#94 A.L. Pitching Leaders:

Pitching Leaders AKA Top Win Total:   On the front the tip of the iceberg showing just three top winners....More interesting is the rear of the card....an incredible of 10 twenty game winners....Criteria for to be on the front:  22 wins or better....The more significant story were Baltimore 4 20 game winners....making them seemingly invincible in the post season on paper at least.....see cards covering the WS for the rest of the story.....Lolich takes first honors with 25 wins....a career best for the dependable starter....Vida Blue, fresh out of minors places second 24 wins....along with dominating AL media coverage.....Wilbur Wood while an effective knuckleball reliever in the past is pressed into service as a starter....met with great and surprising success starting with 22 wins...the rest of the included the quartet of Orioles McNally, Dobson, Palmer, and Cuellar....upstarts Andy Messersmith (nee Angels), Catfish Hunter (nee A’s) and Joe Coleman (nee Tigers)....all listed except Dobson and McNally would repeat the 20 mark over there career....Pat came oh-so close with 19 wins and suffering six one run losses in 1974.     

 

#96 A.L. Strikeout Leaders: Mickey Lolich, Vida Blue, Joe Coleman

Who are the usual suspects... Mikey Lolich finished second in strikeouts in 1970 (high point of an otherwise off year) and repeated that position in 1972....second place in K’s was familiar territory for Lolich, having taken a bow to Sudden Sam McDowell in 1965 and 1969 ....Who’s new: Vida Blue....new comer and 1971 is also a career punch out high....encore thwarted due to a sit out in 1972.... Coleman, was an under the radar hard thrower.....Finished 5^th in strikeouts wearing a Senator’s uniform  in 1969 ....2 years with later a new club and Coleman's revitalized career....combined with Lolich to account for a little over half of the staff’s 1000Ks....Common ground:  all reached their career best strikeout totals in 1971. 

#450 Mickey Lolich

They don’t make them like Mickey anymore....Portly and popular left hander in the MoTown.... 1971 was a comeback from 1970, lowering ERA by a run per game and gaining 11 wins....showed that he and veteran Tiger teammates still had something in the tank....The best pitcher in the AL for the two years of 1971 and 1972 with 47 victories.... in this prime of his career, collected immense number of innings, over 350 on average....led league in strikeouts and innings 1971...personally thwarted the Bob Gibson led Cardinal onslaught in 1968 World Series, winning 3 games, and taking home MVP honors....Hit a home run against the Redbirds to boot.... established himself in 1964 winning 18 games...otherwise played in shadow of Denny McClain....post 1972 was still ace of the staff but was plagued by an aging Tiger team, losing more than winning....traded to the Mets in 1976...didn’t win much, 8 times, despite respectable 3.22 ERA.....disgusted in NY.... Sat out in 1977, resurfaced in San Diego 1978 as a free agent...took the role of a middle relief man in fits and spurts....1.56 ERA....could not repeat in more work, 1979....Impressive stats: He completed nearly 40 percent of his starts, and hurled 41 shutouts....missed out on outright Cy Young