Boston Red Sox great Mel Parnell dies at 89

[bluedigger]

New Orleanian and Boston Red Sox left-hander Mel Parnell, 89, died Tuesday after a long battle with cancer. A member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame, Parnell is best known for his 1956 no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park, the first since 1923.
&quot Cleveland Indian Hall of Fame pitcher) Bob Feller once told me that Mel should be in Cooperstown for winning 100 games while playing (home games) at Fenway Park," former Times-Picayune reporter and longtime friend Peter Barrouqueres said. "He thought that if he played in any other park he would have been in the Hall of Fame."
Parnell, born June 13, 1922 in New Orleans, graduated from S.J. Peters High School where he starred with future major leaguers George Strickland, Howie Pollett, Raymond Campo, Ray Yochim and Lou Klein.
Although many of his boyhood friends and high school teammates signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, Parnell chose to sign as an amateur free agent with Boston, where he pitched his entire 10-year major league career.
http://www.nola.com/zephyrs/index.ssf/2012/03/boston_red_sox_great_mel_parne.html

Great player and broadcaster. RIP

[byeya]

1. Mel Parnell and Lefty Grove were two leffties who could consistently win at Fenway.

Since he didn't have overwhelming stuff, he relied on control, change of speeds, and knowledge of the opposing batters to win. A really good one.