Former Pittsburgh and Philadelphia pitcher Kent Tekulve reflects on his life in baseball

Jan. 25—When Kent Tekulve was in the Eastern League in the early 1970s, the sidearm pitcher was looking for a way to create more movement on his pitches.

The Cincinnati native had thrown sidearm since he was a kid, using his thin and lanky stature to his advantage.

"I had long arms and legs," Tekulve said. "I could develop leverage that way."

Tekulve was experimenting with different deliveries and arm slots one day in the outfield when he tossed his first submarine-style pitch, similar to that of Ted Abernathy, a major league pitcher from 1955-72.

"It was one throw," Tekulve said. "As soon as I made that first throw and I saw the reaction, I (said), 'That's the answer.'"

While the initial result was positive, Tekulve had little idea that he would utilize the unique pitching style in a record-breaking, 16-year major league career that included a World Series title.

"Some people are blessed, some people are not," Tekulve said. "I was just fortunate."

It was during his minor league days when the submarine-slinging Tekulve made his first trip to Reading, as the Sherbrooke Pirates shared the Eastern League's National Division with the Reading Phillies. While the former pitcher and television broadcaster has spent his whole life around the game, his baseball journeys have led him to Berks on more than one occasion.

"Reading and I have indirectly been intertwined throughout my whole baseball career," Tekulve said. "I always enjoy coming to Reading."

Tekulve, 76, returned to town on Jan. 18 for the 62nd annual Reading Hot Stovers Banquet at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, where he served as one of three keynote speakers at the event. Tekulve also spoke at the banquet in 1996.

"It's just a really good baseball city," Tekulve said about Reading. "It's different than most, and it's always fun to be around it."

Tekulve is no stranger to baseball in Pennsylvania, as the career reliever pitched in 12 seasons with Pittsburgh from 1974-85 and four seasons with Philadelphia from 1985-88 before wrapping up his career with Cincinnati in 1989.

"The rivalry between the Pirates and the Phillies was a rivalry because we were both that good," Tekulve said. "To get to the National League playoffs, to get an opportunity to play in a World Series, you pretty much knew you had to beat the other guy."

Following his time in the minors, Tekulve reached the majors in 1974 during the beginning of an intense stretch in the Pirates-Phillies rivalry. Pittsburgh won the NL East in 1974, 1975 and 1979, while Philadelphia won the division in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981 (first half) and 1983.

"The bottom line was, it was us against them," Tekulve said. "If you're going to win the East, you had to beat the other guy."

A right-hander, Tekulve led the majors with 91 relief appearances in 1978 and 94 in 1979, recording a career-high 31 saves in each season. In 1979, the Pirates won the NL East and advanced to the World Series against Baltimore.

Down 3-1 in the series, Pittsburgh fought its way to a Game 7, where Tekulve entered the game in the eighth inning looking to protect a 2-1 lead.

"I hadn't really thought about it being the World Series," Tekulve said about the moment. "It was still a game."

Tekulve got Orioles first baseman Eddie Murray to fly out with the bases loaded and two outs to end the eighth inning. In the ninth, he tossed a 1-2-3 inning to earn the save, lifting Pittsburgh to a 4-1 win and the 1979 World Series title.

"To be able to stand on the mound and throw the last pitch and be an integral part of that team, you just can't beat that," Tekulve said. "There's no better feeling in the world."

Rich with team chemistry, the Pirates had adopted Sister Sledge's hit song "We Are Family" as their theme song in June of that season. Pittsburgh was also known as the "Lumber Company" thanks to its lineup full of power hitters.

"The team had always been a very close-knit unit," Tekulve said. "Everybody intermingled and it had always been that way."

Tekulve was selected as an All-Star in 1980, the first and only time he received the honor. However, the Phillies won the NL East, beating Pittsburgh by eight games, before going on to win the 1980 World Series.

"That hatred was really respect," Tekulve said about Philadelphia. "We knew that the other group was the only group that could beat us."

Tekulve was traded to the Phillies in April 1985. He led the majors with 90 relief appearances in 1987 despite being 40 years old, and is the oldest pitcher to ever appear in 90 or more games in a season.

During his four seasons in Philadelphia, Tekulve developed strong friendships with many of his former foes.

"I developed some really good friendships with guys I thought I really hated a lot," Tekulve said. "I found out they weren't quite as bad as I was making them out to be."

One of those teammates was Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt, a fellow Ohio native who finished his career as a 12-time All-Star and a three-time NL MVP. He was awarded the 1980 World Series MVP and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995.

Despite his accomplishments, Schmidt did not have the best numbers against Tekulve, batting just .211 with one homer and six RBIs in 63 plate appearances.

"I knew Mike Schmidt was a Hall of Famer," Tekulve said. "He was a great third baseman. I did not understand until I played with him every single day how instinctively he did the little things, the things that nobody ever noticed."

During his time with Philadelphia, Tekulve also became friends with former Reading Phillies general manager and current Baseballtown Charities president Chuck Domino and several other front office staff members. Tekulve would travel to Reading on his off days and continued to stop in Baseballtown after his playing days were over.

"They were here for so long, that every time you came back, it was another story," Tekulve said. "They had done something different than everyone else — they were innovators."

The 6-4, 180-pound Tekulve retired following the 1989 season at age 42. He threw only two pitches his entire career — a sinker and a slider.

"Maybe it was because I wasn't very muscular — I didn't have a whole lot of muscle to tighten up to restrict my motion," Tekulve said about his longevity. "With the submarine motion, maybe I didn't put as much stress on my arm as the other guys who were throwing harder and throwing overhand."

Tekulve was a member of the Phillies' television broadcast team from 1991-97 and served as a studio analyst on Pirates' broadcasts from 2008-17. He was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame last year and is the franchise's all-time saves leader with 158.

"I never thought of myself as a Pirates Hall of Famer," Tekulve said. "It's quite an honor."

Tekulve holds the NL record for career innings pitched in relief with 1,436 2/3 innings. He also owns the major league record for most innings pitched without making a single start.

At the time of his retirement, Tekulve's 1,050 career games as a reliever ranked second in major league history to Hoyt Wilhelm's 1,070 games. In August of 1987 with the Phillies, Tekulve pitched on nine consecutive days, a major league record.

While historic, Tekulve's career successes were rooted in his natural abilities.

"It was just something that was given to me," Tekulve said. "I had the ability to pitch often and pitch a lot."