[Big Six]

Hotel Ponchartain
Detroit, Michigan

Mr. Joe Kuharich '38
St. Joseph's Hall
University of Notre Dame
South Bend, Indiana

September 24, 1937

Dear Joe,

I'm very sorry I missed your phone call the other night. It would have been great to talk to you and find out how all my old buddies at Notre Dame are doing.

I'm sure Coach Layden is preparing you for your first game as thoroughly as ever. Part of me wishes I were there with you, but I'll be back on the football field soon enough. I doubt I'll ever experience anything on the gridiron that is quite as exciting as a Saturday afternoon in South Bend, however.

I don't know if you had a chance to check the newspaper yet, but I got my first start as a major league pitcher yesterday. I was becoming very anxious to get back on the field, as I had not pitched in almost three weeks. I was a little surprised about that, because I think I'd pitched pretty well in my first appearance. We were still fighting the Tigers for the pennant, however, and most of our starters were pitching complete games. We hadn't really needed the bullpen often, and when we did, Bill Carrigan gave the ball to the more experienced pitchers.

The Tigers beat us two days ago to clinch the pennant, and in the clubhouse after the game, Carrigan told me I was going to start the next game. That meant that in my first two appearances in a big league game, I was going to face the best team in the American League. Nothing like breaking in against the best, is there?

I didn't sleep much that night, while I tried to remember what I knew about the Detroit hitters--besides the fact that they all seem to knock the cover off the ball. I had a long talk with my Dad on the phone the next morning, which settled my nerves somewhat. He reminded me that if the Red Sox didn't think I had major league talent, they wouldn't have promoted me to the major leagues.

There was a decent crowd at Briggs Stadium, and I kept trying to remind myself that the plate was still exactly 60'6" from the rubber there, just like it was in South Bend, Little Rock, and Minneapolis. I had to make myself forget that I was facing hitters like Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Wilile Wells, and Cool Papa Bell. The Tigers were pitching Schoolboy Rowe against us. He'd already won 23 games, so I had my work cut out for me if we were going to win.

I retired the first two men I faced, but then Wells hit one of my fastballs so far to right field that Phil Todt and I just turned around and watched.
Lou Gehrig saw me muttering to myself in the dugout after the inning ended, and he smiled at me. "You know, if a big league player hits a home run off you, it must mean you're in the big leagues." That made me feel some better.

So did the doubles Fumio Fujimura and Frank Frisch hit the next inning that tied up the score. Frank is retiring at the end of the season, and one day I'm going to be very proud to say I was once his teammate with the Red Sox.

The Tigers scored twice in the third, when Greenberg nearly knocked the wall down with a double. By then a few of the Tigers were starting to rag me pretty well. Heinie Manush was the loudest, and after a while he was the only one I could hear.

I know I'm not supposed to pay attention to what the guys say, but one comment he made got my goat. He yelled out "I suppose anyone can pitch for the Red Sox if his old man's the general manager." His teammates laughed, and I remember reaching up and tugging at my cap to hide a little bit of embarrassment. You can't hear that kind of talk on a football field, you know?

Well, the next time Manush came up, I put my first pitch right under his chin. It was a pretty decent fastball, and it knocked him on his can. He got up, dusted himself off, and smiled at me. Then he grounded out to the shortstop.

I figured I knew what would happen when I came to bat next, and I was right. Rowe gave me the same business I'd given Manush, so we were now even. I didn't get a hit that time up, but I hit a single in my next at-bat. Frisch signaled to the home plate umpire, and they saved the ball for me. It's sitting in my suitcase right now, in fact.

I was still in the game when the eighth inning rolled around. We were behind 6-3, and things weren't looking good. Gehrig went around the dugout, slapping guys on the back and saying, "Let's get some runs for this kid. Let's win the game for him." Lou had already done his part. He drove in a run in the third inning, and he started THREE double plays! You might go a week without seeing a 3-6-3 double play, and today Lou was in on three of them.

The guys scored five runs in the inning and knocked Rowe out of the box. So, while I didn't pitch nearly as well as I wanted to, the guys made a winner out of me in my first major league start. I'll finish the season with an undefeated record as a big league pitcher!

After the game Manush was asked about the at-bat when I knocked him down, and he was pretty swell about it. He told the reporters, "O'Farrell just showed us he has some guts; that's all."

In a week I'll be right back here in Detroit, starting my football season with the Lions. I'm sure I'll have plenty more to tell you then. For now, make sure to wish the guys good luck for me, and tell them that I'll get down to South Bend sometime.

Your pal,
Mike