Sanford Koufax,nicknamed "the Left Arm of God" and "Dandy Sandy",is an American former baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history,Koufax was the first three-time winner of the Cy Young Award,each time winning unanimously and the only pitcher to do so when a single award was given for both the leagues,and was also named the National League Most Valuable Player in 1963. Retiring at the age of 30 due to arthritis in his pitching elbow,Koufax was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1972 at the age of 36,the youngest player ever elected.
In baseball or softball,a strikeout occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters,and is denoted by K in scorekeeping and statistics. A "strikeout looking"—in which the batter does not swing and the third strike is called by the umpire—is usually denoted by a ꓘ.
Robert Gibson,nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot",was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959 to 1975. Known for his fiercely competitive nature,Gibson tallied 251 wins,3,117 strikeouts,and a 2.91 earned run average. A nine-time All-Star and two-time World Series Champion,he won two Cy Young Awards and the 1968 National League Most Valuable Player Award.
Michael Stephen Lolich is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1963 until 1979,almost entirely for the Detroit Tigers. A three-time All-Star,Lolich is most notable for his performance in the 1968 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals when he earned three complete-game victories,including a win over Bob Gibson in the climactic Game 7. At the time of his retirement in 1979,Lolich held the Major League Baseball record for career strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher.
Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez,nicknamed "the Dominican Dandy",is a Dominican former right-handed pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1975,mostly with the San Francisco Giants. Known for his high leg kick,variety of pitches,arm angles and deliveries,pinpoint control,and durability,Marichal won 18 games to help the Giants reach the 1962 World Series,and went on to earn 191 victories in the 1960s,the most of any major league pitcher. He won over 20 games six times,on each occasion posting an earned run average (ERA) below 2.50 and striking out more than 200 batters,and became the first right-hander since Bob Feller to win 25 games three times;his 26 wins in 1968 remain a franchise record.
Allan Fulton Worthington,nicknamed "Red",is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of 14 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York / San Francisco Giants,Boston Red Sox (1960),Chicago White Sox (1960),Cincinnati Reds (1963–64) and Minnesota Twins (1965–69). Worthington batted and threw right-handed.
Ronald Andrew Necciai [NEH-chai],,is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1952 season. He batted and threw right-handed.
Samuel Edward Thomas McDowell,is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a starting pitcher from 1961 to 1975,most notably for the Cleveland Indians. A six-time All-Star,McDowell led the American League in strikeouts five times. Tall and powerful,his left-handed fastball was delivered with an unusually calm pitching motion which led to his memorable nickname,Sudden Sam.
James Rodney Richard was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a right-handed starting pitcher for the Houston Astros from 1971 to 1980. Richard led the National League (NL) twice in strikeouts and was named an NL All-Star player in 1980.
Carl Wendle Morton was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1969 through 1976 for the Montreal Expos and the Atlanta Braves. Morton was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 1970 and posted a career record of 87–92 with 650 strikeouts and a 3.73 ERA in 1648.2 innings.
Justin Brooks Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets. From Manakin-Sabot,Virginia,Verlander attended Old Dominion University (ODU) and played college baseball for the Monarchs. He broke the Monarchs' and Colonial Athletic Association's career records for strikeouts. At the 2003 Pan American Games,Verlander helped lead the United States national team to a silver medal.
Steven Ralph Arlin was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians for six seasons.
Karl Benjamin Spooner was an American professional baseball player,a left-handed pitcher who took the mound in 31 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 1954–1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. After a meteoric debut during which he set an MLB record for most strikeouts by a pitcher in his first game,his promising athletic career was cut short by an injury to his throwing arm.
Joseph Charles Sambito is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros,New York Mets (1985) and Boston Red Sox (1986–1987). He batted and threw left-handed.
John Eugene Billingham is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1968 through 1980,most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won three National League pennants and two World Series championships between 1972 and 1977.
Thomas Edgar Cheney was an American Major League Baseball player. Cheney,a right-handed pitcher from Morgan,Georgia,played for the St. Louis Cardinals,Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators in a span of eight seasons from 1957 to 1966.
Peter Gerard Richert is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers,Washington Senators (1965–67),Baltimore Orioles (1967–71),St. Louis Cardinals (1974) and Philadelphia Phillies (1974).
Robert Lane Miller was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1957 to 1974. Miller played for three World Series champions:the 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers,1965 Los Angeles Dodgers and the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates—five league champions and four division winners,as well as for four teams that lost 100 or more games in a season.
The 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 91st season of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise;the 86th in the National League. The defending World Series champion Pirates finished first in the National League East with an MLB-best record of 96–59. The team was defeated three games to two by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1972 National League Championship Series. Despite losing the series,the Pirates put up a good fight,unlike the last time the two teams met in the playoffs. In Game 5,the Pirates led 3-2 in the 9th inning,and were 3 outs away from pulling off a major upset over the Reds. All looked good until the Pirates collapsed in the 9th inning and allowed 2 runs to score,with the walkoff run coming on a wild pitch.
The 1959 Major League Baseball season saw the Pittsburgh Pirates finish in fourth place in the National League at 78–76,nine games behind the NL and World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pirates set the record for most extra innings victories in a season,winning 19 of their 21 extra inning games.
