Dick Stuart: teammates remember "Dr. Strangeglove": despite his defensive deficiency, right-handed first baseman was quite a hitter - Brief Article - Obituary

DICK STUART MADE HIS LIVING AS a productive, professional major league hitter who was just as well known as a less than proficient first baseman.

For those who played with him, Stuart was a well-liked teammate who was an integral part of a 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates team that defeated the heavily favored New York Yankees in a topsy-turvy seven-game World Series.

Stuart, who once hit 66 home runs in the minor leagues, died December 15, 2002, of cancer in Redwood City, California. He was 70.

Former Pirates pitcher Bob Friend, 72, said Stuart was a flamboyant individual who kept everyone on the ball-club loose.

"He was a very popular guy," Friend said of Stuart. "He was a great needler. And he could take it, too."

That Stuart was dubbed "Dr. Strangeglove" for his deficiencies as a big league first baseman told only part of the story, said Friend, who pointed out that Stuart's outlook was unique.

"He was a great hitter. He could go 4-for-5 with four singles and think he had a bad day.

"On the other hand if he hit one 550 feet while going 1-for-5, he thought he'd had a helluva day."

Stuart spent 10 seasons in the majors with Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles in the National League, as well as Boston and California in the American League. He hit 228 home runs, drove in 743 runs and batted .264.

At six feet, four inches and 212 pounds, Stuart used his powerful frame to hit 66 home runs for Lincoln in the Western League in 1956. Less than two years later, he made his big league debut with Pittsburgh in July 1958.

After hitting 16 home runs in 67 games during his rookie campaign, Stuart hit 85 homers over the next three seasons, including 35 in 1961, when he was named to the National League All-Star team.

Bob Skinner, 71, another 1960 Pirates teammate, remembers the confidence-and bravado-that Stuart took to home plate. Skinner, a former major league manager and hitting instructor, said Stuart thought nothing of it when pitchers came inside.

"He never left his feet," Skinner said. "Dodger pitchers, especially, would knock him down a lot. He'd just turn his head." Friend concurred: "(Stuart) was not intimidated by any pitcher. He never gave ground."

The winner of 197 games over a 16-year major league career-all but one with the Pirates-Friend was a 20-game winner in 1958.

On September 10 of that season, Stuart struck a 10th-inning three-run homer at Forbes Field off San Francisco Giants reliever Mary Grissom, giving the Pirates a 6-4 victory and Friend win No. 20. The right-hander finished that season 22-14.

Another one-time 20-game winner for the Pirates, 1960 Cy Young Award winner Vernon Law, said Stuart, who platooned at first base with left-handed hitting Rocky Nelson, fit in well with the world champion Pirates.

"He was a pretty good hitter who contributed as much as anybody else," said Law, 73. "He was an integral part of the ballclub."

Skinner pointed out that Stuart's ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark was not lost on the Pirates or their opponents.

"It was a different era when you faced a tough pitcher every night," Skinner explained. "He was the only guy on the team who had plus power. He didn't have a lot of weaknesses at the plate."

Though Stuart's fielding statistics are pedestrian at best; 169 errors in 1,024 games at first base and a .982 lifetime fielding percentage, it wasn't for lack of ability, his teammates said.

"He didn't work on his fielding until he was traded to the Dodgers (in 1966)," said Law. "Then he became a pretty complete ballplayer."

Dick Schofield, 68, who played 19 years in the majors and was a utility infielder with the Pirates' 1960 team, said Stuart was a much better hitter than he was given credit for. "But as an infielder, he always made you nervous."

In 1962, Stuart's batting average dipped to .228 and he hit just 16 homers. That off-season, he was dealt to Boston, where he hit 75 home runs and drove in 232 runs in two seasons. His final season as a regular was in 1965 with Philadelphia.

Stuart closed out his career in 1969 with the California Angels. He also played briefly in Japan.

Amid all his accomplishments as a major league hitter and his storied woes with the glove, one theme remains constant when remembering Dick Stuart.

"He was just a good guy," said Schofield. "You just had to like him."

KEVIN FLOWERS
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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