Apr. 8, 1964 - The Detroit Tigers today acquired pitcher Larry Sherry (pictured with his wife Sally in 1959) from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for minor league outfielder Lou Johnson of Syracuse and cash. Johnson, 30, played last year for Toronto and Syracuse. He batted .296.
Sherry reached his peak with the Dodgers in the 1959 World Series against the Chicago White Sox. He pitched in all four winning games, winning two and saving the others. Last year, Sherry appeared in 36 games and had a 2-6 record and 3.71 earned run average.
A trade to Detroit represents a break for Sherry, since the Dodgers are developing younger pitchers like Joe Moeller, Phil Ortega, and Nick Willhite, and Larry doesn’t get enough work to stay sharp.
The prime favorite to replace Sherry is southpaw Jim Brewer, a 26-year-old fugitive from the Chicago Cubs. Now on the Dodgers’ Spokane roster, Brewer was impressive as a relief pitcher with Los Angeles this spring. Brewer, who has a little less than four complete years’ major league experience, gained a measure of fame when Billy Martin, then with the Reds, broke his jaw during a melee several years ago.
“Brewer has control and keeps the ball down,” said Dodger manager Walter Alston today, “which is what you’re looking for in a relief pitcher. We have until Monday midnight to decide who we’ll put on the roster, so there’s no point in rushing into a decision now.”
Alston expressed regret at Sherry’s departure.
“Without him, we never would have won the pennant and the World Series in ’59,” Alston said. “He’s a hard worker and always puts out 100%.”
The 28-year-old Sherry had this to say: “I hate to leave L.A. and the Dodgers, but I’ve never been content to sit idle. [Tiger manager] Chuck Dressen phoned me this morning and told me he had some plans for me as a relief pitcher. In ’59, when Chuck was a Dodger coach, he helped me a lot.”
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