.”: Sport, September 1964; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 43; Sports Illustrated, August 9, 1965.

  8. I’d never experienced that.”: Sport, September 1964; APF Reporter 18, no. 1 (1966); Regalado, Viva Baseball, 71–72; Marichal, My Journey, 34; Studio 42 with Bob Costas, November 24, 2009.

  9. It was a long trip.: Marichal, My Journey, 35.

  9. run the two out of the league.: Kaplan, Greatest Game, 43; La Voz Hispana de Colorado, June 12, 2002; Regalado, Viva Baseball, 78–79; Sport, November 1963.

  10. country is this?” Power asked.: Regalado, Viva Baseball, 66–67, 74.

  10. had the award been introduced prior to 1958.: Regalado, Viva Baseball!, 74; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 19.

  10. Your dream didn’t come true.’”: Wendel and Villegas, Far from Home, 39; Marichal interview with Markusen.

  11. the Midwest League’s Most Valuable Player honors.: Kaplan, Greatest Game, 44; News Dispatch, July 26, 1998.

  11. prayed for the strength to persevere.: Author interview with Marichal, March 26, 2013; Marichal, My Journey, 36; Boston Globe, March 13, 2000; Studio 42 with Bob Costas, November 24, 2009.

  12. three Dominicans shared an apartment in Springfield.: Ruck, Tropic of Baseball, 75; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 45.

  12. stereotype of laid-back Latinos.: Griggs scouting report, http://scouts.baseballhall.org/report?reportid=00195&playerid=maricju01.

  12. told me I could get anybody out.”: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 98; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 45.

  13. possible to learn,” Juan said.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 98.

  13. thought I would be more effective.”: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 98–99; Marichal, My Journey, 40.

  14. he could not pitch for a month.: Marichal, My Journey, 41–42; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 47.

  14. until he gets to the big leagues.”: Kaplan, Greatest Game, 46.

  14. cared about you as a human being.”: Marichal, My Journey, 42.

  14. drove him from Sacramento to San Francisco.: Kaplan, Greatest Game, 46; Marichal interview with Markusen.

  15. going to be a baseball player,” he said.: Kaplan, Greatest Game, 73; Marichal interview with Markusen; author interview with Marichal, March 26, 2013.

  16. a handicap he can’t outgrow.”: Kurlansky, Eastern Stars, 59; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 18; baseballhall.org.

  16. was called a “Cuban nigger.”: Bjarkman, Latin Beat, 323; La Voz Hispana de Colorado, May 22, 2002; Black Sports, April 1978.

  17. He finally had his chance.: Wendel and Villegas, Far from Home, 35; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 18; Bjarkman, National Pastime; Kurlansky, Eastern Stars, 73–75.

  Chapter Two: My Own Little Bailiwick

  19. translate into cultural sensitivity.: Author interview with Joe Mason, November 23, 2012.

  20. acutely aware of his otherness.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 20–21.

  20. His mother was 15.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 14–15; Ashland Times-Gazette, May 28, 1996; News Journal, September 24, 1995; author interview with Betty Plank, November 13, 2012; author interview with Tony Roseboro, November 15, 2012.

  21. waiting on them at J. C. Penney.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 15–16; author interview with Betty Plank, November 13, 2012.

  21. That’s how the kid got it.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 16; author interview with Ted Jacobs, November 28, 2012.

  21. Johnny got serious about baseball.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 35–36; Sharp eulogy for Roseboro; author interview with Shelley Roseboro, July 26, 2013.

  22. as a professional ballplayer.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 17–19, 22–24.

  22. social failures of my youth.”: Ibid., 27–28.

  22. the hell with the rest of them.”: Author interview with Betty Plank, November 13, 2012; author interview with Joe Mason, November 23, 2012.

  23. style he later tried to copy.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 34–35.

  23. liked it,” Johnny wrote. “Who wouldn’t?”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 20, 37–40; Ashland High School yearbook, 1951.

  24. until I coached for Ted Williams.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 36.

  24. stealing bases without the sign.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 36–37; author interview with Betty Plank, November 13, 2012.

  24. football scholarship at the last minute.: Ashland High School yearbook, 1951; Roseboro video interview with Sharp; Hochsteller e-mail to Sharp.

  25. as a catcher, blocking the plate.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 48–50.

  25. he happily accepted the invitation.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 51; Atlanta Journal, October 4, 1966.

  25. the life for me, Johnny thought.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 51; Roseboro video interview with Sharp.

  26. have signed for nothing,” he wrote.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 52; Roseboro video interview with Sharp.

  26. racism as a young African American.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 21; Los Angeles Times, March 12, 1967.

  26. nigger!” Johnny decided to focus on the field.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 54–55.

  27. his debut season in pro ball.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 56–57; Ashland Times-Gazette, undated.

  28. good place for me. I hated it.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 110–14; Roseboro video interview with Sharp.

  28. finished the season at Fort Knox.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 57–59.

  29. Class A team in the Western League.: Ibid., 61–71.

  29. reaction to an incident in Salt Lake.: Ibid., 71–72.

  29. what to do about the bigotry.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 72; Los Angeles Times, March 12, 1967.

  29. experienced a little death inside.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 73.

  30. gained more confidence in his defense.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 74–76; Roseboro video interview with Sharp.

  30. to play winter ball in Venezuela.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 79–80.

  30. Bryant’s resistance until years later.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 85–86; Roseboro video interview with Sharp.

  31. He was 22 and moving up.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 85–87.

  31. anxiously and with anticipation.”: Ashland Times-Gazette, date unknown.

  32. did not know one another very well.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 80–83.

  32. left-handed hitting catcher with power.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 87; Ashland Times-Gazette, February 15, 1957.

  32. but his catching could be better.”: Ashland Times-Gazette, February 15, 1957; Los Angeles Examiner, February 10, 1958.

  33. to force feed him with savvy.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 94–5; New York Daily News, June 18, 1957.

  33. emptied his nerves in a bathroom stall.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 102–3.

  34. and he’ll bring it to you.”: Ibid., 122.

  34. him, 12 years his senior, a second father.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 107–9; Dodger Blue, June 15, 1983; Sport, September 1964.

  34. heir apparent to the future Hall of Famer.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 108–9; Swaine, SABR bio project on Roy Campanella.

  35. down, not even when scared.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 105–6.

  35. though sorry to leave so soon.: Ibid., 96–109.

  36. by the gunfire in the streets outside.: Ibid., 87–89.

  36. And now he had to do his job.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 109; Sport, September 1964.

  Chapter Three: The Pride of the Dominican

  38. any pitcher I’ve seen this year.”: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 100; Marichal, My Journey, 2–7; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 73.

  38. go back to the minor leagues.”: Marichal, My Journey, 7–8.

  38. was “faster than Walter Johnson.”: New York Sun, July 20, 1960; Sport, June 1960; San Francisco
Chronicle, July 24, 1960.

  39. a long devotion to Marichal.: San Francisco Chronicle, July 24, 1960.

  39. Hispanic pronunciations of English words.: Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, August 3, 1960; Regalado, Viva Baseball, 68; All-Star Sports, date unknown.

  39. so often expressed toward Latin culture.: Brosnan, Pennant Race, 17.

  40. America, let ’em talk American.”: APF Reporter 18, no. 1 (1966); New York Post, June 27, 1961.

  40. managed in the bigs another 14.: Kaplan, Greatest Game, 19; Los Angeles Times, June 21, 1979; Klein, Sugarball, 151; McKenna, SABR bio project on Cambria.

  41. hit the home run that won the Series.: Wendel and Villegas, Far from Home, 44.

  41. “We are like some stray dog.”: Regalado, Viva Baseball, 3, 136; Americas, date unknown; APF Reporter 18, no. 1 (1966).

  42. opportunities, I think, as we should.”: APF Reporter 18, no. 1 (1966); Sport, September 1964.

  42. to learn to dreenk apple juice.”: Sport, September 1964.

  42. conclude, That’s just the way they are.: Elysian Fields Quarterly, Winter 1998.

  43. excitement that makes you act like that.”: Bjarkman, Latin Beat, 331; Elysian Fields Quarterly, Winter 1998; Regalado, Viva Baseball, 137; Ruck, Tropic of Baseball, 82.

  43. (fn.) Mays decked Gomez with a right.: New York Times, August 23, 1965.

  44. would be as sympathetic as Sheehan.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 55–56.

  44. turbulent over the next three years.: Marichal, My Journey, 62; Sport, June 1963; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 80.

  45. and improved his English slowly.: Marichal, My Journey, 57–58; Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 101; Sport, September 1964.

  45. Juan took comfort in the familiar food.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 101; Boston Globe, March 13, 2000.

  45. (fn.) other prisoners waiting their turn.”: Time, May 7, 1965.

  46. That’s where the CIA came in.: Ruck, Tropic of Baseball, 78; www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk; “Dominican Republic: The Era of Trujillo,” Country Studies, Library of Congress, http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/11.htm; Marichal, My Journey, 56; Time, May 7, 1965.

  46. (fn.) of the first modern kleptocracy.”: Díaz, Brief Wondrous Life, 3.

  46. Dominican Republic’s undesirable dictator.: www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk; “Dominican Republic: Occupation by the United States 1916–24,” Country Studies, Library of Congress, http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/10.htm); Time, May 7, 1965.

  46. take out Fidel Castro’s neighbor.: www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk; www.bbc.co.uk; “Dominican Republic: The Era of Trujillo,” Country Studies, Library of Congress, http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/11.htm.

  47. sometimes it’s impossible,” he said.: www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk; “Dominican Republic: The Post-Trujillo Era,” Country Studies, Library of Congress, http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/12.htm; author interview with Marichal, March 26, 2013.

  47. he called Papa Jose and Doña Polonia.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 137–39; Marichal, My Journey, 52–54; Ruck, Tropic of Baseball, 78.

  48. can kiss her,” El General said, smiling.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 137–39; Marichal, My Journey, 52–54.

  48. safety from afar in Arizona.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 139; Marichal, My Journey, 54; “Dominican Republic: The Post-Trujillo Era,” Country Studies, Library of Congress, http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/12.htm; Sport, September 1964.

  48. political situation for Marichal and his country.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 139; Marichal, My Journey, 54; San Francisco Examiner, March 8, 1962.

  49. drove in two runs in the 6–0 victory.: Sport, September 1964; Ruck, Tropic of Baseball, 78.

  49. in his first three games of 1960.: Kaplan, Greatest Game, 81.

  49. play in that All-Star Game,” Juan said.: Author interview with Marichal, March 26, 2013.

  50. pitch as much as what you want to.”: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 134; Marichal, My Journey, 83; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 81.

  50. and dangerous farm implement.”: Atlanta Journal, April 14, 1967; Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 126; Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, July 12, 1963; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 6.

  50. control were what set him apart.”: Marichal, My Journey, 79.

  51. well-placed firecracker under his chair.: Marichal, My Journey, 136; Saturday Evening Post, July 29, 1967.

  51. and prescribed complete rest.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 53–55.

  52. accused the manager with angry looks.: Sport, September 1964; Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 141–42; Plaut, Chasing October, 167.

  52. the first involuntary volunteer.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 141.

  53. a gesture rife with symbolism.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 62–63; Marichal, My Journey, 69; Regalado, Viva Baseball, 85; San Francisco Chronicle, January 9, 2012.

  53. God’s will,” Marichal said matter-of-factly.: Kaplan, Greatest Game, 82.

  53. World Series debut ended abruptly.: Marichal, My Journey, 65–66; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 83; Sport, June 1963.

  54. stereotype that Latins quit when behind.: Marichal, My Journey, 150.

  55. to play the ’63 season in the United States.: Sport, November 1963; Regalado, Viva Baseball, 143–44.

  55. (fn.) the position was abolished.: Regalado, Viva Baseball, 144–45.

  56. that deposed Bosch in September.: countrystudies.us/dominican-republic; Kurlansky, Eastern Stars, 29–31.

  56. the first Latino to pitch a no-hitter.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 157; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 85; Sport, September 1964.

  57. bottom half of the 16th out of the park.: Marichal, My Journey, 96–98; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 60–132.

  57. wouldn’t want to go back and hit.”: Marichal, My Journey, 64.

  57. Chronicle’s beat writer for the Giants.: San Francisco Chronicle, August 1, 1983.

  58. to keep him from being ejected.: Sport, September 1964; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 163; Marichal, My Journey, 149.

  58. Nuxhall after he threw at a Giants batter.: Kaplan, Greatest Game, 163.

  58. not the guy who tried to hit Willie.”: Sport, September 1964.

  60. in Phoenix, Arizona, in prime condition.”: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 169–72; Sport, September 1964; Sports Illustrated, March 16, 1964; San Francisco Examiner, January 7, 1964, and March 12, 1964.

  61. family he had started with Alma.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 172; Sport, September 1964.

  61. be closer to that of his peers.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 172; Sport, September 1964; www.baseball-reference.com.

  61. a Latin person in another city,” Marichal wrote.: Marichal, My Journey, 113–17.

  62. beat them despite Dark’s intervention.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 173; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 78–79.

  63. for slandering minorities at the time.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 174; Kaplan, Greatest Game, 78–79; Dark and Underwood, When in Doubt, 93–98.

  63. Juan desired the same for his troubled back.: Marichal, A Pitcher’s Story, 59–60.

  64. widespread attention,” a newspaper reported.: Unidentified newspaper clipping from Giamatti Research Center.

  64. revolution in Santo Domingo’s streets.: “Dominican Republic: Civil War and United States Intervention, 1965,” Country Studies, Library of Congress, http://countrystudies.us/­dominican-republic/13.htm.

  Chapter Four: Filling Campy’s Shoes

  65. like a lady warding off a mouse.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 121; Laughlin and Theobold, Meet the Dodger Family.

  66. Cannon sniped in the New York Journal-American.: New York Journal-American, September 29, 1959.

  66. to look good when he did go out.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 129, 136–39.

  67. how to handle pitchers.: Laughlin and Th
eobold, Meet the Dodger Family; Atlanta Journal, October 4, 1966; Lanctot, Campy, 390.

  67. Campanella could do any better.”: United Press International, September 29, 1959; New York Journal-American, September 29, 1959; Laughlin and Theobold, Meet the Dodger Family; Los Angeles Times, August 20, 2002.

  67. but he’ll cut them down.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 134.

  68. would define his big league career.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 134–35; Laughlin and Theobold, Meet the Dodger Family.

  68. watch her fall asleep on his chest.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 139–40.

  68. and the resentments smoldered.: Ibid., 139–42.

  69. (fn.) with dubbing him “Gabby.”: Roger Craig letter to Jack Kelley; Roseboro, Glory Days, 129.

  69. playing Robinson a little too close.”: Los Angeles Times, September 6, 1962; Sport, September 1964; Larry Miller letter to Jack Kelley.

  69. Allen grounded out to third.: Dick Egan letter to Jack Kelley.

  70. not sportsmanship trophies for fair play.”: Stan Williams letter to Jack Kelley; Ken McMullen letter to Jack Kelley; Roseboro, Glory Days, 101.

  70. buffs them between innings.”: Plaut, Chasing October, 52, 66; Los Angeles Times, September 6, 1962.

  71. but overriding sense of unity.: Wills and Celizic, On the Run, 207–8; Stan Williams letter to Jack Kelley.

  71. say the same about himself.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 114–15.

  72. but I know where it’s at.”: Topps baseball cards 1959–68; Roseboro, Glory Days, 145; author interview with Jeri Roseboro, July 29, 2013.

  73. any more of these goddam parties.”: “The Man Behind the Mask,” handout at John Roseboro funeral, August 24, 2002; www.imdb.com; Roseboro, Glory Days, 128–29; author interview with Jeri Roseboro, August 28, 2013.

  73. explain what happened to us,” Roseboro wrote.: Roseboro, Glory Days, 205–6.

  74. to take some of the pressure off.”: Plaut, Chasing October, 60; Roger Craig letter to Jack Kelley,; Leavy, Sandy Koufax, 2; Los Angeles Times, June 30, 2002.

  75. was more than that this time.”: Roseboro, Glory Days, 207–8.

  75. an unsung hero of the club.”: Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, March 18, 1964; Roseboro, Glory Days, 207–8.

  75. receiving that check after the World Series.”: Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, March 18, 1964.