Three PITCHERS Best at Age 30 in the 1960s

 

TRIVIA WINNER: The answer to last weeks question was 19 times Cy Young either won or lost 20 games in a season and at least in one case he did both. The Prize: 10 points toward the person's total.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST: You will still be required to enter the drawing as usual. However,  through the end of 2024 you will get points depending on the complexity of the questions. Enter each week and correct answers will get those points-one guess per person per week. The reader with the most points after the years final column will get a $50 Starbucks Gift Card. Ties will be placed into a drawing. Questions will be worth anywhere from 10-25 points depending on degree of difficulty. Questions will be more difficult as the year goes on, so you are never really out of the mix. Tell your friends and sports fans who like trivia. We will keep track of your points. - YOU MUST ENTER VIA THE EMAIL AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN.

NEW TRIVIA QUESTION:  In 1937 which Negro League team finished with the worst record, recording only 5 wins, and who was the starting pitcher who tied for the team lead in wins? Total 30 Points.

Last week we looked at the three best offensive players in the major leagues at age 30 during the decade of the 1960s. But what about the best pitchers at age 30 during the era? Arguably the top three would include Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal and Sandy Koufax. The case could be made for Don Drysdale, Jim Bunning and several more so we'll  give them honorable mentions here.

Bob Gibson was the king of the 1960s. At age 30 he was still two years away from his immaculate season where he posted a 1.12 ERA. At 30 he went 20-12 for the St. Louis Cardinals with a 2.44 ERA over 280 innings. In 1966 he tossed five shutouts among his 20 complete games and posted a 1.027 WHIP. The All-Star struck out 225 batters and walked only 78. He would pitch from 1959 into the 1970s and every player who ever faced him would talk about being intimidated by Gibson.  

At the plate he had four doubles, a home run, while driving in eight runs, batting .200. Oh, and he stole three bases. In addition to all of that he won a Gold Glove for fielding. Pretty remarkable.

Juan Marichal was nothing short of amazing. 1968 at age 30 Marichal had his best season. He went 26-9 with a 2.43 ERA and a 1.047 WHIP. It can be argued his best season was a couple of years earlier when he won 25 with a WHIP under 1.00 but the added win at age 30 cannot be underestimated. He started 38 games and completed 30 with five shutouts and 325 innings pitched. 

It was his seventh straight All-Star season and he even finished fifth in the MVP voting. Hitters were baffled by the Giants right-hander because he threw all different kinds of pitches from multiple angles which confused hitters especially at night. 

Sandy Koufax. You really need say no more. Age age 30 Koufax would pitch his last season in the big leagues and it was absolutely his best. Few pitchers in baseball had a season like Koufax did in 1966. Unfortunately, it was his last due to extreme arthritis in his left arm.  

At age 30 the Dodger hurler won the Cy Young Award and finished second to Roberto Clemente in the MVP voting. His 27-9 record showed how many of the Dodgers 95 wins he had in leading the club to the National League Pennant. Over 323 innings he struck out 317 batters and gave  up only 241 hits, while compiling a 1.73 ERA and a 0.985 WHIP, adding five shutouts. 

Koufax led the league in starts (41), Wins, Innings, Strikeouts, Complete Games (27), and among other things strikeouts per nine innings (8.8). Truly amazing in that he also made only one error while on the mound for over 300 innings.

From 1961 until the end of his career in 1966 he went 129-47 and in 1965 he set a new record with 382 strikeouts, 3 times surpassing 300 K's in his career.

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                              brillpro@gmail.com 
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I've written more than a dozen books including at least two sports books. You can find these at my Amazon page or at my own website www.bobbrillbooks.com. Please take a look at the sports books, the western novel series or the "Tattoo Murder," which is a crime book set in Ventura, CA.

Use PayPal to brillpro@prodigy.net or contact us at the same email for other payment. 

Thank you to those of you who purchased my books after reading this column.  

Just a note to add; If you look at the top right hand corner of the side bar you will see a link to daily sports scores. We made an agreement with Baseball 24 in a mutual sharing situation. Hope its helpful to fans of several sports.

AGE 30-Who Was the Best of the Big 3?

 

TRIVIA WINNER: The answer to last weeks question was 77-77 or .500 as the average of course for wins and losses in a league must be equal. The Prize: 40 points toward the person's total.

NEW TRIVIA CONTEST: You will still be required to enter the drawing as usual. However,  through the end of 2024 you will get points depending on the complexity of the questions. Enter each week and correct answers will get those points-one guess per person per week. The reader with the most points after the years final column will get a $50 Starbucks Gift Card. Ties will be placed into a drawing. Questions will be worth anywhere from 10-25 points depending on degree of difficulty. Questions will be more difficult as the year goes on, so you are never really out of the mix. Tell your friends and sports fans who like trivia. We will keep track of your points. - YOU MUST ENTER VIA THE EMAIL AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN.

NEW TRIVIA QUESTION:  How many times did Cy Young win or lose at least 20 games in a season?  Hint: A season in which he won and lost 20 or more counts as two. Total 10 Points.

Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays or Hank Aaron? At age 30 they were all in the middle of their great careers. Some would say they were at the beginning of the end. Maybe so. Here is the breakdown, In the final analysis, Year 30 belonged to Mantle; Hands Down.

The Yankee slugger turned 30 during 1962 and while he played in fewer games he was named the MVP of the American League. He only batted 377 times and smacked 30 homers while driving in 89 Runs and Scoring 96 more, he did hit .321. He also led the league in OB%, Slugging % and OPS. The Yankees won the pennant that year and beat the Giants and Mays in the World Series.

Mays on the other hand turned 30 in 1961 and had one of his better seasons in the 1960s. He batted .308 while batting 572 times and scoring a league leading 129 Runs. He cracked 40 homes and drove in 123. It was the season before he got to face Mantle in the World Series. He chipped in with 176 hits and 32 doubles.

For Aaron it was a down season in the midst of several 40 homer years. He only hit 24 in his 30th year which was 1964. He did bat .328 while going to the plate 570 times. He scored 103 rungs, had more hits than the other two with 187 but only drove in 95 RBI. Aaron would have many better seasons in later years, as it just turned out 1964 when he turned 30, for him it was an off season. It would be a "career year" for average players.

Thirty was the traditional benchmark year for players in the 60s, and if they lasted until 35, it was mainly as a hanging on pinch-hitter. These three however, made their mark in great fashion.

TRIVIA CONTEST; Enter via the following email. Send 1) your answer to the trivia question at the top of the column, 2) your name, address and email so where we know where to send the card if you win 3) any comment you have on the column. One winner will be selected at the end of the calendar year based on the total points acquired via weekly contests.

                              brillpro@gmail.com 
 ==========================================================
I've written more than a dozen books including at least two sports books. You can find these at my Amazon page or at my own website www.bobbrillbooks.com. Please take a look at the sports books, the western novel series or the "Tattoo Murder," which is a crime book set in Ventura, CA.

Use PayPal to brillpro@prodigy.net or contact us at the same email for other payment. 

Thank you to those of you who purchased my books after reading this column.  

Just a note to add; If you look at the top right hand corner of the side bar you will see a link to daily sports scores. We made an agreement with Baseball 24 in a mutual sharing situation. Hope its helpful to fans of several sports.