On the blog today, we add former Houston Astros ace Larry Dierker to my 1970 "20-Win Circle" sub-set, celebrating the 20-game winners of the 1969 season:
Dierker had himself an excellent year in 1969, his sixth in the Majors while still only 22 years of age!
He posted a record of 20-13 over 39 appearances, 37 of them starts, with a brilliant 2.33 earned run average in 305.1 innings.
He
completed 20 of those starts and tossed four shutouts along the way,
striking out 232 batters, garnering him his first All-Star berth as
well.
Incredibly
Dierker made his Big League debut at the age of 17 with the (tehn)
Houston Colt .45's, appearing in three games and going 0-1 with a 2.00
ERA over three games and nine innings pitched.
He’d finish his playing career in 1978 with the St. Louis
Cardinals, his only season outside of Houston, going 2-6 with a 4.58 ERA over 11 appearances before retiring
with a record of 139-123 with a very nice 3.31 ERA over 356 games and
2333.2 innings pitched.