Juan Marichal (1983)


Date of Birth: 10/20/1937
Birthplace: Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic

Juan Marichal, who learned to play baseball from his older brother, played with other future major leaguers Felipe, Jesus, and Matty Alou as a child in the Dominican Republic. In 1954, he was a shortstop for a summer team but he became a pitcher later that year. Two years later, he played semi-pro baseball with the United Fruit Company team.

San Francisco Giants

Marichal was signed by the San Francisco Giants in 1957. He started his professional baseball career in the minor leagues in 1958. Two years later, he joined the Giants for 11 games. In 1961, he pitched 185.0 innings and had a 13-10 record with a 3.89 ERA in 29 games. The next year, his ERA improved to 3.36. He finished the 1962 season with 18 wins and 11 losses and 153 strikeouts to 90 walks in 262.2 innings in 37 games.

On June 15, 1963, Marichal pitched the only no hitter of his career. That season he led the National League in wins. He pitched in a career high 41 games and he had 25 wins and 8 losses, a career high 248 strikeouts to 61 walks, and a 2.41 ERA in 321.1 innings.

Marichal led the NL in complete games pitched in 1964. He pitched in a total of 33 games, 22 of which were complete games for him. He had 21 wins and 8 losses, 206 strikeouts to 52 walks, and a 2.48 ERA in 269.0 innings.

Marichal had one of the best seasons of his career in 1965. He had a 22-13 record with 240 strikeouts to 46 walks and an ERA of 2.13 in 295.1 innings in 39 games. He led the NL in shutouts with 10. That season he won the MLB All Star Game MVP award.

Marichal had another good season in 1966, finishing with a 2.23 ERA in 37 games. He had 25 wins and 6 losses and 222 strikeouts to 36 walks in 307.1 innings. The next year, he pitched in just 26 games and he had a 2.76 ERA.

Marichal led the NL in wins for the second time in 1968. That season he had a career high 26 wins to 9 losses, 218 strikeouts to 46 walks, and a 2.43 ERA in a career high 326.0 innings in 38 games. He led the league in complete games with 30. A good defensive pitcher, he led the NL in assists with 64 and putouts with 33.

In 1969, Marichal led the NL in ERA. He had a career low ERA of 2.10, 21 wins and 11 losses, and 205 strikeouts to 54 walks in 299.2 innings in 37 games.

Marichal struggled in 1970, finishing with an ERA of 4.12 in 34 games. His ERA went down to 2.94 in 1971. He finished that season with 18 wins and 11 losses in 279.0 innings in 37 games. The next year, he had a 3.71 ERA in 25 games. He won only 6 games in 1972 and lost 16.

In 1973, his last season with the Giants, Marichal had an 11-15 record with a 3.82 ERA.

Final Years as a Player

The Giants sold Marichal's contract to the Boston Red Sox after the 1973 season ended. He played in only 11 games with the Red Sox and he was released by them at the end of the 1974 season.

Marichal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 15, 1975. He played in only 2 games with them in 1975, his last season in the major leagues.

Awards and MLB Records

  • All Star Game MVP
  • Led the NL in wins (2 times)
  • Led the NL in complete games (2 times)
  • Led the NL in shutouts (2 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Marichal in 13 full seasons (1961-1973) in the major leagues include:

  • 6 seasons with over 20 wins, with a high of 26 in 1968
  • 9 seasons with over 150 strikeouts, with a high of 248 in 1963
  • 8 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 2.10 in 1969

Career pitching statistics for Marichal include:

  • 471 games played
  • 3,507.1 innings pitched
  • 243-142 win-loss record
  • 2,303 strikeouts to 709 walks
  • 2.89 ERA

Post Playing Years

Marichal was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983 on the third ballot with 83.7% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Juan Marichal
ESPN - Juan Marichal
Baseball Reference - Juan Marichal

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