John Klippstein
John Klippstein was pitching for Cincinnati in 1956 and throwing a
no-hitter against Milwaukee. He was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the seventh
inning, and his replacements threw no-hit ball into the 10th inning.
Klippstein walked 8 in the game; lack of control with his pitches plagued
him through most of his career. The Reds eventually lost the game 2-1, with
Joe Torre's brother, Frank, delivering a two-run single.
In '65, he topped that hitless streak -- although it was over a span of
three relief appearances. With the Twins that season, he threw 8 2/3 innings of
hitless relief.
Klippstein became a relief pitcher under manager Walter Alston when
he joined the Dodgers in 1958. Among the reasons Klippstein became a Twin in
1964 is that Twins' were desperate for relief help and the Phils were squeezed
for space on their roster. Twins' owner Calvin Griffith was a good
friend of Philadelphia general manager John Quinn, so a deal was made.
Klippstein had a fluid delivery and said he could get warm quickly, needing
just 10 pitches in the bullpen and another eight after arriving on the mound.
In '65, he found he could be very sharp for four or five innings spanning three
appearances a week. If he pitched more often, he felt he was sharp for just a
couple innings.
Klippstein was one of the few Twins with World Series experience in 1965. He
had pitched two scoreless innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the '59
Series. In three World Series appearances spanning five innings, Klippstein
allowed three hits and no runs.
Jim Grant, Jim
Perry and Klippstein were all teammates with the Cleveland Indians in
1960.
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