Jim Palmer was one of many biggest pitchers in Main League Baseball historical past.
The dominant right-hander performed 19 years in skilled ball, all for the Baltimore Orioles.
He was one in every of baseball’s biggest winners. Palmer is the one pitcher in historical past to win a World Collection in three totally different a long time.
In Palmer’s second season, the Orioles swept the Los Angeles Dodgers 4 video games to none in 1966, successful the franchise’s first ever World Collection.
Palmer held the Dodgers scoreless in Recreation 2, pitching a whole sport shutout at simply 21 years outdated. He turned the youngest pitcher in World Collection and MLB postseason historical past to throw a shutout. The document nonetheless stands in the present day.
4 years later in 1970, the Orioles bested the Cincinnati Reds in 5 video games to win their second World Collection in franchise historical past. Palmer obtained the victory on the mound in Recreation 1, setting the tone for the sequence early.
An astonishing 13 years later in 1983, Baltimore would win their third title. They defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in 5 video games, with Palmer recording the victory in a pivotal Recreation 3.
It was the final World Collection title that the Orioles have gained. Palmer was launched by Baltimore the next yr in 1984, and he subsequently retired.
In his first yr of eligibility in 1990, Palmer made the Baseball Corridor of Fame. Over the course of his practically two-decade-long profession, the first-ballot Corridor of Famer was a six-time All-Star, three-time Cy Younger Award winner, four-time Gold Glove Award winner, three-time AL wins chief and two-time AL ERA chief.
He additionally pitched a no-hitter on August 13, 1969 towards the Oakland A’s.
Palmer retired with 268 profession wins, essentially the most in Baltimore historical past and thirty sixth most all-time. He had a profession 2.86 ERA to associate with eight seasons of at the least 20+ wins.
As massive as Palmer’s stardom was on the mound throughout his profession, he was additionally a star off of it.
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He was a spokesman and underwear mannequin for Jockey model males’s briefs. He proudly modeled for the underwear firm throughout his heyday.
That wasn’t the one little bit of the style world and clothes trade that the three-time World Collection champion obtained into.
Within the offseason, Palmer would promote males’s fits for $150 a pop, to make slightly extra cash on the facet. Again in these days, participant’s salaries weren’t anyplace near what they make in the present day.
Most gamers again within the day had a number of jobs. Palmer was simply one in every of many. He favored retail, and did not thoughts working in that area.
Palmer would additionally get into broadcasting, throughout and after his taking part in days. He labored for ABC, and referred to as a handful of World Collection.
The all-time nice gave probably the greatest speeches whereas getting inducted into Cooperstown.
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“I by no means was enamored with strikeouts until you had a man on third base with lower than two outs after which I wished to strike somebody out,” Palmer recalled.
“I all the time felt the components for Jim Palmer was, I’ll do my job and my teammates would do theirs, they usually did.
“I wish to thank my supportive mother and father who made it potential for me to do what I like, and that’s to play this marvelous sport. I wish to thank all of these alongside the best way of this glorious journey that made me a greater participant within the sport by instructing me the significance of respect, professionalism, and the significance of reporting to the clubhouse with the right angle.
“I believe with the sport of baseball, you need to personal these attributes that will help you succeed on this sport; with none of that, you’ll not get far on this sport.
“I wish to thank the Corridor of Fame for making me a part of your particular fraternity, for being elected to affix the very best of the very best. To be acknowledged as probably the greatest is actually an incredible honor, and I admire it a lot. Thanks, everybody, this is not going to be a second I’ll overlook, and due to all which have proven up for in the present day’s occasion.”
With that angle and mindset, it was no accident that Palmer turned an all-time nice.