American baseball player (born 1949)
Baseball player
Alan Thomas Hrabosky
(
; born July 21, 1949) is an American former
professional baseball
pitcher
. He played in
Major League Baseball
(MLB) from 1970 to 1982 for the
St. Louis Cardinals
,
Kansas City Royals
, and
Atlanta Braves
. As of 2022, he is the
color commentator
on Cardinals regular-season pre-game and post-game broadcasts on
Bally Sports Midwest
.
Hrabosky's nickname is "
the Mad Hungarian
" because of his unusual last name and colorful character.
[1]
Playing career
[
edit
]
Hrabosky played baseball and football at
Savanna High School
[2]
in
Anaheim, California
. He was selected by the
Minnesota Twins
in the eleventh round of the
1967 amateur draft
, but did not sign with the club.
St. Louis Cardinals
[
edit
]
Two years later
, the
Cardinals
made him their first round choice. At the age of twenty, he made his
Major League
debut with a scoreless inning against the
San Diego Padres
on June 16,
1970
.
[3]
Hrabosky became a Cardinals fan favorite for his antics on the mound. When entering a game, he would turn his back to the batter, walk towards second base, vigorously rub the ball between his palms several times, take a deep breath, and pound the ball into his mitt. He then stormed back to the mound and stared down the batter; although the home crowd would roar in delight, most batters were not fond of the routine.
Hrabosky led the
National League
in saves in
1975
with 22 (a career-best) en route to winning
The Sporting News
"NL
Fireman of the Year"
award. He had a career-high in wins, posting a 13?3 record with an ERA of 1.67.
Early in his career with the Cardinals, Hrabosky enhanced his menacing appearance with long hair and a
horseshoe moustache
. When
Vern Rapp
became Cardinals manager in
1977
, he imposed a grooming code on the players; Hrabosky cut his hair and shaved the moustache despite his vehement opposition. He explained, "Relief pitching is 75 per cent mental. How am I going to scare hell out of the hitters with my new image? How am I going to convince them I'm a dangerous madman if I look like a golf-pro? I've never been blessed with great ability. My mystique was what made me successful."
[4]
The enmity between Hrabosky and Rapp persisted throughout the season and included the former being suspended on May 21 for what Cardinals management stated as "rank insubordination."
[5]
[6]
Perhaps Hrabosky's most memorable performance came in 1977 during an
ABC
Monday Night Baseball
game against the
Cincinnati Reds
on May 9. In the top of the ninth with the game tied at 5?5, Hrabosky allowed the first three hitters (all left-handed:
Ken Griffey
,
Joe Morgan
, and
Dan Driessen
) to reach base and load the bases. As the Redbirds home crowd roared, Hrabosky went into his "Mad Hungarian" routine and proceeded to strike out right-handed power hitters
George Foster
,
Johnny Bench
, and
Bob Bailey
. The Cardinals went on to win 6?5 on a
Ted Simmons
home run in the tenth inning.
[7]
[8]
Kansas City Royals
[
edit
]
Hrabosky was traded from the Cardinals to the
Kansas City Royals
for
Mark Littell
and
Buck Martinez
during the
Winter Meetings
on December 8, 1977.
[9]
In
1978
, he went 8?7 for the Royals, and posted a 2.88 ERA with twenty saves in 75 innings of work in 58 appearances. Hrabosky had sixty strikeouts and 35 walks while allowing fewer hits and runs than the year before. He appeared in three games of the
ALCS
that year, his first and only time pitching in the postseason. He pitched in the eighth inning of the first three games, allowing a combined total of three hits and one run, but the Royals lost to the
New York Yankees
for a third straight year, this time in four games.
[10]
In the
following year
, Hrabosky went 9?4 with a 3.74 ERA and eleven saves in 65 innings. He allowed more hits and runs (67 and 31, respectively) while having 39 strikeouts and ten walks. He was granted free agency after the season, and signed with the
Atlanta Braves
.
Atlanta Braves
[
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]
During his time with the Braves, Hrabosky saw diminished playing time and recorded just seven saves over three seasons. Hrabosky's last appearance in the majors was in
1982
, at
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
against the
Montreal Expos
on August 18. He pitched the final two innings of a blowout, allowing four runs on four hits with a strikeout and two home runs (by
Andre Dawson
and
Tim Wallach
) allowed in a 12?2 loss.
[11]
Twelve days later, he was released by the Braves. Hrabosky signed with the
Chicago White Sox
during
spring training
in
1983
, but retired before the season began.
In 13 seasons, Hrabosky recorded 64 wins, 35 losses, and 97 saves with an
ERA
of 3.10.
Broadcasting career
[
edit
]
Hrabosky has provided
color commentary
for Cardinals games since 1985 and has been with
Bally Sports Midwest
since 1997. He also hosted his own radio show on
KFNS 590AM
in St. Louis. Hrabosky also serves as an occasional fill-in analyst on the
Cardinals Radio Network
.
Personal life
[
edit
]
Hrabosky and his wife June reside in St. Louis.
[12]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Al Hrabosky Stats"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
February 6,
2019
.
- ^
"MLB draft: A look at Orange County's alumni dream team"
. Retrieved
August 17,
2009
.
- ^
"Sports scoreboard"
.
Eugene Register-Guard
. (Oregon). June 17, 1970. p. 2D.
- ^
Boswell, Thomas. "Opposing Batters Stop Needling Mad Hungarian,"
The Washington Post
, Wednesday, March 23, 1977.
Retrieved September 8, 2020
- ^
"Are Cards revolting?"
.
Eugene Register-Guard
. (Oregon). wire reports. May 22, 1977. p. 4B.
- ^
"Hrabosky is suspended"
.
New York Times
. Associated Press. May 21, 1977
. Retrieved
September 8,
2020
.
- ^
"Simmons, Hrabosky in big roles"
.
Southeast Missourian
. (Cape Girardeau). Associated Press. May 10, 1977. p. 11.
- ^
"Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals Box Score, May 9, 1977"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
February 6,
2019
.
- ^
"Cards Trade Hrabosky to Royals for Littell,"
The Associated Press
(AP), Saturday, December 10, 1977.
Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^
"Al Hrabosky Postseason Pitching Game Logs"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
February 6,
2019
.
- ^
"Montreal Expos at Atlanta Braves Box Score, August 18, 1982"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
February 6,
2019
.
- ^
"Broadcasters | St. Louis Cardinals"
.
MLB.com
.
External links
[
edit
]