Palmer joined Sandy Koufax and Tom Seaver as the only pitchers at that time to reach three Cy Young Awards after putting in another masterful season in ‘76, posting a 22-13 record with a 2.51 earned run average, six shutouts and 159 strikeouts over 40 starts and 315 innings pitched.
It was his sixth of eight 20-win seasons, all achieved in the 1970’s. An amazing feat regardless of the decade!
The man was a pitching machine, eventually finishing with a 268-152 record, good for a .638 winning percentage, with a minuscule 2.86 ERA and 53 shutouts along with 2212 strikeouts over 558 games, 521 of which were starts.
Pretty much THE dominant starter in the Junior Circuit in that era, he appeared in six All-Star Games, had three second-place Cy Young finishes and was awarded four Gold Glove Awards for his defensive capabilities.
Beyond an easy pick for the Hall of Fame, he was inducted in his first year of eligibility, being named on 92.6% of the vote in 1990.
Imagine the 7.4% who kept him off their ballot?! Absurd...
