Oakland A's relievers Rollie Fingers, left, and Jim Todd in 1975.
LNP Archives
Remembering Jim Todd, McCaskey Hall of Famer and major league pitcher for 6 seasons
By Jason Guarente/LNP | LancasterOnline
LNP Archives
Oakland A's relievers Rollie Fingers, left, and Jim Todd in 1975.
Jim Todd was only allowed to throw one or two curveballs a game when he was 12. The right-hander was told to protect his arm.
If Todd found himself in a tight spot, he looked over at his dad to ask for permission. Jim Sr. either nodded or shook his head.
One time, while playing for Hamilton Watch, Todd was facing one of the league’s best hitters at the end of a close game. He felt like he needed his curve. His dad nodded.
Strike three.
Those were the early days for one of Lancaster’s most accomplished athletes. Todd played baseball, football and basketball at McCaskey and made it to the major leagues for six seasons in the 1970s.
James Richard Todd, Jr., who spent most of his adult life in Colorado, died earlier this month. He was 77.
Don Todd, younger by seven years, idolized his brother while they were growing up. The stories remain vivid decades later.
“I went to every game he ever played,” Don said. “I can tell you that.”
Before Jim Todd wore a mustache and fired pitches for the Chicago Cubs, Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners, he did it all at McCaskey.
The 6-foot-2 standout was a shortstop and pitcher in baseball, a quarterback and safety in football and a guard in hoops until he graduated in 1965.
Glenn Brooks, McCaskey’s catcher in those days, remembers squatting behind the plate without a backstop. If a ball ever got past Brooks, it was “a long trip back” to retrieve it.
That was never a problem when Todd was on the mound.
“He was always around the plate and kept it low,” Brooks said. “He usually hit my glove. So the pressure was on me to set up the right target.”
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Steelton-Highspire was one of McCaskey’s rivals in the Central Penn League. Earl “Skip” Sites pitched a no-hitter against Steel-High the first time the teams met in 1964. Todd took the ball the second time and did even better. He pitched a perfect game.
Jack Neal, Todd’s American Legion teammate with St. Joe, was two grades behind his fellow Lancaster County Sports Hall of Famer.
Neal recalls Todd’s hitting prowess as much as his pitching. Todd was one of the most dangerous bats in McCaskey’s lineup.
“What I remember most about him is he had such a smooth, left-handed swing,” Neal said. “It sticks out in my mind.”
Todd went to Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa before returning home to attend Millersville, where he played baseball and basketball. He was drafted by the Cubs in the 10th round in 1969. Five years later, at age 26, he reached the big leagues.
What followed was a solid career as a reliever marked by occasional brushes with immortals. Todd was a set-up man in front of Rollie Fingers when both were in the A’s bullpen.
The Lancaster native appeared on the cover of The Sporting News alongside Fingers and Paul Lindblad. “To the Rescue!” the headline read, “Oakland A’s Relief Aces.”
Don Todd and four of his friends took a road trip to Oakland to watch Jim during the 1975 season. One appearance was more memorable, and stressful, than the others.
Fingers was used earlier in a game, so Todd was brought in to face Jim Rice with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning. Rice fouled off a few pitches before hitting a lazy fly ball to right field. It was caught by Reggie Jackson.
Todd didn’t have much chance to use his smooth, left-handed swing in the majors. He had 17 career at-bats and one hit. It was a single up the middle against Philadelphia Phillies ace Steve Carlton at Veterans Stadium in 1974.
There’s a mention of Todd in the Baseball Hall of the Fame. A display includes a plaque listing Hank Aaron’s final home runs. Todd’s name is engraved on it. He allowed Aaron’s 750th on the way to 755.
“Believe me, he thought it was cool,” Don Todd said. “And his family thought it was cool.”
Todd moved to Colorado after retiring from baseball and brokered freight for many years. He also worked as a real estate appraiser.
Nothing could compare to his six seasons in the big leagues. The right-hander won 25 games and posted a 4.23 ERA in 511 innings. He made his last appearance in 1979, a week after he turned 32.
“If you take the best thing you’ve ever done and multiply it by 100, then you would get the feeling of what it’s like to have a dream come true and play in the major leagues,” Todd said in a 2013 interview with LNP | LancasterOnline.com.
Todd didn’t just make it. He stayed long enough to make an impression.
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