Boys of Summer reflect

1959 Plymouth All-Stars Reunion filled with jokes and a lot of pride over nearly winning a Pa. Little League title

PLYMOUTH – Petey Savage gave an honest answer: He foul-tipped the ball. By admitting that, the 1959 Plymouth Little League All-Stars were soon to be denied their chance for a trip to the Little League World Series.“Imagine that? An honest lawyer,” quipped John “Diddy” Adams, the catcher on the team.

Savage, Adams and eight other members of the 1959 team gathered recently at Happy Pizza in Plymouth. They sat around tables, ate some pizza, drank a little beer and recalled their storybook season.

Back then, the team traveled to Brookline, near Pittsburgh, to play in the state tournament. Four teams were to battle for the state crown and a trip to the East Regional.

Plymouth played Chester on Friday night and the two teams battled to a 2-2 tie after eight innings before darkness halted the game. When it resumed Saturday morning, a pinch-hitter for Chester lofted a home run in the top of the ninth for the lead and eventual win.

However, the Shawnee Indians (Plymouth’s nickname) thought they had won the game in the bottom of the sixth on Friday night. Center fielder Ed Stabulis was on third when Savage swung at the ball and it got past the Chester catcher. Stabulis raced home with what everyone thought was the winning run and a trip to the state final the next day.

The Chester catcher asked the umpire if Savage had foul-tipped the ball. The umpire questioned Savage, and the 12-year-old – a future attorney -- admitted his bat just nicked it. Stabulis was sent back to third and Plymouth’s victory was lost.

“The umpire asked me and I couldn’t lie,” Savage said on Wednesday as his teammates continued to rib him. Savage, now living in Eagles Mere, was on base in the bottom of the ninth when John Galazin lifted a long fly to right that was caught by the same player who had hit the go-ahead pinch-hit home run in the top of the inning. Plymouth’s state title quest was over.

When the team returned from Pittsburgh, the town gave the players a parade. Thousands turned out to honor the team. An awards dinner was held at St. Stephen’s Hall on Wadham Street, near the team’s home park. The Wyoming Valley West High School now sits on the land where the Plymouth field was located.

In 1960, with only Fred Rowlands and Tom Oldfield returning, Plymouth lost in the District 16 title game.

Coaches taught the players well

There was a lot of laughter in Happy Pizza’s Shawnee Room – an appropriately named setting for this gathering. The “all-stars” shared stories and revealed details of their last 50 years. They talked about jobs and kids and life. But there was one subject they just couldn’t get away from – baseball.

“Remember the West Pittston game?” asked Eddie Harry, now a union representative. “They had that lefty that was supposed to be unbeatable.”

Ricky Williams said, “Yeah, then you (Harry) led off with a homer and Pechulis hit one right after.”

Harry said he knew Plymouth was going to win when the lefty threw his first pitch.

“He had this big curveball that broke right at you,” Harry recalled. “When I crossed home plate after I hit the home run, I said to Joe (Pechulis), ‘This guy is easy.’ ”

For a team of twelve 12-year-olds, two 11-year-olds and two alternates, the Plymouth squad was as fundamentally sound as you would find. They attributed their baseball acumen to their coaches – Dick Williams, the manager, and Tony “Stush” Gayson, assistant coach – both now deceased.

“They taught us situational baseball,” said Rowlands, a school teacher. “They would put runners on bases and ask us, ‘If the ball’s hit to here or there where do you go?’ Everybody had a place to go on every play. Nobody ever stood still.”

Williams’ father was the manager. He said his dad and Gayson knew the team had a chance to go far.

“We had great pitching – Pechulis and Galazin,” Williams said. “Everybody on the team could hit – there were no weak spots in the lineup or off the bench. And we played great defense.”

Adams was the team’s catcher. “Nothing got by him,” Pechulis said. Adams is a retired school teacher from Crestwood, where he coached baseball. He said Pechulis, retired from the military, was successful because he never threw the ball down the middle.

“He was always low and away, high inside, high outside, low inside,” Adams said. “At 12 years old, he knew how to pitch.”

Pechulis and Adams played together at Plymouth High School. They recalled a memorable game in 1964 against Northwest when Pechulis struck out 21 batters in a seven-inning game.

“One guy got a hit, but Diddy threw him out trying to steal third,” Pechulis said. “The way I got the 21 strikeouts was because a batter reached on a passed ball on a third strike. It was a strikeout, but not a putout. I struck out the next guy.”

Outscored eight tourney foes, 47-7

Jesse Hobbs organized the reunion. His first thought was to gather before a Plymouth Little League all-star game, but the team didn’t draw a home game. Hobbs thought maybe the team should walk in the sixth annual Kielbasa Festival Parade, but that idea never took off. So last Wednesday’s gathering was the best way Hobbs thought the team could get together and remember the summer of ’59.

“You know sometimes I have trouble remembering what I ate for breakfast,” Adams said. “But I’ll never forget this team and what we accomplished.”

The team had a huge following. Williams said there had to be 5,000 people at the District 16 title game played at Plymouth against West Pittston and that “unbeatable” lefty pitcher. The ballpark was adjacent to Huber Field in Plymouth.

In their first two games, Plymouth beat Sugar Notch 8-0 and Newport 5-0 as Pechulis and Galazin fired back-to-back no-hitters. Next was Kingston and a 9-1 victory, then West Pittston, 5-0, in the D-16 title game. The Shawnee Indians defeated Old Forge 8-0 and followed that with a win over Lewistown and a trip to the state tournament.

According to records provided by Williams, the manager’s son, in their eight tournament games, Plymouth scored 47 runs and gave up just seven. They committed only three errors; threw two no-hitters and no opposing team earned more than five hits in a game.

After losing to Chester, Plymouth played Johnstown in the consolation game for third place. Galazin struck out 14 and hit a homer. Dave Rowlands hit a grand slam and his younger brother, Fred, also homered in the 7-1 win.

Galazin now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and couldn’t make the gathering. He said he remembers the 1959 regular season and the level of competition.

“I played on the UGI team in Little League and Diddy was my catcher,” Galazin said. “I remember how good all these guys were and it was a real treat to go out there with them behind me instead of having to face them.”

“We picked each other up,” he said. “I remember the no-hitter I threw. Fred Rowlands made one of the most spectacular plays I have ever seen at third base to keep it alive. It was that kind of team.”

“We played stickball together all the time,” Pechulis said. “We knew each other and we liked each other.”

That was evident Wednesday night. Hobbs, Williams, Adams, Pechulis, Fred Rowlands, Eddie Harry, Oldfield and Savage renewed their special time together. Ron Dopko is in Virginia, Ron Heidel in Florida, Stabulis in Cleveland, and Dave Rowlands lives in Houston. Those four and Galazin couldn’t make the reunion. Frank Harry is the only teammate who is deceased. The team’s two alternates – Joe Scibek and Matt Cooper – also attended the gathering on Wednesday.

“We felt we were a part of the team.” Scibek said. “We practiced with them and competed against them.”

Cooper said he will never forget the experience. “Everybody on the team was good,” he said.

Their names are etched in the minds of those old enough to remember. They brought notoriety and glory to Old Shawnee.