Remember Bob Welch? If you do, odds are it's for his vaunted career as a Cy Young Award-winning pitcher with the Dodgers and then the Oakland A's. More specifically you might know of his epic showdown with Reggie Jackson in Game 2 of the 1978 World Series. His friends and family, however, remember a good man who overcame alcoholism at an early age and who become beloved and respected inside the game and out. Welch was found dead in his bathtub on Monday June 9. He died of a heart attack.
Perhaps Welch's biggest moment in the sun was when he struck out Reggie Jackson in the 1978 World Series to win Game 2 (via MaComb Daily):
"It was an iconic moment in game two of the 1978 World Series. It was Jackson's Yankees taking on the Dodgers. Welch was a 21-year-old rookie out of Eastern Michigan University called into the game to protect a one-run lead with one out in the ninth inning. He got Thurman Manson to fly out before facing Jackson, one of the game's most feared power hitters."
Yet as much as he accomplished as a pitcher, it was Bob's personality that most people remembered when his memorial service was held in Scottsdale the week following his death (via Major League Baseball):
"His memorial service Saturday wasn't filled with stories of his exploits on the baseball diamond, but the friendships he made around and off of it.
"'He was a perfect teammate,' his former manager Tony La Russa said. 'He was as good of a competitor as we could have, plus he was very talented.'
"That was the focus at his memorial service: how good a teammate he was, whether it was in baseball or amateur hockey."
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