1960
August 17: In debut, goes 6 1/3 in 3-2 win over Red Sox, giving up eight hits and two runs.
August 27: Goes 8 1/3 in 7-4 win over Indians.
August 31: Shuts out A's, 1-0, on four hits.
September 9: Stops Tigers, 4-1, on 6-hitter.
Comment: "The Yankees think they have a crackerjack in this young fellow."
-Joe Sheehan, Dell Sports Magazine Baseball, April 1961
"Hopes for an improved 1961 Yankee pitching staff are based to a great extent on 22-year-old right-hander Bill Stafford. When Bill's three-and-a-half-year professional record is analyzed, Yankee fans may wonder why so much is expected of him. Up to this year, his overall record shows a plus of only six victories over losses. But he has developed rapidly.
Stafford, who spent the past off-season in the six-month military service program, was called up to the Yanks last August 15. He started eight games and the Yankees won seven of them. He posted a fine 2.25 ERA with the Bombers late last year and went on to a 1.50 ERA in the World Series.
Bill always has had good control. In a total of 210 minor league, major league and World Series innings last season, he yielded only 42 walks while striking out 139. Despite the late start this spring, Bill is expected to be a big man on the Yankee pitching staff.
Bill is one of several Yankees who made the majors from this immediate area. He hails from Athens, New York."
-The New York Yankees Official 1961 Yearbook
William Charles Stafford (P) #22
Born August 13, 1938 in Catskill, NY, resides in Athens, NY. Height: 6-1, weight: 183. Bats right, throws right.
Married.
-The New York Yankees Official 1961 Yearbook
"Young Bill Stafford looks like a sure bet to stick with the Yankees this summer. The 6'1" righty had a 3-1 record with the American League champs last season and turned in a fine 2.25 ERA in the 60 innings he worked.
During his stint with the Yanks, Bill fanned 36 and walked only 18. The 22-year-old hurler (he'll be 23 in August) was 11-7 with Richmond of the International League and had a great 2.06 ERA in 144 innings for the Virginians.
Stafford broke into Organized Ball with the Yankee chain in 1957 and has made rapid progress. He had an off year in '59, winning only two and losing eight dividing his time between Richmond and Binghamton. In the previous season he was 11-7 with the Eastern League Triplets and posted a 2.25 earned run average.
No great shakes as a batter (one hit in 22 tries with the Yankees last year), Bill figures to get plenty of action this year and he'll probably be wearing the Yankee uniform for many years to come.
Born in Catskill, New York, Bill now lives in Athens, New York."
-New York Yankees 1961 Yearbook (Jay Publishing Co.)
BILL STAFFORD
HOW DODGERS MAY WIN FLAG - FOR YANKS!
Skinny 14-Year-Old Kid That Got Away Could Do It
"A friendly suggestion by Alex Campanis to a skinny 14-year-old kid back in 1952 supplied the key which may open the door to another Yankee pennant this year.
No, Campanis hasn't deserted the Dodgers. He's still their scouting director. One of the best in the business, too. Then what is he doing helping the Yankees? Well, it's one of those unfortunate circumstances that even he can't explain. But listen to Alex tell the story.
'It all started at one of the tryout school we held at Ebbets Field,' he recalls. 'This kid came down from Upstate New York and told us he was a shortstop. Well, we couldn't tell much about him because he was so young. But I was impressed with his arm ... particularly, the clothes-line throws he made to first.
'So I called him aside and suggested he try his hand at pitching. I also told him to come back the following year for another look. He did, too. Not only did he return the next summer, but two more after that as well.
'The kid came along so fast that 15 big league scouts- including myself- were waiting on his doorstep the day he graduated high school. By that time, of course, the boy, his folks and I had become good friends. We were so close, in fact, that none of the other scouts figured they had a chance in the world to sign him. They were sure I had a lock on the kid.
'Frankly, I did, too. We offered him $4,000 because the bonus rule was in effect then and we didn't want him to waste two years sitting on the Dodger bench. The money was satisfactory to the boy and his parents and the only snag resulted when he asked me to throw in a new pair of spiked shoes.'
That was no sweat. Campanis agreed to provide him with the shoes. At the same time Alex made the youth pay for them.
'It had to be that way,' explains the handsome 44-year-old N.Y.U. alumnus. 'Otherwise, I would have been violating a baseball rule. The price of the shoes plus the $4,000 contract would have placed the boy in a bonus category.
'That's one thing about the Dodgers. We're very technical. Our scouts are not permitted to do any business under the table because we operate a very ethical organization.'
The boy didn't show any resentment but, somehow or other, Campanis never did get his signature on a contract. Instead, the Yankees topped the Dodger offer and eventually landed him. Before they did, however, the kid called Alex to express his regrets. He also thanked the former Brooklyn second baseman for all his help.
'I really blew that deal,' Alex shrugs, 'and I'll remember it longer than all the ones I brought in. Even so, we're still the best of friends. The kid even threw his arm around me when I ran into him at the winter baseball meetings in Louisville last December.'
The experience taught Campanis a valuable lesson. As a result he cautions his bird dogs:
'You've never got a prospect until his name is on the contract. And even after his name is on the contract, look in your briefcase and make sure it's not stolen.'
The boy's name? Bill Stafford.
'I'm glad he's doing so well,' Campanis concludes, 'even though he's the one guy I let get away.' "
-Arthur Richman, New York Mirror (Baseball Digest, June 1961)
"Bill Stafford, 23-year-old right-hander for the Yankees, has developed rapidly. He is another young Yankee pitcher who reached maturity in 1961. Stafford won 13 games up to the season's final week after earning a spot in the regular rotation.
Brought up late in 1960, the Athens, N.Y., native posted a fine 2.25 earned-run average, won three big games for the Yankees and posted a 1.50 ERA in two World Series games.
He always had good control. In a total of 210 minor league, major league and World Series innings in 1960, he yielded only 42 walks while striking out 139.
Stafford is married and lives in Catskill, New York. The 6-1, 183-pound right-hander spent the past off-season in the six-month military service program."
-1961 World Series Official Souvenir Program
