Sanders, whose career was sputtering for about six seasons before he found himself playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, hit his stride in 1970 when he pitched to a 5-2 record with a brilliant 1.75 earned run average coming out of the bullpen, saving 13 games over 50 appearances.
He gained the nickname “Bulldog” from Brewers manager Dave Bristol in 1970 because he was “so mean, tough and stubborn out on the mound.”
In 1971 he had the best season of his career when he went 7-12 with a 1.91 ERA, leading the American League with 83 appearances, 77 finished games and 31 saves, pitching 136.1 innings and striking out 80.
Sadly it didn’t last, as he’d pitch another five years in the Big Leagues, playing for five teams between 1972 and 1976, never coming close to those two seasons of 1970 & 1971.
By the time he retired he finished with a record of 29-45, with 86 saves and a very nice 2.97 ERA over 409 appearances and 656.2 innings pitched between 1964 and 1976.
