Barney Schultz

George Warren "Barney" Schultz (August 15, 1926 – September 6, 2015) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He was a knuckleball-throwing pitcher the Major League Baseball (MLB) for all or parts of seven seasons between 1955 and 1965 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs. He did not play a full Major League season until his 18th year in professional baseball. His best season came in 1964, when in just a little over two months with the Cardinals at the end of that season, he had a 1.64 ERA and 14 saves in 30 games, and played an important role in the Cardinals winning the 1964 National League pennant.

Early life Schultz was born in on August 15, 1926, in Beverly, New Jersey, to Leo Philip and Madeline Rose (Ashton) Schultz. An uncle gave him the nickname "Barney Google" early in life, which later became just Barney.

Minor league and winter league Schultz spent the majority of his career pitching in Minor League Baseball (MiLB), playing 11 years in the minors before first reaching Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1955. He had arm problems over this period. He started as an MiLB pitcher in 1944, and did not pitch his first full Major League season until 1962. Over his professional career he pitched all or parts of 21 MiLB seasons, pitching in 657 MiLB games; nearly 600 of them as a relief pitcher. Keane believed Schultz’s best course to reach Major League Baseball was as a relief pitcher using the knuckleball, not as a starter. Keane used him in relief 34 times that season. Keane would play an important role in Schultz’s future Major League career.

Schultz played winter league baseball in Venezuela for the Gavilanes de Maracaibo club of the Western Professional Baseball League, where he won seven consecutive strikeout titles from 1954 through 1960.

In 1960 and part of 1961, he was played for the Triple-A Houston Buffs, the Chicago Cubs' affiliate in the American Association. He arguably had his best MiLB season to date in 1961, pitching 24 games in relief for the Buffs, with a 2.76 ERA, 6–1 record, 40 strikeouts in 49 innings, and was called up to the Cubs in June. He did not return to Major League play until 1959, when he pitched in 13 games for the Detroit Tigers, with a 1–2 record and 4.42 ERA. The Cardinals had traded him to the Tigers in late-May 1958 for Ben Mateosky, but after the trade he spent the rest of the 1958 season with the Charleston Senators, the Tigers Triple-A affiliate in the American Association. In April 1960, the Tigers sold his contract rights to the Chicago Cubs. he was called up to the Cubs in June 1961. He pitched 41 games in relief for the Cubs, with a 7–6 record, seven saves and a 2.70 ERA. He struck out 59 batters in 66.2 innings pitched.

After 18 years, Schultz pitched his first full Major League season in 1962, with the Cubs. He tied a record by pitching in nine consecutive games. Schultz began the 1963 season with the Cubs, and was 1–0, with two saves and a 3.62 ERA. The Cubs originally waived him, but then traded him to the Cardinals on June 24 for Leo Burke.

The Cardinals called him up in August 1964, during their pennant drive. Keane made Schultz his closer. In Schultz’s two months with the Cardinals during the regular season in 1964, he pitched in 30 games of the team’s last 60 games, with a 1.64 ERA and 14 saves, and a 1–3 record. His 1.64 ERA and 14 saves were career bests. On October 2, Schultz pitched a scoreless ninth inning in relief of Hall of Fame starting pitcher Bob Gibson, however, the Cardinals lost to the New York Mets, 1–0, but were holding a ½ game lead in first place. Keane said the Cardinals never would have won the pennant without Schultz.

Probably the most memorable moment of his entire career came in Game 3 of the 1964 World Series, in which he gave up a game-winning home run to future Hall of Fame center fielder Mickey Mantle in the nationally televised Saturday game. He came into the game in relief of Curt Simmons in the bottom of the ninth inning, in a 1–1 tie. Mantle was the first batter he faced. Mantle hit Schultz's first pitch for the game winning home run, making Schultz the losing pitcher. Schultz had given up only one home run during the season, but the knuckleball he threw Mantle did not break and was knee high over the plate. and the Cardinals ultimately won the Series in seven games. He appeared in two other games in that series, pitching a total of four innings in his four World Series games. He was 25th in NL Most Valuable Player voting that year.

In 1965, Keane went to manage the Yankees

Career Schultz threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed . It is also reported he was a Cardinals coach in 1967 when the team went on to win the World Series; with Schultz receiving his second World Series ring with the Cardinals.

In the early 1980s, Schultz coached for two years with the Nankai Hawks of the Japan Pacific League.

Honors In 1988, Schultz was inducted into the South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame. After retiring, Schultz was a resident of Edgewater Park, New Jersey for 50 years, where his home was filled with memorabilia of his baseball career. It was from that experience that Uecker drew some of his material when joking about the difficulties of catching the knuckleball.

Schultz was a member of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Beverly his entire life. He died on September 6, 2015, in Willingboro, New Jersey, on the 50th anniversary of his final MLB game. He was survived by his wife of 61 years, Frances (Elder) Schultz, three children, six grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.