Cleveland Indians: Wild Thing Wants to Throw First Pitch

With the Cleveland Indians making the World Series for the first time in almost 20 years, former pitcher Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn offers to throw the first pitch.

He is Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn. He is the man, the myth, the legend. Vaughn is an icon in the Cleveland area for his exploits on the diamond almost 30 years ago. In the years before the power-hitting Cleveland teams of the mid-1990s went to the playoffs five years in a row, the franchise had a long history of abysmal play. Vaughn was among the players that brought them out of the doldrums.

In the 1980s, the city of Cleveland was called “the mistake by the lake” and Cleveland Municipal Stadium was a vacant wasteland. The Indians reached their lowest point in 1985 when they drew just 655,181 fans, an average of just over 8,000 per game. This was in a ballpark that had a capacity of 74,000. That team lost 102 games.

Cleveland bounced back in 1986 with an 84-78 season, which led to the team being on the cover of Sports Illustrated on April 6, 1987. The title said “Indian Uprising” and had sluggers Joe Carter and Cory Snyder featured prominently. The words “Believe It! Cleveland is the Best Team in the American League” suggested it was finally going to be Cleveland’s year. That 1987 team lost 101 games. Joe Carter and Cory Snyder combined to hit 65 home runs in a high-offense year, but Carter’s on-base percentage was an ugly .304 and Snyder’s was an even-worse .273.

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Ricky Vaughn started that 1987 season with the Dodgers minor league affiliate in Bakersfield. He had been drafted out of a Malibu, California high school in 1984 and was working his way through the Dodgers’ system. In 1986, he got into some trouble for drug use, where he met Jean Bueller, Ferris’ little sister while waiting to be booked into jail. He didn’t spend any time in prison, but it would be a precursor of things to come.

Through four starts in 1987, Vaughan had a 4.24 ERA, with 29 strikeouts in 19 innings. He also walked 21 batters. On May 1, 1987, Vaughn was arrested for grand theft auto and sent to prison in California. Vaughn’s baseball experience in 1988 consisted of games in the California Penal League. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians were slogging through another season squatting in the muck of mediocrity. This was actually an improvement from the previous year.

Cleveland’s fortunes changed when an exotic dancer married the owner of the team. When the owner died during the honeymoon, the dancer, Rachel Phelps, took over. She hatched a plan to use a “poor attendance” escape clause and move the team to a warmer climate by fielding the worst team she could find. Among the rejects signed by the team was Ricky Vaughn, newly out of prison.

That Cleveland team started terribly, despite the honest efforts of manager Lou Brown, who had previously been the long-time manager of the Toledo Mud Hens. Then they started to win. Players who were essential in the turnaround included speedy outfielder Willie Mays Hayes, arrogant veteran Roger Dorn, aging catcher Jake Taylor, slugging outfielder Pedro Cerrano, veteran hurler Eddie Harris, and the young fireballing Ricky Vaughn.

Cleveland fans know the rest. The team got on a hot streak just to spite the owner and cruised all the way to a one-game playoff victory over the hated New York Yankees to clinch the AL East. They lost in the ALCS, but it was a successful season that kept the team in Cleveland. One of the highlights of the team’s games that year was when the bespectacled Ricky Vaughn would make his way from the bullpen to the mound with “Wild Thing” blaring on the loudspeakers. Old #99 earned legendary status in Cleveland that year.

Things changed in the offseason. The once hard-partying Ricky Vaughn turned into a more sophisticated yuppie type and power-hitting Pedro Cerrano underwent a spiritual conversion from the aggressive voodoo to peaceful Buddhism. Roger Dorn retired as a player and took over as the owner of the team and catcher Jake Taylor retired to become a coach under Lou Brown. Willie Mays Hayes attempted to become a power hitter. With all of the changes in attitude, the team started slowly.

During the season, Roger Dorn ran into financial problems and was forced to sell the team back to Rachel Phelps. She tried to sabotage the team once again. When manager Lou Brown had a heart attack, Phelps convinced Taylor to take over as manager. Jake led the team to their second consecutive division title and they got another shot at the White Sox, the team that had beat them the previous year. Cleveland won the first three, lost the next three, but won Game 7 on a strikeout by Ricky Vaughn, which sent the Indians to their first World Series since 1954.

Of course, Cleveland lost that World Series and wouldn’t make the playoffs again until 1995. By this time, Vaughn was at the tail end of his career. The 1995 team made it all the way to the World Series but lost to the Atlanta Braves in six games. Vaughn was not on the postseason roster. His career ended early in the 1996 season after pitching just nine innings and walking 11 batters.

Cleveland has still not won a World Series since 1948, but this year’s team has a shot to end the drought. They swept the Red Sox in the ALDS, then stifled the Blue Jays in the ALCS. There’s a lot of the old “Major League” attitude on this team. First baseman Mike Napoli has made “Party at Napoli’s a common refrain in Cleveland. He seems like the type of guy that would love to throw down a few cold ones with Ricky Vaughn. To honor the legendary team in the late 1980s, there is a shrine dedicated to the memory of that team that sits between the lockers of Mike Napoli and Jason Kipnis.

As for Ricky Vaughn, he drifted through life for many years after his Major League career ended in 1996. At first, he tried to catch on with another Major League team, but his fastball was gone and no team was willing to give the veteran a chance. He pitched for the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks in the Independent Northern League for three years.

In the early 2000s, Ricky suddenly hit it big writing commercial jingles and children’s songs. He moved into a Malibu beach house and lived a hedonistic lifestyle, drinking incessantly and dating many beautiful women. When his brother Alan was thrown out by his wife, Ricky allowed Alan and his son, Jake, to live with him.

Eight years later, Vaughn had a very public meltdown. He moved out of the Malibu house and was in and out of the news for his increasingly erratic behavior. He referred to himself as a “warlock” with “tiger blood” and “Adonis DNA.” His mantra became the word “winning”.

In 2011, he took his insanity on the road when he announced a nationwide tour called “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Death is Not An Option.” The tour sold out in 18 minutes, a record for Ticketmaster. The first show was a colossal disaster that resulted in people booing and walking out. One fan was heard saying, “Dude, that was seriously the worst thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

It was a long fall from grace for Vaughn. The man who had once been beloved for his swagger on the baseball diamond had become a public embarrassment. His lowest moment was likely when he hosted the 12th annual Gathering of the Juggalos, an event created by the Insane Clown Posse.

A few years ago, Vaughn admitted to having used PEDs in the late 1980s when he was pitching for Cleveland. He claimed the steroids added six miles per hour to his fastball. The steroids may have helped his fastball, but considering how often broadcaster Harry Doyle used to describe Vaughn’s fastball as “jussssst a bit outside,” the steroids obviously didn’t help his control.

With the Cleveland Indians headed to their first Worlds Series since 1997, the whole city is excited. Cleveland is no longer “the mistake on the lake.” The old ballpark has been replaced by Jacob’s Field and the team finished with the second-most wins in the American League.

Recently, fans have made it known through social media that they would like to see Ricky Vaughn throw out the first pitch at one of the World Series games in Cleveland, which starts next Tuesday. Vaughn responded with a tweet that said, “Major League continues to be the gift that keeps on giving! If called upon, I’d be honored.”

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If Vaughn is called upon to throw out the first pitch at one of the World Series games, perhaps old Harry Doyle could be invited back to make the call from up in the booth. Maybe even Pedro Cerrano could be welcomed back to help the team keep up its mojo.