Pitcher, Oakland
Athletics
Age: 33
3rd season
with Athletics
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’3” Weight: 190
Prior to 1990:
A Michigan
native, Welch excelled in basketball, as well as baseball, at Hazel Park High
School. The lanky pitcher with an outstanding fastball was chosen by the
Chicago Cubs in the 1974 amateur draft. Accepting a scholarship offer from
Eastern Michigan University instead of turning professional at that time, he
pitched two no-hitters (one of them a perfect game) as a sophomore. Traveling
to Japan as part of a collegiate All-Star team during the ensuing summer, he
pitched well but also engaged in reckless behavior due to heavy drinking. Hindered
by a sore arm as a junior, he was still selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers 20th
overall in the 1977 amateur draft. Signing with the Dodgers, Welch was
initially assigned to San Antonio of the Class AA Texas League where he went
4-5 in 14 starts with a 4.44 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched. In
1978 with the Albuquerque Dukes of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, he
showed improvement as he got off to a 5-1 start and a 3.78 ERA with 53
strikeouts in 69 innings. Called up to the Dodgers in June, he made an
immediate impact as a starter and reliever, pitching three shutouts as part of
his 7-4 record with a 2.02 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 111.1 innings. He impressed
teammates and manager Tommy Lasorda with his competitive drive and temperament.
The Dodgers won their second straight NL West title and Welch was utilized out
of the bullpen in the postseason as the club advanced to a World Series rematch
with the New York Yankees. The 20-year-old rookie closed out Game 2 by striking
out Yankee slugger Reggie Jackson with two runners on base and two out to
preserve a 4-3 win and put LA ahead by 2 games to none. That would prove to be
the high point for the Dodgers and Welch. New York won the next four games and
the title and Welch gave up three runs in four innings, including a home run to
Jackson. In 1979, arm problems combined with entering a rehab to deal with his
problem drinking limited Welch to 25 appearances (12 of them starts) and a 5-6
record with a 3.98 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 81.1 innings. He bounced back in
1980 and was an All-Star on his way to a 14-9 tally (that included a one-hit
shutout against Atlanta) with a 3.29 ERA and 141 strikeouts while accumulating
213.2 innings, although arm soreness hindered him during the season’s second
half. Welch was again solid during the strike-interrupted 1981 season, posting
a 9-5 mark in 23 starts along with a 3.44 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 141.1
innings. The Dodgers won the World Series against the Yankees although Welch failed
to record an out in his one Series start. In 1982, the Dodgers fell short in
the NL West although Welch went 16-11 with a 3.36 ERA and 176 strikeouts. LA
returned to the top of the division in 1983 and Welch was consistently effective
in posting a 15-12 record with a 2.65 ERA with three shutouts and 156
strikeouts over 204 innings. The club lost to the Phillies in the NLCS and
Welch lost in his one start. In a rough year for the Dodgers in 1984, Welch
went 13-13 with a 3.78 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 178.2 innings pitched. The
Dodgers won the NL West in 1985 and Welch, who made only one start during the
first two months of the season due to a sore elbow, contributed a 14-4 record
with a 2.31 ERA and 96 strikeouts while compiling 167.1 innings along with 8
complete games and 3 shutouts. He had a rough outing in his only start during
the NLCS loss to St. Louis. The club dropped to fifth place in 1986, and while
Welch produced a decent 3.28 ERA, his record was only 7-13. In 1987 his tally improved
to 15-9 along with a 3.22 ERA and 196 strikeouts. In the offseason he was
traded to Oakland, an up-and -coming team in the AL West. Welch proved to be a
valuable contributor to a pennant-winning club in 1988, posting a 17-9 tally
with a 3.64 ERA and 158 strikeouts over 244.2 innings pitched. He also
developed a forkball to complement his fastball, curve, and changeup. Oakland
again topped the AL in 1989 and Welch went 17-8 with a 3.00 ERA and 137
strikeouts in 209.2 innings. He did not pitch in the earthquake-interrupted
World Series triumph over the San Francisco Giants, although he had been
scheduled to start the opening game which was preempted by the quake. By 1990
Welch was a successful starting pitcher for an outstanding team.
1990 Season Summary
Appeared in 35
games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 35
Games Started –
35 [3, tied with Melido Perez]
Complete Games
– 2
Wins – 27 [1]
Losses – 6
PCT - .818 [1]
Saves – 0
Shutouts – 2 [6,
tied with ten others]
Innings Pitched
– 238 [3]
Hits – 214 [7,
tied with Todd Stottlemyre & Allan Anderson]
Runs – 90
Earned Runs – 78
Home Runs – 26
[4, tied with Jack Morris & Randy Johnson]
Bases on Balls
– 77 [17, tied with Jack McDowell, Dan Petry & Greg Harris]
Strikeouts – 127
ERA – 2.95 [6]
Hit Batters – 5
Balks – 2 [8,
tied with eleven others]
Wild Pitches – 2
League-leading
wins were +5 ahead of runner-up Dave Stewart
League-leading win
percentage was +0.4 ahead of runner-up Roger Clemens
Midseason
Snapshot: 13-3, ERA - 2.91, SO - 58 in 123.2 IP
---
Most
strikeouts, game – 8 on five occasions
10+ strikeout
games – 0
Fewest hits
allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 8 IP) vs. Minnesota 9/15
Fielding
Chances – 51
Put Outs – 20
Assists – 31
Errors – 0
DP – 2
Pct. - 1.000
Postseason
Pitching: G – 2 (ALCS vs. Boston, 1 G, World Series vs. Cincinnati, 1 G)
GS – 2, CG – 0,
Record – 1-0, PCT – 1.000, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 14.2, H – 15, R – 5, ER – 5,
HR – 0, BB – 5, SO – 6, ERA – 3.07, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0
Awards & Honors:
AL Cy Young
Award: BBWAA
AL Pitcher of
the Year: Sporting News
All-Star (Started
for AL)
9th in
AL MVP voting (54 points, 14% share)
AL Cy Young
voting (Top 4):
Bob Welch, Oak.:
107 points – 15 of 28 first place votes, 76% share
Roger Clemens,
Bos.: 77 points – 8 first place votes, 55% share
Dave Stewart,
Oak.: 43 points – 3 first place votes, 31% share
Bobby Thigpen,
ChiWS.: 20 points – 2 first place votes, 14% share
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Athletics went
103-59 to finish first in the AL Western Division by 9 games over the Chicago
White Sox. The pitching staff led the league in ERA (3.18), shutouts (16),
fewest hits allowed (1287), and fewest runs allowed (570). The A’s started and
ended fast on their way to a third straight AL West title, and despite
significant injuries that allowed their depth and pitching strength to be
highlighted. Won ALCS over the Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 0, for their third
straight pennant. Lost World Series to the Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 0.
Aftermath of ‘90:
Welch suffered
through a 12-13 season in 1991 with a 4.58 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 220
innings pitched. In 1992, shoulder and knee injuries sidelined him until May
and in 20 starts he posted an 11-7 tally with 47 strikeouts. His 1993 output
dropped to 9-11 with a 5.29 ERA and 63 strikeouts while pitching 166.2 innings.
Welch lasted just one more mediocre season in 1994 prior to retiring. For his
major league career his record was 211-146 with a 3.47 ERA, 61 complete games,
28 shutouts, 8 saves, and 1969 strikeouts while accumulating 3092 innings. With
Oakland he was 96-60 with a 3.94 ERA, 14 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 677
strikeouts in 1271.1 innings. Pitching in 17 postseason games (9 of them
starts) he was 3-3 with a 4.56 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 49.1 innings. Welch was
a two-time All-Star and received Cy Young Award votes three times, winning
once. Following his playing career he managed the Valley Vipers of the
independent minor Western League in 2000 and was pitching coach for The
Netherlands in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Welch died after a fall in his California
home in 2014 at age 57.
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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of
the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to
present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its
inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major
league.
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