Pitcher, Washington
Senators
Age: 25 (Aug. 9)
4th season
with Senators (3rd complete)
Bats – Left,
Throws – Left
Height: 5’11” Weight: 160
Prior to 1964:
A Tennessee
native, Osteen was the son of an amateur pitcher. The family moved to
Cincinnati and Osteen became a star pitcher at Reading High School where his
varsity record was 23-1. Going 16-0 as a senior in 1957 he posted a 0.13 ERA
and 221 strikeouts over 103.2 innings. That led to signing a contract with the
Cincinnati Reds immediately following his graduation. The 17-year-old southpaw
appeared in one July game for the Reds before being assigned to Nashville of
the Class AA Southern Association where he appeared in seven games and had a
1-1 record before receiving a late-season call-up to the Reds where he made two
more relief appearances. His major league totals, where he had no decisions,
were four hits and a run over four innings. Osteen spent 1958 with the
Wenatchee Chiefs of the Class B Northwest League where he compiled a 14-4
record and 3.04 ERA with 15 complete games and 174 strikeouts over 151 innings.
Promoted to the Seattle Rainiers of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, he
produced a 5-4 tally and 3.08 ERA to close out the year. Staying with Seattle
in 1959 his record was 8-12 with a mediocre team, but his ERA was a good 2.98 and
he had 12 complete games and 155 strikeouts over 193 innings. Back with
Cincinnati in 1960 he was a little-used member of the bullpen, appearing in 20
games and going 0-1 with a 5.03 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 48.1 innings. Following
an offseason of winter ball in Puerto Rico, Osteen started the 1961 season with
the Reds before soon being sent back to Class AAA with Indianapolis of the
American Association where he put together a 15-11 tally, 3.53 ERA, 11 complete
games, and 132 strikeouts over 191 innings. In September he was traded to the
Senators who were playing out their inaugural season as an expansion team
replacing the long-time Senators club that had moved to Minnesota. Able to be a
starting pitcher with minimal pressure in Washington, he lost his first five
decisions in 1962 before shutting out the Kansas City A’s on his way to posting
an 8-13 record and 3.65 ERA with 7 complete games, and 59 strikeouts over 150.1
innings. Osteen started slowly in 1963 on his way to a 9-14 tally and 3.35 ERA
with 8 complete games and 109 strikeouts over 212.1 innings.
1964 Season Summary
Appeared in 40
games
P – 37, PH – 2,
PR – 1
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 37
Games Started –
36 [2, tied with five others]
Complete Games
– 13 [3, tied with Milt Pappas & Jim Kaat]
Wins – 15 [12,
tied with Camilo Pascual]
Losses – 13 [9,
tied with six others]
PCT - .536
Saves – 0
Shutouts – 0
Innings Pitched
– 257 [5]
Hits – 256 [2]
Runs – 107 [9]
Earned Runs – 95
[9, tied with John O’Donoghue & Buster Narum]
Home Runs – 20
Bases on Balls
– 64 [17, tied with Mickey Lolich, Bennie Daniels & Ed Connolly]
Strikeouts – 133
[20]
ERA – 3.33 [16]
Hit Batters – 3
Balks – 0
Wild Pitches – 3
Midseason
Snapshot: 6-5, ERA - 3.24, SO – 66 in 116.2 IP
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Most
strikeouts, game – 8 (in 9 IP) vs. Chi. White Sox 5/15, (in 9 IP) vs. Cleveland
7/28
10+ strikeout
games – 0
Fewest hits
allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 5 (in 9 IP) at Detroit 9/13, (in 7.1 IP) vs. LA
Angels 8/15, (in 7 IP) vs. KC A’s 6/8
Batting
PA – 103, AB – 90,
R – 8, H – 14, 2B – 4, 3B – 0, HR – 1, RBI – 7, BB – 3, SO – 34, SB – 1, CS –
0, AVG - .156, GDP – 1, HBP – 1, SH – 7, SF – 2
Fielding
Chances – 60
Put Outs – 9
Assists – 51
Errors – 0
DP – 5
Pct. - 1.000
Awards & Honors:
30th
in AL MVP voting, tied with Ed Bressoud, Bos. & Dave Wickersham, Det. (2
points – 1% share)
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The Senators went 62-100 to finish ninth in the AL, 37 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees. The pitching staff led the league in fewest saves (26) and fewest strikeouts (794). Hindered by a weak offense, the Senators were at 19-29 by the end of May but dropped into the AL cellar thanks to a 13-32 stretch that commenced in late June. Entering September while apparently heading toward another disastrous finish, they still managed to do better than the Kansas City Athletics.
Aftermath of 1964:
Highly sought after by other teams, Osteen was traded in the offseason to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a major trade that brought outfielder Frank Howard, third baseman Ken McMullen, and LHP Pete Richert to Washington. On the cusp of stardom with the lowly Senators, in 1965 Osteen found himself in the starting rotation of a pennant-winning club. During spring training he obtained the nickname “Gomer” from a teammate due to his perceived resemblance to actor Jim Nabors who portrayed the comic character Gomer Pyle on television. On a pitching staff dominated by LHP Sandy Koufax and RHP Don Drysdale, Osteen got off to a 6-10 start but went 9-5 after the All-Star break to finish at 15-15 with a 2.79 ERA and 9 complete games with 162 strikeouts over 287 innings. The Dodgers edged the Giants in a hot pennant race and fell behind the Minnesota Twins in the World Series as Drysdale and Koufax lost the first two games. Osteen pitched a five-hit shutout to turn the Series around for the Dodgers. He lost his Game 6 start but Koufax nailed down the World Series title in the decisive seventh game. With outstanding control his arsenal consisted of a sinking fastball, slider, curve, and changeup. The Dodgers were pennant-winners again in 1966 and Osteen contributed a 17-14 tally and 2.85 ERA along with 8 complete games, 3 shutouts, and 137 strikeouts over 240.1 innings. The club was swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series and Osteen took a tough 1-0 loss in Game 3 thanks to giving up a solo home run while Baltimore’s Wally Bunker hurled a shutout, which was part of the pitching dominance on the part of the Orioles against LA’s weak-hitting lineup. Sandy Koufax retired in the offseason, setting the stage for a Dodger downturn in 1967. The team did indeed drop to eighth place in the NL. Not a strong hitting club even during their previous two pennant-winning seasons, the situation worsened in ’67 and Osteen finished with a 17-17 record despite a respectable 3.22 ERA and 5 shutouts among his 14 complete games. He compiled 152 strikeouts over 288.1 innings. Still, he was an All-Star for the first time. The situation was no better in 1968 and Osteen’s tally dropped to 12-18 with a 3.08 ERA, 5 complete games, 3 shutouts, and 119 strikeouts over 254 innings. The Dodgers contended in the new NL West in 1969 and Osteen produced a 20-15 record with a 2.66 ERA, 16 complete games, 7 shutouts, and 183 strikeouts over 321 innings. He followed up in 1970 at 16-14 with a 3.83 ERA, 11 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 114 strikeouts over 258.2 innings. Along the way he was an All-Star. The consistent Osteen went 14-11 for the second-place Dodgers in 1971 with a 3.51 ERA, 11 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 109 strikeouts over 259 innings. In an otherwise disappointing 1972 season for the team, Osteen produced a 20-11 record and 2.64 ERA with 14 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 100 strikeouts over 252 innings. Turning 34 during the 1973 season, the crafty Osteen posted a 16-11 tally and 3.31 ERA, with 12 complete games, 3 shutouts, and 86 strikeouts over 236.2 innings. Looking to add batting punch to their lineup, the Dodgers traded Osteen to the Houston Astros for outfielder Jim Wynn in the offseason. With the Astros in 1974, Osteen was 9-9 with a 3.71 ERA when he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals in August. With the Cardinals battling Pittsburgh for the NL East crown down the stretch, the savvy veteran pitched out of the bullpen and was 0-2 with a 4.37 ERA in 8 appearances. Released by the Cardinals in the spring of 1975, he was picked up by the Chicago White Sox and returned to full-time starting duty. His record was 7-16 with a 4.36 ERA, 5 complete games, and 63 strikeouts over 204.1 innings. Having avoided arm problems over the years with his easy delivery and intelligent approach to his craft, Osteen was finally showing signs of wear and was released by the White Sox the following spring, thus ending his playing career. For his major league career, Osteen compiled a 196-195 record with a 3.30 ERA, 140 complete games, 40 shutouts, and 1612 strikeouts over 3460.2 innings. With the Senators he was 33-41 with a 3.46 ERA, 28 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 315 strikeouts over 638 innings. In three World Series starts with the Dodgers his record was 1-2 with a 0.86 ERA and 7 strikeouts over 21 innings. A three-time All-Star, 1964 marked the only season in which he received MVP votes. Following his playing career, Osteen became a pitching coach in the minor leagues and in the majors with the Cardinals, Phillies, Rangers, and Dodgers. In 2004 he was inducted into the Cincinnati High School Sports Hall of Fame.
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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10),
runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20), pitching wins,
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