Throwback Thursday: John Curtis

In this edition of Throwback Thursday John Chancey looks at Clemson baseball pitcher John Curtis.

John Curtis – Pitcher, 1967-68

College baseball has boomed in popularity nationally over the last several years, but it’s been popular in Clemson for decades, with several players wearing the Tiger ball cap on their way to the majors. One of those players was John Curtis, who had a 15-year pro career in baseball after playing for Coach Bill Wilhelm in 1968.

Curtis hailed from Smithtown, New York. He was drafted in the first round of the 1966 MLB Draft by Cleveland, but Curtis elected not to sign. Instead, he committed to the Clemson Tigers. Curtis enrolled in 1967 but he did not play for the Tigers that season. He did play collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Chatham A’s.

He did take the mound for Clemson in 1968. He was the opening day starter against Mississippi State, getting the 6-3 win in seven innings, with ten strikeouts and allowing only five hits. Another big win came on May 7, 1968 when Curtis got the win against the Gamecocks in Columbia, with seven strikeouts and only allowed two hits. For the season, he started five games and had two relief appearances for a total of 40 innings pitched. He finished with a 4-3 record. He had an ERA of 1.80 and had 42 strikeouts.

At the plate Curtis finished the season with 31 at bats with eight hits, five RBIs and five runs scored. His best day came on April 11, 1968 against Furman. Curtis had a home run and a single with four RBIs and two runs scored.

Former Clemson Tiger John Curtis made his Major League debut August 13, 1970

Curtis signed with the Boston Red Sox after they drafted him in 1968. He spent two seasons in the minor leagues before getting called up to the Red Sox in his third season. His first stint was short – he gave up a grand slam to the Kansas City Royals – and he headed back to the minors. He was back with Boston by the next season and stayed with them through 1973.

Fun fact: The American League introduced the designated hitter rule in 1973. Curtis holds the distinction of being the last pitcher before the rule took effect to step up to bat at Fenway Park on September 28, 1972.

Curtis pitched for ten more years for four different major league clubs – Cardinals, Giants, Padres & Angels – before retiring at the end of the 1984 season. He finished with an 89-97 pro record for a .478 winning percentage. His MLB career ERA was 3.96.

After retirement, he began writing about baseball for several publications, including Sports Illustrated. He joined the coaching ranks in 2001 with the Long Beach Breakers of the Western Baseball League.