Books and articles about Pete Vuckovich

Vuckovich was selected by the Blue Jays in the expansion draft and, although mostly used in relief, threw the first shutout in Blue Jay history, a 2-0 victory over Jim Palmer and the Orioles. Traded to the Cardinals for 1978, he started more often and finished third in the NL in ERA with a 2.55 mark while going 12-12. Used almost exclusively in the rotation thereafter, his ERA went up but he posted 15-10 and 12-9 records before being traded to Milwaukee in December 1980 with Rollie Fingers and Ted Simmons for Sixto Lezcano, David Green, Dave LaPoint, and Lary Sorensen. The deal made the Brewers instant contenders and soon led to their first pennant.

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Pitching for an offensive powerhouse helped Vuckovich go 14-4 in the 1981 strike season, tying for the AL lead in wins and finishing first in winning percentage despite a mediocre 3.54 ERA. Milwaukee won the second-half title in the split season, and Vuckovich won Game Four of the divisional playoff against the Yankees 2-1.

When the Brewers finally won the pennant in 1982, Vuckovich won the Cy Young Award. He was 18-6, tying for the AL lead in winning percentage and finishing in a three-way tie for second in wins. His 3.34 ERA and 1.03-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio were the worst ever at the time for a Cy Young winner, but there were no strong candidates for the award (the wins leader, Lamarr Hoyt, went 19-15 with a 3.53 ERA). The Brewers' unofficial motto that year was "winning ugly," referring to high-scoring games that weren't "pretty." Many players, including Vuckovich, went unshaven on game days to play up the idea, and Vuckovich's record certainly reflected the strong offensive support "Harvey's Wallbangers" provided him. He lost Game Two of the LCS to the Angels 4-2, but did keep Milwaukee in the game in their clinching victory, leaving in the seventh inning down 3-2. In the World Series, the Cardinals beat him 6-2 in Game Three, and he got a no-decision in the final loss.

Vuckovich had been battling shoulder pain for two seasons; in spring training 1983, it was discovered that he'd torn his rotator cuff. He skipped surgery in favor of an exercise rehabilitation program and spent most of the summer doing color commentary on Brewers cable TV broadcasts. He attempted an unsuccessful comeback for three games in September and then missed all of 1984. Subsequent and prolonged comeback attempts all failed. In the 1989 movie Major League, Vuckovich played a minor role as the Yankees ' slugging first baseman. (SH)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » December 12, 1980: The Cardinals make their 3rd major trade, sending the recently acquired Rollie Fingers, C Ted Simmons, and P Pete Vuckovich to the Brewers in exchange for P Lary Sorensen, OF Sixto Lezcano, and minor leaguers OF David Green and P Dave LaPoint. Fingers and Vuckovich will win the American League Cy Young Award for the Brewers in 1981 and 1982, respectively. » November 3, 1982: Pete Vuckovich becomes the Brewers' 2nd consecutive American League Cy Young Award winner, edging Jim Palmer. Vuckovich was 18-6 with a 3.34 ERA for the AL champions, and has the highest winning percentage in the majors for the past two seasons. » March 15, 1983: Cy Young Award winner Pete Vuckovich is found to have a torn rotator cuff in his pitching shoulder that will sideline him for almost the entire 1983 season. » April 24, 1985: Pete Vuckovich records his first win for Milwaukee since his Cy Young Award winning season of 1982, pitching seven innings of the Brewers 3–2 win over Chicago. He had been sidelined most of the past two seasons with shoulder problems. » September 4, 2002: Aaron Myette, ejected yesterday for two pitches behind Melvin Mora, starts today's game, allowing six of the 11 walks in an 8–3 loss to Baltimore. According to the New York Times, it is the first back to back start by a pitcher since Steve McCatty in 1980 [though five pitchers -- Dennis Martinez (Baltimore), Bert Blyleven (Cleveland), Pete Vuckovich (Milwaukee), Rick Langford (Oakland), and Juan Eichelberger (San Diego) -- made the last start before the 1981 strike and the first start after].