Bo Belinsky
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bo" Belinsky was an American left-handed
pitcher
in Major League Baseball
, who became an instant southern California celebrity as a rookie with the original Los Angeles Angels
, especially when the fourth of his season-opening four straight wins was a no-hit, no-run game against his former organization, the Baltimore Orioles
. Belinsky is one of only two pitchers in Angels franchise history to start his career with a four game winning streak or better. (The other is Jered Weaver
.)
in the history of the Los Angeles Angels
and the first one at Dodger Stadium
, beating the Baltimore Orioles
2–0 on May 5, 1962.
New York City-born, to a Polish American
Catholic
father and a Jewish American mother, but raised mostly in Trenton, New Jersey
, where he became a street rat and one-time pool hustler, Belinsky was known notoriously enough around the minor leagues for his night life
during several seasons in the Oriole farm system. His career and life changed when the Angels picked him in a minor league draft for the 1962 season. His pre-season contract holdout and charismatic personality made him a star before he'd thrown a single pitch in major league competition.
But the no-hitter—his fourth straight win to launch his rookie season—would make his name irrevocably and, perhaps, spell the beginning of his long downfall. He would go 5–0, then 7–1, then 7–7, before finishing the 1962 season with a 10–11 won-lost record
, a 3.56 earned run average
, and the league lead in walks
(122), the only time Belinsky ever led his league in any pitching category.
Perhaps tellingly, however, after throwing the no-hitter Belinsky also said, "If music be the food of love, by all means let the band play on." The 1962 season was a raucous one for Belinsky in that he became glittering copy for southern California
sportswriters with his wit and unapologetic womanizing. "Within days of his no-hitter Belinsky would be heralded as sport's most original and engaging playboy
-athlete," pitcher-turned-journalist Pat Jordan
wrote in a striking 1971 Sports Illustrated profile. "His name would become synonymous with a lifestyle that was cool and slick and dazzling . . . But in time the name Belinsky would become synonymous with something else. It would become synonymous with dissipated talent."
The no-hitter was the first of eight thrown by Jewish pitchers in a decade spanning from 1962 to 1971. The others: Sandy Koufax
in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965; Joe Horlen
in 1967; and Ken Holtzman
in 1969 and 1971.
In addition to pitching the first no-hitter in Angels' history, Belinsky was also on the losing end of the first no-hitter ever pitched against the Angels—Earl Wilson's 2–0 gem at Fenway Park
on June 26 of the same 1962 season. The Boston Red Sox
pitcher hit a home run
in that game, one of three no-hit pitchers ever to do so.
-connected newspaper columnist
Walter Winchell
. He was linked romantically, at one time or another, to such women as Ann-Margret
, Connie Stevens
, Tina Louise
, and Mamie Van Doren
, the last his fiancee for a year. Contemporary player Mike Hegan
once said, "Bo had more fun off the field than he did on the field."
Belinsky fell to 1–7 in 1963, and was sent to the Angels' minor league team in Hawaii, where he pitched his way back and finished the year with a 2–9 major league record. A game he pitched and won for the Angels in Dodger Stadium
set a record of sorts; the headline the following day, in the Los Angeles Times
read: "476 --Count 'Em – See Bo Stifle Orioles."
But Belinsky was 9–7 with a career-best 2.86 ERA in August 1964 when came the incident that ended his days with the Angels: a hotel room fight with elderly Los Angeles Times
sportswriter Braven Dyer. Belinsky was suspended from the Angels, then traded to the Philadelphia Phillies
after the season for Costen Shockley
and Rudy May
. After spending a little over a season with the Phillies, in which he was used mostly as a long reliever before his release to the minor leagues, Belinsky also pitched for the Houston Astros
, the Pittsburgh Pirates
and the Cincinnati Reds
, before his career ended in the Cincinnati minor league system in 1970.
"What was clear," Jordan wrote, "was that Belinsky had dissipated a promising career, that people had grown tired of him, and that most of the problem could be traced to his personality. He did not have the knack of such later athletes – the Namaths
, Harrelsons
, and Sandersons
– of cultivating his personality precisely up to, but not beyond, that point at which the public became bored with it."
Belinsky married and divorced Playboy
Playmate of the Year Jo Collins
, then heiress Janie Weyerhaeuser. He eventually overcame alcoholism
to become first a counselor and spokesman for the alcohol abuse
program he entered in Hawaii and, then, an auto agency representative in Las Vegas
. Clean, sober, and a born-again Christian
("Can you imagine," he was quoted as saying, "finding Jesus Christ in Las Vegas?"), Belinsky battled bladder cancer
before his death in Las Vegas of an apparent heart attack
at age 64.
Veteran sportswriter Maury Allen
wrote a biography of Belinsky, Bo: Pitching and Wooing, "with the uncensored cooperation of Bo Belinsky," in 1973.
, claimed to have been dragged by Belinsky from the rear seat of his late model
Cadillac
. She asked $50,000 for disfigurement
and $100,000 for medical costs and punitive damages
. Prior to the 5 A.M. offense, Belinsky partied with a group of Hollywood celebrities, Eddie Fisher
, Dean Martin
, Keely Smith
, and Henry Fonda
. Eves refused to press charges in the immediate time following the incident involving Belinsky.
Eves received six surgical sutures after hitting her head during the altercation. Earlier on the same evening Eves and her roommate, Bridget (Bright) Whitaker, 33, attended a party at the Ambassador Hotel and another at a private home in Beverly Hills. A Los Angeles Police Department
officer held Belinsky for questioning before he was released after Belinsky's story was corroborated by Whitaker and his teammate, Dean Chance
. Both confirmed his statement that Eves' eye was injured by accident. Belinsky's encounter with Eves was incremental in his career, tarnishing his reputation following his no-hitter.
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, who became an instant southern California celebrity as a rookie with the original Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
, especially when the fourth of his season-opening four straight wins was a no-hit, no-run game against his former organization, the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. Belinsky is one of only two pitchers in Angels franchise history to start his career with a four game winning streak or better. (The other is Jered Weaver
Jered Weaver
Jered David Weaver , is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
.)
Baseball career
Belinsky had a career record of just 28–51, but threw the first no-hitterNo-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
in the history of the Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
and the first one at Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
, beating the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
2–0 on May 5, 1962.
New York City-born, to a Polish American
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
father and a Jewish American mother, but raised mostly in Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, where he became a street rat and one-time pool hustler, Belinsky was known notoriously enough around the minor leagues for his night life
Night Life
Night Life was a 1982 erotic graphic adventure game by Kōei, released for the PC-8801 computer.-Summary:It was the first commercial erotic computer game, featuring sexually explicit images, and a precursor to the modern bishōjo game genre. It was released in April 1982. Night Life was marketed as...
during several seasons in the Oriole farm system. His career and life changed when the Angels picked him in a minor league draft for the 1962 season. His pre-season contract holdout and charismatic personality made him a star before he'd thrown a single pitch in major league competition.
But the no-hitter—his fourth straight win to launch his rookie season—would make his name irrevocably and, perhaps, spell the beginning of his long downfall. He would go 5–0, then 7–1, then 7–7, before finishing the 1962 season with a 10–11 won-lost record
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
, a 3.56 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
, and the league lead in walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
(122), the only time Belinsky ever led his league in any pitching category.
Perhaps tellingly, however, after throwing the no-hitter Belinsky also said, "If music be the food of love, by all means let the band play on." The 1962 season was a raucous one for Belinsky in that he became glittering copy for southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
sportswriters with his wit and unapologetic womanizing. "Within days of his no-hitter Belinsky would be heralded as sport's most original and engaging playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
-athlete," pitcher-turned-journalist Pat Jordan
Pat Jordan (author)
Pat Jordan is a leading sports writer with his work included in the Best American Sports Writing anthology series seven times. He is also the acclaimed author of A False Spring, a bittersweet memoir about his minor league baseball career, which is ranked #37 on Sports Illustrated's Top 100 Sports...
wrote in a striking 1971 Sports Illustrated profile. "His name would become synonymous with a lifestyle that was cool and slick and dazzling . . . But in time the name Belinsky would become synonymous with something else. It would become synonymous with dissipated talent."
The no-hitter was the first of eight thrown by Jewish pitchers in a decade spanning from 1962 to 1971. The others: Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965; Joe Horlen
Joe Horlen
Joel Edward Horlen is a right-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. Horlen pitched for the Chicago White Sox from to , and the Oakland Athletics in ....
in 1967; and Ken Holtzman
Ken Holtzman
Kenneth Dale Holtzman is a left-handed former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics...
in 1969 and 1971.
In addition to pitching the first no-hitter in Angels' history, Belinsky was also on the losing end of the first no-hitter ever pitched against the Angels—Earl Wilson's 2–0 gem at Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
on June 26 of the same 1962 season. The Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
pitcher hit a home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
in that game, one of three no-hit pitchers ever to do so.
Later life
Belinsky became a kind of protege to fading but still influential and show businessShow business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
-connected newspaper columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell was an American newspaper and radio gossip commentator.-Professional career:Born Walter Weinschel in New York City, he left school in the sixth grade and started performing in a vaudeville troupe known as Gus Edwards' "Newsboys Sextet."His career in journalism was begun by posting...
. He was linked romantically, at one time or another, to such women as Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
, Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...
, Tina Louise
Tina Louise
Tina Louise is an American actress, singer, and author. She is best known for her role as the "movie star" Ginger Grant on the television situation comedy Gilligan's Island .-Early life:...
, and Mamie Van Doren
Mamie Van Doren
Mamie Van Doren is an American actress and singer; who rose to popularity as Universal Pictures's version of 20th Century Fox's Marilyn Monroe....
, the last his fiancee for a year. Contemporary player Mike Hegan
Mike Hegan
James Michael "Mike" Hegan is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder and later radio announcer for the Cleveland Indians. In 1969, Hegan hit the first home run in Seattle Pilots history in his first at-bat.He is the son of longtime Indians catcher Jim Hegan...
once said, "Bo had more fun off the field than he did on the field."
Belinsky fell to 1–7 in 1963, and was sent to the Angels' minor league team in Hawaii, where he pitched his way back and finished the year with a 2–9 major league record. A game he pitched and won for the Angels in Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
set a record of sorts; the headline the following day, in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
read: "476 --Count 'Em – See Bo Stifle Orioles."
But Belinsky was 9–7 with a career-best 2.86 ERA in August 1964 when came the incident that ended his days with the Angels: a hotel room fight with elderly Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
sportswriter Braven Dyer. Belinsky was suspended from the Angels, then traded to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
after the season for Costen Shockley
Costen Shockley
John Costen Shockley is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for two seasons...
and Rudy May
Rudy May
Rudolph May, Jr. is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from to for the California Angels, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Montreal Expos...
. After spending a little over a season with the Phillies, in which he was used mostly as a long reliever before his release to the minor leagues, Belinsky also pitched for the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
, the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, before his career ended in the Cincinnati minor league system in 1970.
"What was clear," Jordan wrote, "was that Belinsky had dissipated a promising career, that people had grown tired of him, and that most of the problem could be traced to his personality. He did not have the knack of such later athletes – the Namaths
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
, Harrelsons
Ken Harrelson
Kenneth Smith Harrelson , nicknamed "The Hawk" due to his distinctive profile, is a former All-Star first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball...
, and Sandersons
Derek Sanderson
Derek Michael Sanderson, nicknamed "Turk", , is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is now a bank executive and restaurateur....
– of cultivating his personality precisely up to, but not beyond, that point at which the public became bored with it."
Belinsky married and divorced Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
Playmate of the Year Jo Collins
Jo Collins
Jo Collins was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for December 1964 and Playmate of the Year for 1965. Her original pictorial was photographed by Mario Casilli....
, then heiress Janie Weyerhaeuser. He eventually overcame alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
to become first a counselor and spokesman for the alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse, as described in the DSM-IV, is a psychiatric diagnosis describing the recurring use of alcoholic beverages despite negative consequences. Alcohol abuse eventually progresses to alcoholism, a condition in which an individual becomes dependent on alcoholic beverages in order to avoid...
program he entered in Hawaii and, then, an auto agency representative in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. Clean, sober, and a born-again Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
("Can you imagine," he was quoted as saying, "finding Jesus Christ in Las Vegas?"), Belinsky battled bladder cancer
Bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of malignant growths of the urinary bladder. It is a disease in which abnormal cells multiply without control in the bladder. The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ that stores urine; it is located in the pelvis...
before his death in Las Vegas of an apparent heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at age 64.
Veteran sportswriter Maury Allen
Maury Allen
Maury Allen was an American sportswriter, actor, and former columnist for the New York Post and the Journal-News. He was also a voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Allen wrote 40 books on American sports icons...
wrote a biography of Belinsky, Bo: Pitching and Wooing, "with the uncensored cooperation of Bo Belinsky," in 1973.
Criminal accusations
Gloria Eves, a former nightclub cashier and hatcheck attendant, filed a $150,000 damage suit against Belinsky following an assault on June 13, 1962. Eves, a resident of 7130 Hollywood BoulevardHollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
, claimed to have been dragged by Belinsky from the rear seat of his late model
Late model
A "late model car" is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. The term is broadly used in car racing, and often appears in common use, as in "The officer was driving an unmarked, late model sedan."There is no precise...
Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
. She asked $50,000 for disfigurement
Disfigurement
Disfigurement is the state of having one's appearance deeply and persistently harmed medically, as from a disease, birth defect, or wound.Disfigurement, whether caused by a benign or malignant condition, often leads to severe psychosocial problems such as negative body image; depression;...
and $100,000 for medical costs and punitive damages
Punitive damages
Punitive damages or exemplary damages are damages intended to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit...
. Prior to the 5 A.M. offense, Belinsky partied with a group of Hollywood celebrities, Eddie Fisher
Eddie Fisher (singer)
Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher , was an American entertainer. He was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, Keely Smith
Keely Smith
Keely Smith is an American jazz and popular music singer who enjoyed popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. She collaborated with, among others, Louis Prima and Frank Sinatra.-Career:...
, and Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
. Eves refused to press charges in the immediate time following the incident involving Belinsky.
Eves received six surgical sutures after hitting her head during the altercation. Earlier on the same evening Eves and her roommate, Bridget (Bright) Whitaker, 33, attended a party at the Ambassador Hotel and another at a private home in Beverly Hills. A Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
officer held Belinsky for questioning before he was released after Belinsky's story was corroborated by Whitaker and his teammate, Dean Chance
Dean Chance
Wilmer Dean Chance is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. Over the right hander's 11-year major league career, he would play for the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, and Detroit Tigers...
. Both confirmed his statement that Eves' eye was injured by accident. Belinsky's encounter with Eves was incremental in his career, tarnishing his reputation following his no-hitter.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
- List of select Jewish baseball players