26 Facts About Don Drysdale

1.

Donald Scott Drysdale was an American professional baseball player and television sports commentator.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,641
2.

Don Drysdale won the 1962 Cy Young Award and in 1968 pitched a record six consecutive shutouts and.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,642
3.

Don Drysdale was born in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, and attended Van Nuys High School, where one of his classmates was actor Robert Redford.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,643
4.

Don Drysdale was occasionally used as a pinch-hitter, once during the World Series.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,644
5.

Don Drysdale ended his career with 209 wins, 2,486 strikeouts, 167 complete games and 49 shutouts.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,645
6.

Don Drysdale was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, and had his number 53 retired at Dodger Stadium on July 1,1984.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,646
7.

At the time of his retirement, Don Drysdale was the last remaining player on the Dodgers who had played for Brooklyn.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,647
8.

Don Drysdale led the NL in hit batters for four straight seasons from 1958 to 1961.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,648
9.

Don Drysdale's 154 hit batsmen is a modern National League record.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,649
10.

In 1970, Don Drysdale started a broadcasting career that continued for the rest of his life: first for the Montreal Expos, then the Texas Rangers, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, NBC, ABC, and finally back in Los Angeles with the Dodgers.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,650
11.

Don Drysdale kept the fans' interest with stories of his playing days.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,651
12.

In 1979, Don Drysdale covered the World Series Trophy presentation ceremonies for ABC.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,652
13.

In 1984, Don Drysdale called play-by-play for the National League Championship Series between the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,653
14.

Don Drysdale hosted a nationally syndicated radio show called Radio Baseball Cards.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,654
15.

Don Drysdale conducted all of the National League player interviews for the Baseball Talk series in 1988.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,655
16.

Hershiser almost did not pitch in the 10th inning, in deference to Don Drysdale, but was convinced to take the mound and try to break the record.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,656
17.

Don Drysdale called Kirk Gibson's walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series for the Dodgers Radio Network:.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,657
18.

In 1958, Don Drysdale married Ginger Dubberly, a native of Covington, Georgia, and a former Adrian fashion model.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,658
19.

In 1990, Don Drysdale published his autobiography, Once a Bum, Always a Dodger.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,659
20.

On July 2,1993, Don Drysdale worked the television broadcast for the game between the Dodgers and the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,660
21.

Several broadcast team members were sent back to the hotel once the team realized Don Drysdale had not arrived at the stadium, and when hotel personnel went up to Don Drysdale's room they discovered his body lying face down on the floor.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,661
22.

The cause of death was ruled to be a heart attack, and the coroner's report determined that Don Drysdale had been dead for at least eighteen hours by the time he was found.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,662
23.

Don Drysdale was replaced by Rick Monday in the broadcast booth.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,663
24.

Don Drysdale had apparently carried the tape with him wherever he went since Kennedy's murder.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,664
25.

Don Drysdale's body was cremated and his ashes were placed in the Utility Columbarium in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,665
26.

Don Drysdale was a popular guest star in several television programs:.

FactSnippet No. 2,028,666