- Claude Osteen
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Claude Osteen Pitcher Born: August 9, 1939
Caney Springs, TennesseeBatted: Left Threw: Left MLB debut July 6, 1957 for the Cincinnati Redlegs Last MLB appearance September 27, 1975 for the Chicago White Sox Career statistics Win–Loss record 196–195 Earned run average 3.30 Strikeouts 1,612 Teams Career highlights and awards Claude Wilson Osteen (born August 9, 1939 in Caney Springs, Tennessee, near Chapel Hill), nicknamed "Gomer" because of his resemblance to Gomer Pyle, is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for six different teams: the Cincinnati Redlegs/Reds (1957–1961), Washington Senators (1961–1964), Los Angeles Dodgers (1965–1973), Houston Astros (1974), St. Louis Cardinals (1974), and Chicago White Sox (1975).
Contents
Career overview
The most significant portion of his career was with the Dodgers. After 6 years in the majors, he was traded from the Senators to the Dodgers in a 7-player deal, with four players (two of whom were Frank Howard and Pete Richert) going to the Senators. As a Dodger, Osteen was finally made into a full-time starter. In his time with Cincinnati, he went 0-1; in his time with the Senators, he went 33-28. As a Dodger, his career finally took off.
After two years with an earned run average under 3.00, Osteen was considered a top starter and a workhorse. In those two years, Osteen and the Dodgers reached two straight World Series, the last two Osteen would reach in his career. In the 1965 World Series, the Dodgers would beat the Minnesota Twins in 7 games, and Osteen pitched brilliantly. He had a 0.64 ERA in the Series with a 1-1 record including a shutout, which came after teammates Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax lost their respective games, the first two games of the Series. In the 1966 World Series, the Dodgers would lose to the Baltimore Orioles in 4 games. Osteen gave up only three hits in seven innings in Game Three, only to lose 1-0, his efforts outdone by Wally Bunker's six-hit pitching; a home run by Paul Blair accounted for the game's only run. Osteen's final postseason statistics include a 0.86 ERA with 7 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched.
In 1967, he reached his first All-Star game, going 17-17 with a 3.22 ERA in 288⅓ innings pitched. He also picked up 14 complete games on the year, with 5 shutouts. In 1968 he posted a 3.08 ERA but won only 12 games against 18 losses. The 12 victories would be his fewest in a season from 1964-1973; the 18 losses tied him with Ray Sadecki for the Major League lead. In 1969, Osteen won 20 games for the first time and set a number of career highs:
- 20 wins
- 321 innings
- 183 strikeouts
- 7 shutouts
- 16 complete games
- 41 starts
Moving towards the 1970s, Osteen was still pitching an amazing average of 260 innings a year, which made people often consider him a link to old-time baseball.
In 1970, Osteen pitched three shutout innings in the all-star game and got the win, a game remembered most by Pete Rose's barreling into Ray Fosse to score the winning run in the 12th inning. Coincidentally, like Osteen, the pitcher and hitter involved in the walkoff single were also Tennessee natives: Jim Hickman (a Dodger teammate of Osteen's in 1967) collected the hit off losing pitcher Clyde Wright (coincidentally, Hickman and Wright would become Comeback Players of the Year in their respective leagues).
In 1972, Osteen had an incredibly strong year finishing with 7 complete game victories in his last 9 starts. That year, he was 20-11 with a 2.64 ERA in 252 innings pitched.
He made his 3rd and final All-Star team in 1973, in his last real quality season, and his last season with the Dodgers. That year, he went 16-11 and had a 3.31 ERA with a 2nd-place Dodger team. In his 33 starts on the season, he had 12 complete games and 3 shutouts. He had won in double figures each year from 1964-1973.
Prior to the 1974 season, the Dodgers traded Osteen to the Houston Astros for outfielder Jimmy Wynn. Wynn helped the Dodgers win the 1974 N.L. pennant.
Osteen played his final game on September 27, 1975 with the White Sox. He was released by them on April 5 of the next year.
During a 18-year baseball career, Osteen compiled 196 wins, 1,612 strikeouts, and a 3.30 earned run average.
As a batter, Osteen had a .188 batting average with 8 home runs and 76 runs batted in.
He later became a pitching coach for the Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and the Dodgers as well as various minor league teams.
Highlights
- 3-time All-Star (1967, 70, 73)
- Top 10 in the league in games started, 10 times (1964,'65,'66,'67,'68,'69,'70,'71,'72,'75)
- 2nd in the league in shutouts 3 times (1967,'69,'70), top 10 in the league 3 more times (1971,'72,'73)
- Top 10 in the league in innings pitched, 6 times (1964,'65,'67,'69,'70,'72)
- Top 10 in ERA, 3 times (1965,'66,'72)
- Ranks #71 in all-time innings pitched (3460⅓) [1]
- Ranks #44 (tie) in all-time shutouts (40) [2]
- Ranks #46 in all-time games started (488) [3]
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Texas Rangers Opening Day starting pitchers
- List of Washington Senators Opening Day starting pitchers
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube or MLB.com
- The Tennessee Encyclopedia
Awards and achievements Preceded by
Don RudolphWashington Senators Opening Day
Starting pitcher
1964Succeeded by
Phil OrtegaPreceded by
Don Drysdale
Bob Miller
Don DrysdaleLos Angeles Dodgers Opening Day
Starting pitcher
1966
1968
1970Succeeded by
Bob Miller
Don Drysdale
Bill SingerSporting positions Preceded by
Bob MillikenSt. Louis Cardinals Pitching Coach
1977-1980Succeeded by
Hub KittlePreceded by
Herm StarrettePhiladelphia Phillies Pitching Coach
1982-1988Succeeded by
Darold KnowlesPreceded by
Tom HouseTexas Rangers Pitching Coach
1993-1994Succeeded by
Dick BosmanPreceded by
Charlie HoughLos Angeles Dodgers Pitching Coach
1999-2000Succeeded by
Dave WallaceLos Angeles Dodgers 1965 World Series Champions 3 Willie Davis | 5 Jim Lefebvre | 6 Ron Fairly | 8 Johnny Roseboro | 9 Wally Moon | 10 Jeff Torborg | 11 John Kennedy | 15 Bob Miller | 16 Ron Perranoski | 19 Jim Gilliam | 21 Jim Brewer | 22 Johnny Podres | 23 Claude Osteen | 28 Wes Parker | 30 Maury Wills | 31 Don LeJohn | 32 Sandy Koufax (World Series MVP) | 39 Howie Reed | 41 Lou Johnson | 43 Willie Crawford | 44 Dick Tracewski | 53 Don Drysdale
Manager 24 Walter Alston
Coaches: 18 Preston Gómez | 19 Jim Gilliam | 33 Danny Ozark | 36 Lefty PhillipsRegular season Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers Opening Day starting pitchers Cy Barger • Rex Barney • Tim Belcher • Kevin Brown • Leon Cadore • Bob Caruthers • Larry Cheney • Watty Clark • Curt Davis • Wheezer Dell • Bill Donovan • Don Drysdale • George Earnshaw • Carl Erskine • Red Evans • Hal Gregg • John Harkins • Joe Hatten • Ed Head • George Hemming • Orel Hershiser • Burt Hooton • Waite Hoyt • Mickey Hughes • Oscar Jones • Brickyard Kennedy • Clayton Kershaw • Sam Kimber • Sandy Koufax • Hiroki Kuroda • Derek Lowe • Rube Marquard • Ramón Martínez • Harry McIntire • Bob Miller • Van Mungo • Don Newcombe • Hideo Nomo • Claude Osteen • Vicente Padilla • Chan-Ho Park • Harley Payne • Brad Penny • Jesse Petty • Jeff Pfeffer • Henry Porter • Jack Quinn • Ed Reulbach • Jerry Reuss • Preacher Roe • Nap Rucker • Dutch Ruether • Henry Schmidt • Bill Singer • Don Sutton • Ed Stein • Elmer Stricklett • Fernando Valenzuela • Dazzy Vance • Kaiser Wilhelm • Whit Wyatt
Texas Rangers Opening Day starting pitchers Jim Bibby • Bert Blyleven • Dick Bosman • Kevin Brown • John Burkett • Bennie Daniels • Dick Donovan • Ryan Drese • Scott Feldman • José Guzmán • Rick Helling • Ken Hill • Charlie Hough • Ferguson Jenkins • Craig Lefferts • Jon Matlack • Kevin Millwood • Phil Ortega • Claude Osteen • Chan-Ho Park • Camilo Pascual • Gaylord Perry • Kenny Rogers • Pete Richert • Don Rudolph • Nolan Ryan • Mike Smithson • Ismael Valdez • C. J. Wilson
Categories:- 1939 births
- Living people
- Baseball players from Tennessee
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Cincinnati Redlegs players
- Cincinnati Reds players
- Washington Senators (1961–1971) players
- Los Angeles Dodgers players
- Houston Astros players
- Chicago White Sox players
- National League All-Stars
- Los Angeles Dodgers coaches
- Philadelphia Phillies coaches
- St. Louis Cardinals coaches
- Texas Rangers coaches
- Major League Baseball pitching coaches
- Nashville Vols players
- Wenatchee Chiefs players
- Seattle Rainiers players
- Indianapolis Indians players
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