Cruz Brothers

It's the early spring of 1973. 

 

You think back to six years ago, when at the age of 19 you started a solid climb through baseball's minor leagues—from Single-A Modesto to Double-A Arkansas to Triple-A Tulsa. Now you're about to start your third season in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals. 

 

You've also got two younger brothers, and they've been trying to take the same route through the Cardinals' organization.

 

Tommy, the next youngest, has been bouncing up and down from Single-A to Triple-A and back again.

 

And Héctor, the youngest of the three, has been catching up.

 

What a treat that the Cardinals have shown such faith in all three of you! Not only has it made it easier to keep in touch, but it's also helped you work with each other and spur each other on.

 

Now it's time for spring training. You've been focusing on your skills, and preparing for your upcoming season in the bigs. But the Cardinals have just made two announcements that cause you to temporarily lose your focus:

 

(1) They're calling up Tommy for some spring training games with the big club. 

(2) They're calling up Héctor for some spring training games with the big club.  

 

All three of you will be reunited! 

 

 

From left to right: Tommy, Héctor, and José Cruz

And on March 23, 1973, something even more amazing happens. Coach says the three of you will be starting today's game against the New York Mets.

 

Three Cruz brothers, all in the lineup, playing the outfield together! You walk over to the batting order. Manager Red Schoendienst has done the family another solid. You've got the first three spots in the order!

 

Well, you don't need any more motivation or inspiration. The three of you hit well, putting up 3 runs and 3 RBI in a 9–2 win. You've scored more runs than the entire Mets team! 

 

After the game, Schoendienst speaks to the media, saying, "...they're good ballplayers. I guess I batted them at the top for the effect. They have six older brothers back home and, if they come to town, I'll play them, too."

 

What a moment for the Cruz family. 

 

After that magical spring training, plenty of folks must have been excited at the prospect of seeing all three brothers playing full time for the Cardinals. 

 

However, baseball doesn't always give you the straight and simple road.

 

Here are the brothers on cardboard, just a few years later: 

 

 

1977 Topps #42 Jose Cruz, 1977 Topps #624 Hector Cruz, and 1978 TCMA #0109 Tommy Cruz

 

Héctor got some more work done in AAA from 1973 to 1974, and by 1975 he did make it to the show with the Cardinals. In 1976, his first full season in the big leagues, he would finish 3rd in N.L. Rookie of the Year voting.  

 

After 1973, Tommy went back down to AA and AAA and toiled for the next few seasons trying to crack a major league lineup, receiving just a brief cup of coffee with St. Louis in 1973 and the White Sox in 1977. 

 

And in 1975, José would go from St. Louis to Houston, where he put up solid numbers from the start and quickly became a fan favorite. Within a couple of years he became a perennial .300 hitter, good for around 30 doubles, 80 RBI, and 60 stolen bases a year.

  

By 1979, José was on the verge of some All-Star nominations and Silver Slugger awards, while Héctor had gone from the Cardinals to the Cubs to the Giants, putting up serviceable but not stunning numbers at the plate and in the field. 

 

And Tommy?

 

Well, he was still toiling in the minors. He posted good numbers, batting over .300 numerous times with some decent power, but it still wasn't enough to crack a major league lineup. Then, after the 1979 season, an opportunity came along from some distant shores.

 

Japan. 

 

And Tommy decided to go for it. The professional league in Japan was pretty darn good, after all, and the team he'd be playing for, the Nippon-Ham Fighters, had been showing some spunk lately. 

 

But you've got to wonder how Héctor and José felt when Tommy told them he accepted an offer to play overseas. It would have been tricky to follow Tommy's career, at least day to day or week to week. Were the brothers making long-distance phone calls? I mean, how did a ballplayer in America get sports news from Japan back in the early 1980s? There was no internet. And although satellite TV existed, I wonder how many NPB games would have been transmitted to the US. As for Japanese newspapers, it's possible that some big-city libraries in the US carried them. But even if they did, who would translate the articles and box scores?

 

Regardless, I'm sure all three brothers did what they could to keep in touch and cheer each other on.

Here are some stats for all three Cruz brothers. 

 

 

CAREER TOTALS

 

	JOSÉ (19 seasons MLB)	TOMMY (6 seasons NPB)	HÉCTOR (9 seasons MLB)
GAMES PLAYED	2353	712	624
AT-BATS	7917	2780	1607
RUNS	1036	345	186
HITS	2251	863	361
DOUBLES	391	155	71
TRIPLES	94	11	9
HOME RUNS	165	120	39
RBI	1077	466	200
STOLEN BASES	317	9	7
WALKS	898	178	176
STRIKEOUTS	1031	220	317
BATTING AVERAGE	.284	.310	.225
OBP	.354	.351	.301
SLG	.420	.504	.353

 

 

 

BEST SEASON (career highs in bold)

 

	JOSÉ (1983, HOU)	TOMMY (1984, Nippon-Ham Fighters)	HÉCTOR (1976, STL)
GAMES PLAYED	160	124	151
AT-BATS	594	489	526
RUNS	85	66	54
HITS	189	170	120
DOUBLES	28	36	17
TRIPLES	8	2	1
HOME RUNS	14	29	13
RBI	92	96	71
STOLEN BASES	30	0	1
WALKS	65	33	42
STRIKEOUTS	86	37	119
BATTING AVERAGE	.318	.348	.228
OBP	.385	.385	.286
SLG	.463	.607	.338

 

 

José played the outfield, and was a 2x All-Star and 2x Silver Slugger. Along with the year I chose for his best season in the table above (1983), the few seasons that surrounded it were essentially just as good. He finished in the top-10 in batting average in 1978, 1983, and 1984, and led the N.L. in hits in 1983 (189). Over his career, José played for the Cardinals, Astros, and very briefly for the Yankees. His son, José Cruz, Jr., had a very good professional career as well. (Over 1,000 hits, 200 doubles, 200 home runs, and 600 RBI.)

Héctor mostly played the outfield, along with some third base. He suited up for the Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, and Reds. Interestingly, he also played one year of Japan ball in 1983, with the Yomiuri Giants. Tommy had already been over there for a few years at that point. You'd have to think that he spent some time showing Héctor around!

Tommy was also an outfielder. He played a few games for the Cardinals and White Sox, then played for the Nippon-Ham Fighters in the NPB from 1980 through 1985. The Fighters won the Pacific League pennant in 1981, and Tommy must have played a good part in that. (Regular season: 116 games, 138 hits, 30 doubles, 2 triples, 18 home runs, 75 RBI, and a .297/.343/.486 slash line.) 

 

 

So here's to the Cruz brothers. Three pretty solid players (endorsed by Red Schoendienst!), and one magical spring training memory.

 

Reuschel Brothers

It's 1975. 

And here you are, pitching at Triple-A Wichita, pushing hard to get to the big leagues. Your little brother Rick made it to The Show a couple of years ago, and is pitching pretty well for your hometown Chicago Cubs. He's put out lots of good energy into the baseball world for you lately, and combined with all your hard work, it finally brings you the news you've been waiting for. The Cubs are calling you up. You'll be sharing a big-league locker room with your brother! 

As exciting as that is for your family, it gets more memorable on the afternoon of August 21st at Wrigley Field, where your Cubs are hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Rick starts the game off well. In fact, through five innings he hasn't allowed any runs, and only 3 hits. That's when the call comes in: 

Get on the warm-up mound in foul territory and start throwing. 

How cool. Your brother is getting ready for the 6th inning on the main mound, while you're warming up about 200 feet away! With a mixture of adrenaline, joy, and nerves, you say to yourself, Try and stop us. 

The top of the 6th starts and ends quickly, with little bro allowing nothing more than a single across 4 batters. But at that point one of his pitching fingers is showing the signs of a blister, and in the 7th he goes back out on the mound and immediately gives up a single to Steve Garvey. After that, he does manage to induce a ground ball from Willie Crawford, forcing Garvey out at second base. But that looks like it.

A mound visit is underway. 

You watch your manager take the ball from Rick. And now they're pointing over to you. 

You're going to relieve little bro. And as much as you don't want to think about it, a shutout is on the line! 

Thankfully, you finish the rest of the 7th unscathed, and in the 8th you retire Bill Buckner, Davey Lopes, and John Hale without a whole lot of trouble. 

Shutout still intact. 

Back in the dugout, you don't have much time to be nervous. You watch as your team goes down, 1-2-3, in the bottom of the 8th. The top of the 9th is here. 

You get out there and immediately give up a line-drive single to that darned Steve Garvey. But it's just a single. You muster up some courage and get Willie Crawford to fly out to José Cardenal in left field. 

One away. 

Next up is Ron Cey. You induce a grounder to third baseman Bill Madlock. Could this be it?? 

Madlock throws to Manny Trillo at second base to force Steve Garvey out, but Garvey breaks up the double play. Argh! So close! 

But still, it's two away. You're down to the last out. 

Steve Yeager comes up. You check the signs, rear back, and throw one. Yeager connects. The ball flies up into right field, but you realize soon enough that it's going to stay in the park. Jerry Morales gets under it, puts his glove hand up, and squeezes the ball. 

Game over. 

You and little bro combined not only for a win, but for a shutout! And what's more, you're the first pair of brothers to do this in MLB history! What a moment for Rick and Paul Reuschel. 

Here they are, just a few years later:

And here are some numbers:

 

 

CAREER TOTALS

 

	RICK (19 seasons)	PAUL (5 seasons)
WINS	214	16
LOSSES	191	16
ERA	3.37	4.51
STRIKEOUTS	2015	188
WALKS	935	132
SHUTOUTS	26	0
COMPLETE GAMES	1002	1
INNINGS PITCHED	3548.1	393.0

 

 

 

BEST SEASON (career highs in bold)

 

	RICK (1977, CHC)	PAUL (1977, CHC)
WINS	20	5
LOSSES	10	6
ERA	2.79	4.37
STRIKEOUTS	166	62
WALKS	74	40
SHUTOUTS	4	0
COMPLETE GAMES	8	0
INNINGS PITCHED	252.0	107.0

 

Paul pitched in the big leagues for 5 seasons, mostly in middle relief. Over those years, he suited up for the Cubs and Indians. In 1977 he had a very solid season for the Cubs, appearing in 69 games, which placed him in the top 10 for the National League.

Rick was a three-time All Star and two-time Gold Glove winner. For comparison's sake, he had very similar career numbers to Joe Niekro. Over the course of his 19-year career, Reuschel pitched for the Cubs, Yankees, Pirates, and Giants. In 1977 he led the entire majors in WAR with 9.5, and he finished third in Cy Young voting behind Steve Carlton and Tommy John. He was a pretty decent hitter, as well. (1115 AB, 82 R, 187 H, 35 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 79 RBI, 3 SB, .168/.202/.217, 135 sacrifice hits)

 

So let's hear it for the Reuschel brothers. Two big dudes from Illinois who got to pitch for their hometown team together, and set a pretty special record in the process! 

Hunter Brothers

How do you like this run for the Hunter clan? 

 

Oct 10, 1979: Dave Hunter plays in his first NHL game. Scores a goal.

 

Oct 9, 1980: Dale Hunter plays in his first NHL game. Logs two assists.

 

October 8, 1981: Mark Hunter plays in his first NHL game. Scores a goal.

 

 

Yep, that's right. For three straight seasons, a new Hunter brother appeared in the NHL, and each one produced immediately. 

Their draft positions weren't too shabby, either. 

Dave: First-round pick (17th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in 1978

Dale: Second-round pick (41st overall) by the Québec Nordiques in 1979

Mark: First-round pick (7th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in 1981

Mom and dad must have been celebrating all the time back at the homestead in Ontario!

 

And when Edmonton took Dave from Montreal in the 1979 Expansion Draft, it was a Hunter brother takeover of Canadian teams! 

Here they are just a few years later:

1983-84 Vachon #29 Dave Hunter, #46 Mark Hunter, and #66 Dale Hunter

They might have been overshadowed around this time period by the Sutter brothers and the Stastny brothers. But make no mistake—the Hunter brothers were a force. All three were workmanlike. Tough. They could beat you down and score some points before you lifted yourself up off the ice.

Just look at the PIM totals for all three brothers, for example.

 

 

CAREER TOTALS

	DAVE (10 seasons)	DALE (19 seasons)	MARK (12 seasons)
GAMES PLAYED	746	1407	628
GOALS	133	323	213
ASSISTS	190	697	171
POINTS	323	1020	384
PENALTY MINUTES	918	3565	1426
GAME-WINNING GOALS	15	42	19

 

 

BEST INDIVIDUAL SEASON
(Career highs in bold)

	DAVE (1983-84, Edmonton)	DALE (1983-84, Québec)	MARK (1985-86, St. Louis)
GAMES PLAYED	80	77	78
GOALS	22	24	44
ASSISTS	26	55	30
POINTS	48	79	74
PENALTY MINUTES	90	232	171
GAME-WINNING GOALS	3	2	3

 

 

It's pretty impressive that Mark had the most points and most penalty minutes of his career in the same season. It's tougher to put up points when you spend 171 minutes in the box!

Let's cover a little more ground now.

Dave Hunter (LW) played in the NHL from 1979-80 through 1988-89. He was a three-time cup winner with the Oilers, largely overshadowed by the likes of Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, et al. He also suited up for Pittsburgh and Winnipeg.

Dale Hunter (C) played in the NHL from 1980-81 through 1998-99. He received Selke Trophy votes (best defensive forward) quite a few times through his career. However, the cheap shot he put on Pierre Turgeon in the 1992-93 playoffs still upsets a lot of hockey fans—especially on Long Island—and remains a dark mark on Hunter's career. Dale is the all-time leader in career playoff penalty minutes with 731, and sits in second place in career penalty minutes with 3,565. He also played in 186 career playoff games, which, at the time of this writing, places him at #31 all time. And here's a unique distinction: Dale Hunter is the only player in NHL history with 1,000 career points and 3,000 career penalty minutes.

Mark Hunter (RW) played in the NHL from 1981-82 through 1992-93. He was an all-star in 1985-86 with St. Louis, and won the Stanley Cup with Calgary in 1988-89. Overall, he played for Montreal, St. Louis, Calgary, and Hartford. 

 

So why did I add the LW, C, and RW designations for each brother?

Well, I think it's pretty cool that you had a complete forward line of Hunter Brothers.

Do you know what other group of brothers made up a complete forward line in the 1980s? The Stastnys!

How remarkable would it have been if all three Hunter brothers played for Montreal at some point in the early '80s, and faced off against the Stastny brothers with the Nordiques during the season? Or in the playoffs?

 

Or what if Dave and Mark had been traded to Québec to join Dale? The Nordiques could have had one full forward line of Stastny brothers, and the next full forward line of Hunter brothers. That's half of the forwards on the team!

I guess either scenario would have been pretty rough on the play-by-play guy.

Regardless, it's fun to think about. So here's to the Hunter brothers. Three solid hockey men. Three solid careers, to boot.