A member of P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018 is in the spotlight.

A look back an important change that impacted MLB

Gerard Smith of Summerside is one of P.E.I.’s most respected sports personalities.

When one considers where he has been in sports, that respect is well earned.

Smith is being inducted into the P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 9, and that is a well-deserved honour for the man most refer to as “Smitty.”

A pair of Hardy Cup hockey championships as a goalie with both Saint John and Charlottetown, and a silver medal at the 1977 Canadian senior men’s baseball championship were great accomplishments on the national scene for Smith.

Maritime baseball titles as a player and coach are among the many other accomplishments for Smith, as well as an Island championship as a coach with the Summerside Crystals.

He has an impressive resumé just from the rink and ballfield, and that is not to mention his almost 50 years as race secretary and a key person for harness racing in Summerside and later Charlottetown.

If that is not enough, he also has similar duties at other Maritime tracks as well.

Smith is as knowledgeable about sports as anyone, and many across this Island have benefited from what he has been able to pass on to others through his playing and coaching experiences.

Many across P.E.I., and beyond, are very happy with Smith’s induction into the Hall of Fame, and I know I join with many in offering congratulations to Gerard Smith!

World Series

Hopefully, the Los Angeles Dodgers can get at least a couple of wins this weekend at Dodger Stadium, and extend the World Series to six or seven games. The Red Sox are on a mission, and the way they are playing I doubt that a National League all-star team could beat them.

That relentless Boston attack is too much for the Dodgers, and it would seem that this series is all but over. Hopefully, though, not until Game 6 or 7 in Boston next week.

Game-changing change

The year 1968 was dubbed as the year of the pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) after a dominant year for pitchers. Pitching was such a huge factor in (MLB) back then that a change was made to the height of the pitching mound to allow for more offence. After that season, the pitching mound was reduced to 10 inches high from 15 inches, where it had been since the beginning of baseball.

That 1968 season had some impressive numbers by pitchers that will never again be duplicated. The great Bob Gibson had a 22-9 (won-lost) record, with an unheard of earned-run average of 1.12. He had 28 complete games in 34 starts, and struck out 268 in 304 innings.

Denny McLain had a 31-6 record, an ERA of 1.96 and 28 complete games in 41 starts. Juan Marichal was 26-9 and had 30 complete games in 38 starts for San Francisco. Luis Tiant, who had nine shutouts, was 21-9 for the Cleveland Indians. There were four 20-game winners in the American League, and three in the National league. Three more had 19 wins. Carl Yastrzemski won the American League batting title with only a 301. average. Declining attendance was reason enough for MLB to change the height of the mound, as well as making the strike zone smaller. The changes worked as the combined earned-run average for MLB pitchers in 1968 was 2.98 while in 1969 it jumped to 3.61. The average runs per game in 1968 was 6.84, and that increased to 8.14 in 1969.

Those old enough will remember the 1968 World Series – Mickey Lolich was the series MVP, tossed three complete-game wins and pitched Game 7 on only two days’ rest. He beat Bob Gibson in Game 7, with Gibson also having three complete games.

The Detroit Tigers beat St. Louis in that World Series, and we will never again see such dominant pitching as we saw in that series – or that season.

Have a great week!