Moe Drabowsky

You've probably heard by now that former Royals' pitcher Moe Drabowsky died last Saturday. He was 70 and had been battling multiple myeloma—a form of cancer. To read more about his battle, check out Matt Fulks' article about him that appeared on the KCMetroSports website before Drabowsky died.

Denny Matthews' book (with Matt Fulks), Tales from the Royals Dugout, includes a little section dedicated to Drabowsky—who was the first Royals pitcher to ever win a game. He did so (in relief) on April 8, 1969 in a game against the Minnesota Twins. Click here to check out the box score. He pitched for eight different teams in his 17-year career, making a brief stop in Kansas City during the 1969 and 1970 seasons. He was 12-11 with the Royals and had 13 saves. He was 88-105 in his career with 55 saves and a 3.71 ERA.

He was best known as a prankster—as Matthews' book points out. Drabowsky put goldfish in the opposing bullpen's water cooler. He often called the opposing team's bullpen phone to get relievers warming up. He set off firecrackers in the opposing team's bullpen. He ordered Chinese food from the bullpen. He often got guys with "hot foot," in which he'd light a matchbook under someone's shoe. He even did this to Commissioner Bowie Kuhn once. And apparently, he loved the old snake-in-the-locker or shaving kit trick because he pulled this off more than once. So many great stories—but maybe the best one is of a serious nature.

Even after he got cancer, he was still working in baseball as a pitching instructor in Florida for the Baltimore Orioles. He helped guys during extended spring training stints or on rehab assignments. In Matt Fulks' aforementioned article, Drabowsky is quoted as saying this about his staying active in baseball: "This job has been great therapy for me because I don't lie around in bed and worry about what's going on."

Thanks for the memories Moe.