{"id":142,"date":"2018-07-27T00:48:17","date_gmt":"2018-07-27T05:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/?page_id=142"},"modified":"2023-06-01T13:41:37","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T18:41:37","slug":"in-appreciation-jeff-terpko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/?p=142","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Terpko"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Terpko\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Years in MLB:<\/strong> 3<\/p>\n

Teams:<\/strong> Texas Rangers (1974, 1976), Montreal Expos (1977)<\/p>\n

Career:<\/strong> 3-4, 3.14 in 48 games<\/p>\n

The Jeff Terpko<\/span> story is one of perseverance and hard work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Terpko came from humble beginnings in Sayre, Pennsylvania to make the big leagues in 1974. He overcame self-doubt, years in the minors, injuries, and the loss of his biggest fan \u2013 his mother \u2013 to pitch 48 games with two teams over three seasons (3-4, 3.14 ERA, all in relief).<\/span><\/p>\n

He was also a large part of the landmark Curt Flood trade in 1970, where Greg Goosen, Gene Martin, and Terpko were traded from the Washington Senators to the Philadelphia Phillies for Flood and a player to be named later. Flood refused to report to Philadelphia, and Terpko was returned to Washington at the end of spring training in 1971.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI spent all spring training as a Phillie,\u201d Terpko said. \u201cI thought that\u2019s where I would be. Then I went back to Washington.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Terpko was drafted in the fifth round by Washington in 1968, and by 1969 he was already pitching as a starter in AAA ball. He struggled to a 7-7\/4.73 record, and says it was a humbling and learning experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI used to have this big 12-6 [straight-down break] curve ball,\u201d Terpko said. \u201cI wrapped my wrist to throw it. It worked OK until I got to AAA. There were plenty of players in AAA who were coming back down from the big leagues, and they could \u2018read\u2019 my curve and ripped it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This was a different time in baseball, where players often got more help from each other than from coaches. And there was no video to rely on, or pitch tracking.<\/span><\/p>\n

The solution was \u201ca more slurvy breaking ball. Bigger than a cutter, but not like a slider either. And I threw it from a lower arm angle,\u201d he explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

But a far-more-serious problem was on the horizon as Terpko went to spring training in 1970: his mother was diagnosed with cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a die-hard baseball fan, and she was my biggest fan,\u201d Terpko said. \u201cI got the word about her, and went right back to see her. But by the time I got back, I was behind the other pitchers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Terpko spent the 1971 season in AA and A ball, going 3-3\/3.67. In 1972, he was 4-4 in A-ball and was ready to give up the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1973, I played softball,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Again, his mother provided motivation, and turned his career around.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe asked me, as sort of a final wish, to ask the organization [now the Texas Rangers] for another chance,\u201d he said. \u201cTo my surprise, they gave me a second chance \u2013 but only as a reliever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I would have to work at it to be good in baseball. So when I struggled, my attitude was, \u2018learn from this and get better. Overcome it.\u2019\u201d<\/span> — Jeff Terpko<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That was music to Terpko\u2019s ears; he had tired of being a starter anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t like having to wait so long to get back on the mound after a start,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to play. I wanted to be in more games.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grateful for the opportunity, and with refined mechanics and a better mental attitude, Terpko was 11-2 in AA and AAA, with a 1.43 ERA in 1974.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI went after it in 1974,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never had much as far as material possessions go, when I was growing up,\u201d he explained. \u201cI knew I would have to work at it to be good in baseball. So when I struggled, my attitude was, \u2018learn from this and get better. Overcome it.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Rangers had always been high on Terpko, he said, and so they noticed his new approach and good results. He was called up to the big leagues after his minor-league season was finished.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Rangers were chasing Oakland, giving the A\u2019s a run for their money deep into September.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I thought, \u2018they\u2019re in a pennant race. I won\u2019t pitch,\u2019\u201d he recalled. “But in my second game there, they warmed me up in a game against Oakland.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t get into that game, but eventually Terpko made his major-league debut September 21, 1974, pitching the ninth inning against the Royals.<\/span><\/p>\n

What did it feel like? What does he remember about that game?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was walking along the grass, and people were so into it and excited. And so was I,\u201d he recalled. \u201cBut when I got to the mound, I got into that zone where all I saw was the catcher.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Frank White grounded to shortstop; Buck Martinez grounded to second; but Vada Pinson got a base hit and stole second base. It didn\u2019t rattle Terpko, however.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI figured, he hit a chopper, and in the big leagues guys beat out plays like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So he struck out Al Cowens. Inning over.<\/span><\/p>\n

Terpko faced 30 hitters in 3 games at the end of the 1974 season, going 0-0 but with a 1.29 ERA. Most importantly, he proved to himself that he could get big-league hitters out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought to myself, \u2018you can do this,\u2019\u201d he said. Overcoming that mental hurdle, and having self-confidence, was important to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there were more challenges ahead. In 1975, Terpko\u2019s mother died. He ended up spending the season in AAA, where he was 6-4\/4.11 in 43 relief appearances.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut she saw me make the big leagues,\u201d Terpko said. \u201cShe knew I made it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1976 he again made the big-league club, and he was 3-3\/2.39 in 32 games as a short reliever.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had a sinking fastball that broke down-and-in to right-handed hitters,\u201d Terpko said. \u201cI broke a lot of bats, because I threw such a heavy ball. More than once, catchers called time and went to the mound for a break, because I was beating up their thumbs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In March 1977, he was traded to the Montreal Expos for Rodney Scott,\"Terpko and he was 0-1\/5.66 in 13 games for Montreal. After the season he was drafted by the Orioles, and he was 3-3\/5.00 in 18 games for AAA Rochester, his final season in organized baseball.<\/span><\/p>\n

Terpko was realistic about being at the end of the line.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I was losing my stuff, and I was holding someone else back,\u201d Terpko said. So he became a rural mail carrier, a job he held \u2013 and enjoyed \u2013 for 30 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got to be outdoors, which I loved, and I got a good pension from it,\u201d he said. He now works part-time giving private baseball instruction with a partner in the spring and fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise that Terpko\u2019s approach is no-nonsense and old-school.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m straight with the players, and their parents,\u201d he told me. \u201cPlenty of kids have physical ability but lack discipline \u2013 to stay focused on the game, or to stay at a good playing weight.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So is baseball as much a mental game as we have been told all these years?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d he said. \u201cIt made a big difference to me, and I think the mental part of things is the big difference in most careers.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And despite the struggles and the challenges, he looks back fondly on his baseball career: his teammates, the on- and off-field adventures. And he misses his mom, and all she meant to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, he\u2019s realistic about it all:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow many people get to do what I did, and make the majors?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Years in MLB: 3 Teams: Texas Rangers (1974, 1976), Montreal Expos (1977) Career: 3-4, 3.14 in 48 games The Jeff Terpko story is one of perseverance and hard work. Terpko came from humble beginnings in […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-142","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-interviews"},"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=142"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4405,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142\/revisions\/4405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}