Stahl played 10 seasons in the big leagues primarily as an outfielder with occasional appearances at first base. He was also regularly deployed in a pinch-hitting role. More on that shortly.
Stahl mostly played for also ran teams - the Kansas City Athletics, New York Mets and the San Diego Padres. Indeed, between 1964 and 1972, Stahl played on five teams which lost 100 or more games. Stahl just missed playing for the 1969 Amazin' Mets because the Padres grabbed him in the expansion draft.
The only time Stahl was on a winning team during his decade in MLB was in his final season in 1973 when he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds. Stahl would collect 2 pinch hit singles during the 1973 NLCS against the New York Mets - one against Jerry Koosman in Game 2 and another against Tom Seaver in Game 5 in a losing effort as the Mets won the NL pennant. That hit would prove to be last one Stahl ever collected as he would be released by the Reds in the final days of spring training prior to the 1974 season. Stahl would hook on with the San Francisco Giants playing with their Triple-AAA affiliate in Phoenix before ending his professional career.
In 730 career games, Stahl collected exactly 400 hits for a .232 lifetime batting average with 36 HR and 163 RBI.
Of those 730 career games, the one in which he is best remembered took place during his final season with the Padres on September 2, 1972. Used in a pinch-hitting capacity, Stahl was sent up to face Chicago Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas who was one out away from throwing a perfect game. On a 3-2 count, Stahl checked his swing and home plate umpire Bruce Froemming called ball four which enraged Pappas, the Cubs dugout and the 11,000 plus fans who showed up to Wrigley Field on that Thursday afternoon. Pappas would then get his no-hitter when he got Garry Jestadt, another pinch hitter, to pop out to second base.
Although Pappas would get his no-hitter, with Froemming denying him his perfect game, one could make the case that Larry Stahl drew the most controversial walk in MLB history.
Stahl's passing comes less than 3 weeks after Froemming's death. Pappas died in 2016. R.I.P.
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