Just Wild About that Fastball

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball …

A hard-throwing right-handed hurler, Joe Sparma came to the major leagues with great pitching tools and great expectations. He also had a personality that tended to defy authority, and a fastball that tended to defy the strike zone. That combination led to some dazzling

Joe Sparma

performances, and a major league pitching career whose longevity fell short of its potential.

An Ohio native, Sparma played quarterback for The Ohio State University Buckeyes in 1961 and 1962. He was a passing quarterback on a Woody Hayes team that preferred the run to the pass, and after 2 seasons he signed with the Detroit Tigers.

In the minors, Sparma was known for strikeouts and walks … a high ratio of both for 9 innings pitched. He continued that trend when he reached the major leagues in 1964, going 5-6 with a 3.00 ERA in 21 appearances. In 84 innings, Sparma struck out 71 batters and walked 45. In 1965, as a member of the Tigers’ starting rotation, Sparma went 13-8 with a 3.18 ERA.

A spring training injury to his index finger derailed Sparma’s 1966 season, which finished 2-7 with a 5.30 ERA. He bounced back in 1967 with his best season, going 16-9 with a 3.76 earned run average. He also posted career highs in games started (37), complete games (11), shutouts (5), innings pitched (217.2) and strikeouts (153).

But Sparma ran into personal problems with Tigers manager Mayo Smith, who began using the right-hander less and less. Plus his wildness, once seemingly under control, had re-emerged with a vengeance and was seriously limiting his effectiveness as a pitcher. Sparma went 10-10 with the Tigers in 1968 and was only 6-8 (in 23 appearances) in 1969. He was traded to the Montreal Expos following the 1969 season, and went 0-4 in 6 starts with Montreal before being sent down to the minors. He never pitched in the major leagues again, and retired from baseball at age 29.

In 7 major league seasons, Sparma posted a 52-52 record with a 3.94 career ERA.