CANTON — A half century after Mike Torrez and Thurman Munson aimed to knock each other's blocks off, they "met" as other-side-of-baseball buddies.

Munson was there in spirit Thursday at an event promoting his worthiness for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The program also was in support of a southwest-side community center, the J. Babe Stearn Boys and Girls Club of Canton.

Torrez appeared as guest speaker at the Thurman Munson Catchers Scholarship Dinner. The highlight of his long career was pitching while Munson caught in the game that clinched the 1977 World Series for the Yankees.

"I wasn't supposed to pitch that night," Torrez told an audience that filled a large room in the downtown DoubleTree.

Scheduled stater Ed Figueroa complained of "a tingling in his fingers," freaking out manager Billy Martin. Tinglefingers?

"Billy said, 'Bull(bleep), this is the World Series," Torrez said. "I pitched. Eddie was so mad."

Torrez loved throwing to Munson.

"To me, he was a better catcher than (Carlton) Fisk," Torrez said, naming a Munson rival who got in the Hall in 2000. "Fisk was so slow moving to the next pitch. I was always ready to throw in three seconds.

"Thurman was beautiful to throw to. As a hitter, he didn't get fooled much. He always hit the ball hard. Thurman and Lou Piniella were the best clutch hitters on the Yankees."

Also on hand was longtime Yankees associate Ray Negron, who was a Yankee batboy when Munson played.

Torrez and Negron told stories from easy chairs as Mike Gallina asked questions as the evening's moderator.

Between them, it was revealed that Munson could sing the words to every Neil Diamond song, frequently impersonated "Curly" of "The Three Stooges," wouldn't let outsiders see his compassionate side, and was responsible for dubbing Reggie Jackson "Mr. October."

Munson loved to "have fun" with the boys. He treated certain reporters in a way that cost him Hall of Fame votes.

One time, Torrez said, Martin told Munson he was getting a Sunday off in Cleveland.

"Billy didn't really enforce curfews," Torrez said.

Munson was up until the wee hours, in rough shape when Martin told him his day off fell through.

Torrez was pitching.

"Thurman told me, 'You throw the ball. I'll catch it,'" Torrez said. "He sweated it out as we went."

Before becoming Yankee teammates, Torrez and Munson were at each other's throats on June 24, 1975. Torrez, on the mound for the Orioles, drilled Munson in one at-bat and threw behind his head in another.

When Munson snarled and dug in later in the game, Torrez blew him a kiss. Munson waited until after grounding out to charge the mound, emptying the benches.

"We didn't like each other then," Torrez said. "He must have hit .800 against us."

Munson was the Yankees' captain amid a Big Apple love affair dating to 1970, the year he was American League Rookie of the Year. He eventually bought a jet, intending to fly himself to his home and family in Canton with regularity, imagining perhaps finishing his career in Cleveland.

Gabe Paul was the front office man who brought Torrez to the defending American League champion Yankees in a 1977 trade.

Paul had been a Cleveland baseball poobah when ship-building tycoon George Steinbrenner tried to buy the team in the 1960s. That fell through, but in 1973, with Paul's help, Steinbrenner bought the Yankees.

Paul took control of the Yankee roster and traded for Torrez, who had been a 20-game winner in '75.

The payoff was two wins by Torrez in the '77 World Series against the Dodgers. In Game 3, he won a duel with Tommy John. (John could not attend Thursday's dinner because of a "medical situation," event coordinator Steve Fettman announced).

Game 6, which ended with New York winning the Series four games to two, is known for Jackson's three home runs.

Forgotten is Torrez's work. He held the Dodgers to one earned run through eight innings. He gave up an RBI single to Vic Davilillo in the ninth but finished off a complete-game win.

Torrez said the only time he had more fun was earlier in his career when he "partied with Elvis" (long story).

Torrez wanted to stay in New York, but, citing a lukewarm effort by Paul to keep him, bolted to Boston as a free agent.

His seven-year, $2.5 million contract was big money. Quite a fuss had been made in 1976, the first year for free agency, when Cleveland signed pitcher Wayne Garland, Torrez's former Baltimore teammate, to a 10-year, $2.3 million deal.

Torrez became part of a big three (himself, Dennis Eckerlsey, Luis Tiant) that pitched the Red Sox to 99 wins. The Yankees also won 99, but they lost a chance to take the AL East title outright when they fell 9-2 to Cleveland in the regular-season finale at Yankee Stadium.

This forced a playoff game, with Torrez on the mound against New York ace Ron Guidry.

The Sox led 2-0 after six innings. With two men on in the seventh, Yankees hitter Bucky Dent fouled one off his ankle and writhed in pain for what seemed like five minutes. When Dent finally stood back in, Torrez's rhythm was gone, and he gave up a famous home run.

The win sent the Yankees straight to the American League Championship Series, where they overpowered the Royals. They lost the first two games of the World Series to the Dodgers but won the next four.

In what turned out to be his final playoff game in Yankee Stadium, Munson delivered three hits and five RBIs.

Munson was trying to land his jet when a crash short of an Akron-Canton Airport runway took his life on Aug. 2, 1979.

Dinner coordinator Steve Fettman, owner of Davies Drugs, is a ringleader in pushing for Munson to get in the Hall of Fame.

A snippet of Munson's credentials: He attracted American League MVP votes in seven of his nine full seasons, winning the award in 1976.

Thurman's widow, Diana, told the crowd Fettman is "an honorary member of the Munson family." She invited prayers for Tommy John and hoped her late husband and his former teammate, a 288-game winner, will make the Hall of Fame together in the next enshrinement cycle.

Winners of the Thurman Munson Scholarship, awarded to a top area catcher in boys baseball and girls softball, were recognized before the speech. They are Wyatt Fether of Jackson and Tabetha Thomas of GlenOak.

On hand to be inducted for the J. Babe Stearn Hall of Fame were Doug Miller, whose 790 career wins rank third all-time among Ohio high school baseball coaches, and Steve Norch, president of the J. Babe Stearn board.

Miller gave the crowd a litany of reasons Munson should be in Coopestown.

Later, Torrez said, "You heard coach … all I can say is, damn."

Reach Steve at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Former Yankees pitcher Mike Torrez shares Thurman Munson stories