Donald Bernard Schwall (born March 2, 1936) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
player. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
as a right-handed
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...
for the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
(1961–62),
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
(1963–66) and
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...
(1966–67).
Baseball career
Schwall was born in
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...
. He attended
Ypsilanti High School
Ypsilanti High School (YHS) was a public school located in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. () Ypsilanti High School (or 'Ypsi High,' as many people referred to it), was a comprehensive high school serving 9–12th grades, located on the western e ...
and was selected an All-Big Eight
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
star at the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
in
1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...
. Schwall faced off against NBA Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain three times while playing for the Sooners, outscoring him 30-16 in his final showdown against him. Although he completed his coursework, a clerical error caused Schwall to never receive his degree. The oversight went unnoticed for decades until 2018 when at the age of 82, Schwall contacted the University of Oklahoma about it. The University acknowledged the oversight and had Schwall attend that year's graduation, 57 years late.
A year after his graduation, he signed with the Red Sox.
In 1961, Schwall posted a 15–7 record with 91
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is den ...
s and a 3.22
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...
, for a Boston team that finished 33 games out of first place and ten games under .500. He won his first six decisions, extended the dazzling first-year stats to 13–2, and won
Rookie of the Year honors, beating out Hall of Fame-bound teammate
Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( ; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year Major League career with the Bost ...
. At
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and Boston Braves (baseball), since 1953, i ...
, on July 31, he pitched three innings in the first
All-Star Game
An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...
tie in major league baseball history (1–1), occurred when the game was stopped in the 9th inning due to rain.
After a sub-par 1962 season (9–15), Schwall was sent to Pittsburgh. He and catcher
Jim Pagliaroni were traded to the Pirates for first baseman
Dick Stuart
Richard Lee Stuart (November 7, 1932 – December 15, 2002), nicknamed "Dr. Strangeglove", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1958 to 1966 then, played in the Nippon Prof ...
and pitcher
Jack Lamabe. He went 6–12 in 1963, and later switched to a
reliever, recording a career-best 2.92 ERA while winning nine games in 1965. The Pirates traded him to the Braves on June 15, 1966 for left-handed pitcher
Billy O'Dell
William Oliver O'Dell (February 10, 1933 – September 12, 2018), known as Billy O'Dell and also as Digger O'Dell, was an American professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues in thirteen seasons: 1954 and from 1956 to 1967. ...
. Schwall finished his career with Atlanta early in the next season.
In seven seasons, Schwall compiled a 49–48 record with 408 strikeouts, a 3.72 ERA, 18
complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
s, five
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
s, four
saves, and 743
innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...
in 172 games (103 as a
starter).
Don Schwall was the second Red Sox player to be named the AL Rookie of the Year, joining
Walter Dropo (1950), and later joined by
Carlton Fisk
Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26, 1947), nicknamed "Pudge" and "The Commander", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1969 to 1993 for the Boston Red Sox (1969, 1971–1980) a ...
(1972),
Fred Lynn
Fredric Michael Lynn (born February 3, 1952) is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1974 through 1990 as a center fielder with the Boston Red Sox, California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Det ...
(1975),
Nomar Garciaparra (1997), and
Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Luis Pedroia (born August 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played his entire Major League Baseball career for the Boston Red Sox, from 2006 to 2019. He was a four-time All-Star, and won the Americ ...
(2007).
Post-baseball career
After leaving baseball, Schwall pursued a career as an investment banker.
A friend of
Bob Prince
Robert Ferris Prince (July 1, 1916 – June 10, 1985) was an American radio and television sportscaster and commentator, best known for his 28-year stint as the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball club, with whom he earned the ...
, after Prince's death Schwall managed Prince's charitable endeavors for several years.
Schwall continued to pursue his college education after becoming a professional baseball player, but never received his degree.
In early 2018, he contacted the University of Oklahoma and was informed that he had completed his graduation requirements in 1961.
He attended the school's May 2018 graduation ceremonies and received his diploma.
References
External links
2002 interview*Don Schwall at:
Baseball Almanac (MLB players who played for University of Oklahoma)PSA Collectors Universe (article)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwall, Don
1936 births
Living people
Alpine Cowboys players
Atlanta Braves players
Baseball players from Pennsylvania
Boston Red Sox players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners
Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
Oklahoma Sooners baseball players
Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Richmond Braves players
Seattle Rainiers players
Sportspeople from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Waterloo Hawks (baseball) players