General Stats and Ranks
Note: NL and All-Time Ranks are for pitchers with 65+ IP
Some Interesting Stats and Facts
- Only player in MLB history to have a sub 1.50 ERA in 90+ IP at age 35 or older.
- Lowest ERA and lowest WHIP in Phillies history for a reliever with 80+ IP.
- 36th best ERA and 52nd best WHIP of any pitcher in the history of baseball with 90+ IP.
- Best ERA+ in Phillies history for any pitcher with 90+ IP (259). 13th best in MLB history.
- 4 saves with a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 IP in the playoffs.
- The season prior, McGraw had a 5.16 ERA in 83.2 IP for the Phils.
- Finished 5th in Cy Young voting (Carlton won) and 16th in MVP voting (Schmidt won).
Why He’s Here
Obviously the image above is one of the most indelible in Phillies history, but don’t think for a second that that had anything to do with McGraw’s position here. Last out of the Series or not, McGraw put together one of the best seasons of any Phillies reliever in team history. His combination of quantity (92 IP) and quality (1.46 ERA) is unmatched in team history and is among the best in MLB history.
McGraw carried the Phillies bullpen during a time when a “closer” didn’t just come in to close. McGraw made 57 appearances, only 25 of which were save situations. While the 2008 Phillies had several guys with low ERA’s, McGraw’s ERA was 2 full points lower than the 2nd best reliever on the team (with 50+ IP). 45 of his 57 appearances were scoreless and only 3 times did he let up more than 1 run. Think Lidge in 2008 or Wagner in 2005 only if they were constantly called on for 2+ innings.
Previous ‘Top-20 Seasons’ Entries
#18 – Greg Luzinksi, 1977
#19 - Gavvy Cravath, 1913
#20 - Lenny Dykstra, 1993
Five pitchers that just missed (and criteria for rankings)
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Hey Pete,
Excellent choice! I saw Tugger pitch in ‘80 and two things come to mind:
1) His stats are all the more impressive when you consider he was running on fumes at the end of the year. He practically willed his way to the championship.
2) That screwball of his. You have to be one to throw one, and he succeeded at both. (Hey, how about a Top 20 Locker Room Personalities feature? Tug would definitely be around the top of that list.)
By the way, does anyone throw a screwball anymore? Seemed more common back in the ’80s but we don’t hear much (if anything) about it nowadays.
I love Tug McGraw, the sadly departed scroogie-throwin’, John Jamison swilling, fun-loving human being. Big-hearted, down-to-earth person. Big-hearted, down-to-the-wire player. An all-time Phillie. Nice choice, Pete. Philly was very lucky to adopt the free-spirited Californian and important Met in the prime of his career. I recommend his autobiography “Ya Gotta Believe” (co-written by Don Yaeger, 2004, Signet) – you’ll be enlightened and enriched.