Don Drysdale (1984)


Date of Birth: 7/23/1936
Date of Death: 7/3/1993
Birthplace: Van Nuys, California

Don Drysdale learned to love baseball from his father, who pitched in the major leagues in 1935. He later became a baseball coach.

The younger Drysdale began pitching at the age of 16. In his senior year of high school, he had a a 10-1 win-loss record.

Drysdale signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954. He started his professional baseball career in the minor leagues, pitching there in 1954 and 1955.

Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers

After two years in the minors, Drysdale became part of the Dodgers pitching team in 1956, playing in 12 games as a starter and 13 games in relief with them. He pitched in 99.0 innings and had a 5-5 record with an ERA of 2.64. He had control issues, walking 31 batters while striking out just 55.

In 1957, his first full one as part of the starting rotation for the Dodgers, Drysdale had a 17-9 record, 148 strikeouts to 61 walks, and a 2.69 ERA in 221.0 innings in 34 games. A good defensive player, he led all NL pitchers in assists with 60.

Drysdale pitched in 44 games in 1958. He finished the season with 12 wins and 13 losses, 131 strikeouts to 72 walks, and a 4.17 ERA in 211.2 innings.

Drysdale had his best years with the Dodgers after they moved to Los Angeles. In 1959, Drysdale led the NL in strikeouts with 242 (to 93 walks). He had 17 wins and 13 losses and a 3.46 ERA in 270.2 innings in 44 games. Defensively, he again led all NL pitchers in assists with 48.

In 1960, Drysdale again led the NL in strikeouts. He finished the season with 15 wins and 14 losses, 246 strikeouts to 72 walks, and a 2.84 ERA in 269.0 innings in 40 games. The following year, he had a 3.69 ERA in 40 games. He finished the 1961 season with 13 wins and 10 losses and 182 strikeouts to 83 walks in 244.0 innings.

Drysdale had his best season in 1962, leading the NL in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts. That season he had a career high 25 wins to 9 losses, 232 strikeouts to 78 walks, and an ERA of 2.83 in 314.1 innings in 43 games. He once again led all NL pitchers in assists with 60. He won the NL Cy Young award and the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award that season.

Drysdale had a career high 251 strikeouts in 1963. He finished the season with 19 wins and 17 losses, 57 walks, and a 2.63 ERA in 315.1 innings in 42 games. The following year, he led the NL in innings pitched (a career high 321.1). He had 18 wins and 16 losses, 237 strikeouts to 68 walks, and a 2.18 ERA in 40 games. In 1965, he had 23 wins and 12 losses, 210 strikeouts to 66 walks, and a 2.77 ERA in 308.1 innings in 44 games.

In addition to being an outstanding pitcher, Drysdale was known for his good hitting. In 1965, he was the only .300 or better hitter for the Dodgers.

One of Drysdale's major accomplishments as a pitcher was his 58 consecutive scoreless innings in 1968. This was an MLB record that Drysdale held until 1988, when it was broken by Orel Hershiser. That year, he has a career low ERA of 2.15. The following year, his last one in the major leagues, Drysdale pitched in just 12 games for the Dodgers.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Cy Young award
  • Sporting News Pitcher of the Year
  • Led the NL in strikeouts (3 times)
  • Led the NL in innings pitched (2 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Drysdale in 14 seasons (1956-1969) in the major leagues include:

  • 2 seasons with over 20 wins, with a high of 25 in 1962
  • 10 seasons with over 150 strikeouts, with a high of 251 in 1963
  • 9 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 2.15 in 1968

Career pitching statistics for Don Drysdale include:

  • 518 games played
  • 3,432.0 innings pitched
  • 209-166 win-loss record
  • 2,486 strikeouts to 855 walks
  • 2.95 ERA

Career batting statistics for Drysdale include:

  • 547 games played
  • 218 hits
  • 26 doubles
  • 29 home runs
  • 113 RBIs
  • 370 strikeouts to 60 walks
  • .186 batting average

Postseason statistics for Drysdale include:

  • 5 postseasons
  • 7 games played
  • 3 complete games pitched
  • 39.0 innings pitched
  • 3-3 win-loss record
  • 36 strikeouts to 12 walks
  • 3.00 ERA

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league baseball player, Drysdale had a second successful career as a baseball broadcaster. His radio and TV broadcasting career included time with several different teams:

  • 1970-1971, Montreal Expos
  • 1972, Texas Rangers
  • 1973-1979, 1981, California Angels
  • 1982-1987, Chicago White Sox
  • 1988-1993, Los Angeles Dodgers
  • 1978-1986, ABC TV

Drysdale was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984 on the tenth ballot with 78.4% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Don Drysdale
ESPN - Don Drysdale
Baseball Reference - Don Drysdale
SABR - Don Drysdale
Don Drysdale Official Website

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