- Nov 24, 2019
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I was saddened to hear of the recent death of Harvey Sterkel, who arguably was the greatest pitcher in the world during the late 50s and early 60s – and one of the best for many years after that. His best years were with the Aurora Sealmasters, and he later was with the Aurora Home Savers. I watched him pitch on many, many occasions over the years, always sitting in the stands directly behind the plate, fascinated by the movement of the ball and how he totally dominated hitters. He threw slingshot and wasn’t among the fastest pitchers in the world, but he had unbelievable control, and his low-rise ball and low outside curve were nearly always low in the strike zone. Following is his biography from the ASA Hall of Fame:
When Harvey Sterkel arrived in Aurora, IL in 1956, it was the start of a new era. And what an era it turned out to be. Not only did Sterkel establish himself as one of the game’s great pitchers, but he put the Aurora Sealmasters team on the softball map. Between 1956-1969, Sterkel won 345 games and lost only 33. He hurled 2,599 innings, walked 415 batters and struck out 5,212. He hurled 60 no-hitters and 15 perfect games and his ERA was 0.34. Between 1965-1968, he won 52 games in a row. Sterkel helped Aurora win four ASA national fast pitch championships. He compiled a 43-24 record in 22 ASA national championships and earned ASA All-America honors eight times. Twice (1956 and 1959) he was the MVP in the Men’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship.
In the 1959 national, Sterkel lived up to his nickname of “The Horse,” by winning eight of nine games to pitch the Sealmasters to their first national title. There was nothing easy about winning the title. After losing his opener to Clearwater, Sterkel came back to win eight games in a row. He hurled three of the wins on the tourney’s final day including beating Clearwater twice by identical 1-0 scores. He shares the record for most games won in a national fast pitch tournament (8) and formerly shared the record for most strikeouts in a seven inning game, 19. Besides the national championships, Sterkel also achieved a 7-0 record in the first two ISF World Championships (1966 and 1968), striking out 70 batters in 45 1/3 innings. For his outstanding performance in these two World Championships, Sterkel was inducted into the ISF Hall of Fame November 14, 2002.
When Harvey Sterkel arrived in Aurora, IL in 1956, it was the start of a new era. And what an era it turned out to be. Not only did Sterkel establish himself as one of the game’s great pitchers, but he put the Aurora Sealmasters team on the softball map. Between 1956-1969, Sterkel won 345 games and lost only 33. He hurled 2,599 innings, walked 415 batters and struck out 5,212. He hurled 60 no-hitters and 15 perfect games and his ERA was 0.34. Between 1965-1968, he won 52 games in a row. Sterkel helped Aurora win four ASA national fast pitch championships. He compiled a 43-24 record in 22 ASA national championships and earned ASA All-America honors eight times. Twice (1956 and 1959) he was the MVP in the Men’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship.
In the 1959 national, Sterkel lived up to his nickname of “The Horse,” by winning eight of nine games to pitch the Sealmasters to their first national title. There was nothing easy about winning the title. After losing his opener to Clearwater, Sterkel came back to win eight games in a row. He hurled three of the wins on the tourney’s final day including beating Clearwater twice by identical 1-0 scores. He shares the record for most games won in a national fast pitch tournament (8) and formerly shared the record for most strikeouts in a seven inning game, 19. Besides the national championships, Sterkel also achieved a 7-0 record in the first two ISF World Championships (1966 and 1968), striking out 70 batters in 45 1/3 innings. For his outstanding performance in these two World Championships, Sterkel was inducted into the ISF Hall of Fame November 14, 2002.
