Thursday, February 28, 2008

he slices, he dices


Player: Jerry Reuss
Card: 1989 Upper Deck #151
Errors: Pants number. Is that ear hair? Picture taken during mass evacuation of stadium. Baseball player completing karate chop.
Comments: The fact that Jerry Reuss (pronounced "mil-ler") pitched for more than 20 years in the big leagues is a testament to his durability, attention to detail and strict fish-head diet. Though frequently overshadowed even on his own team, Reuss was a steady presence in the rotation, earning appearances in two All-Star games and tossing a no-hitter in 1980. Plus, he was the second pitcher ever to win 200 games without winning 20 in a single season.
Despite that success, tragically, Reuss will always be best remembered for 1988, when he put together one of the most unusual statistical seasons in Major League history.
While baseball historians and Billy Crystal have debated for years what led to this bizarre anomaly - Alignment of the stars? Weak minor league development skill programs combined with a gradual expansion of the left-side strike zone? Too much steak? - it's probably best to let the stats speak for themselves. Then you, the fans, can be the final judge.
1988
JERRY REUSS * P * WHITE SOX
h: 6-5 * w: 227 * h: L * t: L
b: 6-19-49 St. Louis, Mo.
Wins: 13
Losses: 9
Earned run average: 3.44
Games: 32
Complete games: 2
Wood boards: 6,575
Bricks: 876
Shut outs: 0
Sleeper holds: 18
International spy assassinations: 1
Saves: 0
Innings pitched: 183
Runs: 79
Put him in a body bag: Yeah, Johnny, yeah!
Earned runs: 70
Subscriptions sold to Teen Kick, the magazine for young ninjas: 7
Hits: 183
Wild pitches: 3
Viper strikes: 5
Hit by pitch: 3
Belts: red, mauve, black
Walks: 43
Strikeouts: 73
Scoring: 2-1

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

200 wins without 20 in a season:

Mike Mussina (250 career wins)
Dennis Martinez (245)
Frank Tanana (240)
Jerry Reuss (220)
Charlie Hough (216)
Kenny Rogers (210)
Milt Pappas (209)
Chuck Finley (200)

And oddly enough, none of them earned a black belt in karate.

Tim in New Orleans

Uglee Card said...

Good catch! I fixed the wording and I think everything's accurate on there now.
I can't believe Mike Mussina will have more wins than Bob Gibson after this year. Wow.

Anonymous said...

Are you sure that isn't Ted Turner? ha

Anonymous said...

At least he was a great mentor for Henry Roengartner!