The pitchers with the most wins in the 1970’s is a grocery list of Hall of Famers. Gaylord, Carlton, Fergie & Catfish to name just a few… but on the cover of Sports Illustrated July 21, 1975 were two other future Hall of Famers who SI called Baseball’s Toughest Pitchers: Tom Seaver and Jim Palmer.
After they each won the Cy Young Award in 1973, both of these aces suffered through injury-plagued, down seasons in 1974. Palmer was 7-12 in 26 starts while Tom Terrific was 11-11 while throwing the fewest innings of his then 8-year career.
Healthy again in ’75, the two #1’s were back at the top of their games… and both would go on to win the Cy Young again in 75, the 3rd for Seaver and the 2nd for Palmer who would match Seaver with his 3rd a year later. Palmer would end the decade with 186 wins, the most in the 70’s while Seaver would finish tied for 3rd with 178. They were the best of the best and cementing a resume that would end with both of them in Cooperstown.
Mike Torrez was every bit as tough as the two cover guys. Starting his career with the Cardinals, Torrez came into his own after he was dealt to Montreal in 1971. He won 16 games for the Expos in ’72 and another 15 in ’74… but it was in 1975 when it all came together for the winningest Mexican pitcher of all-time.
Teaming with Palmer, Torrez had a sensational season going 20-9 with a 3.06 ERA over 270 innings of work. He started 36 games and completed 16 of them. It would be his only season in Baltimore but it was one to remember for the righty from Topeka, Kansas. A year later he won 16 games in Oakland before another sensational season in New York with the Yankees. After a regular season that saw Torrez win 17 games, 14 of them in pinstripes, Torrez had an October to remember. And if it weren’t for a historic performance from Mr. October himself, more would remember how brilliant Torrez was in the Yankees World Series win over the Dodgers.
With the series tied at 1-1 heading to Los Angles, Torrez matched up against Tommy John, Torrez went the distance in a 5-3 win over L.A. striking out 9. Just 4 days later, Torrez got the start again and behind Reggie Jackson’s 3 home runs, and another complete game win out of Torrez, the Yankees were champions again… their first title since 1962. Reggie was the MVP of the series but Torrez could have easily won that with his 2 CG wins over Tommy Lasorda’s club.
From there, this tough hombre would go to Boston where he would win more games in his career than any other club in his big league career before ending his 18 year career with Tom Seaver and the Mets and then 2 games with the A’s in 1984.
But it was the 70’s where he was one of the best, winning 134 games that decade, 15th most in all of baseball, and certainly proving he was one of the toughest pitchers in the game. Looking back on his career, Torrez tells us that Bob Gibson had an integral part in his success, teaching him how to throw his famous slider. Torrez bookends that by sharing how he went to bat for a young Mets pitcher to make the club out of Spring Training, even though it might mean the end of his time in the majors. Torrez told the GM, you gotta let this kid make the team… this kid is ready. This kid was Doc Gooden.
Torrez talks about both Palmer and Seaver as pitchers… about Weaver and Martin as managers. About winning those two games with the Yankees in the Series… and about losing to the Yanks a year later when Bucky Dent hit one over the wall in Game 163. The ups, the downs, the highs and the lows… Torrez went through it all, and tells us all about them… on the Past Our Prime podcast.
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