Jamie Moyer Star Of Old Man’s Club

Jamie Moyer got his win Tuesday, as we all knew he would. The slow-throwing lefty for the Colorado Rockies became the oldest pitcher to ever win a Major League game as his team bested the San Diego Padres, 5-3, with Moyer throwing a lovely seven innings and allowing just six hits and two unearned runs.

Now that Moyer has wrested the old-age record for pitching a winning game from Jack Quinn it’s time to meet Satchel Paige. At his moment of victory, Moyer was 49 years, 150 days old. Too bad he won’t make it to 50 this season. That would be cool. Quinn was 49 years, 70 days old when he won a game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932. Although he did not figure in the decision, Paige was 59 years old when he threw three innings in a game in 1965 for the Kansas City Athletics.

When it comes to Paige, there was always a lot of vagueness about his age, a mystery he nurtured. He was probably born on July 7, 1906 in Mobile, Alabama. When they referred to Paige as ageless, they weren’t kidding. But the ageless wonder was a star for decades in the Negro Leagues, on barnstorming teams, and did well when the color barrier was leveled and he got a late-career shot at the majors. He was a 42-year-old rookie with the Cleveland Indians in 1948.

Paige’s cameo with Kansas City was orchestrated by the A’s’ colorful owner Charles O. Finley. Paige started a late-September game against the Boston Red Sox that was meaningless in the American League pennant race. He pitched three shutout innings and gave up just one hit, a single to Carl Yastrzemski. Then he doffed his cap and walked away.

Back to Quinn. A right-hander, Quinn spent 23 years in the majors with eight teams with a record of 247-218. While his last win was the one that gave him the age distinction for about 80 years, Quinn was past 50–by six days–when he made his last appearance. So Moyer can still shoot for surpassing that next year. One curiosity about Quinn: He hit a home run at age 46 and he held the record for being the oldest Major League player with a four-bagger until Julio Franco hit one at age 47 in 2006.

Phil Niekro was a young pup of 48 when he hung up his cleats. Niekro was born April 1, 1939 and his last game was September 27, 1987. He broke in with the Milwaukee Braves and finished up with the Atlanta Braves. Niekro was 318-274.

Another member of the old man’s club is Hoyt Wilhelm. The savvy reliever with a career record of 143-122 and 227 saves, was born July 26, 1922 and his last big-league appearance was July 10, 1972. Just missed out on throwing at 50.

Moyer’s extraordinary career now seems back on track after he missed all of 2011 following Tommy John surgery. Nobody makes a comeback at 49 unless it’s to manage. But here he is, baffling batters with an array of stuff so slow it’s the equivalent of driving in a school zone instead of on the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was pretty funny to hear that Moyer was getting Padres out with his 78 mph fastball. There is no such thing as a 78 mph fastball in the majors. In junior high, maybe. In the majors that’s called a change-up, or a broken radar gun. Oh yeah, he was mixing in the 76 mph cutter, too. Blinding.

Niekro and Wilhelm could identify with those “speeds” because their primary weapon was the knuckleball. Moyer is making hitters knuckle under with the kind of stuff that wouldn’t make a scout bat an eye. Great for him. There is also common ground between Paige, Niekro and Wilhelm. They are all members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Moyer has 268 career wins, but he will not only have to win another 32, but be winning into his fifties to gain serious consideration for that honor. Now that he has a rebuilt left arm, though, there’s no telling how long he can last.

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