This October will be the 60th anniversary of the first World Series title for the Baltimore Orioles – who have not been back to the Fall Classic, much less won it, since 1983.
The 1966 season was also the Major League debut with the Orioles for Larry Haney, who was born in Charlottesville in 1942 and was a star at Orange County High School.
Earlier in 1966, Haney was playing at Triple-A Rochester for manager Earl Weaver, the eventual Hall of Famer. “Earl called me into his office and said you are going to the big leagues,” Haney told this reporter four years ago.
Andy Etchebarren, the regular Baltimore catcher, got hurt when he took a foul ball off his hand. Haney flew to Baltimore the next day and was in the starting lineup on July 27 for skipper Hank Bauer. The lineup for the Birds also included three future Hall of Famers: Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson and Luis Aparicio.
The Orioles won 7-1 over Cleveland behind the pitching of Dave McNally. A few months later, Baltimore swept the Los Angeles in the World Series – even though Haney did not see any action.
Haney was also part of the Oakland A’s team that won the World Series in 1974, and during his career he caught Cy Young winners Jim Palmer, Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers.
Chris Haney, the son of Larry, was a baseball standout at Orange County and pitched in the Majors from 1991 to 2002.
Virginia catchers in MLB
The state of Virginia has been sending native sons to the Major Leagues – and Negro Leagues – for more than 100 years as catchers.
- Andy Allanson (1986-1995) The Richmond native broke in with Cleveland.
- Bruce Benedict (1975-1989) He played in the Valley League and was a coach with the Norfolk Tides while working in the New York Mets system in 1996.
- Hank Foiles (1953-1964) The Richmond native, who went to Granby High in Norfolk, was an All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1957.
- Larry Haney (1966-1978) The Charlottesville native grew up in Orange County and broke in with the Baltimore Orioles.
- Bill Hayes (1980-1981) The Maryland native played for the Harrisonburg Turks in the Valley League – and in five games with the Chicago Cubs.
- John Hicks (2015-2021) The Goochland High product also starred at Virginia and played in the majors for the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers.
- Ron Hodges (1973-1984) The Rocky Mount native played for Harrisonburg in the Valley League and spent his MLB career with the Mets.
- Mike Hubbard (1995-2001) The JMU product is from Lynchburg. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and made his debut with the club.
- Ben Huffman (1937) The Luray native and Bridgewater College standout spent one year in the Majors, with the Louis Browns.
- Todd Hundley (1990-2003) The Martinsville native hit 202 homers and was an All-Star twice with the New York Mets.
- Randy Hundley (1964-1977) The Martinsville native was an All-Star with the Cubs and may be the best and most durable catcher born in the state – unless it is his son, Todd. The elder played in 1,061 games over 14 years.
- Brandon Inge (2001-2013) From Lynchburg, the VCU standout was used as a catcher in 2004 and 2008 but played mostly infield while with the Tigers.
- Alan Knicley (1979-1986) The Harrisonburg native was the first big leaguer from Turner Ashby High. He also played infield and outfield in the Majors, breaking in with the Houston Astros.
- Erik Kratz (2010-2020) A native of Pennsylvania, he played at EMU and in the Valley League for Harrisonburg and Waynesboro. He was drafted out of EMU by the Toronto Blue Jays.
- Kirt Manwaring (1987-1993) The New York native played in the Valley League while at Coastal Carolina. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies.
- C. Martin (1959-1972) He born in Axton, just north of the North Carolina border. Martin was teammates on the Cubs with Randy Hundley – they grew up in the same region – and was with the Mets when New York won the World Series in 1969, over the Orioles.
- Cloy Mattox (1929) The Leesville native played for the Philadelphia Athletics for one season. The A’s won the World Series that year, though Mattox did not see action.
- Jerry May (1964-1973) The Staunton native died on June 30, 1996, in a farm accident in Augusta County. He broke into the Majors with the Pirates and also played for the Kansas City Royals and Mets.
- Jim McNamara (1992-1993) The James Madison High grad played in the Valley League, then with the San Francisco Giants.
- Johnny Oates (1970-1981) Born in North Carolina, he was a star at Virginia Tech and also played in the Valley League. Catchers make good managers, and Oates guided the Orioles and Texas Rangers. Oates is in the Valley League Hall of Fame after playing with the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Orioles, Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.
- Cal Raleigh (2021 to present) He was born in Harrisonburg when his father, Todd, was an assistant baseball coach at JMU. Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners hit 60 homers last year – the most ever for a catcher.
- Willie Royster (1981) The native of Clarksville played one year for the Orioles.
- Harvey Russell (1914-1915) A native of Marshall, he played for the Baltimore Terrapins (in the short-lived Federal League).
- Charlie Sands (1967-1975) He was born in Newport News, drafted by the Orioles, broke in with the Yankees and also played with the Pirates, California Angels and A’s.
- Vinny Smith (1941-1946) A native of Richmond, he played for the Pirates in 1941 and then again five years later.
- Steve Swisher (1974-1982) From Parkersburg, West Virginia, he also played in the Valley League. He was an All-Star with the Cubs in 1976.
- Wyatt Toregas (2009-2011) The Fairfax native played at South Lakes High in Reston and at Virginia Tech before seeing time with Cleveland and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Chris Widger (1995-2006) From New Jersey, the George Mason University product has been a minor league manager since his playing days ended.
- Larry Woodall (1920-1929) The Staunton native spent his entire MLB career with the Tigers, mostly as a backup catcher, then played several years in the minors in the Pacific Coast League.
Negro Leagues catchers
There were an amazing number of players born in Virginia who were catchers in the Negro Leagues. There may be a few reasons for that.
The most obvious was that during segregation, there were limited opportunities for African-American men in the South – the Major Leagues were not an option until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. From a baseball perspective, versatility was a virtue and being able to play several positions in the Negro Leagues was a plus, with the wild travel schedule for many teams. Many times, Negro League teams would play two games a day.
Being willing to catch a doubleheader in the August heat in Washington or Kansas City, home of the Monarchs, meant playing time for a catcher.
Nearly every catcher born in Virginia who played in the Negro Leagues was listed as playing another position, per baseballreferene.com – here are some of them:
- Bill Casey (born in Newport News, played from 1932-1942)
- John Cason (Norfolk, 1923-1928)
- Bob Clarke (Richmond, 1923-1948): was an All-Star in 1940.
- Mack Eggleston (Roanoke, 1920-1934)
- Stanley Glenn (Wachapreague, 1943-1948)
- Buster Haywood (1940-1948)
- Peter Jones (Charles City, 1946)
- Joe Lewis (Drakes Branch, 1923-1934)
- Nick Logan (Buckingham County, 1923)
- Lou Louden (West Point, 1941-1948)
- Frank McCoy (Williamsburg, 1929-1943)
- Brother Pace (Richmond, 1922)
- Rags Roberts (Norfolk, 1923)
- Leon Ruffin (Portsmouth, 1935-1946)
- Wilmore Williams (Williamsburg, 1943)
Lots more
And these list do not even include all of the catchers who came through the Commonwealth while in the minor leagues.
That includes a certain Adley Rutschman, the former Norfolk Tides star who was recently traded by the Orioles to the Boston Red Sox.
Did we miss anyone? If so, send an email to [email protected]
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David Driver
