Page 72 - 1975 BoSox

Reggie Cleveland
“H by Maurice Bouchard
E’S THE BEST I HAVE.”1 boys or men. In addition to baseball, Reggie was a So said Cardinals manager Red javelin champion who also lettered in curling and Schoendienst when asked about hockey for Beaver River High School, the Canadian
Reggie Cleveland being traded to the Red Sox in Forces high school in Cold Lake.
December 1973. High praise, especially considering the Cardinals sta still included Bob Gibson. Boston GM Dick O’Connell called Cleveland “one of the best pitchers around.”2 In the winter of 1973, it was all upside for the 25-year-old Canadian, who had three solid major-league seasons under his belt. Reggie Cleveland was poised to become a 20-game winner, if not the ace of a pitching sta , certainly a very valuable starter. Would he live up to the high praise and the equally high expectations?
On May 23, 1948, Reginald Leslie Cleveland was born in the small town of Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Swift Current, in the southwestern part of the province is situated 90 miles north of the Montana border, and 140 miles west of the provincial capital, Regina, hard by the Swift Current Creek. It was a town of 6,000 or so when the future Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer was born to Gladys (Porter) and Bob Cleveland. It was the Porter side of the family that was athletic. Gladys played softball among other sports. Cleveland’s grandfather, Leslie Porter, was scouted by professional baseball clubs but never signed because he could not be spared from the family farm.3 Reggie Cleveland’s father, Bob, was a ticket taker for the Canadian Paci c Railway but would soon rejoin the Royal Canadian Air Force (he had been a member during
World War II) and move the family to the even smaller, more remote town of Cold Lake, Alberta, near the Primrose Lake Air Weapons Range. Wherever the assignment took him, Bob Cleveland would make sure there was organized baseball for his athletic son. Reggie played in small towns all over Alberta and Saskatchewan, usually with much older
It was in baseball, however, that Cleveland was to make his career. After throwing a no-hitter for the Moose Jaw Phillies, he was discovered by Sam Shapiro, a diminutive carnival man and erstwhile “B-game” spring-training umpire. While traveling with the carnival in 1965, Shapiro came upon the young right- hander pitching in a semipro game and sent a telegram to his friend Red Schoendienst, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. Bill Sayles, Cardinals scout and former Red Sox pitcher, was dispatched to see Cleveland pitch, only to nd he had worked a day earlier to help keep his team from being eliminated in a tournament. His next start was postponed by rain so Sayles asked Cleveland for a personal pitching demonstration. Sayles was impressed enough to o er Cleveland a contract with a $500 bonus. Cleveland was not impressed. Sayles raised the bonus to $1,000. Cleveland persisted and asked for more money but Sayles demurred. Later, the 17-year-old Cleveland reconsidered, called Sayles, and signed the contract.4 Reggie Cleveland was a professional ballplayer.
In 1966 Cleveland started his career with the St. Petersburg Cardinals of the Class-A Florida State League, managed by one George Anderson (who was known as Sparky).5 Also in 1966, Cleveland appeared
in ve games for the Eugene (Oregon) Emeralds in the Class-A Northwest League. It was back to St. Petersburg for two games to start the 1967 campaign. After recovering from an ankle injury, Cleveland was sent to the Northwest League again but this time to the Lewiston (Idaho) Broncs, where he led the league with 19 games started and tied for the league lead in complete games
65