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Home , 1943 World Series, 1984 World Series, Al Kaline, Cy Young, Danny Litwhiler, Dick Radatz

Michigan State 2007 Media Guide

Michigan State University Elite Spartans

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Kirk Gibson, who joined the baseball team as a junior in 1978 at the recommendation of head , became one of the greatest ballplayers ever to adorn a Spartan uniform. Bringing pure speed and raw talent to every , Gibson possessed power at the plate that was unmatchable. Known for his intensity and tenacity, Gibson played just one season at Michigan State before entering the major league draft, where he was chosen as the No. 1 pick by the Tigers in 1978. Carrying his fi erce competitiveness with him to the big leagues, Gibson became one of the greatest big-moment players in baseball history.

A Waterford, Mich., native, Gibson earned fi rst-team All-America honors for the Spartans in both baseball and football in 1978, hitting .390 with 16 homers and 52 RBI in the spring and catching 42 passes for 806 yards (19.2 avg.) with seven touchdowns in the fall. In one of the most historic moments at Kobs Field, Gibson launched a home that cleared the trees and the Red Cedar River, landing on Adams Field (formerly known as Landon Field) for a blast measuring 550 feet. A four-year letterman in football (1975-78), he amassed 112 career receptions for 2,347 yards and 24 TDs. Highly recruited in both sports, Gibson opted to enter the June 1978 MLB draft.

Detroit Tigers dubbed Gibson as “the next .” Nagged by injuries in his fi rst few seasons, the former MSU all-star broke onto the scene in 1984, helping guide the Tigers to a Championship. That season, Gibson became the fi rst Tiger to 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in the same season, and the fi rst with at least 10 doubles, triples, homers, and steals since in 1930.

Joining the Dodgers as a free agent in 1988, Gibson’s intensity once again carried over to his new team, spurring Los Angeles to a World Championship in his fi rst year. Gibson produced Each playing just one two game-winning home runs season at MSU and collecting in the playoffs against the All-America honors before entering the Major League Mets, but neither Draft, Gibson and Steve was as thunderous as the shot Garvey share a Spartan he delivered in Game One memory. of the World Series against Oakland. Battling a recurring leg injury that kept him out of the lineup, Gibson stepped to bat as a in the bottom of the ninth of the series opener, with two outs and one man on base, down 4-3. Visibly wincing on each swing, Gibson fouled off Always remembering his roots, Gibson returns for the 2005 MSU Baseball Alumni Tailgate, four pitches before bolting a taking time to share advice with current Spartans.

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a off of A’s ace into the right-fi eld stands for the 5-4 win. Gibson not only picked up his second World Championship ring that season, but also earned MVP honors after hitting .290 with 25 home runs and 76 RBI in 1988.

Spending a total of 17 years in the major leagues, Gibson spent one year each with Kansas City and Pittsburgh before returning to Detroit in 1993 to close out his career, retiring in 1995. In his major league career, Gibson batted .268 with 255 home runs and 870 RBI. In his two stints with the Tigers, spanning 12 seasons (1979-87; 1993-95), he batted .273 with 195 homers and 668 RBI. In 1999, Gibson was one of 12 players elected by the fans to Detroit’s All-Time Team in the ballclub’s fi nal season in . Gibson returned to Detroit to coach for three seasons (2003-05) and was hired in November of 2006 to be the bench coach for the .

Never forgetting his heritage, Gibson is actively involved in the Michigan State com- munity. In 1994, he was inducted in the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame, and he helped aid the progression and completion of the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Gibson goes deep for Detroit Center on campus. in the .

Fans always knew something magical was about to happen when Gibson stepped to the plate at Kobs. Gibson coached for the Tigers from 2003-05.

Spartan Pride 9 Michigan State Baseball 2007 Media Guide One of the most dominant in the game today, Mark Mulder is a proud product of Michigan State. Selected by the as the second overall pick in the 1998 MLB amateur draft, Mulder quickly backed up his reputation as a bright young talent. Spending less than two years in the minors, Mulder skyrocketed to the big leagues, making his fi rst appearance on April 18, 2000, at just 22 years old. In his six-year career, Mulder has gained all-star status, compiling a career record of 103-57 with a 4.11 ERA and 829 . In 2001, he fi nished second in the Award balloting.

The southpaw from South Holland, Ill., first started turning heads at MSU his sophomore season, going 7-2 with four saves and fi nishing second in the league with a 2.26 ERA to earn fi rst-team All- Big Ten honors. His junior year, Mulder picked up third-team All-America honors from both the National Collegiate Base- ball Writers Association and Louisville Slugger, while repeating on the fi rst-team All-Big Ten list. That same year, Mulder set a Spartan -season record with 113 strikeouts (which still stands today) In two seasons at MSU, while issuing only 19 walks. A two-way Mulder posted a 13-8 record with a 2.89 ERA. He struck player in college, Mulder was not only a out 169 batters against only threat on the mound, but at the plate. In 31 walks. 1998, Mulder hit a team-best .335 with 11 doubles, fi ve home runs and 30 RBI while

In 1998, Mulder set MSU’s compiling a 6-6 record with a 3.40 ERA. single-season record with 113 K’s. The record still Foregoing his senior year to enter the draft stands today. in 1998, Mulder was taken by Oakland as the second overall pick, the highest any Spartan has ever been chosen. Tearing

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through the minors, Mulder “got the call” in the spring of 2000, where he put together a record of 9-10 with a 5.44 ERA in his fi rst season with the A’s. In 2001, Mulder played his fi rst full major league season, leading the in wins (21) and shutouts (4), but fell just short of in balloting.

Continuing to evolve, Mulder registered a 19-7 record while ranking among the A.L. leaders in strikeouts (No. 8 with 159) and ERA (No. 10 at 3.47) in 2002. Mulder battled injures the next season, but still managed to post a 15-9 record with a career-best 3.13 ERA, tossing a league-best nine complete games and two shutouts en route to his fi rst All-Star Game. In 2004, Mulder led Oakland in wins (17), complete games (5) and pitched (225.2). His performance earned him the starting role for the American League in the 2004 All-Star Game, where he picked up the victory.

Making the jump from the A.L. to the N.L., Mulder was traded from Oakland to St. Louis in December 2004. In the 2005 season with the Cardinals, he compiled a 16-8 record with a 3.64 ERA, tallying 111 strikeouts. All of Mulder’s hard work paid off in 2006, as he earned a World Series championship ring with the Cardinals. In the offseason, Mulder re-signed with St. Louis, agreeing to a two-year deal.

On the mound, Mulder shows impressive durability and has logged at least 200 in four of the last six seasons. Complementing his low-90s with a slider, , and change-up, he can pitch with both power and fi nesse.

Despite a busy career, Mulder has taken time to remember his roots at Michigan State. He has been actively involved in the “New Life For Old College Field” campaign since the project began in 2005.

Selected as the second overall draft pick by Oakland in 1998, Mulder spent fi ve seasons Mulder saw action on the mound and in the fi eld in college. He led with the A’s before being traded to St. Louis prior to the 2005 season. the Spartans with a team-high .335 batting average his junior year.

Spartan Pride 11 Michigan State Baseball 2007 Media Guide Head Coach, 1925-63 (38 Seasons) - Uniform Retired #25 967 games, 574-377-16 (86-83 Big Ten), .602 John Kobs served as Michigan State’s head baseball coach for a period span- ning fi ve decades. During his 39-year career (38 seasons, as State did not fi eld a team in 1944 due to World War II), Kobs’ Spartan teams compiled a record of 574 wins, 377 losses and 16 ties for a winning percentage of .602. Only four of his squads failed to register winning records.

Kobs’ 1954 team was the most successful ever at Michigan State, capturing the Big Ten and NCAA District IV titles while taking the Green and White to its only , where it fi nished third.

Kobs developed many outstanding players, of whom the best known is Hall of Fame . The Spartan legend coached at least 17 other players who made major league rosters, including pitching greats , and Tom Yewcic - MSU’s fi rst All-American.

In his 42 years at Michigan State, Kobs also served as the head basketball and hockey coach, an assistant football coach, and educator. His activities were not limited to MSU, but had in- ternational dimension as well. Kobs coached the 1955 and ’59 Pan-American baseball teams, with the 1955 squad winning the gold medal thanks to the help of Spartan outfi elder Vince Magi. In 1957, Kobs conducted a baseball clinic for the U.S. Armed Forces at Nuremberg, Germany.

A gifted athlete himself, Kobs was a 1921 graduate of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., where he earned 13 varsity letters in four sports. A native of Cavalier, N.D., Kobs died in 1968 at age 69. MSU honored his achievements in 1969 by dedicating the campus baseball facility in his name. Kobs was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993 and is one of only three men to have his baseball jersey (#25) retired.

Above: John Kobs served Michigan State for more than fi ve decades as both a coach and an educator.

Left: Coach Kobs with pitchers Chuck Gorman, Gus Carlson and Ernest Erickson (1953).

12 Spartan Pride Michigan State Baseball 2007 Media Guide Danny Litwhiler Head Coach, 1964-82 (19 Seasons) - Uniform Retired #1 858 Games, 488-362-8 (167-128 Big Ten), .573 Few men in baseball have compiled the list of honors that Danny Litwhiler did during his distinguished career in the game. In 19 seasons at the Spartan helm, the man known to his players as “Skip” amassed a record of 488-362- 8, capturing Big Ten Championships in 1971 and 1979.

Not only were his players successful at State, but at least 13 of Litwhiler’s players progressed to the major leagues, including Kirk Gibson, and . A member of the American Association of College Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame and a recipient of the “ Award” for out- standing contributions to college baseball, Litwhiler compiled a nine-year record of 189-81 at Florida State before coming to MSU.

Beyond the collegiate level, Litwhiler also managed professional teams in Fargo, N.D., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Jamestown, N.Y., and Duluth, Minn. In 1968, Litwhiler coached at the Mexican International Baseball Tournament, which was held in conjunction with the Olympic Games in Mexico. Two of his Spartans, catcher Harry Kendrick and pitcher Marvin Knight, were members of his team.

In Litwhiler’s own 12-year Major League career, he spent time with the Phillies, Cardinals, Braves and Reds. A member of the Cardinals’ 1944 World Championship team, Litwhiler was also with St. Louis when it lost in the to New York. His memorable achievements include a 21-game hitting streak in his rookie season; hitting at least one in every National in 1941; becoming the fi rst Major Leaguer to play an entire season without committing an (handling 317 chances in 151 games in 1942); and setting a record for playing 187 consecutive errorless games over a period of two seasons (putting his glove in the Baseball Hall of Fame). He posted a career-best .305 batting average in 1941 and compiled a lifetime average of .282.

A great player and coach, Litwhiler served as an ambassador and innovator. He con- ducted clinics in over 10 countries and served as the International President for the U.S. Baseball Federation from 1978-83. Now commonplace anywhere in the sport, Litwhiler developed the radar speed gun, with the fi rst prototype used at Michigan State now residing in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Litwhiler was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994 and is also a member of the hall of fame at Bloomsburg University, , the Helm Foundation, the Royal Dutch Baseball Association and the state of Pennsylvania. Above: Litwhiler (right) inspects a shipment from Louisville-Slugger.

Spartan Pride 13 Michigan State Baseball 2007 Media Guide Robin Roberts Hall of Fame Pitcher - Uniform Retired #36

A two-sport letterwinner, Robin Roberts arrived at Michigan State on a basketball scholarship, where he initially distinguished himself as a star - averaging more than 10 points per game. It wasn’t until his junior year in 1946 that Roberts tried out for the baseball team. Going on to become one of the greatest pitchers in major league history, Rob- erts’ uniform (#36) was one of the fi rst two numbers retired in MSU baseball history.

In two years at MSU, Roberts posted a 9-6 record, but his record doesn’t refl ect how dominating he really was. In 1946, Roberts hurled six shutouts, which is still a Michigan State single-season record. In 1947, he set a Spartan record by striking out 86 batters, which today ranks seventh best in MSU history.

Making his major league debut with the Phillies in 1948, Roberts compiled a 286-245 record with 2,357 strikeouts, a 3.41 ERA, 305 complete games, 45 shutouts, and 4,688.2 innings pitched in 676 games over a 19-year career.

Known for his fastball, Roberts led the 1950 Phillies, who were commonly referred to as the “,” to their fi rst pennant in 35 years. Compiling a 20-11 record that season, he became Philadelphia’s fi rst 20-game-winner since Grover Alexander in 1917.

Roberts went on to win 20 games every season from 1950-55, and led the league in wins for four straight years, starting in 1952. The fi erce right-hander was named the NL Player of the Year by The in 1952 and 1955, and he was chosen for the All-Star team seven years in a row, from 1950 through 1956. Following his 12 seasons with Philadelphia, Roberts went on to pitch for , Houston and the .

In 1976, Roberts was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and in 1992, was among the charter class inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. On May 18, 2003, Roberts joined Danny Litwhiler as being one of the fi rst two numbers (#36) retired in Spartan baseball history.

In addition to having his retired at Michigan State, the Phillies have also paid tribute to Roberts by retiring his uniform (#36) and erecting a statue in his honor outside the fi rst base gate of .

Above: Roberts (left) and Marty Hansen, mainstays of the 1947 team, point to the locations of their assignments upon signing with the .

Right: Roberts (right) visits with his former coach, Michigan State’s legendary John Kobs, after a game.

14 Spartan Pride Michigan State Baseball 2007 Media Guide Dick Radatz Hall of Fame Pitcher

One of the top pitchers in Michigan State history, Dick Radatz was a three- year letterwinner from 1957-59, and is still among the leaders in nearly every pitching category in the Spartan record book.

Radatz came to Michigan State as a basketball player, but his attention soon turned to baseball. In his second year as a Spartan, along with teammate and future major leaguer Ron Perranoski, Radatz was the winningest pitcher in play with a perfect 5-0 record, and he was named second-team All-Big Ten. Things got even better in 1959, as Radatz pitched arguably the fi nest single-season in MSU history, collecting a 10-1 record with a miniscule 1.12 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 96.1 innings. At the time, he set MSU season records for wins, ERA, strikeouts and innings pitched, and the numbers still rank among the top three in each category in the Spartan record books. For his impressive season, Radatz earned fi rst-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-America honors. Radatz left Michigan State with an impressive 17-4 (.810) record, and his 193 career strikeouts currently rank fourth all-time at MSU.

Signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red Sox in 1959, Radatz, a starter in college, fi lled the role as a reliever and earned the nickname “The Monster” for his overpowering fastball and 6-foot-6-inch, 285-pound frame. Radatz made his debut with the Red Sox in 1962, and found instant success in the majors his rookie season. He led the league in saves (24), games (62) and relief wins (nine), and for his efforts, he was named “Fireman of the Year” by The Sporting News. Radatz had his fi nest season in 1963, collecting a 15-6 record with a 1.97 ERA, all while still saving 25 games. In addition to striking out 162 batters in 132 innings, he made his fi rst ap- pearance in the All-Star Game and fi nished fi fth in the AL MVP voting.

New York Yankees manager declared that “for two seasons, I’ve never seen a better pitcher.” , Detroit Tiger great and Hall of Famer, simply said that Radatz was the best he had ever seen.

Radatz continued his dominant three-year run in 1964, receiving his second “Fireman of the Year” Award for his league- leading 29 saves with 16 wins and a 2.29 ERA in 79 games. Named an All-Star for the second straight year, Radatz also racked up 181 strikeouts, a record for a relief pitcher - one that still stands today.

After tallying 22 saves in 1965, Radatz was traded to Cleveland in 1966. Despite battling arm injuries, he also played for the Chicago Cubs, and before retiring in 1969, totaling a 52- 43 record with 122 saves and a 3.13 ERA.

A native of Detroit, Radatz was selected to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997. After his professional career and until his passing in 2005, Radatz continued to be a prominent fi gure in the Boston area sports scene, providing baseball commentary and sports talk. Radatz was named the Michigan State Baseball Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2006.

Above: Radatz with the Boston Red Sox; Right: Former MSU Coach John Kobs instructs Radatz (right).

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