This will be a relatively short one due to some commitments and poor planning on my part. The article was prompted by William in a post on October 15.
William wrote: “Does anyone remember Ron Fairly? Good hitter, not great, but purely based on listening to all the games, no analytics then, I knew that virtually every time he came up in a big spot, he hit the ball hard. I haven’t seen many homegrown Dodgers do that in the last decade or more.”
It just so happens I do remember Ron Fairly very well and he provided one of a few close-ups I have had with MLB players.
Way back in 1957, as a 16-year-old, my family moved from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to Edmonton, Alberta. Lunenburg was a close-knit town of no more than 3000 people. Edmonton was a city with a population of about 238,000. I was leaving my lifetime friends, my girlfriend, a community where we seemed to know everyone. Not only that, we moved towards the end of June so I would not begin Grade 11 until the second week in September with no chance to make friends during the long summer.
My Mom, in her wisdom, found a way to help me get through the summer. She encouraged me to go to the Edmonton Eskimo baseball games knowing I could do that alone. I went to games, mostly at night, and soon became familiar with the names of the players. I still remember Blaine Sylvester, Ken Guffy, Dale Zeigler, Ralph Vold, and others. Most of all, I remember Ron Fairly who played the outfield (left field) and some first base.
Fairly homered in his first game in the Western Canada Baseball League and went on to an All-Star season with 10 home runs, 55 runs batted in and a .388 batting average. However, those stats are not the reason I remember him so well.
I knew he was very young – 18 at the start of the season – and I was 16. As the season progressed I got up the courage to speak to him as he warmed up in the outfield. It was never a conversation but a greeting or, “Good game yesterday.” The reply was a greeting and a, “Thanks.” That was enough for me and he became my favorite player on the Eskimos. Naturally, I expected him to return to Edmonton in 1958. He didn’t. And yes, he did hit the ball hard.
You can only imagine my surprise when I learned of his debut with the Dodgers on September 9, 1958.
Ron Fairly was born in Macon, Georgia but his family moved to Southern California when he was but three months old. His baseball career was fostered by his father who played 10 years of minor league ball reaching as high as the AAA International League.
He graduated from Jordan High School in Long Beach and became noticed by two high profile coaches who were in a bit of a tug-of-war between UCLA and USC. His basketball play was good enough that John Wooden offered Fairly a full basketball scholarship at UCLA. “I averaged 18 points a game in high school,” Fairly remembered. Yes, that John Wooden.
His father suggested he check out USC who also had a legendary coach, Rod Dedeaux. Fairly liked the field at USC compared to UCLA and also Dedeaux’s personality so his baseball career began.
Fairly was the varsity centerfielder for USC when it won the College World Series in 1958. He had been followed by a number of teams but signed with the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent at a hometown discount when they weren’t cool to be close to home. His 1958 season took him to the Class-A Des Moines Bruins and the AAA St Paul Saints before his debut with the Dodgers.
His first MLB hit came in his second game in 1958 against HOF pitcher Robin Roberts.
Fairly was first assigned to right field with the Dodgers and initially did not get a warm welcome from long time right-fielder Carl Furillo. In time Furillo realized that the personable Fairly was not a threat to him and actually took him under his wing. What better unlikely teacher to school the young left-hand hitter in playing the right field walls in MLB?
“Carl showed me how to play the corrugated wall at Connie Mack Stadium and the nuances of right field in the other ballparks. He would also tell me what to expect from the opposing pitchers. I always appreciated the fact that he did that,” Fairly said. After Furillo was released in 1960, Fairly took Furillo’s number six as a tribute to his mentor.
He moved into the first base slot until Wes Parker took over in 1965 shifting Fairly back to the outfield as he had the better arm. During his career he played over 1,000 games in the outfield and 1,000 at first base.
He would go on to play 21 seasons in MLB, including 12 with the Dodgers and six with the Expos. He earned three WS rings with the Dodgers, hitting .379 in the 1965 classic against the Twins with two home runs and a team-leading six runs batted in. During his career, he posted a .360 OBP with 1052 walks and 877 strikeouts.
He retired as a player in 1979 and went to have a 27-year broadcasting career with the Angels, Giants and Mariners.
Among his three WS rings and various other trophies and awards, Ron Fairly has an unusual memento that is still perhaps his favorite.
Bill Plaschke tells the story of the unusual keepsake. It was the middle of the 1959 baseball season, the Dodgers’ second year in Los Angeles, and they were in a rut. They had fallen into third place while trying to win over the sports fans and become Los Angeles’ team. Baseball is a game of superstitions and sometimes things just can’t be explained.
Dodger coach Pee Wee Reese somehow changed their fortunes with a small stone, a pebble. For whatever reason, he walked up to Ron Fairly, who still qualified as a rookie, and handed him the little rock. The youngster put it in his jacket pocket at Pee Wee’s command.
“Keep this,’’ the Dodger coach told the kid. “It will bring us good luck.’
The Dodgers proceeded to win 44 of their next 76 games and go on to defeat the White Sox and capture the hearts in Los Angeles.
After losing the first game of the series and trailing 2-0 in the first inning of the second game, Ron Fairly stuck his hand in his jacket pocket and there it was the pebble. The Dodgers came back with three runs in the seventh inning to win Game Two and won the series in six games behind the near-perfect pitching of reliever and series MVP Larry Sherry.
Perhaps the present day Dodgers could use Fairly’s pebble although he might not be unwilling to give it up as it is still in that jacket pocket.
“It’s as special as anything I own,’’ Fairly said from his Indian Wells home.
Ron Fairly’s book, “Fairly at Bat”, was released in February of 2018. It is co-authored by Steve Springer, a former Los Angeles Times reporter.
I remember Ron Fairly. It seems to me he had freckles when I watched him play in Edmonton.
Sorry, I accidentally had the comments off.
FIXED NOW
Geez Mark, I didn’t realize you were born in ’41. You look great for your age :0)
Boy, I am screwing everything up today.
DC obviously is the writer. I was born during the Civil War.
Brings back memories of the 1958 season when, as a kid, my high expectations for the Dodgers were crushed, but the youngsters like Fairly, Frank Howard, Don Demeter, Larry Sherry, and Stan Williams brought the hope of better times.
I remember the very talented Ron Fairly too. He reminds me a little of Bellinger, 1st baseman and outfield without the speed Cody has. He was a good announcer also. Good and interesting article DC as always. I may have to rethink my hatred of freckles as a youngster now.
When Andre Ethier came to the Dodgers he reminded me of Fairly.
Congrats MT… We had a Brain Fart Central there for awhile… At least no Doc or AF drama!!! Yet…
Oh yeah, I remember Fairly and especially his stints in RF… Ron had a gun and SoCal was right about the 58 kids, a lot of excitement growing up before us… Reminds me of our current Dodgers and the kids waiting in the wings…
Videos of Kenley already working out at the Ravine… Who knew?!?!
I have been off the radar for awhile. Resettling again in Arizona for the winter, catching some Fall Ball and watching the Series. Lots of thoughts have been presented on the Dodgers, shortcomings, future, AF, Doc and his management. I have little to add for now except for a few things.
While I have been a loyal supporter of Seager I personally think Frankie Lindor is the best shortstop in baseball. I don’t have all the stats to support this but my eyes tell me that he is fantastic defensively and a skilled pinch hitter. While that’s an interesting trade idea I don’t think this directly addresses the major Dodger needs in the off-season.
Next, I have openly been critical of Doc’s (and the FO) emphasis and overuse of “Swiss army knife” type players and the insistence of a new line up every day. You don’t need 5 guys who can play second base and 6 outfielders. I have speculated that, injuries aside, Doc may have put the same line up on the field maybe a dozen times. For me, I like a predictable line up where players don’t have huge splits that know how to prepare with a couple utility players for days off etc. obviously you need pinch hitters and a backup catcher. I don’t need more than one Kiké or CT who can play 7 positions or the logjamg at first where guys dont get PT. The approach allows Doc to show off his unique managing ability which I don’t find necessary. I’m not a fan of a left handed line up and a right handed line up. This year’s line up against left handed pitching was vulnerable. I don’t think all the lineups and the try out, spring training like model down the stretch was good preparation for the playoffs. You will notice that neither Houston nor Washington deviate from their set lineups. With the exception of catchers and the DH, you get the same lineup every day. I think that is a strength. I understand that there is a noticeable absence of left handed pitchers in this series but I don’t think either of these teams would toss out a totally different lineup if there were more lefties. I don’t see it happening but I dont think having all but 2 positions changing daily as a strength. Unless you get off on watching Doc manage.
Check the stats for the Nationals; Rendon, Eaton, Soto, Robles, and Turner were “regulars,” with Matt Adams, Howie Kendrick, Brian Dozier, Ryan Zimmerman, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Michael Taylor (among others) who were part-timers. Comparatively, the Dodgers had Muncy, Seager, Turner, and Bellinger as “regulars” – Verdugo was also a regular until injured. And, Pederson had more than 500 plate appearances
The Nationals are a classic example of a team getting hot at the right time. Wish the hell the Dodgers could do that.
Look at the line ups late and through the playoffs So Cal Bum. Very consistent lineups and nothing like Doc’s line up du jour. not even close.
Check regular season plate appearances and you will see that Nats essentially utilized the same number of “regulars” vs part-timers as the Dodgers. In the Division series the Dodgers used Smith, Muncy, Turner, Bellinger, and Seager as the regulars (Russell Martin played one game of five at catcher); the Nats used Rendon, Turner, Soto, Kendrick, and Eaton. Pretty much the same. If Verdugo had not been injured he too would have been a regular in the outfield.
What I tried to say was Lindor is a skilled “switch hitter” not pinch hitter. But maybe he is that too.
I went looking around for an off-season calendar and came up with this:
https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2019/10/mlb-offseason-calendar-2018-19-key-dates-for-free-agency-postseason-awards-and-more.html
It’s from a Cleveland website, hence the references to Indians players in the 4th bullet in the first section. After that it’s generalized for all of MLB. I also created a .pdf and a Word Document (.docx) of this page, but the links to those documents on my computer won’t paste to this page.
I am certain that AC, DC, MT, 2d2, and others probably have the same or something similar. Just a suggestion, but it might be a good idea to add a link to an off-season calendar to the very convenient “Dodgers Dashboard” above. And by the way, the calendar I found at mlb.com did NOT have the free agency info. I suspect that it will be updated as soon as exact dates are established. That one can be found at:
https://www.mlb.com/schedule/events
I just realized that Ron Fairly passed away today. Very sad.
One of my dad’s favorites. He called him Mr Clutch.
Sorry to hear about Ron Fairly. The good thing is that he lived to age 81, and apparently lived a full life. I did a little searching, and could find nothing about his passing, other than a reference (no details) in Wikipedia that the date was today. Since it was today, I am guessing something will appear in the next several days.
https://www.dodgersnation.com/dodgers-ron-fairly-passes-away-at-age-81/2019/10/30/
I read somewhere it was cancer, that dreaded disease.
During a Giants broadcast Ron asked the question “who was the 4th Alou Brother “?
I will post the answer after I get home.
Anyone know the answer?
Boog??
Zeppo
BA BA
Sorry to learn of Ron’s death to cancer. Also sorry I hadn’t posted the article sooner. I wasn’t aware of his illness.
It is ok DC. You did not know. How could you? It was still a very nice article. I considered it a well-written memorial to Ron Fairly.
Felipe, Matty, Jesus, and Moises. Is that correct?
rudybyrd got it !
Brooklyn,
The punchline to the joke was the 4th Alou brothers name was Boog Powell. He changed his name because he did not want to go through life known as Boog Alou!
DC, I appreciated your piece on Ron Fairly, and I am glad that I may have helped stimulate it. I am also gratified that the stats you cited help bear out my sense that he was indeed a really good clutch hitter. Some players just have that ability, some do not. I remember listening to the games on my transistor at night; we didn’t score that many runs in some of those years, and I knew that if we could just get Fairly up with key runners on base, we had a shot to rally and win. John Roseboro was another player on those teams who often came up big in the clutch, at least would usually stand in and hit the ball on a line somewhere, in a big situation, even though most of his seasons were at less than .250, with the one exception of .287 in ’65 or ’66. Fairly mostly hit line drives, did not seem to strike out much, and was a fine fielder. Those Dodgers years of ’59-’66 were wonderful. Just think, four pennants, three world championships, plus the one we never should have lost , in ’62.
I was a big Fairly fan and he was the guy I wanted up in a big situation.
My memory of Roseboro was the exact opposite of yours. Whenever he was up in a RISP situation it seemed to me (and all the guys I hung out with) that he could always be counted on to pop the ball up somewhere in the infield. It frustrated the hell out of us. That said, he was a good catcher and was always a good interview.
Just so you all know, DC sent me this Tuesday night. Ron Fairly died after this post was up.
How unreal is that?
RIP Red…
Philjones – AZ for the winter…Nice…
I haven’t ever ‘got off’ watching a MLB player (seen a lot of damn good ones) let alone a MGR… That’s whey they have Men’s Clubs or 1/2 hr. sessions on a couch!!!
Nats!!!!
Calm down Daniel. It wasn’t the Dodgers that won. I too was pulling for the Nats, but under no circumstances would I award them any exclamation points. Exclamation points are reserved for the Dodgers when they win the WS, and no one else. Actually, I felt that I was experiencing deja vu all over again. Same cast of characters that broke our hearts. Rendon, Kendrick and Soto.
I posted this at the end of the previous thread, before comments were closed (except I just changed the reference to the WS from 6 games to 7):
Having home field has not been all too advantageous this year.
Wildcard – both teams with Home Field advantage lost
ALDS – both teams with Home Field advantage won
NLDS – both teams both Home Field advantage lost
ALCS- both teams with Home Field advantage won
NLCS- both teams with Home Field advantage won
WS- in all 7 games the team with Home Field advantage lost
Seems as if Home Field advantage is a bit over-rated.
And although I was rooting for the Nats (but not too hard), I’m just glad the Series is over. Starting tomorrow the free agency clock gets started.
Jajaja I just a baseball fun . I Will use one hundret exclamación points when Dodgers win.. I just admire the way the nationals played the playoffs. more baseball and more determination and less sabermetrics
Clearly Dodgers would be 2019 champs if only we had the road team field advantage.
Just read that this is the 6th straight year that the WS was clinched on the road.
That’s a good one Quas. “Road team field advantage” is our goal in 2020. From now on the teams with the best records get the advantage of playing most of there games on the road.