Highlighted Year: Don Drysdale, 1959

Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age:  23 (July 23)

4^th season with Dodgers

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’5”    Weight: 190 

Prior to 1959:

A native of Van Nuys, California, Drysdale originally played second base in high school until he took up pitching as a senior and posted a 10-1 record. Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers to a $4000 bonus contract, he was initially assigned to Bakersfield of the Class C California League where he went 8-5 with a 3.46 ERA and 73 strikeouts over 112 innings pitched. Drysdale advanced to Montreal of the Class AAA International League in 1955 but hindered by a hand injury, he broke even at 11-11 with a 3.33 ERA. With his good fastball and with the Dodgers short on pitching, he joined the parent club in 1956. Utilized as a reliever and spot starter during his rookie year, Drysdale appeared in 25 games and compiled a 5-5 record with a 2.64 ERA. Moved into the starting rotation, he broke out in 1957 with a 17-9 tally and a 2.69 ERA with 148 strikeouts over 221 innings. With his fine fastball, curve, slider, and change-up, “Big D” was also an intimidating pitcher who quickly established a reputation for throwing inside and hitting batters. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958 and, playing home games at the Memorial Coliseum, a football venue reconfigured for baseball, proved difficult for the pitching staff. Drysdale dropped to 12-13 with a 4.17 ERA and 131 strikeouts over 211.2 innings.

1959 Season Summary

Appeared in 46 games

P – 44, PH – 3

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 44 [14]

Games Started – 36 [4, tied with Warren Spahn & Bob Anderson]

Complete Games – 15 [8]

Wins – 17 [7]

Losses – 13 [8, tied with four others]

PCT - .567 [14]

Saves – 2 [19, tied with six others]

Shutouts – 4 [1, tied with six others]

Innings Pitched – 270.2 [4, tied with Sam Jones]

Hits – 237 [10]

Runs – 113 [7]

Earned Runs – 104 [5]

Home Runs – 26 [4, tied with Harvey Haddix & Orlando Pena]

Bases on Balls – 93 [3]

Strikeouts – 242 [1]

ERA – 3.46 [13]

Hit Batters – 18 [1]

Balks – 2 [2, tied with Jack Sanford & Robin Roberts]

Wild Pitches – 4 [20, tied with fourteen others]

League-leading strikeouts were +33 ahead of runner-up Sam Jones

League-leading hit batters were +4 ahead of runner-up Danny McDevitt

Midseason Snapshot: 9-6, ERA - 3.24, SO - 133 in 155.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 14 (in 9 IP) vs. Philadelphia 7/31

10+ strikeout games – 7

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 3 (in 9 IP) vs. San Francisco 4/20, (in 9 IP) vs. Philadelphia 6/25, (in 9 IP) at Pittsburgh 7/15, (in 9 IP) vs. Philadelphia 9/9

Batting

PA – 104, AB – 91, R – 9, H – 15, 2B – 1, 3B – 1, HR – 4, RBI – 12, BB – 4, SO – 31, SB – 0, CS – 1, AVG - .165, GDP – 2, HBP – 0, SH – 8, SF – 1

Fielding

Chances – 69

Put Outs – 18

Assists – 48

Errors – 3

DP – 4

Pct. - .957

Postseason Pitching: G – 1 (World Series vs. Chi. White Sox)

GS – 1, CG – 0, Record – 1-0, PCT – 1.000, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 7, H – 11, R – 1, ER – 1, HR – 0, BB – 4, SO – 5, ERA – 1.29, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0 

Awards & Honors:

All-Star (started both games for NL)

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The Dodgers went 86-68 to finish tied for first in the NL with the Milwaukee Braves, which necessitated a season-extending best-of-3 playoff. The Dodgers won the first two games to clinch the NL pennant with a final record of 88-68. The pitching staff led the league in walks issued (614) and strikeouts (1077). The acquisition of outfielder Wally Moon in the offseason buttressed the lineup and the Dodgers were 4.5 games behind the first-place Braves when newcomers who made an impact joined the team, such as shortstop Maury Wills and pitchers Roger Craig and Larry Sherry. A three-team battle for first ensued with the San Francisco Giants joining the fray and taking the lead for all but two days over the remaining 10 weeks before dropping to third as the Dodgers and Braves deadlocked at the end to force the playoff. Won World Series over the Chicago White Sox, 4 games to 2, with Drysdale winning his only start.

Aftermath of 1959:

Drysdale led the NL in strikeouts again in 1960 with 246 to go along with a 15-14 record and 2.84 ERA over 269 innings. By 1961 hard-throwing LHP Sandy Koufax had emerged as a star in his own right and would combine with Drysdale to create a formidable tandem. During the ’61 season, the fourth straight in which he led the NL in hit batters, Drysdale was suspended for five games for throwing at hitters. He finished with 20 hit batters to go with his record of 13-10 and a 3.69 ERA with 182 strikeouts over 244 innings for the second place Dodgers. He had an outstanding season in 1962, leading the league in wins with his 25-9 tally, as well as strikeouts (232), games started (41). and innings pitched (314.1). He also compiled 19 complete games and a 2.83 ERA. The club tied for first in the NL with the San Francisco Giants and lost a season-extending playoff. The Dodgers won the NL pennant in 1963 and Drysdale contributed a 19-17 record with a 2.63 ERA and 251 strikeouts over 315.1 innings, adding another win in the World Series sweep of the Yankees. “Airedale” had another strong season in 1964, going 18-16 with a 2.18 ERA and 237 strikeouts and leading NL pitchers with 40 starts and 321.1 innings pitched while the Dodgers fell to sixth place. But the club returned to the top of the NL in 1965 as Drysdale and Koufax won 49 games between them. Drysdale was 23-12 with a 2.77 ERA and 210 strikeouts over 308.1 innings. He went 1-1 in the seven-game World Series victory over Minnesota. Always a good hitting pitcher, he batted .300 during the ’65 season with 7 home runs and 19 RBIs. Following a joint holdout with Koufax during spring training in 1966, Drysdale slipped to 13-16 with a 3.42 ERA and 177 strikeouts, although he dropped under 300 innings for the first time since 1961. The Dodgers won the NL pennant once more and Drysdale lost twice in the World Series sweep to Baltimore. Koufax retired after the season and “Big D” was 13-16 again in 1967 with a 2.74 ERA and 196 strikeouts while pitching 282 innings. The Dodgers dropped to eighth with a 73-89 mark. In 1968 Drysdale set a then-major league record by pitching 58.2 consecutive scoreless innings on his way to a 14-12 record with a 2.15 ERA, 8 shutouts, and 155 strikeouts. A torn rotator cuff finished Drysdale’s career after 12 starts in 1969. For his major league career, spent entirely with the Dodgers, he compiled a 209-166 record with a 2.95 ERA and 2486 strikeouts over 3432 innings. He pitched 167 complete games and 49 shutouts. Furthermore, he led the NL in hit batters a total of five times and his career total was 154. He was also 3-3 in World Series action with a 2.95 ERA and 36 strikeouts over the course of 39.2 innings. As a batter he hit a total of 29 career home runs. An eight-time All-Star, the Dodgers retired his #53 and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. Drysdale moved to the broadcast booth after his playing career, where he remained until his death by a heart attack in 1993.

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.