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.