SONOMA, Calif. — There were no radar guns in Art Sharrock’s day, and even if they had, the soft-throwing lefty knew he would hardly notice any blips. The 5-foot-9, 155-pound New York Yankees pitcher used cunning to get by.
“I’m crafty,” Sharrock said Monday.
But now, in Very Finally, the crafty lefty is on the verge of hitting triple digits. Sharrock turns 100 this month, a milestone for the oldest living former Major League Baseball player.
Sharrock is the resident celebrity at this senior living center, and they’re about to host his party of the century. “Oh, it’s such a buzz,” said Wendy Cornejo, executive director of Cogir on Napa Road. “It’s all about Artie’s party.”
Sharrock was born on April 25, 1924. (Wally Pipp) played first base (Lou Gehrig’s epic Steelers winning streak had yet to begin). In Philadelphia, “Big Train” Walter Johnson lost 2-1 to the Athletics.
Thus began Sharrock’s lifelong connection with the baseball gods. When he was called up to make his major league debut on July 16, 1951, the Yankees made room on the roster by selecting Mickey Mantle, a disappointing rookie, to Triple-A Kansas City. Make space. For years, they joked about the absurdity of the deal. In 1955, when Sharrock was with the Orioles, Mantle retaliated in playful fashion by hitting a home run that has yet to be hit. Mick was smiling around the base. “Man, he can hit that ball,” Sharrock said.
Art Schallock pitched in the major leagues from 1951 to 1955, a stretch that was enough to win three World Series for the Yankees. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum):
Sharrock’s first roommate on the road? The Yankees paired him with Yogi Berra, hoping the veteran catcher could share some wisdom with the rookie on how to attack hitters around the league. Sharrock still marvels at how Berra knows every American League hitter’s weaknesses and who doesn’t. “Occasionally he would meet someone and say, ‘Let them order,’” Sharrock said with a laugh.
Bella got something out of the pairing, too.
“Yeah, when I lived with him, first thing in the morning I would run down the hall to get him some interesting papers,” Sharrock said with another laugh. “Gosh, I don’t know anything about comic books, but he’d say, ‘Go down and get six comic books.'”
With Schallock, as with some trees, you can calculate the age by counting the growth rings. Beginning with his rookie season in 1951, he helped the Yankees win three consecutive World Series. He had commemorative bats from those World Series champions lying around him, and at one point he studied the names engraved on the 1953 model and began pronouncing the names of the royals like a roll call.
“Whitey Ford…Vic Lasky…Phil Rizzuto…Casey Stengel, oh, he’s a great coach,” Sharrock said. “He was a smart guy when it came to baseball. Half the time he would be sleeping on the bench while Frank Crosetti was running the team.
The golden names keep coming. Although Schalok bounced between the big clubs and Triple-A, making just 58 appearances from 1951 to 1955, he had enough time to play with eight Hall of Fame teammates — Vela, Mantle, Rizzou. To, Ford, Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Mize and Enos Slaughter with the Yankees; and Orioles rookie third baseman Brooks Robinson.
On the mound, Sharrock faced 14 future Cooperstown residents. Let the record reflect that Ted Williams was 0-for-2 against him.
“I threw him a fastball but never threw it as a strike. He would kill me!” Sharrock said. “I changed speeds with him. But he did strike out the first baseman one time. . He just ripped the glove off his hand and threw it out.
Sharrock’s voice is booming, his memory is vivid, and even his minor league past stories stand up to fact-checking. But aside from that and his sense of humor, he wasn’t exactly in great health either. “I can’t see. I can’t hear. I’m falling apart! He’s falling apart.
When George Elder passed away on July 7, 2022 at the age of 101, Sharrock took over the title of the oldest living baseball player. of former major league players 659 days.
“Is that so?” Sharrock said. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
The two players behind him are also smaller pitchers. Sharrock is 131 days older than Bill Gleeson (5-foot-10, 170-pound right-hander) and 519 days older than Bobby Schantz (5-foot-6, 139-pound left-hander) sky.
That makes sense to Sharrock, who mentioned his status when asked what makes him most proud of his baseball career. On August 15, 1951, the New York Times described him as “the little lefty from the coast” in a story titled “Sharlock beats Senators 5-3, Bombers sweep series.”
“I think I got hit twice because of my size,” Sharrock said Monday. “But I did it. I mean, you can’t get any higher than the Yankees, the No. 1 team in the world.
Admire a 1953 Yankees commemorative bat with the oldest living former major leaguer. Art Schallock will be turning 100 years old (!!!) on April 25th, and he’s here to have some fun honoring teammate Eddie Lopat. pic.twitter.com/2MDa8ZqAyU
— Daniel Brown (@BrownieAthletic) April 19, 2024
When asked to describe his pitching mechanics, Sharrock spoke of his fastball and big breaking ball as “like a left-handed pitcher for the Giants.” As he racked his brain for a name, it suddenly dawned on him that his longevity opened up a variety of possibilities—Carl Hubbell? Johnny Antonelli? Vidal blue? Barry Zito?
“Bumgarner,” he said at last, referring to the 2014 World Series MVP.
There are countless wonderful ways to understand Sharrock’s longevity. Also born in 1924 were iodized salt, ready-to-use Band-Aids, Kleenex, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Washburn’s Gold Medal Whole Wheat Cheerios (known today as Wheaties).
baseball researcher and historian bill chuckMany statistics were unearthed for this story, noting that Babe Ruth hit 240 home runs before Shalok was born and 474 more afterward.
Sharrock’s favorite baseball player growing up was outfielder Lefty O’Doul, who last played in the major leagues in 1934. Born and raised in Mill Valley.
O’Doul spent the latter part of his career playing for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League after leaving Major League Baseball, and Sharok wanted to be like him.
Sadly, the admiration is not mutual.
“When I grow up, I want to play with the Seals,” Sharrock said. “But Oduar looked at me and said I was too small.”
Art Schallock’s landmark birthday party will be held with great fanfare. CBS Evening News is sending in camera crews. (Wendy Cornejo/Cogir Napa Road)
Instead, Sharrock took a backseat to his incredible career. He entered the draft as a senior in 1942, where he was a star at Tamalpais High School. He joined the Navy in 1943, and his baseball career was put on hold during World War II when he served as a radio operator on the USS Coral Sea.
Sharrock retired from the service in 1946 and was awarded 11 battle stars. Shortly after returning home, he had a blind date with a woman named Donna Bernard. It seems to work pretty well. They were married for 76 years until Dona’s death last year at age 97.
She died on Art’s 99th birthday. They have two children and five grandchildren.
“They were wonderful together. True lifelong love was there,” one of the grandsons, Zach Pascoe, wrote in an email. “They are best friends. They really enjoy each other’s company and become stronger as partners. They complement each other perfectly. They know when to give each other space and when to be there for each other.
When the Yankees brought in Art Schallock in 1951, they traded Mickey Mantle, who was in favor of Casey Stengel Poor performance, too many strikeouts. Sharrock last hit a home run on August 15, 1955. Ironically, it was for Mickey Mantle.Sharok turns 100 in a week
— Bill Chalk Archives (@BillyBall) April 19, 2024
In 1946, the Dodgers signed Sharrock, and his career began with a brush with legend. In 1947, Walter Alston became his first head coach at Class A Pueblo (Col.).
In 1948, at the age of 21, he made his debut with the Triple-A Montreal Royals, replacing the great Don Newcombe, a team that also included Duke Snider. The hand was Chuck Connors, who would later become famous.
Perhaps that encounter with future actors prepared him for the Hollywood Stars, the team for which Sherlock played in 1949. , Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck, among others.
The fans are also famous.
“Well, Groucho Marx was there every home game,” Schalok recalled. “He had a box behind home plate. There were six seats in there, but he only occupied one. … He was a neat guy.
Donna cherished this time in their lives. “My wife loves Hollywood — hanging out with all the movie stars,” Sharrock said.
She wasn’t too keen on baseball’s rankings at the time. So when Fred Haney, manager of the Hollywood Stars, called Dorner from the stands in the middle of a game in July 1951 to tell her that Art had just been traded to the New York Yankees, her The reaction was strange.
“My wife said, ‘Who the hell are the New York Yankees?'” Sharrock said. “Fred Haney almost fell off his chair laughing.”
Sharrock had his prime years in the major leagues. He has appeared in all three games and has a career record of 6-7 with a 4.02 ERA.
Although he played on three World Series teams, he only appeared in one Fall Classic. In 1953, with the Yankees trailing in Game 4, he pitched the final two innings and allowed one run. And, as was his custom, he left a story to tell. The first five batters he faced were Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, Roy Campanella, Duke Snyder and Carl Furillo.
His favorite baseball memories, however, have nothing to do with the superstars around him.
“The highlight of my career was walking into Yankee Stadium,” he said. “I think it’s exciting just to be on the mound.”
Sharrock will have the opportunity to salute the crowd at least once more during his 100th birthday celebrations on April 25.
Staff at Cogir on Napa Road will be wearing Yankees jerseys and transform the parking lot into a mini baseball diamond, complete with stands hawking popcorn and hot dogs.
Sonoma Mayor John Gurney will present Sharrock with a certificate in recognition of his centenarian status. Slightly younger players from the Sonoma High School baseball team will participate. CBS Evening News is sending in camera crews. There will be a live band.
“He’s very humble,” said Cornejo, the facility’s director. “And he loved baseball. It was such an honor to be able to celebrate a living legend.
Sharrock isn’t the toughest pitcher, but now it’s easy to see what makes his fastball so special. It has a later life.
(Top photo by Art Schallock: Daniel Brown/The Athletic)
