Jerry Reuss never won twenty games in any season pitched. But that didn't stop the lefty from putting up a terrific career, although there were times where Jerry was overshadowed. Being a portsider isn't easy on the Los Angeles Dodgers is never easy. You get unfair comparisons to Sandy Koufax, Johhny Podres, and even Fernando Valenzuela. Today, Reuss sort of pales in comparison to the great Clayton Kershaw.
Reuss, pitching on that famed 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers' team, just seemed to be that "other" guy. You had the rookie, Fernando Valenzuela. You had Bob Welch. You had Burt Hooton. You had Steve Howe. You even a kid, Dave Stewart, who'd pitch a no-hitter on the same day as Valenzuela nine years later. Jerry was a tall (6'5) portsider, but no one seemed to notice him.
Bob Welch was also on the team. He didn't throw a no-hitter nine years later, but he won 27 games in 1990. Jerry Reuss never won more than eighteen. Dave Stewart won twenty games four years in a row, 1987-1990. So Reuss gets lost in the mix.
But Jerry Reuss was a very good pitcher. Sometimes great. He started with St. Louis in 1969, but who was going to notice him on a team where Bob Gibson was clearly #1 on the staff. Steve Carlton was also there. So the new kid who was a lefty? Or the 17-game winner who was a lefty? Carlton, of course. Gibson won 20 that year. Nelson Briles, 15. Reuss only pitched once for St. Louis that year, but it was a good game. Seven innings, two hits and no runs allowed.
Steadily, he improved. Yet it seemed, when he'd finally arrived, Reuss would have a new home. It was not until he arrived in LA in 1979 that Jerry had truly found a home. But there would be a stop in Houston, too.
He was just 7-8 in 1970, but a fourteen game winner in his last season in St. Louis in 1971. But then, Reuss was on the move to Houston. He skidded back to just 9-13 his first year with the Astros, but improved to a career-best (To that point) sixteen wins in 1973. Alas, that was Jerry's last year in Houston.
But this time, Jerry Reuss seemed to have found a home. In Pittsburgh. Another 16 win season his first season there. An eighteen win season his second. Jerry dropped his earned run average to just 2.54 in 1975. The next season was his last big year with the Pirates. Jerry won fourteen games in 1976, but slipped back to just 10-13 and 3-2 in his final two years in Pittsburgh.
But he got a break. Los Angeles was looking for another pitcher to get them over the edge. The Dodgers had been close. They'd made it to the World Series three times in the 1970s: '74, '77 and '78. But they had nothing to show for their efforts. What they had was a solid rotation: Bob Welch, Tommy John, Rick Sutcliffe and Burt Hooton!
Now, in 1979, they traded for Jerry Reuss!
Reuss was only 7-14 for Los Angeles in '79, but his ERA was 3.54. Not bad. Rick Sutcliffe topped the team with seventeen wins. The rest of the staff did not quite live up to what they were supposed to be. But in 1980, they did. The team won 92 games that year, and Jerry Reuss had a lot to do with that.
Obviously, it wasn't just Reuss. Burt Hooton won fourteen games. Don Sutton won thirteen. Bob Welch, like Hooton, won fourteen. But the team's big winner in '80 was Jerry Reuss. Jerry went 18-6 with a 2.51 earned run average. One of Reuss' starts was a no-hitter. And Jerry finished second for the National League Cy Young Award. Yet the Dodgers somehow didn't make it to the postseason. What would it take to get them back there?
So, would the addition of Fernando Valenzuela put the LA Dodgers over the top in '81? The season itself was interrupted by a work stoppage. But Los Angeles had a staff to contend with.
Valenzuela won fourteen games as LA only played 110 games that season. ERA? 2.48. Burt Hooton had a 2.28 earned run average. Bob Welch was 9-5, but his ERA was just 3.44. Not bad for the fourth starter. But it was Jerry Reuss that made 'em, "The Big Four". Reuss won ten, lost only four and posted an ERA of just 2.30.
Steve Howe, Dave Stewart and another rookie, Alejando Pena, posted earned run averages of less than three out of the bullpen. The Los Angeles Dodgers edged both the Houston Astros (In the very first Division Series, created that year as compensation for the short schedule) and Montreal Expos 3-2 to make it to the Fall Classic. The New York Yankees, who'd beaten the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in 1977 and '78 were waiting. This time, it was the Dodgers who won in six games.
It was a true team effort. Reuss, Hooton, Valenzuela and Howe shared the four wins, which came after New York had taken the first two contests of the World Series.
This wasn't the end for Jerry. He won eighteen games for the third time in his career in 1982, but LA did not return to the World Series. He had two more good seasons with the Dodgers, twice more having ERA's under two. But a slump in 1986 carried over to '87 and Reuss was on the move. A sore shoulder saw him get released twice, and a poor 4-10 record with a 5.97 earned run average with the Dodgers / Reds / Angels that year.
Was Jerry finally done? He was 38. He'd been in the bigs for eighteen long years. Well, he was through winning eighteen games, but Reuss won thirteen with the Chicago White Sox in 1988, his last good year, although he started 9-5 the next season. The White Sox traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers, but Jerry Reuss lost all four of his decisions, ended the 1989 season just 9-9 with an ERA over five. Still, he perservered, as always.
He signed with Houston in 1990, his fourth decade in the majors. However, after going down to the minors, a return to the bigs seemed unlikely. Though he pitched well for their "AA" team, Columbus (1-0, 1.66 ERA in ten appearances), their was a huge obstacle to making their big-league club. His stay at "AAA" Tuscson was real bad: An earned run average of 15.19 in five contests! So, the Astros cut him.
But then the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Jerry. But once again, he'd have to prove himself in the minors. Reuss was only 4-4 with a 3.52 ERA at Buffalo ("AA") but made it to the Pirates' roster in September. In four appearances (7 2/3 IP), Reuss kept his earned run average at 3.52.
Jerry decided to end his career on the mound right there. Well, Jerry Reuss had not quite won twenty games in one season. However, Reuss had won 220 in his four-decade career, and been a part of a memorable World Championship team.
Referecnes
Hirsch, Paul. “Jerry Reuss.” Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, 22 Apr. 2011, sabr.org/bioproj/person/61767eee. Web. 25 May, 2020.
“Jerry Reuss.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 May 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Reuss. Web. 25 May, 2020.
Morissey, Scott C. 114 World Series In 1 Book. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House. Print.
Nemec, David, editor. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle. (Collector's Edition). Publications International, Ltd., 1993. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 25 May, 2020.
Bob Welch was also on the team. He didn't throw a no-hitter nine years later, but he won 27 games in 1990. Jerry Reuss never won more than eighteen. Dave Stewart won twenty games four years in a row, 1987-1990. So Reuss gets lost in the mix.
But Jerry Reuss was a very good pitcher. Sometimes great. He started with St. Louis in 1969, but who was going to notice him on a team where Bob Gibson was clearly #1 on the staff. Steve Carlton was also there. So the new kid who was a lefty? Or the 17-game winner who was a lefty? Carlton, of course. Gibson won 20 that year. Nelson Briles, 15. Reuss only pitched once for St. Louis that year, but it was a good game. Seven innings, two hits and no runs allowed.
Steadily, he improved. Yet it seemed, when he'd finally arrived, Reuss would have a new home. It was not until he arrived in LA in 1979 that Jerry had truly found a home. But there would be a stop in Houston, too.
He was just 7-8 in 1970, but a fourteen game winner in his last season in St. Louis in 1971. But then, Reuss was on the move to Houston. He skidded back to just 9-13 his first year with the Astros, but improved to a career-best (To that point) sixteen wins in 1973. Alas, that was Jerry's last year in Houston.
But this time, Jerry Reuss seemed to have found a home. In Pittsburgh. Another 16 win season his first season there. An eighteen win season his second. Jerry dropped his earned run average to just 2.54 in 1975. The next season was his last big year with the Pirates. Jerry won fourteen games in 1976, but slipped back to just 10-13 and 3-2 in his final two years in Pittsburgh.
But he got a break. Los Angeles was looking for another pitcher to get them over the edge. The Dodgers had been close. They'd made it to the World Series three times in the 1970s: '74, '77 and '78. But they had nothing to show for their efforts. What they had was a solid rotation: Bob Welch, Tommy John, Rick Sutcliffe and Burt Hooton!
Now, in 1979, they traded for Jerry Reuss!
Reuss was only 7-14 for Los Angeles in '79, but his ERA was 3.54. Not bad. Rick Sutcliffe topped the team with seventeen wins. The rest of the staff did not quite live up to what they were supposed to be. But in 1980, they did. The team won 92 games that year, and Jerry Reuss had a lot to do with that.
Obviously, it wasn't just Reuss. Burt Hooton won fourteen games. Don Sutton won thirteen. Bob Welch, like Hooton, won fourteen. But the team's big winner in '80 was Jerry Reuss. Jerry went 18-6 with a 2.51 earned run average. One of Reuss' starts was a no-hitter. And Jerry finished second for the National League Cy Young Award. Yet the Dodgers somehow didn't make it to the postseason. What would it take to get them back there?
So, would the addition of Fernando Valenzuela put the LA Dodgers over the top in '81? The season itself was interrupted by a work stoppage. But Los Angeles had a staff to contend with.
Valenzuela won fourteen games as LA only played 110 games that season. ERA? 2.48. Burt Hooton had a 2.28 earned run average. Bob Welch was 9-5, but his ERA was just 3.44. Not bad for the fourth starter. But it was Jerry Reuss that made 'em, "The Big Four". Reuss won ten, lost only four and posted an ERA of just 2.30.
Steve Howe, Dave Stewart and another rookie, Alejando Pena, posted earned run averages of less than three out of the bullpen. The Los Angeles Dodgers edged both the Houston Astros (In the very first Division Series, created that year as compensation for the short schedule) and Montreal Expos 3-2 to make it to the Fall Classic. The New York Yankees, who'd beaten the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in 1977 and '78 were waiting. This time, it was the Dodgers who won in six games.
It was a true team effort. Reuss, Hooton, Valenzuela and Howe shared the four wins, which came after New York had taken the first two contests of the World Series.
This wasn't the end for Jerry. He won eighteen games for the third time in his career in 1982, but LA did not return to the World Series. He had two more good seasons with the Dodgers, twice more having ERA's under two. But a slump in 1986 carried over to '87 and Reuss was on the move. A sore shoulder saw him get released twice, and a poor 4-10 record with a 5.97 earned run average with the Dodgers / Reds / Angels that year.
Was Jerry finally done? He was 38. He'd been in the bigs for eighteen long years. Well, he was through winning eighteen games, but Reuss won thirteen with the Chicago White Sox in 1988, his last good year, although he started 9-5 the next season. The White Sox traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers, but Jerry Reuss lost all four of his decisions, ended the 1989 season just 9-9 with an ERA over five. Still, he perservered, as always.
He signed with Houston in 1990, his fourth decade in the majors. However, after going down to the minors, a return to the bigs seemed unlikely. Though he pitched well for their "AA" team, Columbus (1-0, 1.66 ERA in ten appearances), their was a huge obstacle to making their big-league club. His stay at "AAA" Tuscson was real bad: An earned run average of 15.19 in five contests! So, the Astros cut him.
But then the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Jerry. But once again, he'd have to prove himself in the minors. Reuss was only 4-4 with a 3.52 ERA at Buffalo ("AA") but made it to the Pirates' roster in September. In four appearances (7 2/3 IP), Reuss kept his earned run average at 3.52.
Jerry decided to end his career on the mound right there. Well, Jerry Reuss had not quite won twenty games in one season. However, Reuss had won 220 in his four-decade career, and been a part of a memorable World Championship team.
Referecnes
Hirsch, Paul. “Jerry Reuss.” Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, 22 Apr. 2011, sabr.org/bioproj/person/61767eee. Web. 25 May, 2020.
“Jerry Reuss.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 May 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Reuss. Web. 25 May, 2020.
Morissey, Scott C. 114 World Series In 1 Book. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House. Print.
Nemec, David, editor. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle. (Collector's Edition). Publications International, Ltd., 1993. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 25 May, 2020.
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