The driving force of the shuttle van on the Honda dealership is Les Cain, El Cerrito’s Les Cain, the man who was mentioned to throw a fastball more durable than anyone for the Detroit Tigers again in 1968, earlier than shoulder issues ended his profession at age 24 with 3-1/2 seasons of service time, a half-season wanting qualifying for a full pension at retirement.
So right here he sits, a steering wheel in hand — 51 years since throwing his final pitch within the huge leagues, 26 years after his spouse, Vera, died of lung most cancers, and 16 years after his daughter, Leslie, died of liver most cancers — taking his morning commute throughout the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to a job that pays him a modest wage and retains him busy.
Cain had a tricky highway as one in every of MLB’s pioneering Black gamers. However at age 75, he has few regrets and a narrative to inform.
“I needed to finish up having an excellent ending to my story,” he mentioned. “The actual fact is, it’s been an excellent ending from the start.”
A fourth-round choose by the Tigers out of El Cerrito Excessive College in 1966, Cain made fast work of the minors and was already knocking on the door of the massive leagues at age 20.
The success of slugging star All-Star Willie Horton had opened the door for a Black man to seek out stardom in Detroit, however the path was slim. The Tigers had been the second-to-last crew to combine, with Dominican-born Ozzie Virgil breaking the colour barrier in 1958, 11 years after Jackie Robinson. The Boston Purple Sox had been final, in 1959, with Pumpsie Inexperienced, one other El Cerrito man.
Cain remembers there being an unstated rule capping the variety of Black gamers on the massive league membership for Detroit at 4.
“When Les got here, the battle was nonetheless on,” Horton mentioned in a latest telephone interview. “We're nonetheless in it immediately, and that is 2023.”
Making his huge league debut as a 20-year-old in ’68, Cain went 1-0 in 4 huge league begins and posted a 3.00 ERA over eight appearances whereas making an excellent case to be the Tigers’ No. 5 starter.
However they despatched the massive left-hander right down to the minors at mid-season, a blow that acquired heavier when the Tigers went on to win the World Collection.
“I assumed he was going to be an amazing one,” mentioned Horton, whose significance in crew historical past is informed by the statue of him exterior of the Tigers’ ballpark, one in every of six gamers to have his quantity retired. “He might get it up there pretty much as good as these guys immediately, these guys throwing it up there within the three digits. Les might do this then.”
Over the subsequent two seasons, 1970 and 1971, Cain went 22-16 with a 4.07 ERA as a fixture within the Tigers rotation till shoulder issues derailed his season in ‘72. What he remembers vividly about that season had been the tears, not his personal, however these of fellow Tigers pitcher John Hiller.
Hiller, who was recovering from a coronary heart assault, was with Cain within the clubhouse when Tigers supervisor Billy Martin informed them each to swimsuit up and get to the bullpen. Hiller confirmed the account in a 2005 story within the Detroit Information.
“Whichever one in every of you throws the toughest within the subsequent 5 minutes is on this crew,” Martin informed them. “The opposite one goes dwelling.”
The entire crew knew Cain couldn’t throw. He had misplaced the zip on his fastball and will barely raise his arm over his shoulder.
Cain checked out Hiller, who had tears in his eyes as he informed him, “I’m sorry, Les.”
The Tigers despatched Cain to Toledo. He refused the task. He was harm, he mentioned, and wanted to remain on the disabled checklist. He went dwelling to California and by no means pitched within the majors once more.
Cain tried making a comeback in ‘73.
He was nonetheless underneath contract with the Tigers, however was invited to spring coaching by the Giants with the understanding that the Giants had been planning to execute a commerce for him.
However Cain’s shoulder was nonetheless hurting, so the Giants despatched him to the docs. He wanted surgical procedure.
After rehabbing for a yr, Cain went again to spring coaching with the Giants in ’74, nonetheless underneath contract with the Tigers, and was once more informed a commerce was being labored out.
He threw two innings. He felt good. Then the Giants stopped utilizing him. Cain suspects they acquired wind, maybe from the Tigers themselves, in regards to the lawsuit he was planning to file in opposition to the Detroit membership.
In 1976, a Michigan choose dominated that the Tigers had been answerable for Cain’s shoulder damage and ordered them to pay him $111 every week for the remainder of his life.
He mentioned the choose’s ruling decided that Cain was a giant league ballplayer when he was injured and that he ought to have maintained that standing.
“I ought to’ve stayed on the DL till they came upon I had an issue with my arm and if I wanted surgical procedure they need to have performed it,” Cain mentioned.
And so, as an alternative of receiving the total advantages of most retired ballplayers with 4 years of service time, Cain will get only a tiny fraction of that.
The annual checks for $8,000 began coming in 2010 when he turned 62.
Out of principal, Cain despatched the checks again yearly for seven years till he lastly agreed to take the cash.
However these should not the checks he desires. The checks he’s searching for — those he thinks he deserves by advantage of the choose’s ruling that the Tigers had wronged him, that he ought to by no means have been compelled to pitch whereas injured and that he ought to have been credited with main league service time in 1972 — would have paid him as much as $245,000 a yr.
Horace Stoneham, the proprietor of the Giants from ‘36 to ‘76, modified Cain’s life with a job provide.
However it wasn’t with the Giants.
It was with Financial institution of America.
Cain accepted. And for elements of the subsequent 35 years, he labored as an insurance coverage salesman.
“That, to me, is what the actual story is, about all of the individuals who allowed me to have a possibility and to attempt to make the very best out of it in life,” Cain mentioned.
He held his insurance coverage license even when his spouse was battling lung most cancers, however he stopped going to work to take care of her.
As she was dying, she grew bored with watching him sit round and informed him he wanted to return to work.
“I mentioned ‘No, I’m going to deal with you,’” he mentioned. “She mentioned, ‘Effectively, we want the cash.’”
Vera pulled out the newspaper, flipped to the classifieds, grabbed a pen and circled a job opening: Muni bus driver.
“The second I handed the check to turn out to be a driver is the day she died,” he mentioned. “I used to be alleged to get her on the hospital at 1 o’clock. I went to choose her up and he or she had handed.”
He drove the Muni bus for the subsequent 10 years till his daughter acquired sick.
Cain began the job on the dealership six years in the past. He weighed 360 kilos, having uncared for himself whereas caring for his spouse after which his daughter.
He has since misplaced virtually 100 kilos.
He stays in contact with plenty of former Tigers, together with Horton, who calls him each different week.
Seeing Cain’s baseball profession finish too quickly was “unlucky,” Horton mentioned, “however I respect Les as a result of he didn’t let that detract him from dwelling an excellent life. He raised an excellent household. I have a look at Les as someone near me, as a son or a brother.”
On the Honda dealership, Cain represents one thing else. Buddy, driver, storyteller.
“Individuals will ask if the outdated ballplayer shuttle driver is right here,” mentioned his boss, Dave Milcoff. “They’ll request him.”
The one carrying the Tigers cap.
Editor’s Be aware: This story was impressed by Douglas J. Gladstone’s e-book “A Bitter Cup of Espresso; How MLB & The Gamers Affiliation Threw 874 Retirees a Curve.”