Baseball

Diamond_Dog

(35,178 posts) Mon Feb 28, 2022, 12:42 PM Feb 2022

The only MLB pitcher to record 100 saves and 100 complete games

Dennis Eckersley

https://www.mlb.com/news/dennis-eckersley-top-career-moments?partnerId=zh-20220228-553338-mlb-1-A&qid=1026&utm_id=zh-20220228-553338-mlb-1-A&bt_ee=VWVAmogXogA8AKPm6Uxh8%2BmFGPRxTf8ZOJERAjcMMNGyp5jptgu%2BaRZJmph5d2dD&bt_ts=1646060304201

6 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

The only MLB pitcher to record 100 saves and 100 complete games (Original Post) Diamond_Dog Feb 2022 OP

He almost broke Ty Cobb's record for consecutive hitless innings Auggie Feb 2022 #1

Joe Tait on 3WE Diamond_Dog Feb 2022 #3

I would have guessed John Smoltz, but Eck makes just as much sense. Bleacher Creature Feb 2022 #2

My hubby guessed Smoltz first as well. Diamond_Dog Feb 2022 #4

eckersley was a great closer rampartc Feb 2022 #5

Excellent Trivia. kairos12 Mar 2022 #6

Auggie

(31,909 posts)

1. He almost broke Ty Cobb's record for consecutive hitless innings

Reply to Diamond_Dog (Original post)

Mon Feb 28, 2022, 01:46 PM

Feb 2022

https://www.mlb.com/news/longest-hitless-innings-streaks-in-mlb-history

Cobb's record? 24 consecutive hitless innings.

Eckersley went 21, 9 of which consisted of that no-hitter.

From the link:

Eckersley’s most dominant years were still down the road in Oakland, but to the hitters who faced him in late May 1977, Eck was stifling enough as it was.

Cleveland’s third-year righty channeled Young and the pitchers of yesteryear in a 12-inning complete-game win over the Mariners on May 25, holding Seattle hitless for the last seven frames of the ballgame. Eckersley returned to the Cleveland Stadium mound on May 30 and spun a no-hitter against the Angels, allowing only two baserunners via a walk and a dropped third strike. In his follow-up four days later at the Kingdome, Eckersley was channeling Vander Meer and on pace for back-to-back no-nos until Seattle’s Ruppert Jones finally homered with two outs in the sixth inning. Eck’s stretch got the nation’s attention, and helped earn him his first All-Star Game invitation.

I was following from college, not quite out of range of the mighty 50,000 watt WWWE, hanging on every pitch as described by Indians' play-by-play man Joe Tate. Fans wanted this soooooo bad.

Box score (no-hitter): https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE197705300.shtml
Box score vs. Seattle: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SEA/SEA197706030.shtml

Diamond_Dog

(35,178 posts)

3. Joe Tait on 3WE

Reply to Auggie (Reply #1)

Mon Feb 28, 2022, 02:06 PM

Feb 2022

When I was a kid I would listen to Tribe games on the radio with my dad out on the back porch on many a summer evening. Once I drew a picture of the two announcers as what I thought they looked like broadcasting a game. (Tait and Herb Score). I was probably around 7 or 8 Well my dad sent the drawing to Joe Tait without me knowing and he wrote me a very nice letter thanking me for the drawing. I wonder whatever happened to it, my mother probably threw it away!

Anyway … this brought a chuckle:

Fellow Hall of Fame pitcher Goose Gossage once said Eckersley “could hit a gnat in the butt with a pitch if he wanted to.”

Thank you for the box scores, Auggie. Exciting times.