The Bucs Start Here - A Pirates Do-Over

[luckymann]

A few decisions to be made over the course of this season and its immediate aftermath.

We've spoken about Goose Gossage and we'll be looking to re-up on Larry McWilliams, Gene Garber, Victor Cruz and try to lock John Tudor down for a few years. Hassler, Jones and McEnaney are question marks.

Probably the biggest decision involves Al Oliver. We'd love to keep him but $1.5m is just too big a price tag in my book for an age-36 1B only. So I doubt we'll exercise the team oppy for 1983.

Ed Ott will walk and we'll try to extend Dale Berra as long as the price is right. Not sure yet about Craig Reynolds - again it will almost certainly be price-dependent.

We have a decent amount of cash and will be looking to continue the rebuild with some younger troops. All of our CC slots are filled and we still have two transactions to avail ourselves of.

[luckymann]

Wade not wasting any time getting amongst it...

[luckymann]

So, who is the active leader in the MLB in career slugging percentage?

• Jim Rice, BOS, .538
• George Brett, KC, .507
• Reggie Smith, BOS, .506
• Dave Parker, PIT, .498
• Reggie Jackson, OAK, .496

All-time leader: Lou Gehrig, .598

[luckymann]

Phil Garner does come up early, although not in the way we wanted as we lose Dale Berra for a couple weeks to an intercostal strain. Craig Reynolds is also struggling healthwise and needs a week on ice to shake it off. When Dale comes back, we keep Scrap up and send Dick Davis to Lincoln.

We start the year pretty much as we envisage it will go in its entirety, namely with good and bad performance intermingled. We go 11-9 for April and Wally Backman’s hot start is rewarded with that month’s batting award.

Craig Reynolds back flares up a second time and he’ll miss 4 weeks and Jim Morrison takes some time off from the Doors to make his Pittsburgh debut.

As we trundle along I decide it’s now or never to clean house with a couple of the walk guys. There’s only one position player we really want at the moment but his current employers are playing hardball. Eventually, we get it done as follows:



I hate trading for single players but,with still two transaction tickets up our sleeve, I relent in this case because it frees up a bunch of cash for us to apply toward the future and gets us a good young infielder. We’ll switch him across to SS as we feel Dale Berra is much better used in a roving IF commission.

Kison was the hard one to give up. We saw him as a cheap insurance policy if we have some pitching injuries. Now that final ticket will need to be kept safe for that eventuation should it happen.

We bring Kent Tekulve up from AAA and he’ll go to a MR role with a Closer-by-committee employed for now. It’s a risk as Gossage was a lock so far this year and Tekulve has proven anything but in past seasons. Even at this early stage it is clear that how well our pitching holds up will be a decisive factor in how far we diverge from 500 this year and on which side of it we finish. This move puts even more pressure on the staff, for sure.

And boy do we take a whack at the turnstiles.

We finish this opening section at 25-22 and just a couple off the pace.




We sign extensions with John Tudor (1/900), Larry McWilliams (2+1/4200) and Gene Garber (2+1/1380).




The Tigers and Reds looking strong but what is going on in the Bay Area?


Monthly Award Winners

April

American League

Batter – Doug DeCinces (White Sox): 351 / 7 HR / 18 RBI
Pitcher – La Marr Hoyt (White Sox): 4-1 / 2.03 / 24 K / 44.1 IP
Rookie – Frank Viola (Twins): 3-1 / 2.13 / 24 K / 38 IP


National League

Batter – Wally Backman (Pirates): 463 / 1 HR / 11 RBI
Pitcher – Steve Carlton (Cubs): 5-0 / 1.54 / 36 K / 46.2 IP
Rookie – Tom Henke (Reds): 3-0 / 1.46 / 4 SV / 6 K / 12.1 IP


May

American League

Batter – Dwight Evans (Red Sox): 386 / 8 HR / 22 RBI
Pitcher – Frank Tanana (Tigers): 5-0 / 2.77 / 21 K / 39 IP
Rookie – Frank Viola (Twins): 5-1 / 4.75 / 31 K / 41.2 IP


National League

Batter – Howard Johnson (Cubs): 340 / 8 HR / 20 RBI
Pitcher – Jim Clancy (Braves): 5-0 / 1.80 / 28 K / 45 IP
Rookie – Tom Henke (Reds): 4-0 / 1.23 / 5 SV / 15 K / 22 IP


News and Leaders




Milestones and Observations of Note

200 Wins: Bert Blyleven

2000 Hits: Cesar Cedeno

The Mets lose pitcher Atlee Hammaker for the season to an RC tear.

Another rough start for the Astros sees them at an ugly 5-20 early on. The Tribe, meanwhile, look good early and a 10-game win streak takes them to the top of the AL East in mid-May before just cooling off a tad.

The Dodgers extend local fave Steve Garvey with a 2/1200 deal.

[luckymann]

It ain't pretty but we'll take it...

[luckymann]

Little surprise we don't get much love this time around, with Lance Parrish our only representative, his second appearance. Wally Backman should consider himself unlucky not to be among them.


American League

• SP Len Barker (DET) - 8-6, 3.74 ERA, 146.2 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 6.3 K/9, 2.3 WAR
• SP Britt Burns (CWS)* - 7-7, 2.90 ERA, 152.0 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 2.0 WAR
• SP Danny Darwin (SEA) - 10-5, 2.77 ERA, 139.2 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 6.1 K/9, 3.4 WAR
• SP John Fulgham (TOR) - 7-3, 2.59 ERA, 87.0 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 5.5 K/9, 2.5 WAR
• SP Bob Knepper (NYY) - 12-3, 3.09 ERA, 148.1 IP, 1.33 WHIP, 5.0 K/9, 2.3 WAR
• SP Pat Zachry (ML4) - 12-4, 2.14 ERA, 134.1 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 4.4 K/9, 2.3 WAR
• RP John Flinn (ML4) - 4-4, 13 SV, 2.05 ERA, 57.0 IP, 1.05 WHIP, 6.6 K/9, 1.2 WAR
• RP John Henry Johnson (TEX)* - 5-5, 17 SV, 1.76 ERA, 56.1 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, 1.3 WAR
• RP Dan Quisenberry (KC) - 5-3, 7 SV, 2.14 ERA, 46.1 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 2.5 K/9, 0.5 WAR
• CL Dale Murray (ML4) - 4-7, 10 SV, 2.53 ERA, 46.1 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 3.9 K/9, 1.0 WAR
• C Dave Engle (CLE) - .350/.393/.536, 220 AB, 7 HR, 162 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
• C Carlton Fisk (DET)* - .312/.353/.469, 224 AB, 9 HR, 3 SB, 132 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
• C John Wockenfuss (MIN) - .268/.376/.479, 213 AB, 12 HR, 1 SB, 139 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
• 1B Eddie Murray (BAL) - .259/.340/.514, 313 AB, 25 HR, 1 SB, 135 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
• 1B Jason Thompson (NYY)* - .292/.406/.560, 298 AB, 21 HR, 168 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
• 2B Lou Whitaker (DET)* - .326/.387/.544, 307 AB, 14 HR, 7 SB, 160 wRC+, 4.2 WAR
• 3B Buddy Bell (BOS)* - .325/.401/.484, 289 AB, 11 HR, 1 SB, 151 wRC+, 3.8 WAR (Injured)
• 3B Wade Boggs (BOS) - .362/.435/.532, 265 AB, 5 HR, 170 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
• 3B Doug DeCinces (CWS) - .302/.373/.530, 298 AB, 17 HR, 1 SB, 154 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
• 3B Graig Nettles (TOR) - .257/.364/.526, 272 AB, 21 HR, 1 SB, 150 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
• SS Cal Ripken Jr. (BAL)* - .307/.359/.540, 322 AB, 19 HR, 1 SB, 152 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
• SS Robin Yount (ML4) - .274/.348/.452, 299 AB, 11 HR, 1 SB, 122 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
• LF Jose Cruz (ML4) - .317/.381/.448, 306 AB, 7 HR, 12 SB, 137 wRC+, 3.9 WAR
• LF Steve Kemp (BOS)* - .300/.405/.463, 320 AB, 12 HR, 3 SB, 145 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
• LF Ben Oglivie (NYY) - .270/.332/.551, 296 AB, 24 HR, 4 SB, 146 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
• LF Jim Rice (BOS) - .325/.372/.543, 302 AB, 15 HR, 154 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
• LF Lonnie Smith (DET)* - .364/.455/.513, 236 AB, 1 HR, 54 SB, 181 wRC+, 4.4 WAR
• CF Gorman Thomas (NYY)* - .300/.394/.630, 270 AB, 25 HR, 5 SB, 187 wRC+, 4.2 WAR
• CF George Wright (DET) - .310/.361/.475, 284 AB, 10 HR, 1 SB, 138 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
• RF Dwight Evans (BOS)* - .308/.423/.565, 276 AB, 16 HR, 1 SB, 176 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
• RF George Hendrick (KC) - .359/.386/.602, 309 AB, 16 HR, 178 wRC+, 3.4 WAR

National League

• SP Don Aase (SD) - 8-2, 1.54 ERA, 93.2 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 3.6 K/9, 1.6 WAR
• SP Mike Boddicker (STL) - 7-5, 2.15 ERA, 142.1 IP, 0.99 WHIP, 6.2 K/9, 3.0 WAR
• SP Steve Carlton (CHC) - 16-2, 2.23 ERA, 157.1 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, 4.0 WAR
• SP Larry Christenson (PHI) - 9-4, 2.66 ERA, 149.0 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 5.8 K/9, 3.8 WAR
• SP Storm Davis (ATL) - 10-2, 2.50 ERA, 137.0 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 5.7 K/9, 4.1 WAR
• SP Bill Gullickson (STL) - 6-9, 3.77 ERA, 152.2 IP, 1.25 WHIP, 5.8 K/9, 1.5 WAR
• SP Neal Heaton (LAD) - 9-3, 2.51 ERA, 140.0 IP, 1.21 WHIP, 5.4 K/9, 3.9 WAR
• SP Bill Laskey (PHI) - 6-6, 2.18 ERA, 144.1 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 5.1 K/9, 3.8 WAR
• SP Fernando Valenzuela (LAD)* - 9-5, 2.26 ERA, 151.1 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 4.5 WAR
• RP Joe Sambito (HOU)* - 3-4, 3 SV, 4.05 ERA, 26.2 IP, 1.46 WHIP, 5.1 K/9, -0.6 WAR
• CL Tom Henke (CIN) - 9-2, 12 SV, 1.97 ERA, 59.1 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 1.7 WAR
• CL Jesse Orosco (MON) - 5-5, 17 SV, 1.87 ERA, 57.2 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 5.8 K/9, 2.0 WAR
• CL Lee Smith (CHC) - 3-3, 16 SV, 2.08 ERA, 47.2 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 5.9 K/9, 1.4 WAR
• C Gary Carter (MON)* - .258/.330/.446, 233 AB, 12 HR, 1 SB, 110 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
• C Lance Parrish (PIT) - .296/.338/.482, 247 AB, 9 HR, 130 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
• C Butch Wynegar (CIN) - .279/.376/.377, 215 AB, 3 HR, 1 SB, 118 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
• 1B Steve Garvey (LAD)* - .303/.331/.405, 333 AB, 4 HR, 1 SB, 109 wRC+, 0.8 WAR
• 1B Greg Walker (NYM) - .309/.399/.520, 298 AB, 13 HR, 1 SB, 154 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
• 2B Joe Morgan (CIN)* - .240/.371/.371, 267 AB, 8 HR, 15 SB, 112 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
• 2B Tim Raines (MON)* - .276/.342/.370, 322 AB, 4 HR, 58 SB, 103 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
• 3B Bob Horner (ATL) - .255/.344/.514, 290 AB, 21 HR, 2 SB, 134 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
• 3B Howard Johnson (CHC) - .295/.384/.481, 285 AB, 14 HR, 11 SB, 142 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
• 3B Bill Madlock (SD) - .317/.353/.489, 315 AB, 10 HR, 12 SB, 136 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
• 3B Mike Schmidt (PHI)* - .271/.386/.568, 280 AB, 24 HR, 1 SB, 165 wRC+, 4.0 WAR
• 3B Tim Wallach (MON) - .310/.386/.496, 284 AB, 12 HR, 4 SB, 146 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
• SS Dave Concepcion (CIN)* - .254/.305/.341, 279 AB, 2 HR, 10 SB, 82 wRC+, 1.3 WAR
• LF Oscar Gamble (LAD) - .246/.347/.481, 260 AB, 16 HR, 1 SB, 129 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
• CF Cesar Cedeno (PHI)* - .317/.376/.487, 306 AB, 9 HR, 26 SB, 145 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
• CF Dale Murphy (ATL) - .287/.348/.571, 289 AB, 20 HR, 13 SB, 153 wRC+, 4.0 WAR
• RF Leon Durham (NYM)* - .274/.354/.561, 296 AB, 19 HR, 15 SB, 153 wRC+, 3.3 WAR

Jason Thompson wins his first HR Derby, beating Graig Nettles 5-3 in a low-scoring final, while Cal Ripken takes home MVP honours as the AL wins the big game 2-1.

[luckymann]

A poor start to June sees us shut out in our first two games of the month by the Dodgers and from there the inexorable weight of gravity drags us back to 500.

We’re not playing particularly badly but nor are we playing especially well—it’s just the sort of club we are right now. To the boys’ credit, they don’t let us dip under break-even and after 60 games we sit at 31-29 and 5 back of the Cubs.

A nice little string of five wins – including back-to-back 13-2 and 17-3 victories over the Phils and the 12-2 Steve Carlton’s Cubs – takes us safely back into the black for the time being and shows just what this lineup is capable of at its best, but our pitching struggles flare up again with Ron Guidry having his worst season for us to date and we regress once more.

Only a couple lucky late wins against the Expos keep us from falling under 500 but doing so eventually seems inevitable to me. I say that just as the lads rattle off five straight wins.
It’s going to be that sort of season, methinks.

After yet another horror show in which he helps us blow a 7-run lead to the Cubs, Odell Jones and his 7+ ERA are banished to AAA via the WW as he’s out of OY. We shop him first but it’s still a bit early to use that last transaction pass on a nothing trade, so we run the gauntlet and he gets taken by the Phillies. Young Cecilio Guante comes up for his MLB debut.

We reach the All-Star break at 46-41 and, after after we finish July with a nifty 7-1 flourish, enter August at a surprisingly competitive 56-46 and just 3 ½ back of the Expos.




Just one more extension signed, as we re-up with reliever Victor Cruz on a 1/245 deal.


The Tigers ride an 11-game win streak to take control of the AL East, although they slip up late just to let the others catch up a wee bit and so all four races are still very much undecided.




Monthly Award Winners

June

American League

Batter – George Hendrick (Royals): 480 / 5 HR / 17 RBI
Pitcher – Bob Knepper (Yankees): 5-0 / 2.25 / 24 K / 48 IP
Rookie – John Stuper (Orioles): 3-1 / 2.22 / 10 K / 28.1 IP


National League

Batter – Greg Walker (Mets): 412 / 7 HR / 21 RBI
Pitcher – Larry Christenson (Phillies): 4-1 / 1.26 / 35 K / 50 IP
Rookie – Greg Walker


July

American League

Batter – Jason Thompson (Yankees): 343 / 11 HR / 27 RBI
Pitcher – Ray Burris (Indians): 4-0 / 1.08 / 19 K / 41.2 IP
Rookie – Pete O’Brien (Angels): 345 / 6 HR / 15 RBI


National League

Batter – Dale Murphy (Braves): 330 / 8 HR / 19 RBI
Pitcher – Eric Show (Cardinals): 4-0 / 1.58 / 32 K / 51.1 IP
Rookie – Tim Conroy (Phillies): 3-0 / 1.65 / 23 K / 32.2 IP



News, Leaders and Top 20s




Milestones and Observations of Note

250 Wins: Phil Niekro

2500 Hits: Reggie Smith

2000 Hits: Cecil Cooper

The Tigers lose pitcher Rick Sutcliffe for the season to a UCL tear, while a nice move by the Cubs faces some headwinds in the form of an injury to young gun Ryne Sandberg, who will have to take the maximum Legacy Player stretch on the sidelines after suffering a fractured knee.

An ACL tear ends the season early for Giants catcher Ernie Whitt and fellow backstop Tim Laudner of the Brewers will also miss the rest of the campaign thanks to a concussion. Teammate Robin Yount suffers a broken foot that keeps him on ice for a month or so, while O’s veteran Lee Lacy (elbow break) and Montreal outfielder Reid Nichols (labrum) are also done for the year.

Doc Medich pitches a no-hitter for our AAA Lincoln club against Ottawa.

Deadline trades of note:

[luckymann]

Our Links dominate in the regular season then survive two tough series that each go the distance to take out their 20th title but first since 1978.

[luckymann]

Never a dull moment it seems in the good old NL East and this year is no exception.

The lads keep themselves in the mix with a strong start to August, winning nine of their first 12 and the good performances continue late into the month including one 5-for-5 / 3 doubles / 7 RBI game by Dave Parker.

On the back of some inspired offensive performances that cover some iffy pitching, we close in on the Expos and cut their lead to one game a couple of times before losing Ken Oberkfell to back problems that require a minimum IL stint to heal.

This sees us drop two straight for the first time since early July but we’re still only a couple back with 30 to play.

We then lose John Tudor for three weeks to a lat strain and call up Will McEnaney, and a 3-7 run drops us back off the pace a bit again.

We keep nipping at the Expos’ heels as we enter September and then, on the back of five straight games in which we only give up one run in each, find ourselves just a half-game back of them with 15 to play.

We catch them a couple days later with a comeback win at Philly that comes at a huge cost with Lance Parrish knocked out for the rest of the season by a knee injury. Don Slaught is summoned for his MLB debut in the keenest of circumstances and will immediately take over everyday duties—a handy fallback option indeed but it’s a big ask of a rookie.

The 150th game – a messy 9-6 win at Wrigley – sees us in sole top spot for the first time all season and we still lead by that margin when we head to Montreal for three, with another three at home our final series scheduled for the regular season.

It’s like deja-vu all over again.

Larry McWilliams gives us a gem in the opener with 10+ shutout innings but we almost waste it before finally winning it 1-0 in 13. We drop the middle game in a 6-5 heartbreaker after coming back late from 5-1 down but they lose Gary Carter in the process and that could have a huge bearing on what happens from here. Still, they best us in the final game to get level in the standings as John Candelaria’s record in important games takes another hit.

As this has been playing out, the Mets and Cubs have been steadily gaining on ourselves and Montreal and when we head to Shea for a pair of games they are just 3 and 4 off the pace, respectively. We split that series and the next one at home to the Cards to leave us 2 clear of the Mets and Expos as the latter comes to town for that final three-gamer. The Mets are in Philly for their final three.

The Expos’ challenge comes up short as Dave Parker has a remarkable five doubles and drives in 8 in a heroic performance to almost single-handedly lead us to an otherwise unconvincing 10-6 win. The Mets lose as well and just like that we have won ourselves another – and most unexpected – NL East title.

We win the final two for good measure to finish at 92-70 and four clear of the Mets.

Our shortage of lefties and his solid showing this season lead to us extend Andy Hassler for a year at a cost of $172k.





Our race is the only close one of the four.

The Tigers are the first to clinch but will have to make their title run without SP Roger Weaver after he suffers a season-ending RC tear.

The Royals are the next into the playoffs, the franchise’s first-ever postseason appearance.

The Dodgers run away with the NL West, winning 13 straight in August and never looking back despite a late charge by the Reds including 10 wins on the trot. The Friars also finish with a flourish, storming into third place with 10 wins from their final 11 games and a promising 84-78 finish. It has, on the whole, been a good year for the expansion clubs.




Batting titles to Lonnie Smith and Bill Madlock. Eddie Murray leads the league with 42 homers and Cal Ripken's 137 RBI are the most. Anyone who doubts good pitching plays a huge role in team success, take note: between the two of them, these two guys combined for 81 dingers and 253 ribbies and the O's finished dead last at 78-84. Rickey Henderson just misses the record with his 136 steals the year's high.

The two Steves - Carlton with 22 and Rogers with one fewer - are the only 20-game winners this season. Lefty also has the low ERA with 2.23 but misses the TC by a dozen strikeouts to Mario Soto's 265. Willie Hernandez and Lee Smith tie for the most saves this year with 33.


Final Leaders and Top 20s

Monthly Award Winners

August

American League

Batter – Larry Herndon (White Sox): 408 / 6 HR / 26 RBI
Pitcher – Pete Broberg (Red Sox): 4-0 / 2.81 / 5 SV / 18 K / 25.2 IP
Rookie – Frank Viola (Twins): 4-1 / 2.49 / 38 K / 47 IP


National League

Batter – Leon Durham (Mets): 406 / 6 HR / 16 RBI
Pitcher – Jerry Reuss (Pirates): 6-0 / 1.37 / 14 K / 46 IP
Rookie – Tony Gwynn (Padres): 414 / 2 HR / 13 RBI


September

American League

Batter – Eddie Murray (Orioles): 409 / 12 HR / 24 RBI
Pitcher – Britt Burns (White Sox Sox): 3-0 / 1.71 / 6 SV / 16 K / 26.1 IP
Rookie – Lee Tunnell (A’s): 2-0 / 0.00 / 3 SV / 13 K / 12 IP


National League

Batter – Keith Hernandez (Cardinals): 385 / 5 HR / 19 RBI
Pitcher – Carlos Diaz (Mets): 3-0 / 1.71 / 6 SV / 16 K / 26.1 IP
Rookie – Carlos Diaz


Milestones and Observations of Note

2500 Hits: Joe Morgan

2000 Hits: Bobby Murcer

300 Saves: Rich Gossage, who finishes the season with 302 and tied with Hoyt Wilhelm as the all-time leader in this category.

The Cubs lose Rick Reuschel for the rest of the season to an elbow blowout and only his Legacy status keeps him from being absent for a good portion of next year as well.

Montreal’s Walt Terrell has no such luxury and will miss a full year to a UCL tear.

[luckymann]

American League
Detroit Tigers (104-58) v Kansas City Royals (88-74)

The Tigers were clearly the beast side this season and have a beast of a squad but the injuries to Whitaker, Rick Sutcliffe and Roger weaver undoubtedly mean this should be a tighter tussle than might otherwise have been the case. As we saw a couple seasons back with an ever more dominant Dodgers squad, nothing can be taken for granted at this point in the season and the Royals have plenty of quality at their disposal as well, even without injured outfielder Jim Eisenreich. Don’t be surprised if this series goes longer than you expect.

KC pushes the Tigers in the opening game but the Tigers dig deep and grind out a 7-3 win with Bruce Bochte and Lonnie Smith leading the way, and a blowout 8-2 victory to the visitors squares things up.

Detroit returns the favour in Game 3, belting the hosts 13-4 as Art Howe drives in 5 runs and then finish it off in style with another comfortable 10-3 win.

Chet Lemon is named MVP.


National League
Los Angeles Dodgers (94-68) v Pittsburgh Pirates (92-70)

Happy to admit I am as surprised as anyone that we are where we are and, as I have previously stated in this type of situation that affords us a certain freedom in how we play this thing out. Obviously we want to win and will be doing everything we can to do so. While the loss of Lance Parrish is a big one, Don Slaught showed he can handle this level. No other changes to the squad.

The Dodgers are at full strength and a quality squad in both hitting and pitching against whom we’ll need to be at our absolute best to be competitive.

A late rally capped by a 2-run Dave Henderson homer in the top 9th gives us a comeback 4-3 win in the opener as Al Oliver goes 4-for-5 and Don Slaught also drives in a pair. We look headed for another win in Game 2 at 5-2 thru the middle 6th before Jerry Reuss tires and they get at our bullpen to eventually overrun us 8-6. Al Oliver has another 4-hit game and Sluggo another 2 RBI.

A Guidry-Sutton matchup back in Pittsburgh turns out to be an unexpected run-fest that we win 9-5 as Wally Backman has 3 hits and 3 ribbies and Dave Kingman belts a 2-run jack and this surprise season continues into an unlikely World Series appearance as we clinch at home with one of our best performances of the year in a 10-0 whitewash with Larry McWilliams superb and the bats staying hot in a 13-hit onslaught led by Don Slaught (nice!) who makes it 7 RBI for the series with 3 more here.

It is, however, Al Oliver – who goes 11-for-20 - who takes home the MVP award.

[luckymann]

Detroit Tigers v Pittsburgh Pirates
Best-of-seven, Pirates with the home-field advantage.


I do believe I have said everything I have to say (you're welcome). This has been a great ride and the thought that it could end up in us winning it all is, I must say, somewhat surreal.

[luckymann]

Game 1 in Pittsburgh

John Candelaria (13-11, 3.91) v Len Barker (18-10, 3.81)

Our simple philosophy for this series is one of my favourite all-time sayings: Scared money never wins.

Sadly, said philosophy doesn’t seem to be carried onto the field as we play very tentatively and drop a 1-0 squeaker with Len Barker just outduelling John Candelaria and we are shut out on 7 singles.





Game 2 in Pittsburgh
Jerry Reuss (15-10, 2.75) v Frank Tanana (19-8, 4.16)
Tigers lead series 1-0

Jerry Reuss gets us home in another well-pitched and low-scoring affair with a final score of 2-1, going the distance and allowing just 3 hits in a fine performance. Wally Backman goes 3-for-3 and Dave Kingman mashes a solo tater.





Game 3 in Detroit
Charlie Lea (17-11, 4.53) v Ron Guidry (11-15, 3.61)
Series tied 1-1

DHs employed for the next three games in Detroit, with Tony Armas in that role for us here as Ron Guidry takes on the underrated Charlie Lea.

The third one-run game of the series sees us blow a 3-0 lead to eventually lose 4-3. Kong goes yard again, as does Dave Parker, but our generally light hitting continues with just 7 hits all told.





Game 4 in Detroit
Dan Spillner (13-6, 4.05) v Larry McWilliams (13-6, 3.30)
Tigers lead series 2-1

A bit of a must-win game for us given Barker awaits us tomorrow and it is up to Larry McWilliams – who has been good, if somewhat inconsistent this season – to procure it for us, as our bats seem to have gone AWOL for now. Hendu in at CF for this one and Sixto Lezcano moves to DH.

Larry does well, allowing just one unearned run on five hits over six, and the bats awaken just a smidge to get us a 5-2 win that guarantees us a return to Pittsburgh. Dave Kingman hits his third homer of the series and Sixto goes 3-for-4 with a walk and a triple.





Game 5 in Detroit
Len Barker (2-0, 2.13) v John Candelaria (0-1, 2.45)
Series tied 2-2

Candy has so far put the lie to his inability to deliver in big games and we just need one more good’un from him in his final start for 1982.

He gives us one, but it goes unrewarded as Barker stymies our offence again – limiting them to just 4 hits – and the Tigers get their noses back in front with a hard-fought 2-1 win.





Game 6 in Pittsburgh
Jerry Reuss (1-0, 2.93) v Frank Tanana (0-2, 4.61)
Tigers lead series 3-2

Jerry Reuss is the only thing standing between us an elimination here and we simply need to find a way to support him with some runs or we are toast.

It’s not to be as the Tigers wear him down and our bats stay cold, with a 6-2 win earning Detroit their 7th MLB Championship. A valiant effort by our guys all year and no shame in bowing out in the way we have to a really strong club that looks set to be competitive for a few years yet.

Tigers outfielder George Wright is named series MVP.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

OUT & OUTS

The Cubs is the latest MLB franchise to change ownership.

Just one MLB Manager fired again this season - Baltimore's John Fitzgerald - and I notice that Stretch McCovey doesn't have his contract renewed as Hitting Coach for the Reds. The A's also cut GM Jack Fisher.


ROSTER MOVES

The pivot continues as we void Al Oliver's final contract year.

We keep Tim Foli on as a cheap IF backup option and will need a further reshuffle in this department as we certainly don't have the desired mix with both Johnny Ray and Wally Backman only usable at 2B.

We retain the services of Phil Garner for two additional years at a total cost of around $1.35m as he offers decent offence and solid D around the bases.

Dale Berra wants a mid-priced long-term contract but we don't see him in that light and will just walk him though his arb years on an annual basis. We also send Will McEnaney to arb purely on the basis of our LHRP shortage.

Scoop, minor-leaguer Jim Morrison and Ed Ott all walk.

As expected, Hitting Coach Jim Muffoletto retires and we move Pops Stargell into that role.

Around the clubs, I note Jason Thompson, Steve Carlton, Amos Otis and Larry Hisle (who subsequently announces his retirement) all have their contact options voided, while the following extensions of note were signed:

Pedro Guerrero (Dodgers) 4/11620
Leon Durham (Mets) 5/9700
Pascual Perez (Braves) 4/7010
Marty Bystrom (Twins) 4/3890


SIM ACCURACY




*Ignore the SB figure, I often bump it up in the LTMs if I feel it's too low.


HANGIN' THEM UP

A fairly low-key retirement group this time around. Tom Seaver wasn't so terrific in this timeline, barely winning 200, and I doubt he or any of these will get a plaque at C-Town.

[luckymann]

Almost impossible to believe that, after 287 career Wins, this is Lefty's first Johnson-Waddell.

[luckymann]

82 seasons completed now, which is roughly two-thirds of the way on this timeline, so I thought it as good a juncture as any to take a look at the stat leaders for each MLB franchise.

Nice to see some of the NeLers - all pitchers - featuring here: Bombin Pedroso and Bullet Rogan at the Braves; Smoky Joe Williams at the O's / Browns; Satch at the Red Sox; Cannonball Redding at the Twins / Senators; Jose Mendez at the Cards; and Willie Foster for us.

[luckymann]

We open our main offseason roster management program with a bit of a blockbuster with the Cubbies:

It might seem odd that, in the middle of a purported rebuild, we swap two younger guys for two older guys. To a point, actual age means very little to me in and of itself. The four main things I look for in a player are talent, cost, future value and suitability.

The outgoing guys are talented and cheap, no doubt. But they fell short in the latter two departments for one reason or another: Harper is still a fair way off being of much use in the bigs, Backman is too one-dimensional defensively at a position we have too many players, Guidry still has some good years left but was taking up a CC slot I feel we could do with having up our sleeve and Sixto is pretty much done.

With Bert we get a slight upgrade to Ron now and three full years of use, one more than we would have had with Ron on his extant contract. UL was a reluctant offload a couple seasons back and we prefer having him as our starting SS and Dale Berra in a roaming IF backup role with Phil Garner and, to a lesser extent, Tim Foli. In the end, the retentions and cash mean the net increase to our payroll from this deal over the next three years is minimal, especially with Wally entering his arb period.

With Kong moving to everyday 1B duties now that Al Oliver is gone, the exit of Soxto leaves us a couple OFs short. We'll be getting one in the Draft as you'll see in a bit, but we still needed a three-slot depth guy and acquire a cheap one via the FA market on a 2+1 contract with an AAV of less than $300k:

Purely a low-cost glove-based depth signing and nothing more. Little chance of that third year ever coming to pass but thought it worth a $30k buyout risk.


Finally, we make a fairly sizeable investment in an SP. Jerry Reuss is in his walk year and won't be renewed and this acquisition will allow us some short-term flexibility and long-term stability in our pitching staff.

Don will hopefully give us exactly what we need from him: multiple seasons of solidly unspectacular mid-low rotation innings.


So just the one transaction ticket left and we'll almost certainly be saving it for a rainy day.

[luckymann]

Five new legacies entering the league, no HoFers among them but some big and popular names from this era all the same.

These are the Legacy Players for the 1983 Season:

Los Angeles Dodgers: Orel Hershiser (56.0; 309)
New York Mets: Daryl Strawberry (42.2; 1109)
Philadelphia Phillies: Darren Daulton (22.9; 1109 – on-club player (conceded))
Pittsburgh Pirates: Andy Van Slyke (41.3; 1057)
Toronto Blue Jays: Tony Fernandez (45.3; 1450)


Sid Fernandez (32.7.5; 250 GS) was also eligible for the Mets, but Strawberry’s higher WAR makes him the selection.


There are 157 rookies for this season, and the Draft will consist of 6 rounds.

The Draft order will be as follows (winning percentage from 1982 IRL season in brackets; bold indicates Legacy Pick in 1st Round):

Round 1

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (543)
2. Toronto Blue Jays (481; dice roll)
3. New York Mets (401)
4. Pittsburgh Pirates (519)
5. Philadelphia Phillies (549; dice roll)
6. Minnesota Twins (370)
7. Cincinnati Reds (377)
8. Texas Rangers (395)
9. Oakland Athletics (420)
10. Chicago Cubs (451)
11. Seattle Mariners (469)
12. Houston Astros (475)
13. Cleveland Indians (481; dice roll)
14. New York Yankees (488)
15. San Diego Padres (500)
16. Detroit Tigers (512)
17. Montreal Expos (531)
18. San Francisco Giants (537; dice roll)
19. Chicago White Sox (537; dice roll)
20. Atlanta Braves (549; dice roll)
21. Boston Red Sox (549; dice roll)
22. Kansas City Royals (556)
23. St. Louis Cardinals (568)
24. California Angels (574)
25. Baltimore Orioles (580)
26. Milwaukee Brewers (586)


Rounds 2 thru 6

1. Minnesota Twins (370)
2. Cincinnati Reds (377)
3. Texas Rangers (395)
4. New York Mets (401)
5. Oakland Athletics (420)
6. Chicago Cubs (451)
7. Seattle Mariners (469)
8. Houston Astros (475)
9. Cleveland Indians (481; dice roll)
10. Toronto Blue Jays (481; dice roll)
11. New York Yankees (488)
12. San Diego Padres (500)
13. Detroit Tigers (512)
14. Pittsburgh Pirates (519)
15. Montreal Expos (531)
16. San Francisco Giants (537; dice roll)
17. Chicago White Sox (537; dice roll)
18. Los Angeles Dodgers (543)
19. Philadelphia Phillies (549; dice roll)
20. Atlanta Braves (549; dice roll)
21. Boston Red Sox (549; dice roll)
22. Kansas City Royals (556)
23. St. Louis Cardinals (568)
24. California Angels (574)
25. Baltimore Orioles (580)
26. Milwaukee Brewers (586)


Eligible PIT players: 16 position players + 6 pitchers = 22


We get our first Legacy in quite some time and for once have a decent selection of players from which to choose.

Here are the new Bucco boys:

1. OF Andy Van Slyke, 23 (PIT IRL: 1987-94)

• A very handy pickup for us and Van will slot straight into the everyday LF role.

2. OF Joe Orsulak, 20 (PIT IRL: 1983-86)

• We get absolutely creamed between picks one and two, with 7 eligibles including the two we had earmarked for our next selection taken. Still, we get a nice type we’ll stash at AAA for eventual use when Dave Parker moves on at the end of ’84.

3. P Mark Huismann, 24 (PIT IRL: 1990-91)
4. IF Bill Lyons, 24 (INELIGIBLE)
5. C Jamie Nelson, 23 (INELIGIBLE)
6. 3B Cliff Pastornicky, 24 (INELIGIBLE)

• AAA depth, with only Huismann an even remote chance of MLB usage.

We really thought this Draft would afford us an opportunity to stock up on eligible players. Sadly, it didn’t but we’ve still added some important pieces to our puzzle.

[luckymann]

Another dry run for C-Town as Billy Williams comes agonisingly close but misses out and Whitey Ford's time on the ballot ends unsuccessfully.

• LF Billy Williams 73.5 (2nd year)
• SP Jim O'Toole 41.5 (3rd year)
• SP Whitey Ford 33.6 (10th year) Dropped
• LF Lou Brock 27.9 (1st year)
• C Bill Freehan 25.7 (1st year)
• 1B Norm Cash 23.0 (4th year)
• RF Rocky Colavito 22.1 (7th year)
• RF Tony Oliva 20.2 (2nd year)
• SP Juan Marichal 19.1 (4th year)
• CF Willie Davis 19.1 (1st year)
• SS Rico Petrocelli 17.2 (3rd year)
• 3B Ron Santo 14.5 (3rd year)
• 1B Boog Powell 10.9 (1st year)
• CF Vada Pinson 10.7 (3rd year)
• CL Jim Brewer 9.8 (2nd year)
• CF Jim Wynn 7.9 (1st year)
• 1B Orlando Cepeda 7.9 (3rd year)
• CF Bob Allison 7.9 (8th year)
• SP Ken Holtzman 7.4 (1st year)
• 1B Ernie Banks 6.0 (8th year)
• SP Pat Jarvis 3.8 (1st year) Dropped
• SP Larry Dierker 3.6 (1st year) Dropped
• 2B Dick McAuliffe 2.5 (3rd year) Dropped
• SP Chris Short 2.5 (4th year) Dropped
• SP Don Wilson 1.9 (1st year) Dropped
• SP Jim Merritt 1.6 (1st year) Dropped
• SP Ray Sadecki 0.3 (1st year) Dropped
• RP Dave Vineyard 0.0 (1st year) Dropped

[luckymann]

One of the more fascinating regular seasons in MLB history features three clubs – the creaky “Wheeze Kids” Phillies, with a bunch of veterans enjoying a swansong; the fast-finishing “Winning Ugly” White Sox, who go an astonishing 50-16 down the stretch; and a stacked Dodgers squad finally free of Steve Garvey’s hypocritical pontificating – who each struggle early before winning their divisions. But it is the thoroughbred Orioles, under new skipper Joe Altobelli who replaced club legend Earl Weaver at the helm and with Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken as cornerstones, who eventually prevail above them all, seeing off the Phils in five.


AL EAST / WEST CHAMPIONS: Baltimore Orioles (98-64) / Chicago White Sox (99-63)
NL EAST / WEST CHAMPIONS: Philadelphia Phillies (90-72) / Los Angeles Dodgers (91-71)
ALCS: Orioles 3, White Sox 1
NLCS: Phillies 3, Dodgers 1
WORLD SERIES: Orioles 4, Phillies 1

Pittsburgh Pirates: 84-78, 2nd in NL East

AL MVP: Cal Ripken jr (Orioles)
NL MVP: Dale Murphy (Braves)

AL CYA: LaMarr Hoyt (White Sox)
NL CYA: John Denny (Phillies)

AL RoY: Ron Kittle (White Sox)
NL RoY: Darryl Strawberry (Mets)


Top Ten Lists (courtesy of thisgreatgame.com)

NL Hitters

1. DALE MURPHY, ATLANTA

• Key Numbers: 162 games, .302 average, 131 runs, 178 hit, 36 home runs, 121 RBIs, 90 walks, 30 stolen bases, .540 slugging percentagebases.
• Slow-footed by appearance, back-to-back NL MVP winner Murphy was a true deceiver of speed and became the game’s unlikeliest entrant into the 30-30 club.

2. TIM RAINES, MONTREAL

• Key Numbers: .298 average, 133 runs, 183 hits, 32 doubles, 8 triples, 11 home runs, 71 RBIs, 97 walks, 90 stolen bases, 14 caught stealing.
• Cleaned up after spending $1,000 a week on cocaine, the Rock set career highs in steals, runs, walks and RBIs.

3. ANDRE DAWSON, MONTREAL

• Key Numbers: .299 average, 104 runs, 189 hits, 36 doubles, 10 triples, 32 home runs, 113 RBIs, 9 hit-by-pitches, 25 stolen bases, 18 sacrifice flies.
• Dawson reached the megastar status long predicted of him, unarguably putting together his most complete set of numbers—though his most memorable campaign still lay ahead.

4. MIKE SCHMIDT, PHILADELPHIA

• Key Numbers: .255 average, 104 runs, 40 home runs, 109 RBIs, 128 walks, 148 strikeouts, .399 on-base percentage.
• One of the younger Phillies at age 33, Schmidt led the NL in home runs for the sixth time and led the circuit in on-base percentage for a third straight year.

5. PEDRO GUERRERO, LOS ANGELES

• Key Numbers: .298 average, 87 runs, 174 hits, 28 doubles, 6 triples, 32 home runs, 103 RBIs, 23 stolen bases.
• Guerrero’s superior production remained unaffected as he struggled to adapt to a full-time move to third base, replacing long-time Dodger Ron Cey.

6. JOSE CRUZ, HOUSTON

• Key Numbers: .318 average, 85 runs, 189 hits, 28 doubles, 8 triples, 14 home runs, 92 RBIs, 30 stolen bases.
• One of the most popular players to wear an Astro uniform, Cruz hit a career-high .318 even as he passed into baseball’s old age (upper 30s) because, as he said, “getting tired is mental.” He went hitless in his final eight at-bats to squander his chances of winning a batting title.

7. DARRELL EVANS, SAN FRANCISCO

• Key Numbers: .277 average, 94 runs, 29 doubles, 30 home runs, 82 RBIs, 84 walks.
• The 36-year-old Evans suddenly awoke from a decade of slugging mediocrity that followed his 41-homer campaign of 1973.

8. GEORGE HENDRICK, ST. LOUIS

• Key Numbers: .318 average, 33 doubles, 18 home runs, 97 RBIs.
• In a time when the Cardinals were focusing less on power and more on speed, Hendrick seemed out of place—but when you hit .318 at age 33, no one’s going to call you out as odd.

9. GARY REDUS, CINCINNATI

• Key Numbers: 125 games, .247 average, 90 runs, 20 doubles, 9 triples, 17 home runs, 51 RBIs, 71 walks, 39 stolen bases.
• In his first full year with the Reds, the speedy outfielder with decent pop showed much of the same skills that would soon behold Eric Davis at Cincinnati.

10. DICKIE THON, HOUSTON

• Key Numbers: .286 average, 81 runs, 177 hits, 28 doubles 9 triples, 20 home runs, 79 RBIs, 34 stolen bases.
• A young, rising All-Star shortstop, Thon briefly blossomed before a beaning seriously curtailed his career with blurred vision.

AL Hitters

1. EDDIE MURRAY, BALTIMORE

• Key Numbers: .306 average, 115 runs, 178 hits, 30 doubles, 33 home runs, 111 RBIs, 86 walks.
• The back-to-back runner-up for the AL MVP, Murray hit a career-high 33 homers—a rather low tally for someone who’d eventually belt over 500.

2. RICKEY HENDERSON, OAKLAND

• Key Numbers: .292 average, 105 runs, 25 doubles, 7 triples, 9 home runs, 48 RBIs, 103 walks, 108 stolen bases, 19 caught stealing.
• Henderson became the first player to steal 100 bases in consecutive years; 12 times, he swiped at least three in a game.

3. WILLIE UPSHAW, TORONTO

• Key Numbers: .306 average, 99 runs, 177 hits, 26 doubles, 7 triples, 27 home runs, 104 RBIs, 10 stolen bases.
• In what would become a top-of-the-line effort, Upshaw became the first Blue Jay to knock in 100 runs—and he could have had more; 19 of his 27 home runs were drilled with no one on base.

4. GEORGE BRETT, KANSAS CITY

• Key Numbers: 123 games, .310 average, 90 runs, 38 doubles, 25 home runs, 93 RBIs, .563 slugging percentage.
• Whether he had too much pine-tar or not on his bat, Brett raised the bar on a career high for home runs; he certainly would have added to it had he not been absent from 39 games.

5. WADE BOGGS, BOSTON

• Key Numbers: .361 average, 100 runs, 210 hits, 44 doubles, 7 triples, 5 home runs, 74 RBIs, 92 walks, .444 on-base percentage.
• Proving that his part-time .349 rookie average from 1982 was no fluke, Boggs partly attributed his first AL batting crown to his daily consumption of chicken—just one of his many superstitions.

6. CECIL COOPER, MILWAUKEE

• Key Numbers: .307 average, 661 at-bats, 106 runs, 203 hits, 37 doubles, 30 home runs, 126 RBIs.
• An outstanding, under-the-radar run of excellence was capped as Cooper finished a seven-year stretch hitting .316 with a season average of 22 home runs and 95 RBIs.

7. LLOYD MOSEBY, TORONTO

• Key Numbers: .315 average, 104 runs, 170 hits, 31 doubles, 7 triples, 18 home runs, 81 RBIs, 27 stolen bases.
• Representative of a new breed of Blue Jay, Moseby was the first player to score 100 runs for Toronto.

8. CAL RIPKEN JR., BALTIMORE

• Key Numbers: 162 games, .318 average, 663 at-bats, 121 runs, 211 hits, 47 doubles, 27 home runs, 102 RBIs, 28 grounded into double plays.
• Playing every game, let along every inning, hardly wore the young Ripken down; he hit .361 from mid-July on.

9. JIM RICE, BOSTON

• Key Numbers: .305 average, 90 runs, 191 hits, 34 doubles, 39 home runs, 126 RBIs, 31 grounded into double plays.
• Rice erupted with the kind of numbers that haunted pitchers during his reign of terror in the late 1970s.

10. ROBIN YOUNT, MILWAUKEE

• Key Numbers: .308 average, 102 runs, 178 hits, 42 doubles, 10 triples, 17 home runs, 80 RBIs, 12 stolen bases.
• The reigning AL MVP remained potent even as wary opponents began pitching around him; he drew 72 walks as opposed to just 26 three years earlier.

NL Pitchers

1. JOHN DENNY, PHILADELPHIA

• Key Numbers: 2.37 ERA, 19 wins, 6 losses, .760 win percentage, 36 starts, 242.2 innings, 53 walks, 12 stolen bases allowed, 19 caught stealing/picked off, 27 grounded into double plays.
• The NL finished without a 20-game winner for the first time in 52 years, although Denny came awfully close, winning his last six starts.

2. MARIO SOTO, CINCINNATI

• Key Numbers: 2.70 ERA, 17 wins, 13 losses, 34 starts, 18 complete games, 273.2 innings.
• Soto was Cincinnati’s stopper for the second straight year; with the Reds losing so often, he had no choice.

3. BOB WELCH, LOS ANGELES

• Key Numbers: 2.65 ERA, 15 wins, 12 losses, 31 starts, 204 innings, 7 stolen bases allowed, 17 caught stealing/picked off.
• Getting better with each year, Welch got better with each month in 1983—thriving down the stretch to finish above .500. It should have been easier; the Dodgers scored two runs or less in 12 of his starts.

4. ATLEE HAMMAKER, SAN FRANCISCO

• Key Numbers: 2.25 ERA, 10 wins, 9 losses, 23 starts, 172.1 innings, 32 walks.
• The unassuming southpaw was solid gold in the season’s first half with a 9-4 record and 1.70 ERA—but then he gave up the first grand slam in All-Star Game history, and a sore arm dogged his second half. Despite hanging in the majors for another decade, he never got his career back on solid footing.

5. ALEJANDRO PENA, LOS ANGELES

• Key Numbers: 2.75 ERA, 12 wins, 9 losses, 1 save, 1 blown save, 34 appearances, 26 starts, 177 innings.
• After a strong start coming out of the bullpen, Pena was moved to the rotation where he gave excellent backend support to the Dodgers’ aces.

6. STEVE ROGERS, MONTREAL

• Key Numbers: 3.23 ERA, 17 wins, 12 losses, 36 starts, 5 shutouts, 273 innings, 21 stolen bases allowed, 19 caught stealing/picked off.
• In his last full year before shoulder injuries doomed his career at age 35, Rogers helped his own cause at the plate by leading the majors with 20 sacrifice bunts.

7. JESSE OROSCO, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 1.47 ERA, 13 wins, 7 losses, 17 saves, 5 blown saves, 62 appearances, 110 innings.
• Of the many, many years (24 in all, until age 46) that Orosco would pitch, none was finer than his 1983 effort.

8. CRAIG MCMURTRY, ATLANTA

• Key Numbers: 3.08 ERA, 15 wins, 9 losses, 35 starts, 224.2 innings, 23 stolen bases allowed, 21 grounded into double plays.
• McMurtry’s promising rookie effort would be followed in later years by disappointment, injury and the stigma of allowing Barry Bonds’ first career home run.

9. NOLAN RYAN, HOUSTON

• Key Numbers: 2.98 ERA, 14 wins, 9 losses, 29 starts, 196.1 innings, 101 walks, 21 stolen bases allowed, 20 grounded into double plays.
• The Ryan Express wasn’t quite at top speed as his strikeout rate went down and his walk rate went up—but he was still tough to get a hit off of; for the third straight year, he had the lowest opposing batting average (.195).

10. STEVE CARLTON, PHILADELPHIA

• Key Numbers: 3.11 ERA, 15 wins, 16 losses, 37 starts, 283.2 innings, 275 strikeouts, 13 wild pitches, 9 balks, 19 stolen bases allowed, 19 caught stealing/picked off.
• The head-scratcher of the season; although Carlton’s ERA remained virtually unmoved from his 23-11 performance of the year before, he finished with a losing record. Only one NL pitcher (the Mets’ Mike Torrez) lost more games.

AL Pitchers

1. DAN QUISENBERRY, KANSAS CITY

• Key Numbers: 1.94 ERA, 5 wins, 3 losses, 45 saves, 8 blown saves, 69 appearances, 139 innings, 11 walks, 19 grounded into double plays.
• Quisenberry remained the AL’s toughest closer on the mound, shattering the decade-old season record for saves.

2. DAVE STIEB, TORONTO

• Key Numbers: 3.04 ERA, 17 wins, 12 losses, 36 starts, 278 innings, 14 wild pitches.
• Stieb set the pace for another sturdy campaign by starting the season at 8-2 with a 1.04 ERA.

3. RICK HONEYCUTT, TEXAS

• Key Numbers: 2.42 ERA, 14 wins, 8 losses, 25 starts, 174.2 innings, 37 walks, 30 grounded into double plays.
• The lefty turned it all around after a dreadful (5-17, 5.27 ERA) 1983 campaign, all but sewing up the AL ERA crown when he was traded to the contending Dodgers in mid-August. (He bombed late in Los Angeles, posting a 2-3 record and 5.77 ERA.)

4. LAMARR HOYT, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: 3.66 ERA, 24 wins, 10 losses, .706 win percentage, 36 starts, 260.2 innings, 33 walks, 22 grounded into double plays.
• With a 13-0 record over his last 14 starts, Hoyt’s season total of 24 tied Wilbur Wood (from 1972-73) for the most in a season by a White Sox pitcher since Red Faber in 1921.

5. MIKE BODDICKER, BALTIMORE

• Key Numbers: 2.77 ERA, 16 wins, 8 losses, 26 starts, 5 shutouts, 179 innings.
• As good as the rookie righty was during the season, Boddicker saved his best start for the playoffs; his 14 strikeouts of the White Sox during a five-hit shutout in ALCS Game Two were the most by an American Leaguer all year.

6. JACK MORRIS, DETROIT

• Key Numbers: 3.34 ERA, 20 wins, 13 losses, 37 starts, 20 complete games, 293.2 innings, 232 strikeouts, 18 wild pitches.
• The Hall-of-Fame ace wore the workhorse more than ever, setting career highs in innings thrown, starts, complete games and strikeouts.

7. RICH DOTSON, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: 3.22 ERA, 22 wins, 7 losses, .759 win percentage, 106 walks, 29 stolen bases allowed, 33 grounded into double plays.
• After three common years at Comiskey Park, Dotson shelved his slider, broke out a curve, and produced a career-year showing for the ‘ugly’ White Sox.

8. CHARLIE HOUGH, TEXAS

• Key Numbers: 3.18 ERA, 15 wins, 13 losses, 33 starts, 252 innings, 19 stolen bases allowed, 20 caught stealing/picked off, 22 grounded into double plays.
• Pitching his 14th year in the majors—but only his second as a full-time starter—Hough used his knuckler to befuddle opposing hitters—and often, his own catchers. His streak of 37.1 consecutive scoreless innings set a Texas record, later broken by Kenny Rogers.

9. MOOSE HAAS, MILWAUKEE

• Key Numbers: 3.27 ERA, 13 wins, 3 losses, .813 win percentage, 25 starts, 179 innings, 42 walks.
• In his eighth year at the Brewers, Haas sprung forward and got better as the year went along, winning five starts and tossing 29 consecutive scoreless innings in August before arm pains put an early end to his season.

10. RON GUIDRY, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 3.42 ERA, 21 wins, 9 losses, 21 complete games, .700 win percentage, 31 starts, 250.1 innings.
• Two years after failing to complete a single one of his 21 starts, Guidry led the majors in going the distance.