Moe Drabowsky

Myron Walter Drabowsky
Born: July 21, 1935 in Ozanna, Poland
Died: June 10, 2006 in Little Rock, Ark.
Debut: 1956 | Pos: P
H: 6'2" | W: 200 | B: R | T: R

>> Visit the Moe Drabowsky biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

Mo Drabowsky, the winner of 88 games in the major leagues, died on June 10, 2006 in Little Rock, Ark. He was 70. According to reports, he had been ill with multiple myeloma.

He posted a 88-105 record and 55 saves in 589 games in the major leagues. He compiled a 3.71 ERA and 1,162 strikeouts. His pitching career included stops with the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Braves, Cincinnati, Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis and the White Sox.

Despite his accomplishments on the field, he may be known more for his sense of humor and his ability to pull a prank. According to his obituaries, he loved to make crank calls from the bullpen phone and he once gave commissioner Bowie Kuhn a hotfoot.

His other tricks included putting sneezing powder in the air conditioning system of the opponent's locker room. He also put goldfish in the other team's water cooler.

Snakes were also another favorite -- and, as a result of Drabowsky, they would show up in lockers, shaving kits and other places.

He pitched in the 1966 and 1970 World Series and posted a 0.90 ERA and a 1-0 record in 10 innings. In Game 1 of the 1966 World Series, he set a record for a reliever by striking out 11 batters in 6.2 innings.

He had worked for the Orioles for the past 13 seasons as their pitching coach in Florida. He had worked with players in extended spring training and those on rehab assignments.

In his career:

• Gave up Stan Musial's 3,000th career hit.

• Was the losing pitcher in Early Wynn's 300th career victory.

• Was the first Royals pitcher to win a game.