RSN: You came to Boston from Pittsburgh after the 1962 season. What are your memories of the trade?
JL: I remember that I was walking around the campus -- it was the offseason and I was going to school -- and someone came up and told me. You see, I didn't have a phone at the time. I loved Pittsburgh, but it was a real thrill to go to New England. I had been at the University of Vermont when I signed with the Phillies in 1956, and I liked it up there.
RSN: You were only with the Phillies for a few months before signing with the Pirates. What happened?
JL: They violated a rule. I was eligible to sign, but how it happened was illegal. I had flunked out of Vermont, and the rule was that all 16 teams had to be notified that I was available. That didn't happen, so the commissioner made me a free agent.
RSN: You made your big league debut with the Pirates in April of 1962. What do you remember about that?
JL: I remember being scared to death! But when the time comes, you have to throw, so I threw. In a moment like that, the time goes by very fast.
RSN: The first batter you faced was Lou Brock, who was with the Cubs at the time. The two of you would later become teammates in St. Louis.
JL: Yes, that would have been the year we played the Red Sox in the World Series. Lou was a great guy, and he could be very funny. And he really loved to play the game. We had a lot of players on that team who did. That was probably the biggest thrill of my career: playing in the World Series, and winning it.
RSN: What are some of your memories from the 1967 World Series?
JL: Well, I lost Game 6! The only worse thing would have been losing Game 7. But I enjoyed the experience. Bob Gibson actually thanked me for losing that game. We were on the bus going back to the hotel afterwards, and he said that his wife needed a car. He said he was going to get it for her by winning Game 7, which, of course, he did. He had tremendous confidence. Along with Whitey Ford, nobody was a better big-game pitcher.
RSN: What are some of the highlights from your time with the Red Sox?
JL: One was watching Tony C. What he did at such a young age was incredible. A game that is memorable for me was the home opener in 1964, when Tony homered in his first at-bat in Fenway Park. It was the day they honored John F. Kennedy, and I pitched a complete game. I even got two hits that day.
RSN: You hit one home run in your career, in August of 1963. What do you remember about it?
JL: It was a thrill, no doubt. It was against the Yankees, at Fenway Park, and Bill Stafford was pitching. Bill was a friend of mine, and his family actually just gave me the bat for my 70th birthday. I had given it to him after I hit the home run, and now I have it back, all these years later.
RSN: Do you have the ball that you hit for the home run?
JL: No, I gave it to a boy who had MS (multiple sclerosis). He knew more about the Red Sox, and about me, than I did, so I thought he deserved to have it. That was in Holyoke, back in 1963.
RSN: Did you have any other big moments at the plate?
JL: Not really. I hit the fence a few times, but that was the only one that went over. I did steal a base once, though. That was in my last year, when they weren't paying any attention and I just took off. That completed the quinella for me!
RSN: You played for Johnny Pesky when you were with the Red Sox. What was your opinion of Johnny, and who were some of your favorite teammates in Boston?
JL: Was he ever a fine person! Boy, oh, boy, what a champ. Eddie Stanky was probably my favorite manager, but Johnny was special. I had some good friends on that team, too. Bill Monbouquette was one. So was Bob Tillman. Dick Radatz was another -- God rest his soul. Not only was Dick a friend, I think he had the best fastball I ever saw. It was hard, and it moved. Sandy Koufax had a good one, as did Dean Chance, but Dick's arm-angle made him deceptive, which made his even better.
RSN: Of the teams and players you faced, who gave you the most trouble?
JL: In the American League it was Cleveland and Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew might have been the toughest hitter I ever faced. In the National League, Pittsburgh used to give me problems. A guy who hit me well in the National League was the second baseman from the Cubs -- the one that died in the plane crash -- Ken Hubbs. He was something like 8-for-11 off of me.
RSN: You gave the Red Sox a few problems after you left, including throwing a one-hitter against them while you were with the White Sox.
JL: That was one of my big thrills. Joe Foy got a hit off of me -- I think it was in the 8th inning. I really stunk it up when I was in Boston, but my arm came back to life when I was in Chicago. That was a real mystery to me: why I didn’t pitch better with the Red Sox. But I really enjoyed my time there. It was a great place to play.