Voice of Greg Pryor
By Greg Echlin
Though former infielder Greg Pryor got a World Series ring in Kansas City with the 1985 Royals, there’s still a soft spot in his heart for Chicago where he played from 1978 to ’81.
“I was actually extremely lucky to be able to play in Chicago because I was 29 when I was a rookie there (in 1978),” said Pryor whose published memoir called The Day the Yankees Made Me Shave was recently released.
Pryor broke in with the White Sox when Bill Veeck owned the team, so he witnessed the promotional antics at Comiskey Park, including Disco Demolition Night that went terribly wrong, and being lifted for pinch-hitter Minnie Minoso when the popular outfielder came out of retirement to become a five-decade player in 1980.
Pryor was also around when Harold Baines broke in as a rookie with the White Sox in ‘80. Baines is part of this year’s Hall of Fame class at Cooperstown.
“He came up, was very young and was just a free swinger,” said Pryor. “You could tell that he knew how to put the bat on the ball. You needed to leave him alone. He had the right-leg kick as a left-handed hitter and was extremely quiet.”
Before Baines became a full-time designated hitter, Pryor played third base when Baines started a triple play against the Detroit Tigers on June 22, 1980. The late Steve Palermo was umpiring the bases when Duffy Dyer blooped a ball to right with runners on first and third. Though a television replay showed that the ball was trapped, Palermo ruled it as a catch. Lou Whitaker was doubled off first and Pryor took the throw at third.
“I’m standing there and I just said, ‘Well, I’ll just touch the base.’ I touched the base and all of a sudden everybody’s coming off the field,” said Pryor. “I’m thinking, ‘What’s going on?’ They said it’s a triple play and I said, ‘Really?’ I was the last person to know even though I caught the ball.”
Though Baines is entering the Hall as a hitter, he’s the only player in major league history to play at least 1,000 games as the DH and another 1,000 games as a position player.
“Harold, I think, belongs in the Hall of Fame,” said Pryor.