Sunday, January 15, 2023

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADER: 1978 A.L. E.R.A.

On the blog today, we move on to the American League and the top three pitchers in regards to earned run average for the 1977 season, displayed on an “expanded league leader” card:
 

We begin with young power-pitching stud Frank Tanana, who was building an impressive career in just a couple of seasons in the Big Leagues, leading the American League with his 2.54 ERA for the California Angels.
Still only 23 years of age, the man was already a strikeout king in 1975 with his 269 K’s, a 19-game winner the following year, and now an ERA leader along with a league-leading seven shutouts in 1977.
He’d continue this into 1978 when he posted 18 wins, though his strikeouts decreased from 205 in 1977 to 137, a sign of things to come.
In 1979 he’d appear in only 18 games, with arm trouble settling in, but he managed to successfully turn his pitching style into one of “pitcher” instead of “flamethrower”, incredibly putting in another 15 years in the Major Leagues, retiring in 1993 with 240 wins and 2773 K’s, along with 34 shutouts over 638 games.
In second place with a 2.72 ERA in 1977, a pitcher who seemed to be in second place in many categories over the decade, Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven, who put in another “typical” Blyleven-esque season with 14 wins, five shutouts and 182 strikeouts, the first time he didn’t reach 200 in over seven years.
Another absolute stud from that era who was grossly overlooked, thanks in part because of pitching at the same time as guys named “Seaver”, “Palmer” and “Carlton”, among many others.
Blyleven also pitched more than 20 years in the Majors, finishing up in 1992 after 22 years, with 287 wins and 3701 strikeouts, along with 60 shutouts and a very nice 3.31 ERA.
In third place with a 2.77 ERA in 1977, yet ANOTHER pitcher who played for over 20 years, the great Nolan Ryan, who put in a staggering 27 seasons under the Big League sun!
His 1977 season was another successful one for the “Ryan Express”, posting 19 wins along with a league-leading 22 complete games and 341 strikeouts, giving him a third place finish in the Cy Young race, one of three such finishes over the course of his career.
By the time he was done in 1993, all he did was post 324 wins over 807 appearances, with a 3.19 ERA and 61 shutouts, with an astronomical 5714 strikeouts over 5386 innings. Just insane.
What a trio of pitchers here! Perhaps a record for total number of years shown on a three-panel card!

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