1968 Topps ERA Leaders
I'm no Phillies fan.
I'm no Braves fan either.
Actually, if I were to rank baseball teams in order of favorite to least favorite, I'd most likely begin listing minor league teams before I'd even consider the Braves or the Phillies.
However, I do like to think I have a pretty good understanding of the history of the game and its players.
Phil Niekro- heard of him.
Jim Bunning- Yup.
Chris Short- Nuh uh.
The last time I did an "Other Guy" post, it was on Jim Wynn. I had never heard of him before, but saw him on a '68 Topps leaders card and I ended up learning about a really good player that I had never heard of. Maybe we'll have similar luck today...
As expected when you're battling Niekro and Bunning for the ERA title, Short had a good long career. 15 years, all but one spent with the Phillies, the last of which came with the Brewers. This particular card showcases the top 3 ERA guys in the National League in '67. Shorts' 2.39 was good enough for 3rd in the league, despite having a 9-11 record.
Short was often considered among the best pitchers in the NL from '64-'68, making two All-Star teams to back up that claim in 1964 and '67. In the '64 ASG he pitched 1 inning, but gave up two runs. In '67 he fared much better, going 2 innings and allowing no runs, no hits and only one walk.
In a 3 year stretch ('64-'66) Short won 55 games which was topped off with a 20 spot in '66. You could expand that even further and say that he won 87 games in his first 9 full seasons. Unfortunately, an injury limited Short to only 2 games in '69 and he never seemed to be the same pitcher. From '70-'73 his lowest ERA 3.85 and his highest strikeout total was 133.
Final Verdict:
Short finished his career as essentially a .500 pitcher, winning 135 losing 132. A .505 record. While I never saw him pitch (he played his last game 14 years before I was born) I have a feeling his record didn't always reflect the way he pitched. First off, to win 100+ games in the majors, you have to do something right for at least awhile. Second, a 3.43 career ERA ain't to fucking bad, neither is 1,629 strikeouts. Add that on top of 2 All-Star games, plus being among the all time leaders in all kinds of departments for Phillie pitchers, a team that has been around for ever, is something in itself. I changed my arm angle in the backyard recently. I think it'll help...
The "Other Guy"- 6
Joe- 0
(...Joe)
I'm no Braves fan either.
Actually, if I were to rank baseball teams in order of favorite to least favorite, I'd most likely begin listing minor league teams before I'd even consider the Braves or the Phillies.
However, I do like to think I have a pretty good understanding of the history of the game and its players.
Phil Niekro- heard of him.
Jim Bunning- Yup.
Chris Short- Nuh uh.
The last time I did an "Other Guy" post, it was on Jim Wynn. I had never heard of him before, but saw him on a '68 Topps leaders card and I ended up learning about a really good player that I had never heard of. Maybe we'll have similar luck today...
As expected when you're battling Niekro and Bunning for the ERA title, Short had a good long career. 15 years, all but one spent with the Phillies, the last of which came with the Brewers. This particular card showcases the top 3 ERA guys in the National League in '67. Shorts' 2.39 was good enough for 3rd in the league, despite having a 9-11 record.
Short was often considered among the best pitchers in the NL from '64-'68, making two All-Star teams to back up that claim in 1964 and '67. In the '64 ASG he pitched 1 inning, but gave up two runs. In '67 he fared much better, going 2 innings and allowing no runs, no hits and only one walk.
In a 3 year stretch ('64-'66) Short won 55 games which was topped off with a 20 spot in '66. You could expand that even further and say that he won 87 games in his first 9 full seasons. Unfortunately, an injury limited Short to only 2 games in '69 and he never seemed to be the same pitcher. From '70-'73 his lowest ERA 3.85 and his highest strikeout total was 133.
Final Verdict:
Short finished his career as essentially a .500 pitcher, winning 135 losing 132. A .505 record. While I never saw him pitch (he played his last game 14 years before I was born) I have a feeling his record didn't always reflect the way he pitched. First off, to win 100+ games in the majors, you have to do something right for at least awhile. Second, a 3.43 career ERA ain't to fucking bad, neither is 1,629 strikeouts. Add that on top of 2 All-Star games, plus being among the all time leaders in all kinds of departments for Phillie pitchers, a team that has been around for ever, is something in itself. I changed my arm angle in the backyard recently. I think it'll help...
The "Other Guy"- 6
Joe- 0
(...Joe)
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