Those now-iconic black-rimmed glasses, that fresh cut with the jagged neckline, the strut to the mound, and, of course, that wicked fastball—no one has ever done it quite like Wild Thing and no one ever will.
One of Cleveland’s wiliest and rawest pitchers in history, the young Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn became a legend when, with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of 9th, he struck out sworn nemesis Clu Haywood. It was the strikeout that set up the end of the 34-season-division-title drought. “Wild thing, you make my heart sing. You make everything groovy.” Pay homage.
