Invisible

Posted By on September 22, 2021

You go back over the years and there have been players who were on Dodger winning teams, made a contribution, and never were heard from again. This one will take some research! Off the top of my head though, I can name 3 easily. 1959, Chuck Churn, 1963, Dick Nen, and Dick Calmus.

Chuck Churn

Churn was born on February 1, 1930, in Bridgetown Virginia. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies before the 1949 season. He spent 7 years in the minors and 1 in the service. He finally made it to the majors in 1957. He made his MLB debut against the Dodgers on April 18th. He gave up 2 hits and 2 runs in one inning. He pitched in 5 games for the Pirates and was sent down. He had no decisions and a 4.32 ERA in 8.1 innings.

He was selected by the Red Sox in the Rule 5 draft that winter, but placed on waivers in spring and picked up by the Indians. He pitched in 6 games for Cleveland, had no decisions, and had a 6.32 ERA in 8.2 innings. The Reds purchased him in May and sent him to AAA Seattle for the rest of the season.

He was acquired in a trade by the Dodgers on May 6, 1959, for Dick Hanlon and assigned to Spokane. In August he was recalled to the big club. Churn would appear in 14 games for the Dodgers, all in relief, winning 3 and losing 2. He also had a save and all of this coming down the stretch when the Dodgers were locked in a tight race with the Braves.

Churn was unscored on his first 3 appearances, then on September 2nd, he earned his first MLB win with 4.2 innings of scoreless relief over the Cardinals, 9-6. He then came in for Sandy Koufax with the Dodgers down to his former team, the Pirates, 4-2. in the 8th inning. The Dodgers scored 1 in the bottom of the 8th, and then rallied for 2 in the 9th to hand Elroy Face his only loss in an 18-1 campaign.

Churn’s 3 wins and the save were crucial in the close race. Then in the second playoff game, Churn relieved Podres with the bases loaded and the Dodgers down 4-2. He retired Enos Slaughter to end the threat but then gave up what seemed to be the nail in the coffin run putting LA down 5-2. He was replaced in the bottom of the 8th for a pinch hitter. But the Dodgers rallied for 3 in the 9th, forcing extra innings, and then won the game in the 12th on a run-scoring single by Carl Furillo that scored Gil Hodges. And the Dodgers were on their way to face the White Sox in the World Series.

Churn pitched in game one of the 59 series, relieving Craig. He gave up 6 runs, 2 earned, in 2/3rds of an inning. He did not pitch the rest of the series which LA won in 6 games. Churn never pitched in the majors again. He pitched full-time in the minors until 1962. He then joined the Astros as a player coach and then player-manager through 1967. Churn, whose nickname was “Slim” died in Lady Lake, Florida in October of 2017. He was 87 years old. His photo on the 1959 team picture was superimposed over another player’s face.

Dick Nen

Richard Leroy Nen was born in South Gate, California on September 24, 1939. Nen graduated from Phineas Banning High School and attended Harbor College and Cal State Long Beach. The Dodgers signed him in1961 and sent him to the Class C California League in Reno where he had a very good first season, hitting .351 with 32 HRs and 144 RBI’s. He spent 62 and most of 63 with Spokane of the PCL. He did not show the same kind of power-hitting 6 and then 9 HRs. But in the heat of a pennant race, he was called up in September.

On September 18th, he was inserted into the game as a pinch hitter and lined out to CF off of Bob Gibson. He remained in the game at 1st and in the 9th, with the Dodgers trailing 5-4, he hit a HR over the roof in RF tying the game off of Ron Taylor. The Dodgers went on to win in extra’s, sweeping the series and increasing their lead to 4 games over the Cardinals. The Dodgers went on to win the pennant and beat the Yankees in 4 games in the series. That HR was Nen’s only hit as a Dodger in 7 at-bats.

He was sent to Spokane for all of 1964, and then that winter was sent to the Senators as part of the blockbuster trade involving Frank Howard, Phil Ortega, Ken McMullen, and Pete Richert for Claude Osteen and John Kennedy. He would play parts of 4 seasons for the Senators and 1 with the Cubs finishing with a .224 avg and 21 career homers. He retired after the 1972 season. His son is Rob Nen the former reliever who had a 10-year career and 314 career saves.

Dick Calmus

Richard Lee Calmus was born on Jan 7th, 1944 in Los Angeles. Calmus attended Webster High School in Tulsa, OK and was a teammate of future MLB pitcher, Carl Morton. He was Tulsa Worlds basketball player of the year in 1962. While on the baseball team there, they won 2 state titles.

He was signed as a bonus baby in 1963, and under the rules, required to spend the entire year with the major league team. Calmus appeared in 22 games, started 2, and had a 3-1 record with a 3.17 ERA. His loss was against the Braves in one of his starts. His 3 wins came against the Mets (1) and Giants (2). He did not see any action in the World Series.

He went to AAA in 64 but developed arm trouble and was eventually traded to the Cubs in April of 67 for Fred Norman. He appeared in one game for the Cubs and that was it. He retired after the 1969 season. He is the uncle of Rocky Calmus who played in the NFL after winning the Butkus Award at the University of Oklahoma in 2001.

I am sure there are others, and I will keep looking. But these 3 I remember vividly. I was listening when Nen hit his homer in St. Louis.


This article has 85 Comments

  2. F’n Wade does again with a clutch winning hit for the Giants in the 9th in the Padres/Giants game last night.

  3. History is interesting. I can’t put my new book down. Read until 11 last night. Hard to get up at 4 when you don’t go down until 11.

    I remember these names, though Calmus is a stretch. Some day a blogger might be writing about Raley and McKinney in this fashion. He goes full Brady and he could pass them all. I’d like to see it.

    I think this is going to be a finish talked about for years.

    I too think it fitting Pujols finish in St Louis. Agree about the crunches. His hand eye coordination is still there. A few less pounds would be good for him.

    Equinox. Today is the day.

      1. “A picture can generate a thousand words”.

        Let me start with this one:

        Yoiks.

        That’s not only diet. That’s 10, 000 reps. What a journey. Congrats to that guy. Pujols? Not gonna happen, but a transformation similar to Justin Turner’s could.

  4. Unbelievable how the Giants are doing it over and over and over again. Another 9th inning rallye for the W.
    If hey would have only 2/3 of those insane wins the Dodgers would be ahead by 4-5 games.
    Especially frustrating is when you look back at some of those head to head collisions. Jansen blowing 2 saves in a row , the Giants of who robbed Albert of the walk off homer, the botched call by the umpire on the check swing.
    If only half of those games go our way we would be up 3 games.

    Okay, enough with crying over spoild milk. Go get them today! Is Gavin on a tear or what ?!

    Go Dodgers!!!!!!!

  5. Great article Bear, I remember Rob Nen and had no idea that his dad played.

    The Padres are officially done, stick a fork in them. They get what they deserved by sending the clubhouse “town carriage” after Bauer. I hope she’s proud of herself.

    Nice to see us have a little Giant’s magic last night. Thanks Tio for getting the job done. Vesia stepped up big time to earn his first save, I guess, while combining with Graterol for the bottom of the 10th.

    Lux with another multi-hit game! He’ll be everyone’s favorite player in no time and will likely be TT’s double play partner next year. Can they get Mookie used to batting 3rd next year?

    Melancon gave it up and the Padres rolled over for submariner Todd Rodgers to secure another Giant’s miracle win while getting Tatis to K and Manny to GIDP to end the game. What a sad ending for a sorry team.

    Lux almost made a great play in LF last night. He was a little late on the jump and got the glove on the ball as it was hitting the ground, but just missed coming up with it to save a run. A little more experience out there and he comes up with that play.

    It’s good and bad that Belli went on the IL yesterday. With all of his hitting issues, it was too much to ask him to play through the pain of a broken rib. His stay is retroactive and will miss this series and the D-Backs series, but will be back in time for a tune-up against the Padres and the Brewers.

    With AJ coming off the IL on Thursday, I would put him back in CF where he’s at least comfortable so they can utilize Mookie’s arm in RF where it’s needed most and let Lux keep getting used to left field as opposed to moving him around the outfield to learn all the other angles specific to each position. Lux has never played any outfield growing up. I’m quite impressed with how he’s handled himself out there considering. Thanks to Zach Recks for donating his glove to Gavin!

    1. Thank you. Nen wore # 5 in his short stint in LA. Another one of those slugging minor league first basemen that do not come close to achieving the same stats in the majors.

    2. I think it’s fully up in the air. There’s a lot of different ways they can go. They can cut on Mookie’s hip in the offseason and move him to second base to allow less stress while he’s recovering. But, that’s only an option if they move on from Seager. I’m not sure if Pollock will get enough AB’s to qualify to opt out of his contract, so they still have an outfield of Bellie, Mookie and Pollock. Muncy, Lux and JT are all still under contract for next year and Rios comes back as well. So, the only way he becomes an outfielder next year is if they move Mookie to second base. If there’s a DH, I can see him splitting time in the infield and outfield next year as they will no doubt use the DH as a resting carousel, rotating players from the field into the role as a quasi day off.

      Beyond that, we’ll have to see how their minor leaguers develop. Will Busch be able to handle 2B? Does that put Mookie back into the outfield? Will Vargas be ready to take over at 3B, or will Rios put a stranglehold on that position? Will Noda or Outman develop into a legitimate full-time, productive outfielders?

      I think it’s premature to assess Lux’s future with so many unanswered questions. Especially since he graded out as a plus defensive second baseman this year and handled short about as well as Trea Turner this year.

        1. lol – wow, that’s gonna be really close, eh? He’ll be back with just 10 games remaining. I’ll take the under.

        2. Is qualification based on official at bats or plate appearances (including walks)? I’m guessing they probably use plate appearances, but 47 is going to be hard to accomplish unless he plays every day and they have some high scoring games.

          1. Plate Appearances. He needs 1,000 in 2019-2020 to be able to opt out. He has 953. He can come off IL on Thursday. In the 10 games remaining he will need 8 five PA games, 1 four PA game, and 1 three PA game. He will probably bat around #6/7. The offense would have to click for 10 games, but it is possible.

            I am not sure why he would opt out. He has a $10MM salary guaranteed in 2022, and a $10MM player option in 2023 with a $5MM buyout. Too early to tell about 2023, but he will be on the LAD roster in 2022 unless traded. He will be 34 next year.

          2. I guess AJ was activated a day before most thought he would be. So now he has one more game to build up PA.

  7. I watched the Pads-Giants after the Dodger game was over. Padres hit 4 homers including 2 by Machado. None with anyone on base. Musgrove blew a 4 run lead. In the 9th, none of the hits off of Melancon were hit hard at all. 2 barely made it to the outfield. Only Posey’s soft single to left was no where near a fielder. Just plain bad luck for the Padres. Giants incredible streak of winning games they should lose continues. And none of their remaining opponents, 5 with the Pads and then 3 each with Colorado and Az, are playing very well. Although they play the Rockies in Denver where they are a much better team as well the Dodgers know.

    1. Yes, bear, another typical W by the 2021 Midgets. Unbelievable. never seen anything close to the run they are on. So many comebacks, 9th inning and on.
      Right out of a Hollywood script. Lets hope this one does not have a Hollywood ending for them.

      Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  8. The Dodgers are doing what they can do. Over the last 30 games, they are 22 – 8 (the best record in MLB) and the Giants are 20 – 10. (2nd best) Last night’s win was a really good one, but the Giants pulled out another one.

    Those of us who complained about the losses in May and July kept saying that those games counted the same in the schedule as the games in September were told that it’s early and the Dodgers had plenty of time to come back. The problem is that this presupposes that the Giants were going to start losing at some point. Well, they didn’t.

    Going forward, they can’t control anything except winning each day and hoping that the Giants finally lose a couple.

    1. That 5-15 stretch just killed the Dodgers. Had they played .500 ball then, they would be 8 games in front.

      1. lol – There’s so many if scenarios, it’s laughable to point to one thing. If we finish one game up, it turns out there was plenty of time.

        If just one key injury didn’t happen, we would be in this spot. Hell, David Price’s elbow problem happened just in time to miss his start for that recent Giants series. Talk about luck.

        Go look at the lineups we rolled out for the those two July series. Lots of Beaty, Raley and McKinny.

        What if Trea wasn’t on Covid protocol immediately after the trade.

        So many what ifs when only one game decides your fate.

        1. Yes there are. But that stretch when they were losing to teams like the Marlins, was just brutal. And they were using all of these pitchers they were picking up on waivers. I think they can win the wild card game. They have a lot of weapons. A NLDS against the Giants with 3 of the games being at their field, that will be a true test of what kind of team they are.

  9. At least we still have a chance to win the West. We wouldn’t be having this conversation without Scherzer and TTurner. We’d be about 8 games out of first. Big High Five to AF and the Washington Nationals for making such a one sided trade.

    1. Ruiz has started to hit with WAS.
      So the Trade just does Not Look als Bad as a few weeks back

      Go dodger!

      1. I hope he hits 40 HRs next year to make my guilty conscience feel better. Don’t ask me why I feel guilty……I’m very complicated…..lol

        1. In a Word of Justice Max and TT will lead the Dodgers to a repeat in 2021 and Keibert and Jo-Jo Gray the Nationals to a WS title somewhere down the Road.

          But as we all know it is not.sadly.

          Go Dodgers!

    2. This trade looks good at the moment, and if we actually get somewhere this year will look good later. It will be a remarkable trade if those guys stay with us and win at least one more championship. If that championship doesn’t happen and they both leave, this trade might be forgotten or most certainly talked about differently. If we don’t win and both Scherzer and Turner go back to Washington?

      Forget I said that last part.

      Just win Blue.

  10. For anyone that has been to Dodger stadium lately:

    How easy, hard, frustrating, is it to get a Taxi, Uber, Lyft after the game?

    Ill be there next week for the last Pads game and the first Brewers game…Looking like could be Scherzer and then Kersh….

    Thanks in advance.

    2. I’ve used the free shuttle from the Union Station Parking cost isn’t bad…
      Shuttle cost is $1.75 or FREE if you got your tix..
      Great 2 game series… Have fun!!
      Try and get a beef dip at Phillippe… across the street from Union Station…

      1. I always use the shuttle and they’ve never asked me for a ticket. Is that a new thing now?

        Beef dip at Phillippe or taquitos at Cielito Lindo is always the toughest decision on the day.

  11. Damn those Giants. Belt, Posey and Wade do it again.
    * Orel and Joe always fail to point out where the infield is playing, so we can understand the strategies being employed. Other TV crews do it routinely, sometimes with an overhead shot of the infield positioning with the names above the infielders. Our broadcast folks apparently don’t think its important.
    It was unique and risky last night to have the infield in with a runner on 3rd and no outs, in the 5th. Doc risked a big inning choosing to defend a possible contact play.
    The 1st time that we know the infield was playing IN was when TT caught the bullet grounder off Vilade’s bat. Urias got a K and a pop-up to get us out of the inning and Doc’s positioning worked. Orel might stop talking pitch selection long enough to set up other parts of the game.
    * Just as I was thinking how Muncy has looked tentative at the plate, he goes oppo for a double. Never mind.
    * No Joseph last night. All Joe. I wish he would pick up the pace. The games stops like a crash dummy into a wall when he gets in his slow down mode. He puts everybody to sleep.
    * The Treinen and Chuck Nasty battle in the 7th was Awesome.
    * Raley has to move the runner to 3rd somehow in the 10th. Just do one thing to help us. Albert bailed him out with that timely single.
    * Garrett Hampton is a rocket. But he cost the Rockies with his inability to sac bunt – twice. He failed to move 2 runners in the 7th and 1 again in the 9th with poor bunting attempts, ending in strikeouts. Thank You. He has 8 sac bunts in 4 years so Buddy might just let him swing away.
    * Getting the “leading lady” is so important in close games. The Rockies had the lead off man on base every inning from the 4th through the 9th; 2 on lead off walks by Kelly and KJ, late in the game. We have to do better in that area.
    * Honestly it doesn’t get better than this. There’s a playoff feel to every game. I love it.
    Did I mention those damn Giants?

    1. Yes you did mention those damn Giants. I fell asleep on the couch before their game was over. I woke up to go to bed and checked my phone. I could have sworn Yahoo sports had the Padres winning 6-5. So I went to bed for the night thinking the Dodgers were tied for first. I got up this morning to learn from LADT that wasn’t the case. So yeah, those damn Giants.

      With Joe and Orel in LA they might not have a camera shot of the infielder placement unless that’s a shot the director goes with. And, it is annoying not having that information during the game. When the batter hit that hard grounder to the right side in the fifth inning I thought that was base hit because I had no idea where the infield was playing. It was an aggressive move by Roberts especially that early in the game at Coors field. It’s about time the announcers travel with the team. The rapidly improving Kirsten Watson doesn’t seem to have an issue doing so.

      Joe mentioned that Garrett Hampson was a very good bunter while he was trying to bunt for the second time in the game having failed the first time. I’m watching his pitcher like approach to lay a bunt down and thinking that this guy sucks at bunting. You mentioned 8 sac bunts in 4 years. Where did Davis get the information that he was a good bunter? Just because he is a very fast runner does not make him a good bunter. Come on Joe!

      As usual, good post philjones.

      1. Same thing from the Roc’s broadcasters, had to watch them as I was blacked out on MLB. They were talking about him like he is normally god’s gift to bunting. Apparently said “gift” was nothing but an empty box.
        cheers
        pb+

  12. Dodgers: Walker Buehler Experiencing Dead Arm? Will High Workload Impact Buehler in Postseason?

    Walker Buehler has been a rock for the Dodgers rotation this year, leading the staff with 30 starts and 192 innings pitches. Through his first 26 starts of the season, the 2-time All-Star was on his way to winning his first Cy Young award having posted the lowest ERA in MLB at 2.02 to go along with an elite 0.92 WHIP. However, after a rare big-game clunker vs. the San Francisco Giants, Buehler has fallen behind Brewers hurler, Corbin Burnes, and his fellow Dodgers teammate Max Scherzer in the Cy Young race.

    Buehler fell behind in the Cy Young race after allowing six runs and lasting just three innings in the Dodgers 6-4 loss to the Giants a few Sundays ago. The six runs allowed were the most he’s surrendered since September 2019.

    In the outing, Buehler’s fastball usage and velocity were down, leading to some chatter that he could be experiencing some “dead arm”. We take a deep dive into Buetane’s recent performances and discuss if his career high in innings has led to some arm fatigue. Plus, Walker Buehler has established himself as one of the premier postseason pitchers in the game over the past few seasons, but will the increased workload this year allow him to be as effective during the upcoming postseason?

    1. More bad news: Urias for the second game in a row showed a severe drop in velo on all his pitches, not only the fastball.
      Very concerning with the postseason just around the corner that two of our big guns in the rotation show cracks.

      Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!

  13. Tonight’s Lineup:

    CF Mookie Betts R
    SS Corey Seager L
    2B Trea Turner R
    1B Max Muncy L
    3B J. Turner R
    C Will Smith R
    LF Gavin Lux L
    RF Luke Raley L
    P W. Buehler R

  15. We’re 9-1. Yay us.

    But the hottest team in the league right now ain’t us, it’s the team we’d play in the Wild Card if the season ended today, which it doesn’t.

    I was concerned about “tired arms” earlier in the year when I suggested all our guys should take 10 day R&R’s sometime in late summer. Trying to catch the giants might wear us out. Hope not.

  17. David Vassegh reporting that Pollock was activated a day early because CT3’s neck is still bothering him. That also answers the question of why Taylor isn’t starting instead of Raley.

  18. Just announced that Joe Davis has tested positive for Covid, even though he’s been vaccinated so will be quarantining at home and not be doing broadcasts for a while.

    Orel, due to his close proximity will also be out of commission.

    Here’s your chance to begin your broadcasting career Bear.

      1. Sorry, they didn’t think you could get to Denver quickly enough so Neverett and Colletti are doing tonight’s game. Better luck tomorrow.

          1. I agree. Ned always contributes something interesting and he has a good sense of humor.

            I’d like to see a game at some point that has him teaming up with Joe.

  19. Hot off the press, Lux is gonna be in CF tomorrow.

    Dammed, I thought Shane Greene was solid. I guess they don’t think they need him. Is Evan Phillips a better option?

  20. Lux in center could be very interesting (in a bad way). I think he could become an excellent outfielder some day but to have him roaming center field at Coors this season might be asking for problems.

    I wouldn’t want to face Scherzer if something unfortunate happens tomorrow. Of course with AJ still slowed a bit by his hammie, CT3 not able to play, Cody on the IL, there aren’t too many options. AJ’s arm isn’t strong enough to play right and I guess maybe they feel the same about Lux, or they would put Mookie in center.

  21. Since AJ is just off the IL, I would play Justin Turner in CF before I would play AJ… right about now.

  23. Buehler’s hanging some pitches over the middle of the plate. He don’t look right to me.

    Mookie’s got to come in and get that pop up.

    1. Yeah just look at his demeanor. He doesn’t have the steely fiery demeanor like he used to have. He seems tired and resigned
      I hope he can find some resolve and stiffen that upper lip

      1. I hope he can find a second wind in the postseason
        Now it’s time for our offense to bail him out

  24. I think they need to skip Buehler’s next start. Between off days and having four other starters, they can get away with it without making any game a bullpen game.

    He looks completely zapped and that makes sense since he’s pitched way more innings this year than he did last year. I realize that Scherzer and Urias have also, but it seems to have affected Buehler more than the others.

  26. What the fuck is Trea thinking!!
    This guys helped us a lot but he’s made a lot of mistakes and errors
    Took us out of a possibly really big inning

  27. I have seen several real boneheaded or defensive lapse plays by Trea Turner. I am beginning to think he has a streak of “knucklehead” in him.

      2. Some boneheaded stuff this game so far. The bloop that dropped between TT and Mookie, TT getting doubled off second, grooving a fastball to Marquez, hitting Blackmon with the pitch. Three innings to overcome self inflicted deficit.

  33. Time to prepare for the WC game.

    Going forward things look ominous unless Beuhler can find his mojo again.

    1. We have a decision to make. We can rest him and get ready for the playoffs, Or we can hope he gets a second wind
      Same thing with a Urias.
      Tough decision

      1. I would wait 3-4 more games until I make a decision about both Julio and Walker. Should we be still out 2 or more games I rest them, at least cut down the pitch count drastically over their last 2 regular season starts.
        Both are showing big signs of fatigue or dead arm syndrom. velo is down for both guys by 2-3 mph .

        In the WC game make sure Max is rested to start that game.

        I start it is also time to think about starting TT in cf. He is making too many bad plays at 2b. Insert Gavin at 2b and TT in CF. He has played there before with the Nats.

        Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  34. Yes, these Giants are insane and magical.
    And at Mile High, a bit of the bloom came off Buhler and Vesia.
    I was joking a few games back when Doc rested Seager–that maybe he was already preparing for the WC game. Now we ever-week-of-the-day-armchair-managers are thinking about whether Buhler and Urias should be rested to prepare for the postseason…even though it could be a one-game postseason.
    OK, so let’s ponder that Dodgers-Cards matchup. Scherzer vs. Wainwright at Chavez Ravine. A tie game that goes into 10th inning. Cards scratch out a run, taking the lead.
    Dodgers have a runner on second with two outs. It all comes down to the last batter.
    And up to the plate steps Cardinal great Tio Albert….

  35. Nice run by the Dodgers in a quest for a 9th straight division title. In doing so they’re burning up pitcher’s arms because of the injuries to previous starters and bullpen games and the long 162 game schedule after the short 60 game schedule. Time to get ready for the wild card game and give Buehler and Urias extra rest in the next two weeks by using White and Jackson in their place and concentrate on playing the Cards and advancing from the Wild Card game which will be no easy task.

  36. 4 more unearned runs. Those mistakes mentioned by Hawkeye. Buehler obviously feeling fatigued. Urias? In a tight pennant race we appear to have a tired club. What to do?

    Suck it up.

    Never give up. Go out today and win.

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