Joe's Question #1: 1960 was a great year for you and the Pittsburgh Pirates. You won 20 games, completed 18, pitched 271 innings and won the Major League Cy Young Award. Plus your Pirates won the World Series. What was that great season like for you?

Mr. Law's Answer: Actually it wasn't my best year in baseball. Even though I won more games (in 1960) the best year I had was 1965. That year I could of won every game I pitched had I had a little support. I started off the season 0-5 with an ERA of slightly over one run per game. I ended the year with a 2.15 ERA and won 18 games that year. That really was the better year for me than 1960.
But 1960 because we were in the World Series and beat the Yankees everybody thinks that that was my best year.

Joe's Question #2: In the 1960 World Series you won two games for the World Champion Pirates over the New York Yankees. What was that great series like for you?

Mr. Law's Answer: Well it was a real challenge of course. Knowing that you're pitching against the best club and probably some of the best players that put on a uniform. So your approach to the game came with a little trepidation of course. I think that on paper the Yankees were a better ball club than we were. But the thing was when you have good pitching you're going to have a chance.
So I went out there with the idea of trying to hold the Yankees close and give us a chance to win the game. We had a scouting report on how to pitch to the Yankees. It wasn't complete however because there were a couple of the Yankees that they didn't clarify very well on and it ended up hurting me.
They said you could pitch Moose Skowron outside and you could, off of the plate. They didn't designate that. And so Moose hit a home run off me to the opposite field because I threw the ball on the corner. I didn't find out till my last time out that he would chase bad balls out of the strike zone. If I would have known that earlier on that would have helped me.
Another player that they didn't have a good report on was their lead off hitter Tony Kuebek. They said don't pitch him inside. So I pitched him outside and he was wearing us out. So I said to heck with this I'm going to start pitching him inside. When I started doing that it made all the difference.
It was a great series. The Yankees were tough. And certainly you really had to concentrate on what you're doing. I of course relied on my control and off speed pitches to mix them up and keep them a little bit off balance.

Joe's Question #3: On July 19th, 1955 you pitched an 18-inning game against the Milwaukee Brave. What was that great game like for you?

Mr. Law's Answer: Well I was pitching that game on two days rest. Our starter came in sick and Danny asked me if I could pitch. I said yeah I can pitch.
So we get the ballgame started and both teams scored early, at the end of five the score was tied two to two. Then I shut them out the rest of the way but we didn't score either. So after nine innings we're tied and Danny asked me how I felt and I said "I'm OK Skip, I can still get them out". So he said ok that I could stay in. So we go through 12 and nobody scored yet and Danny said I better take you out. I say "Skip, I'm still getting them out let me stay in". He let me stay in. So we go through 15 innings and nobody ever scored and he says Ok I've got to take you out. And I looked him right in the eye and said "Skip, for heck's sake, after pitching this long let me win or lose this thing". So he let me stay in and we go through 18 innings and nobody has scored yet. So Finally after 18 inning he says that's it. He say's "I don't want to hear it. You've done a great job. Go in and take your shower". So I go on in to take my shower and Bob Friend relieves me for the 19th inning and gives up a run. So we come back and score two in our half of the 19th and of course Bob friend got the win.
I probably got as much publicity for not winning the game as if I had won it. During those 18 innings I struck out 12, walked two and gave up one earned run.
It's probably a game that will never be repeated again. Because of the way that the game is being played today I doubt if you'll ever see a pitcher 15 innings let alone 18.

Joe's Question #4: What are the things that you are most proud of about your career?

Mr. Law's Answer: As a player I gave it 100 percent all the time. I kept myself in shape. I got my rest, I took care of myself and so when I took the mound I was ready to play. I gave it my best effort every time out. Even early on in my career when the Pirates weren't very good, we did not have good quality players at that time. So it as a real struggle.
Even in 1965 when I was 0-5 without a win and pitching very well I was just determined every time that I went out there that I wasn't going to be the one to mess up. I was going to do my job and not worry about it and let the other guy do their's.