Known for an incredible act of forgiveness as much as his baseball prowess, Johnny Roseboro is one of the most memorable catchers in Major League Baseball history. He spent most of his years catching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, including on three World Series champion teams.
On the field, Roseboro was known for is great defensive skills. He won two Gold Gloves and ably replaced the beloved long-time catcher for the Dodgers, Roy Campanella.
Roseboro also was part of one of the ugliest incidents in baseball history in 1965 when pitcher Juan Marichal clubbed Roseboro over the head with a baseball bat during an argument. But he might be best remembered for what happened afterward.
Johnny Roseboro Early Life
Johnny Roseboro was born May 13, 1933, in Ashland, Ohio, about 50 miles southwest of Cleveland. He played at Central State University, where he was discovered by scouts for the Dodgers.
He signed as a free agent with the Dodgers, then in Brooklyn, just before the 1952 season. Roseboro spent the 1952 season at the Sheboygan Indians of the Wisconsin State League, where he hit .365. He spent many years in the minors, partly because of his military service, which led to him missing all of the 1954 season.
He was promoted to Brooklyn in 1957 at the age of 24. He hit .145 in 65 at-bats.
Johnny Roseboro MLB Career
Because of his great skills behind the plate, the Dodgers planned to have Roseboro eventually take over for Campanella. That timetable got moved forward in 1958. In January of that year, Campanella had a solo accident after his car hit ice while he was driving home to Glen Cove, N.Y., from a liquor store he ran in Harlem. He damaged his spinal cord in the accident. Although he regained use of his arms and hands, he spent the rest of his life needing a wheelchair for mobility.
Roseboro responded well to his sudden promotion in the 1958 season, hitting .271 and making the All-Star Game. He went on to be the primary catcher for the Dodgers through the 1967 season.
When Was The First All-Star Game?
Roseboro was part of many great Dodgers teams. In 1959, the Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. In 1963, the Dodgers swept the New York Yankees in the World Series, and in 1965 the team beat the Minnesota Twins in the World Series. He also was on the 1966 Dodgers team that won the American League pennant but lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.
Roseboro won Gold Gloves in 1961 and 1966 and was named to the All-Star team six times.
The Marichal Incident
The Aug. 22, 1965 game between the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants featured two contending teams with their best pitchers on the mound – Sandy Koufax for the Dodgers and Marichal for the Giants.
In the bottom of the third inning, Marichal hit Roseboro over the head with a bat, something never seen before or since on a major league field, according to ESPN.
Earlier, Marichal had heated up an already hot competition by pitching a high and tight fastball to Dodger Maury Wills in the second inning after Wills bunted for a hit in the first. Koufax responded by pitching Giants superstar Willie Mays inside with a fastball in the bottom of the second. Then, Marichal responded to that by pitching Ron Fairly so far inside it sent him to the ground to avoid getting hit.
Tempers were running high, clearly. Marichal stepped to the plate for his at-bat in the bottom of the third. The home plate umpire had already threatened ejection for the next inside pitch. Roseboro, not wanting Koufax thrown out of the game, decided to instead throw the ball back to Koufax after his first pitch in a way that it went right past Marichal’s face.
Marichal turned to say something to Roseboro. Roseboro said something back. Then, Marichal hit him over the head. That started a melee that delayed the game 14 minutes as even the umpire got into the action, tackling Marichal, who was still swinging his bat.
Most people credit Mays for stopping the fight and keeping it from getting worse. Roseboro needed 14 stitches to close the wound. Marichal issued an apology the next day. He was suspended for nine games.
Despite the ugliest of the incident, the two later became friends. When the Baseball Hall of Fame passed over Marichal in his first two years of eligibility, Roseboro stepped forward to publicly back Marichal and helped him get selected in 1983. Marichal thanked him during his acceptance speech.
After Baseball
On November 28, 1967, the Dodgers traded Roseboro to the Minnesota Twins along with pitcher Bob Miller and Ron Perranoski, with the Dodgers getting pitcher Mudcat Grant and infielder Zoilo Versalles from the Twins.
Roseboro spent the 1968 and 1969 seasons with the Twins. The team released him after the 1969 season. He signed as a free agent with the Washington Senators in December 1969 but was released by the Senators on August 19, 1970. He had one at-bat on Aug. 11, 1970, which turned out to be his last game in the majors.
Roseboro went on to coach for the Senators and the California Angels, then later worked as minor league instructor for the Dodgers. He also ran a public relations company in Los Angeles with his wife, and appeared in a few television shows such as “Dragnet.”
Johnny Roseboro died in 2002 at the age of 69 in Los Angeles from heart disease. At his memorial funeral, one of the honorary pallbearers was Juan Marichal.
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