Play Ball, You Pilots!

SICK’S STADIUM

Doris Doubleday & His Command Pilots – Go, Go, You Pilots

It’s May 13, 1969, a balmy Monday and a great night for baseball at Sick’s Stadium. Here’s game two of a four-game series between the brand new Seattle Pilots and the New York Yankees. Seattle won yesterday’s opener.

Home town fans are hearing Bill Schonley and Jimmy Dudley call the balls and strikes on 570 KVI, but this broadcast comes from the Yankee Radio Network and its affiliate station, WGY 820 in Schenectady, New York. Play-by-play is by Frank Messer and Jerry Coleman.

The Yankee pitcher is Washington resident Mel Stottlemyre. Mel became pitching coach of the Seattle Mariners and retired in 2008.

In the expansion draft, future Seattle Mariner manager Lou Piniella was sent to the Pilots from Cleveland’s AAA farm club, the Pacific Coast League Portland Beavers. During spring training, he was filled with pessimism after seven years in the minor leagues and, according to teammate Jim Bouton, said he’d probably retire from baseball if he got sent back down. But on April Fools Day, Lou was traded to Kansas City where he became Rookie of the Year. Read all about it in Ball Four by Jim Bouton. It’s a good book and Bouton made a bunch of enemies by telling a lot of secrets.

LOU PINELLA

Imagine baseball in Seattle if Lou Piniella had given it up in 1969.
Listen straight through if you can. You’ll enjoy it! Can’t beat fun at the old ballpark!!
The team theme song, “Go-Go You Pilots”, was written by Rod Belcher, a long-time broadcaster and sportscaster in Tacoma and Seattle. He did play-by-play for the Seattle Rainiers in 1957 and 1958.

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