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Don Gullett passed away on Wednesday at the age of 73. He is a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
Many of you never saw Don Gullett pitch for the Cincinnati Reds from 1970 to 1976. Some of you did. If you had a chance to see him pitch on the mound for the Reds, chances are you wouldn’t forget it.
He was drafted by the Reds in the first round in 1969 and burst onto the major league scene in 1970, which was unusual, even in those days. Reds manager Sparky Anderson routinely called him ‘Young Don Gullett’ because he was only 19 years old and the hard-throwing left-hander from Lynn, Kentucky, was on the Reds’ roster.
Several advisors warned Anderson not to take Gullett or Wayne Simpson, a right-handed pitcher, north with the Reds when they left camp from Florida. But that’s exactly what he did and it paid off. Simpson – the “Great Warrior” – was 14-1 before his injury and was a major factor in Cincinnati’s 70-30 start. Anderson brought Gullett in slowly in 1970, out of the bullpen, and his repertoire was quite good. Hall of Fame slugger Willie Stargell said Gullett threw “wall-to-wall heat.” The left-hander appeared in 44 games and compiled a 5-2 record and a 2.43 ERA. He and reliever Clay Carroll were the Reds’ two best pitchers in their five-game loss to Baltimore in the World Series.
And in 1971, Gullett moved into the starting rotation and went 16-6 in a losing year for the Reds.
We all thought Gullett would be Red forever. He didn’t work out that way. He was only with Cincinnati for six seasons and posted a career record of 91-44. His best season (in terms of wins and losses) was 1974 when he went 18-8. He became one of the first big free agents, signing with the New York Yankees and pitching for two more years before shoulder injuries ended his career. His career record was 109-50 with a 3.11 ERA.
Gullett was unlucky and suffered many injuries and health problems throughout his career; hepatitis in 1972, a broken thumb in 1975, a Game 1 injury (sprained ankle) in the 1976 World Series against the Yankees in the World Series, and shoulder problems with the Yankees in 1978 that ended his career .
Gullett’s departure from the Reds after 1976 was a surprise at the time. This quiet, shy kid from Kentucky leaving the Reds for New York? But in the end, Reds general manager Bob Howsam was right. Gullett’s injury history was a major deterrent to the Reds not signing him to a long-term contract.
But when he broke out with the Reds, Don Gullett was something special. When he was healthy, he was one of the Reds’ best starters of any era. He wasn’t especially big (6’0″, 190) but he threw hard and had a good release.
My special Gullett memories? (1) Watching him pitch at Riverfront Stadium against the Braves in August 1972. Hank Aaron hit home run number 660 off Gullett that day (Willie Mays hit his final career home run, number 660, also off him, but not on that day). (2) his start in Game 5 against Boston in the 1975 World Series, when he retired 22 batters in a row. (3) his start in Game 1 against Pittsburgh in the 1975 National League Playoffs, when he homered and pitched a complete game.
Young Don Gullett certainly deserves his place in the Reds Hall of Fame.
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