The Futility Infielder

John Eisenberg of the Baltimore Sun has written a lengthy, worthwhile profile of minor-league legend Steve Dalkowski. A gas-throwing hellraiser in the Orioles minor-league system, Dalkowski was the inspiration for the Nuke LaLoosh character played by Tim Robbins in Bull Durham. Many who saw him claimed he was the hardest thrower they'd ever seen. Alas, Nuke's real-life counterpart never made the Show; Dalkowski was never fully able to harness control of either his 100+ MPH fastball or his drinking in time to have a major-league career. On the verge of making the O's in 1963, he injured his arm in spring training and was never the same pitcher again.

Dalkowski put up some eye-popping numbers in the low minors. As frequent Baseball Primer poster Steve Treder put it in a discussion thread: "Suffice to say, for those of you who have never gotten a glimpse of the far endpoints of human performance, Dalkowski's stats are just about as ultimate as it gets. How anyone ever managed to get a hit off him is one of the great questions of history... If I can somehow unearth the book, I will post his stats... But I must warn you: be sitting down when you read them, and have a moistened towel, digitalis, and a phone with '911' speed-dailed in at the ready."

That's not much hyperbole; Eisenberg's article sprinkles a tantalizing helping of stats in with his story:

• "His control was horrendous, resulting in 129 walks and 39 wild pitches in 62 innings. He went 1-8 with an 8.83 ERA. But he also struck out 121 and allowed only 22 hits, which were dominating numbers."

• "Dalkowski still experienced some heady moments, throwing a no-hitter for Aberdeen in 1959 and leading the California League in strikeouts with 262 in 1960. Of course, he also led the league in walks, with 262."

• "His career record was 46-80 with a 5.57 ERA. In 995 innings - all in the minors - he had struck out 1,396 and walked 1,354."

A Sporting News article adds a few more tidbits like these:

• "In a high school game, Dalkowski threw a no-hit, no-run game with 18 strikeouts and 18 walks."

• "At Aberdeen in the Northern League, Dalkowski threw a one-hitter and lost 9-8."

• "In 1960 at Class A Stockton, Dalkowski threw a pitch that broke an umpire's mask in three places, knocking him 18 feet back and sending him to a hospital for three days with a concussion." Cal Ripken Sr. was the catcher at the time.

Wow, call the doctor. Anyway, one manager came close to helping Dalkowski harness his potential -- one of the greatest minds in baseball history. At Elmira in 1962, Earl Weaver convinced the pitcher NOT to throw the ball as hard as he could every single time, and protected him from his own wildness by taking him out when he got into jams. The results were impressive; Dalkowski finished the season only 7-10, but with a 3.04 ERA. According to Weaver, Dalkowski had a 52-inning stretch "where he struck out 104, walked only 11 and allowed one earned run."

The success brought him to the verge of making the O's roster the next spring. In his final exhibition appearance, he'd struck out Roger Maris and Elston Howard, but began experiencing numbness in his hand after the next inning (the Sporting News article says his injury came while fielding a Jim Bouton bunt, but Eisenberg's article says it came after striking out Phil Linz on a slider). He rehabbed and returned to the minors, but had lost something off of his fastball, and never made it back to the majors.

Dalkowski spent the better part of the next 30 years battling alcoholism as his life fell apart -- divorce, homelessness, legal troubles, depression. After several interventions by friends and the Baseball Assistance Team, He finally cleaned up in 1994, and while he lives in a Connecticut nursing home today at the relatively tender age of 64, he's at last able to confront his past in a coherent manner. His tale is more bittersweet than inspiring, but it's still a fascinating one.