Former San Francisco Giant pitcher John Pregenzer who pitched for San Francisco 1963-64 is the subject of He was a Giant?

by Tony The Tiger Hayes

HE WAS A GIANT?

John Pregenzer – RHP – 1963-64 – # 40

He was a Giant?

In his brief stint with the Orange & Black, Pregenzer, an obscure right-hander with a thick waist and even thicker horn-rimmed eye glasses, was the toast of the town, for being, well…obscure.

In today’s parlance, the grizzly bear-sized Pregenzer – who pitched in 19 games for San Francisco over two seasons – would have been a “viral” sensation. But back in the happy-go-lucky days of the early 1960s, Jumbo John just made good copy.

And boy did the papers eat it up this loony “Only in San Francisco” spoof.

For a period from 1963 to 1964, Pregenzer – a colossal 6-foot-5, 250 pounder – made headlines not only in San Francisco but across the country when a 30-something year-old San Francisco Chronicle newsroom employee named Novella O’Hara started the “John Pregenzer Fan Club” upon hearing the Giants had acquired the unestablished spectacles-sporting pitcher from Pittsburgh for the low, low price of $100.

The single mother just couldn’t believe the Giants good luck in acquiring a man, let alone a professional baseball player, at such a reasonable price point.

In turn, she offered to take Pregenzer off the Giants hands for $110.

“Imagine that, buying a man for $100, I told (the Giants) they should get up a catalog of ball players available each year. There are a lot of us who would like to pick up such bargains,” O’Hara deadpanned to Stan Isaacs of New York’s Newsday.

At its peak, the Pregenzer appreciation society counted some 3,000 members. Verified $1 annual due payers included Joe DiMaggio, California Governor Edmund G. Brown, celebrity author Norman Mailer, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, comedic performers Shelley Berman and Allan Sherman and Pierre Salinger and Sargent Shriver – two high-ranking members of President John F. Kennedy’s White House.

Why Was He a Giant?

Well, there was that all important $100 transaction fee.

Pregenzer had never pitched above the lowest rungs on the minors. Throw in his age, 27, his lumbering physique and cut-rate purchase price and you didn’t exactly need Abner Doubleday to tell you baseball may not have been Pregenzer’s most ideal career path.

But the Giants saw something.

As did Ms. O’Hara, who, presumably aside from the plus-sized pitcher’s wife, counted herself as the Giant farmhand’s most ardent fan.

In her day job, O’Hara worked as a “Girl Friday” for famed Pulitzer Prize winning Chronicle columnist Stanton Delaplane. She was also the inquiring photographer for the Chronicle’s notorious zany daily feature, “The Question Man.” (“Do Housewife’s Deserve an Allowance?” , “Would You Let Your Daughter Date A Hippie?”).

O’Hara’s close proximity to a major daily helped promote her pet project. Delaplane occasionally wrote about Pregenzer in his satirical Chronicle column which was also syndicated throughout the U.S.

When Pregenzer actually beat the odds and made it to the big leagues, O’Hara and her pals went bananas.

They reacted as if the Giants had just discovered the second coming of Christy Mathewson, not a journeyman who as a Idaho Falls Russet had labored to miss bush league bats.

O’Hara hastily organized a lavish testimonial dinner in Pregenzer’s honor at one of San Francisco’s most sumptuous restaurants of the time, the ornate Blue Fox in the City’s financial district.

The Association Press even sent reporter Ron Bergman to cover the splurge.

In one of tony eateries’ spacious baroque banquet rooms, the fan club feted the prodigious pitcher under gold-leaf wallpaper and low-slung jewel encrusted chandeliers with a feast fit for a visiting dignitary – gourmet baked pheasant served under a sterling silver dome.

Pregenzer, his ample neck swaddled in an expansive white linen napkin, was also gifted a “quality” transistor radio and presented with a scroll naming him honorary mayor of Fresno.

“I could step in a pile of mud and come up with a (gold) nugget between my toes,” said the bemused Wisconsin native, half expecting Allen Funt of “Candid Camera” to appear masquerading as a bus boy.

“I had to struggle to make it to the big leagues,” said Pregenzer as he knifed into the mouthwatering squab. “And then to have a fan club – well I’ll tell you, it’s unbelievable. If this is the only way I can become famous, so be it.”

Just as San Francisco Mayor George Christopher was announcing plans to present Pregenzer with a Key to the City, the party -pooping Giants decided to farm out the humongous hurler.

But O’Hara wasn’t ready to give up on her beloved parsimonious priced moundsman. By the time Pregenzer had finished packing his duffle bag, she began campaigning for “Bring Back John Pregenzer Day.”

“The departure of John Pregenzer does not change the objection of our club which is to make the world a better place for John Pregenzer to pitch in,” she insisted.

With that, O’Hara hoisted the “John Pregenzer Cocktail” – consisting of “two parts gin and one part tears.”

Before & After

After playing college ball at Illinois Wesleyan University, Pregenzer skipped a couple of seasons before entering pro ball, signing with Pittsburgh at age 25 in 1958. He pitched well enough in his debut pro season, going 6-2, 2.88 for the Salem Rebels now of the Appalachian League. In 1959, he split the season between Idaho Falls and the Grand Forks Chiefs, going a combined 11-11, 4.17.

Pregenzer began 1960 with the Class-A Savannah Pirates, but shortly into the campaign the Giants produced a c-note and Pregenzer was all theirs.

In 1961, his first full season in the Giants system, Pregenzer posted a 10-7, 3.70 season at Class-C Fresno. He followed up with a fantastic 14-9, 2.85 year at Class-A Springfield in 1962.

Giants pitching was a fluid situation they entered spring training in 1963. Gone in a trade with Baltimore were RHPs Stu Miller and Mike McCormick. LHP Dick LeMay was peddled to Houston. Though a long shot to make the big league squad, Pregenzer was added to the spring roster. He took advantage of the look-see and proved a hundred bucks can go a long way.

The heavy-footed hurler gained a fan in Giants manager Alvin Dark who complemented Pregenzer’s command of the strike zone.

“That is a a big item for any pitcher and he has thrown the ball over the plate all spring,” the skipper stated matter of factly.

When the veteran LHP Billy Hoeft began the ‘63 season on the disabled list, Pregenzer took his spot in the San Francisco bullpen.

In his major league debut, Pregenzer lobbed two shutout innings in a Saturday afternoon, 4-0 home loss to the Cubs (4/20/63). The first two batters he faced and promptly retired were All-Stars Ron Santo and Ernie Banks. Each would eventually land in the Hall of Fame.

Pregenzer continued to pitch effectively over his next four relief outings. In one, he notched a one-out save in a 8-4 home win vs. St.Louis (4/25/63). In another, Pregenzer slung 2.1 innings of shutout ball in a 6-5, 12-inning home loss to Milwaukee (7/27/63).

But after the giant Giant was dinged for four earned runs, including a run scoring balk, in a 8-0 defeat at Los Angeles (Sandy Koufax’s second career no-hitter, 5/11/63), Pregenzer was optioned to Triple-AAA Tacoma. He would remain there the rest of the season.

Pregenzer began 1964 with Tacoma and pitched some of the best ball of his pro career. In 42 Pacific Coast League relief appearances, John posted a sterling 9-4, 2.01 record . San Francisco called in August and Pregenzer was back in the majors.

His second stint with San Francisco was a mixed bag of results. In 19 relief appearances, Pregenzer delivered a 2-0 record. But he also had a ERA hovering around a porky 5.00.

Pregenzer would return to Tacoma for one more season in 1965, and continued to thrive, posting a dynamic 4-5, 1.66 ledger with 28 saves in 55 games at age 32. But after San Francisco declined to promote him after that noteworthy campaign, Pregenzer decided to put a lid on his pro pitching career. The fan club would slowly dissolve.

Pregenzer and his family remained in the Tacoma area, putting roots down in lumberjack land. He continued to compete in beer league softball and enjoyed a long career as an educator, game official and high school coach in the Pacific Northwest.

He Never Had a Bobblehead Day. But…

Coincidentally, each of Pregenzer’s two MLB wins came against the the Pirates – the club that sold him for the price of six beers and a churro at Oracle Park.

He notched the first victory on his 29th birthday at Forbes Field (8/2/64). With the Giants up 1-0, Pregenzer inherited a two -runners on, two-out situation when he entered the game in the 6th. A young Willie Stargell smashed a drive to right, but Willie McCovey snagged the bullet to end the frame.

The Bucs tied the game in the 7th off Pregenzer when ex-Giant Manny Mota delivered a two-out RBI single. But the G-Men regained the lead for good in the 8th on a Duke Snider RBI single, winning 2-1.

Pregenzer’s win was the most popular national baseball story of the day.

The following Monday, nearly 200 daily newspaper’s sports sections – ranging from the Tyrone (PN) Daily Herald to the Deadwood (ND) Pioneer Times to the Pomona Progress-Bulletin – a ran a full-length newswire story detailing Pregenzer’s victory.

“For John Pregenzer the adulation preceded the accomplishment,” read the lede of UPI sports reporter Curt Block’s report.

Giant Footprint

In hindsight, one can see the creation of the Pregenzer Fan Club was most likely the result of one too many post-deadline hi-balls at the M&M, the now defunct newspaper bar located downstairs from the Chronicle.

But as the club grew exponentially large, the parody elements melted away as more people got to know the everyman Pregenzer.

To her credit, O’Hara never made Pregenzer the brunt of jokes or placed him in a comprising position.

For example, when one excited female guest at the Blue Fox shindig implored O’Hara to “kiss him!” – Novella quickly set the record straight.

“John Pregenzer is not a Bo Belinsky!” exclaimed O’Hara referencing the Los Angeles Angels notorious playboy pitcher of that era. “And this is not that type of club!”