December 14, 1960
Tasch Ready For 'Something Different' In Australia
K.J. Tasch is as Texan as you can be. The laid-back righthander was born in Garland, about 20 miles outside of Dallas. Since turning baseball into a career back when he was 19, he's played exclusively in Texas-area professional leagues, and when the city of Dallas was awarded a franchise in the Silver League, it didn't much convincing to get Tasch to sign on as the headline player.
"Even though it wasn't the top league, I wanted to represent for Texas," he said. "That was important to me, to be in Texas for this new league."
But the season was rather dismal one in Dallas, with the Bulls finishing in last place at 56-76. Tasch, who was under contract through 1962, met with team officials after the season and discussed the possibility of a trade.
"It had to be the right situation," Tasch said. "In my mind that was Houston or Kansas City, but then they came back a few days ago and asked me, 'What do you think about Australia?'"
"Right away I was like, aw, naw, not for me, but it sat in my head and I talked about it with my family and we decided, you know what, this is a crazy opportunity to pass up. After last season, I'm ready for something different."
And so Tasch, rather than playing 20 miles away from his hometown, will be playing 9,000 miles away, for the Canberra Rattlers of the Australasian League. The 35 year-old Tasch was one of the top pitchers in the North American Silver League in 1960, striking out 237 hitters and posting 7.0 WAR. He'll have a shot to prove himself on the biggest tier the sport can offer, anchoring the Canberra rotation.
The Rattlers finished 71-61 last season, contesting the division for much of the year before fading badly late. They dealt a bevy of prospects to Dallas in order to acquire Tasch, headlined by shortstop
Jong-Soo Kwan.
When asked what he's most looking forward to in the Australasian League, Tasch gave the most Texan answer possible: "I hear they make good steak in Japan."