Don Gullet threw HARD.
As a Cardinals fan, i hated when he pitched against them. He was a fierce competitor on the mound, like a pitching version of Pete Rose.
After high school, I'd drive to St Louis or Cincinnati to see a game, about a 4 hour drive, with Cincy being a bit closer. I saw him pitch several times, and listened to a ton of games on the radio. Gullett was from Greenup County in our home state of Kentucky, so I would cheer him on except when against the Cards.
As good as he was, I felt like he should have pitched for the Dodgers. At that time, I felt like the Dodgers cared about their pitchers, but the Reds would just send pitchers out to the mound until their arms melted off. Had he been in LA, he'd have pitched a few more seasons, I thought. And I still think that.
Gullet broke bats. Gullet threw blazing strikes. Gullet was tough. Gullet was a ball player.
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