HIS 119 WINS SPUR LINDELL'S COMEBACK BID
"Johnny Lindell has a lifetime pitching record of 119 victories and 61 defeats.
Few major league pitchers will carry such a record into the 1953 campaign.
Mostly, if hurlers cop two-thirds of their games, they're well above the average.
Lindell reported to the New York Yankees in 1942 as a pitcher, but most of his big league career found him playing the outfield.
Now he's trying to come back in the big show, but not as an outfielder. He's up again as a pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates after a lapse of more than ten years.
I caught up with Lindell just before he left for spring training.
'Yes, I think can pitch winning ball in the majors,' said good-looking Johnny, who not only looks good but has the air of a champion if he's only out walking. Standing six-foot-five and weighing well over 200 pounds, Lindell even at 36 is a pretty fine physical specimen.
John's smart, too, and a fine team man. Once when he was being considered for the 'most valuable' award at Hollywood, I asked Manager Fred Haney to compare him with another player under discussion.
'Lindell's worth more on the bench than ----- is on the field.'
'I didn't get a chance to pitch much with the Yankees,' said Lindell, 'because when I went up they had the best pitching staff in baseball.
'Picture me trying to break in against Red Ruffing, Spud Chandler, Marius Russo, Hank Borowy, Atley Donald, Ernie Bonham and Fireman Johnny Murphy! It couldn't be done.
'On top of that I was trying to throw the knuckler and they didn't want me to do that. Said it'd make my arm sore. Shucks, Dutch Leonard threw it a long, long time and never had a sore arm.
'But I'm not kicking ... it was great fun with the Yankees, and it was lucky for me I could hit a bit so they played me in the outfield.'
Hit a bit is right. In the 1947 World Series Lindell batted a cool .500.
Back to that 119-61 pitching record. With the exception of two- one with the Yankees in 1942, all of John's hurling games were in the minor leagues.
So the question before the house is this: Can he win in the majors?
Lindell says he can and so does Haney, who'll manage him at Pittsburgh.
'That knuckler is just as hard to hit in the majors as in the minors,' says Haney. 'Lindell's only problem is getting it over. The major leaguers won't bite at as many bad pitches as the minors.'
Now there's one other question ... Can Lindell win with the Pirates?
When Lindell won 23 and lost but four with Newark in 1941 he was tabbed as the minor league player of the year. Of his four defeats three were 2-1, 1-0 and 2-1, one of these in 12 innings.
Last year with Hollywood, Big Jawn led the Pacific Coast League moundsmen in several departments.
His won and lost record was 24-9. He led in total victories, winning percentage (.727) and complete games (26).
And he was top man in strikeouts (190) and low-hit games, as well as most bases on balls (108).
This latter is important because it indicates that work is needed to gain mastery of the difficult knuckler.
'I'm lucky that Mike Sandlock is going up with me,' said John. 'The right kind of catching is most important to a knuckleball pitcher.'
Lindell worked out a bit every other day during the off-season. His winter league pitching was curtailed on orders from Commissioner Ford Frick.
'It seems that as an ex-major leaguer now headed back to the majors, I came under the rule which prohibits any baseball competition 30 days after the close of the season,' said Lindell.
Having known Big Jawn for a long time I have an idea he'll be fully ready for his second big chance. If only it wasn't with the hapless Pirate crew!"
-Braven Dyer, Los Angeles Times (Baseball Digest, April 1953)
"After eight seasons in the majors as an outfielder, Johnny returned to the majors again in 1953, this time as a pitcher. He broke in with Joplin in 1936 with a 17-8 mark and joined the Yankees after a 23-4 season in 1941 at Newark. The Yanks converted him into an outfielder, [where he remained] until returning to the mound for Hollywood of the Pacific Coast League in 1950."
-1953 Topps No. 230
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