Image Not Available

Fanok, Harry, 1940-

BiographyHarry Fanok, "The Flame Thrower", was one of the fastest pitchers of the 1960s. He pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1963 and 1964, getting 35 strikeouts in 33 1/3 innings, about the same ratio of strikeouts per nine innings as Sandy Koufax posted those two years. However, he suffered a shoulder injury while pitching for the Triple-A Atlanta Crackers in August 1963, and he was never the same. After returning to the mound in 1964, the pain in his shoulder caused a mental block that led to a severe hitch in his delivery. He had always tended to be wild, but his control gave out entirely. -Baseball Reference