Orel Hershiser

From SoSH

Orel Leonard “Bulldog” Hershiser (born September 16, 1958 in Buffalo, NY) was a right handed pitcher for the LA Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets. He retired in 2000 with 204 wins against 150 losses and a 3.48 career ERA.

Contents 1 Career Overview 1.1 1988 1.2 Post 1988 2 Awards 3 Achievements 4 Transactions 5 External Links

Career Overview

Orel Hershiser first came up with the Dodgers on September 1, 1983. He pitched in 8 games that season. It wasn't until the next season when Hershiser saw extended action. In 1985 Orel moved into the Dodgers starting rotation and compiled a 19-3 record with a 2.03 ERA. That year he placed third in the NL Cy Young Award voting. The next few seasons Hershiser put up solid numbers going 14-14 and then 16-16 with ERA's of 3.85 and 3.06 respectively.

1988

In 1988 Orel Hershiser had one of the best seasons for a pitcher ever. Not especially over powering Hershiser relied on a sinker and curve ball to be effective. In 1988 he had it all working for him and he ended the year with a 23-8 record with 15 complete games, 8 shutouts, and a 2.26 ERA. He ended the year throwing 6 shut outs and compiling a 59 scoreless innings pitched streak breaking the record of 58.2 innings held by Don Drysdale. That year, the Dodgers won the NL West and faced the New York Mets in the NLCS. Hershiser pitched in four of the seven games going 1-0 with a 1.09 ERA and a save. In Game 7 of that series he pitched a complete game 5 hitter to clinch the series and move on to the 1988 World Series. In the World Series Orel went 2-0 with two complete games giving up only 7 hits and 2 runs. In 1988 Hershiser won the NL Cy Young Award, the NLCS MVP, and both World Series MVP's.

Post 1988

The next season Hershiser continued to pitch well posting a 2.34 ERA, but he went only 15-15 as the Dodgers had a poor hitting team. The Dodgers finished second to last in batting average at .240 and last in runs scored. As a result Hershiser’s won loss record suffered. Hershiser’s scoreless innings streak was snapped in his first start that season ending at 59.2 innings. The next season Orel tore his rotator cuff and missed all but four starts. Orel had pitched at least 230 innings in the 5 previous seasons and it had an adverse effect on his pitching arm. He returned in 1991 and went 7-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 21 starts. The next two seasons Hershiser went 10-15 and 12-14 posting solid mid-3.00 ERA's in each season, but it was clear he would never dominate in the way that he had before the injury.

After the strike shortened year of 1994, Hershiser signed on with the Cleveland Indians. In his first year with the Indians Orel went 16-6 with a 3.87 ERA, the last year he would keep it under 4.00. In the '95 playoffs Hershiser showed he was still a big game pitcher when he went 4-1 with a 1.53 ERA and won the ALCS MVP. The next season Hershiser won 15 games, but his ERA climbed to 4.24. In 1997 he won another 14 games, but his ERA continued to climb and the Indians granted him free agency.

Orel went back to the National League in 1998 and signed with the Dodgers rival the San Francisco Giants. Orel pitched decent, winning 11 games and losing 10. His ERA stayed fairly even at 4.41. After the Giants decided not to resign him, Orel signed with the New York Mets, the team he had dominated in the 1988 NLCS. Orel again had a respectable year going 13-12 with a 4.58 ERA. The Mets made the playoffs, but elected to use Orel out of the bullpen instead of the rotation. He made three appearances pitching 5.1 scoreless innings, but the Mets lost to Atlanta in the NLCS. In 2000 Orel re-signed with the Dodgers, but after 10 games and a 1-5 record they released him. Hershiser retired soon after he was released.

After serving as pitching coach for the Texas Rangers for a few years and later held a position in the front office. Orel now works as an analyst for ESPN's Baseball Tonight.

Awards

• 1988 National League Cy Young Award winner
• 1988 Sporting News Pitcher of the Year
• 1988 Major League Player of the Year
• 1988 NLCS MVP
• 1988 World Series MVP
• 1988 Babe Ruth Award winner
• 1995 ALCS MVP
• Gold Glove winner: P – 1988
• National League Silver Slugger: P – 1993
• 3-time National League All-Star (1987, 1988 & 1989)

Achievements

• National League Wins Leader (1988)
• National League Win-Loss Percentage Leader (1985)
• National League Complete Games Leader (1988)
• 3-time NL Innings Pitched Leader (1987, 1988 & 1989)
• 2-time NL Shutouts Leader (1984 & 1988)
• 15 Win Seasons: 6 (1985, 1987-1989, 1995 & 1996)
• 20 Win Seasons: 1 (1988)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 9 (1985-1989, 1992, 1993, 1996 & 1998)

Transactions

• June 5, 1979: Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 17th round of the 1979 amateur draft. Player signed June 9, 1979.
• November 1, 1991: Granted Free Agency.
• December 3, 1991: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• October 17, 1994: Granted Free Agency.
• April 8, 1995: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cleveland Indians.
• October 29, 1997: Granted Free Agency.
• December 9, 1997: Signed as a Free Agent with the San Francisco Giants.
• November 2, 1998: Granted Free Agency.
• February 20, 1999: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cleveland Indians.
• March 25, 1999: Released by the Cleveland Indians.
• March 25, 1999: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
• November 1, 1999: Granted Free Agency.
• December 17, 1999: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• June 27, 2000: Released by the Los Angeles Dodgers

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Orel Hershiser's 1988 NLCS Stats
• Orel Hershiser's 1988 World Series Stats