Thursday, January 28, 2021

Elias Sosa Was King of the Expos' Impressive Bullpen in 1979, Part 1

Elias Sosa was probably tired of being remembered as the second victim of Reggie Jackson's three home runs in the sixth contest of the 1977 World Series. Sosa, you see, had been a pretty good pitcher up until that point. Ironically, in '77 he'd been 2-2 in the Los Angeles bullpen with a 1.98 earned run average.

Okay, had Elias been anything special up until then? In 1968-69, he'd been 0-8 combined in the minor leagues, but steady progress got him a shot at the bigs in 1972. Pitching in the San Francisco Giants' organization in '72 with Phoenix, he'd put together a 10-2 season in 55 appearances. Since only four of them were starts, it looked like Elias Sosa might have a bullpen career in front of him.

Although only 0-1 in eight appearances with San Francisco after pitching for the first time in September, Sosa looked sharp. His big season, win-wise, was the very next year. Elias won ten games in 1973, against just four losses. To prove that was no fluke, he won nine more the next season.

He struggled the next three season and began to get around. Sosa was just 10-15 from 1975-1977. In '77 with the Dodgers, he had a splendid season despite only winning two games. But Reggie Jackson hit a home run off him in the sixth game of the World Series. It was one of those games.

Earlier, Mr. October had touched up poor Burt Hooton for a home run. Later, he'd smack a Charlie Hough knuckler to dead centre for his third round-tripper of the night. LA was beaten 8-4 in this contest, which clinched the World Series for the New York Yankees.

Sosa could take solace in that he'd bounced back after a few tough years. Alas, he'd been hit hard in the postseason.0-1 in the National League Championship Series. Earned run average? 10.13. 0-0 in the World Series. ERA? 11.57.

But the big 6'2 righty wasn't about to let that setback affect him. Elias actually want on an old team of Reggie Jackson's in 1978. No, it wasn't the New York Yankees. It was Oakland (It's a little more complex than that. Sosa had been traded to Pittsburgh in January of 1978, but before he could throw one pitch for the Pirates, Elias was then dealt again, to the Athletics). No matter.

So Elias' numbers weren't quite up to par to '77. But, he won eight, lost only two and appeared in 68 games. This was his second-highest total of appearances in one season. His 109 innings pitched would be a career-high. Sosa showed Pittsburgh that they could have used him. Los Angeles could have, too. They made it back to the World Series, where Reggie and company again topped 'em in six again. Elias Sosa would meet up with the Dodgers again, soon.

But in 1979, he was on a new team. And for the third time in three seasons (And three organizations!), Sosa was up to the task. New environment? No problem. The Montreal Expos, in only their eleventh season of existence, made him a closer that year (Sosa must have impressed the Expos' brass with his A's exploits). The free-agent became an indispensable part of the Montreal bullpen.

How do you fit in with a great bullpen, though?

Bill Atkinson, in his last year in the majors, made only ten appearances out of the bullpen, but won two games and posted a low earned-run average. And look at the rest of 'em. Atkinson didn't lose a game. David Palmer lost two but won ten. Another ten-game winner on that 1979 Montreal Expos' team was Rudy May, and he lost only three contests. Stan Bahnsen, who'd enjoyed a pretty good career as a starter for both the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox, was 3-1 himself. So this Expos' bullpen didn't lose many games.

Well, our boy sort of did. Although he won eight for the second straight season, Elias Sosa lost seven. That doesn't detract from his great year as he was called out of the bullpen 65 times. Shouldn't we cut the righty and Woodie Fryman some slack? They did more than merely round out an excellent reliever corps on this team. Montreal won 95 games that year. And Sosa and Fryman (3-6 despite an earned run average of just 2.79) had a lot to do with that, believe me.

Bahnsen, the veteran, appeared in 55 games that year. So Stan had the second-most appearances out of Montreal's bullpen that season. Though Palmer and May both won ten games, they stared eighteen games between them and only made 36 and 33 appearances, respectively. Fryman appeared in 44 contests. Dan Schatzeder, part of the Expos' starting rotation that season, also won ten games, making 21 stars and eleven relief appearances.

I'd contend that Elias Sosa was better than all of the above pitchers, despite his mediocre 8-7 record. Sosa finished 41 of his 62 appearances. Woody Fryman was second, finishing 31 of his 44 appearances himself.


Greatest Relief Seasons of All-Time Stat Set 1
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Bernhard 1899 21 9 0.429 132.1 6 6
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Walsh 1904 18 10 0.556 110.2 6 3
               
Griffith 1905 25 17 0.680 101.2 9 6
               
Ferguson 1906 22 19 0.864 52.1 2 0
               
Keefe 1907 19 14 0.737 57.2 3 5
               
Chappelle 1908 13 6 0.462 70.1 2 4
               
Leever 1909 19 12 0.632 70.0 8 1
               
Dygert 1909 32 13 0.406 137.1 9 5
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Phillipe 1910 31 19 0.613 121.2 14 2
               
Benz 1911 12 4 0.333 55.2 3 2
               
Baskette 1912 29 18 0.621 116.0 8 4
               
Crandall 1913 35 27 0.771 97.2 4 4
               
Wolfgang 1914 24 12 0.500 119.1 9 5
               
Bressler 1914 29 15 0.517 147.2 10 4
               
Conzelman 1914 33 16 0.485 101.0 5 6
               
Mays 1915 38 27 0.711 131.2 6 5
               
Hughes 1916 40 19 0.475 161.0 16 3
               
Danforth 1917 50 26 0.520 173.0 11 6
               
Bender 1917 20 9 0.450 113.0 8 2
               
Coumbe 1917 34 15 0.441 134.1 8 6
               
Dubuc 1919 36 22 0.611 132.0 6 4
               
Luque 1919 30 9 0.300 106.0 10 3
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Morton 1921 30 15 0.500 107.2 8 3
               
Baumgartner 1925 37 9 0.243 113.1 6 3
               
Marberry 1926 64 47 0.734 138.0 12 7
               
Clark 1927 27 19 0.704 73.2 7 2
               
Haid 1928 27 14 0.519 47.0 2 2
               
Rommel 1929 32 15 0.469 113.2 12 2
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Lindsey 1931 35 19 0.543 74.2 6 4
               
Quinn 1932 39 29 0.744 64.1 5 4
               
Russell 1933 50 31 0.620 124.0 12 6
               
Malone 1936 35 25 0.714 134.2 12 4
               
Brown 1938 51 32 0.627 132.2 15 9
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Beggs 1940 37 27 0.730 76.2 12 3
               
Murphy 1941 35 31 0.886 77.1 8 3
               
Adams 1943 70 52 0.743 140.1 11 7
               
Heving 1944 63 38 0.603 119.2 8 3
               
Maltzberger 1944 46 41 0.891 91.1 10 5
               
Berry 1944 53 47 0.887 111.1 10 8
               
Karl 1945 67 41 0.612 180.2 8 8
               
Christopher 1947 44 38 0.864 80.2 10 7
               
Wilks 1948 57 27 0.474 130.2 6 6
               
Page 1949 60 48 0.800 135.1 13 8
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Konstanty 1950 74 62 0.838 152.0 16 7
               
Aloma 1951 25 11 0.440 69.1 6 0
               
Wilhelm 1952 71 32 0.451 159.1 15 3
               
Paige 1952 46 35 0.761 138.0 12 10
               
Kinder 1953 69 52 0.754 107.0 10 6
               
Mossi 1954 40 18 0.450 93.0 6 1
               
Sain 1954 45 39 0.867 77.0 6 6
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Narleski 1955 60 36 0.600 111.2 9 1
               
Craig 1955 24 4 0.167 90.2 5 3
               
Freeman 1956 64 47 0.734 108.2 14 5
               
Farrell 1957 52 32 0.615 83.1 10 2
               
Zuverink 1957 56 37 0.661 112.2 10 6
               
Hyde 1958 53 44 0.830 103.0 10 3
               
Duren 1959 41 29 0.707 76.2 3 6
               
Staley 1959 67 37 0.552 116.1 8 5
               
Face 1959 57 47 0.825 93.1 18 1
               
Henry 1959 65 36 0.554 134.1 9 8
               
Sherry 1959 23 10 0.435 94.1 7 2
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Brosnan 1960 57 27 0.474 99.0 7 2
               
McDaniel 1960 63 47 0.746 104.1 12 4
               
Arroyo 1961 65 54 0.831 119.0 15 5
               
Fox 1961 39 25 0.641 57.1 5 2
               
Radatz 1963 66 58 0.879 131.1 15 6
               
Perranoski 1963 69 47 0.681 129.0 16 3
               
Baldschum 1963 65 44 0.677 112.0 11 7
               
Lee 1964 64 39 0.609 137.0 6 5
               
Ellis 1964 52 32 0.615 122.1 10 3
               
Schultz 1964 30 22 0.733 49.1 1 3
               
D. Hall 1964 45 28 0.622 87.2 9 1
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Miller 1965 67 55 0.821 112.1 14 7
               
Regan 1966 65 48 0.738 116.2 14 1
               
Drabowsky 1967 43 26 0.605 95.1 7 5
               
Abernathy 1967 70 61 0.871 106.1 6 3
               
Wyatt 1967 60 43 0.717 93.1 10 7
               
Wood 1968 88 46 0.523 159.0 13 12
               
Segui 1968 52 24 0.462 83.0 6 5
               
V. Romo 1968 41 30 0.732 84.1 5 3
               
Tatum 1969 45 33 0.733 86.1 7 2
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Williams 1970 68 36 0.529 113.1 10 1
               
McMahon 1970 61 44 0.721 94.1 9 5
               
Sanders 1971 83 77 0.928 136.1 7 12
               
Carroll 1971 61 40 0.656 93.2 10 4
               
Giusti 1972 54 44 0.815 74.2 7 4
               
Knowles 1972 54 29 0.537 65.2 5 1
               
Brewer 1972 51 41 0.804 78.1 8 7
               
Hiller 1973 65 60 0.923 125.1 10 5
               
Jackson 1973 43 33 0.767 80.1 8 0
               
Borbon 1973 80 36 0.450 121.0 11 4
               
Beene 1973 19 11 0.579 91.0 6 0
               
Marshall 1974 106 83 0.783 208.1 15 12
               
Gossage 1975 62 49 0.790 141.2 9 8
               
Hrabosky 1975 65 41 0.631 97.1 13 3
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Eastwick 1976 71 59 0.831 107.2 11 5
               
Johnson 1977 71 54 0.761 146.2 16 7
               
Lyle 1977 72 60 0.833 137.0 13 5
               
Sutter 1977 62 48 0.774 107.1 7 3
               
Blair 1978 70 56 0.800 100.1 7 6
               
Stanley 1978 52 35 0.673 141.2 15 2
               
Tekulve 1979 94 67 0.713 134.1 10 8
               
Lopez 1979 61 49 0.803 127.0 10 5
               
R. Davis 1979 44 21 0.477 85.1 14 2
         nbsp;      
E. Romo 1979 84 25 0.298 129.1 10 5
               
Monge 1979 76 53 0.697 131.0 12 10
               
Sosa 1979 62 41 0.661 96.2 8 7
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
McGraw 1980 57 48 0.842 92.1 5 4
               
Garvin 1980 61 24 0.393 82.2 4 7
               
Fingers 1981 47 41 0.872 78.0 6 3
               
Caudill 1982 70 64 0.914 95.2 12 9
               
Reardon 1982 75 53 0.707 109.0 7 4
               
L. Smith 1983 66 56 0.848 103.1 4 10
               
Stewart 1983 54 25 0.463 135.0 10 4
               
Quisenberry 1983 69 62 0.899 139.0 5 3
               
Orosco 1983 62 42 0.677 110.0 13 7
               
Hernandez 1984 80 68 0.850 140.1 9 3
               
Lamp 1985 53 11 0.208 105.2 11 0
               
D. Smith 1985 64 46 0.719 79.1 9 5
               
Lahti 1985 52 31 0.596 68.1 5 2
               
Moore 1985 65 57 0.877 103.0 8 8
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Eichhorn 1986 69 38 0.551 157.0 14 6
               
Righetti 1986 74 68 0.919 106.2 8 8
               
Todd Worrell 1986 74 60 0.811 103.2 9 10
               
Henke 1987 72 62 0.861 94.0 0 6
               
Burke 1987 55 30 0.545 91.0 7 0
               
Daley 1987 53 29 0.547 61.0 9 5
               
Henneman 1988 65 51 0.785 91.1 9 6
               
Parrett 1988 61 34 0.557 91.2 12 4
               
Pena 1988 60 31 0.517 94.1 6 7
               
Lancaster 1989 42 15 0.357 72.2 4 2
               
Russell 1989 71 66 0.930 72.2 6 4
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Eckersley 1990 63 61 0.968 73.1 4 2
               
Thigpen 1990 77 73 0.948 88.2 4 6
               
Nelson 1990 51 17 0.333 74.2 3 3
               
Dibble 1990 68 29 0.426 98.0 8 3
               
Henry 1991 32 25 0.781 36.0 2 1
               
Aguilera 1991 63 60 0.952 69.0 4 5
               
Ward 1992 79 35 0.443 101.1 7 4
               
Rojas 1992 68 26 0.382 100.2 7 1
               
Olin 1992 72 62 0.861 88.1 8 5
               
Wetteland 1993 70 58 0.829 85.1 9 3
               
Harvey 1993 59 54 0.915 69.0 1 5
               
Beck 1993 76 71 0.934 79.1 3 1
               
Martinez 1993 65 20 0.308 107.0 10 5
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Myers 1997 61 57 0.934 59.2 2 3
               
Hoffman 1998 66 61 0.924 73.0 4 2
               
Urbina 1998 64 59 0.922 69.1 6 3
               
Williamson 1999 62 40 0.645 93.1 12 7
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Rhodes 2001 71 16 0.225 68.0 8 0
               
Smoltz 2003 62 55 0.887 64.1 0 2
               
Tim Worrell 2003 76 64 0.842 78.1 4 4
               
Cormier 2003 65 21 0.323 84.2 8 0
               
Lidge 2004 80 44 0.550 94.2 6 5
               
Timlin 2005 81 27 0.333 80.1 7 3
               
Nathan 2006 64 61 0.953 68.1 7 0
               
Ryan 2006 65 57 0.877 72.1 2 2
               
Putz 2007 68 65 0.956 71.2 6 1
               
Rivera 2008 64 60 0.938 70.2 6 5
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Bell 2010 67 57 0.851 70.0 6 1
               
Soriano 2010 64 56 0.875 62.1 3 2
               
Aceves 2011 55 15 0.273 114.0 10 2
               
Axford 2011 74 63 0.851 73.2 2 2
               
Downs 2011 60 10 0.167 53.2 6 3
               
Cook 2012 71 23 0.324 73.1 6 2
               
Chapman 2012 68 52 0.765 71.2 5 5
               
Johnson 2012 71 63 0.887 68.2 2 1
               
Smyly 2013 63 9 0.143 76.0 6 0
               
Davis 2014 70 11 0.157 72.0 9 2
               
Clippard 2014 75 6 0.080 70.1 7 4
               
Rondon 2015 72 47 0.653 70.0 6 4
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Britton 2016 69 63 0.913 67.0 2 1
               
Osuna 2016 72 61 0.847 74.0 4 3
               
Brach 2016 71 16 0.225 79.0 10 4
               
Miller 2016 70 23 0.329 74.1 10 1
               
Robertson 2017 61 34 0.557 68.1 9 2
               
Jansen 2017 65 57 0.877 68.1 5 0
               
Albers 2017 63 23 0.365 61.0 7 2
               
Kimbrel 2017 51 67 0.761 69.0 5 0
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Morrow 2018 29 26 0.897 24.2 0 0
               
Trivino 2018 36 8 0.222 44.1 7 1
               
Treinen 2018 42 34 0.810 51.0 5 2
               
Jeffress 2018 55 8 0.145 55.2 6 1
               
Yarbrough 2018 36 3 0.083 139.1 15 5
               
Hader 2018 52 13 0.250 78.0 6 1
               
Strop 2018 60 20 0.333 59.2 6 1
               
Workman 2019 47 10 0.213 45.2 8 1
               
Robles 2019 59 40 0.678 58.1 4 0
               
Walden 2019 64 7 0.109 73.0 9 2
               
W.Smith 2019 63 52 0.825 65.1 6 0
               
Oberg 2019 49 18 0.367 56.0 6 1
               
Littell 2019 29 7 0.241 37.0 6 0
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L




Notes

Hughes appeared as a starter thirteen times.

Baumgartner and Bernhard appeared as a starter twelve times.

Wolfgang and Baskette appeared as a starter eleven times.

Craig and Coumbe appeared as a starter ten times.

Danforth, Malone, Stewart, Sherry, Luque and Conzelman appeared as a starter nine times.

Phillipe and Walsh appeared as a starter eight times.

Morton and Griffith appeared as a starter seven times.

Paige, Mays, Chappelle, Rommell and Yarbrough appeared as a starter six times.

Marberry, Mossi, Lee, Ellis and Dubuc appeared as a starter five times.

Leever, Aceves and Beene appeared as a starter four times.

Russell, Stanley, Adams and Keefe appeared as a starter three times.

Brown, McDaniel, Wood, Crandall, Brosnan, Lindsey, Karl, Wilks, Martinez and Clark appeared as a starter two times.

Beggs, Quinn, Narleski, McGraw, Aloma, Robles, Ferguson, and Vincente Romo appeared once as a starter.

Maltzberger, Hyde, Konstanty, Duren, Brosnan, Tekulve and Henke all wore glasses.


References


Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/.  27 Jan. 2021.

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