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Bob Welch
Born: 1956

RHP 1978-94 Dodgers, Athletics
  • All-Star in 1980, 90
  • Cy Young Award in 1990

IPW-LERA
Career 3092211-1463.47
League CS 172-26.23
World Series 90-15.79

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RELATED LINKS
» 1981: Monday Climaxes Dodgers’ Sprint to the Pennant

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» August 1982: Two Cy Young Winners Play the Outfield by Lyle Spatz

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» November 18, 2003 (#391)

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» Bob Welch from baseball-reference.com

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Bob Welch became known in a hurry when he threw nothing but fastballs to strike out Reggie Jackson in the ninth inning to save a 4-3 Dodger win in Game Two of the 1978 series (he also lost Game Four in the tenth inning).

Unfortunately, the next time he achieved national fame was when he had to receive alcoholism treatment. He wrote of his experiences in Five O'Clock Comes Early: A Young Man's Battle With Alcoholism, and has since been active in anti-alcoholism efforts. A mainstay on one of baseball 's top staffs with the Dodgers, Welch once played left and right field in a 21-inning game.

Traded to the A's after the 1987 season in a three-way deal that also involved the Mets, Welch helped the A's to the AL pennant with a 17-9 record. He pitched well in Game Three of the WS, allowing one run in five innings, but did not get a decision. (TG)


Contribute your recollections of Bob Welch by clicking here.
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
» August 10, 1978: In just his 2nd start, Dodger P Bob Welch beats the Giants and Vida Blue, 12–2, to put the Los Angeles into a tie for first place.

» October 11, 1978: The Dodgers go two games up with a 4–3 win in game 2. Ron Cey drives in all the Dodger runs and Reggie Jackson does the same for the Yankees. Bob Welch saves Burt Hooton's win in dramatic fashion by striking out Jackson in the 9th inning.

» May 29, 1980: Dodger Bob Welch faces the minimum 27 batters in a 3–0 one-hitter against the Braves. The lone Atlanta base runner is Larvell Blanks, who singles in the 4th inning and is erased on a double play.

» August 18, 1982: In the completion of a game suspended the previous day after 17 innings, the Dodgers beat the Cubs 2–1 in 21 innings despite running out of position players and having to use pitchers Fernando Valenzuela and Bob Welch in the outfield. Jerry Reuss pitches the final four innings for the win, then starts the regularly scheduled game and wins again 7–4.

» June 17, 1983: Bob Welch pitches a 6-hitter and hits his first career homer, off Mario Soto in the 6th, to lead the Dodgers past the Reds, 1–0. Welch is the 11th pitcher in ML history to homer in a 1–0 game, and it will not occur again this century. The last to do so, according to historian Bob Davids, was Juan Pizarro, in 1971.

» July 27, 1984: At LA, Gary Redus singles in the 1st and 9th, the only hits given up by Bob Welch as the Dodgers beat the Reds, 1–0. Hume loses on an unearned run in the 6th.

» May 1, 1986: For the second day in a row, the Dodgers beat the Cubs, 4–0. Yesterday' winner was Bob Welch with a CG win; today the W goes to Rick Honeycutt.

» December 11, 1987: In a 3-team trade, the Dodgers acquire relief pitcher Jesse Orosco from the Mets and relief pitcher Jay Howell and SS Alfredo Griffin from the A's, and send pitchers Bob Welch and Matt Young to Oakland and minor leaguer Jack Savage to New York. The Mets receive two A's minor leaguers to complete the deal, pitchers Kevin Tapani and Wally Whitehurst.

» August 17, 1990: Oakland's Bob Welch (20-4) wins his 20th game of the season 8–3 over the Orioles. Mark McGwire hits his 31st homer and drives in 3.

» October 2, 1990: Oakland's Bob Welch wins his 27th game of the year, beating California, 6–4. The two Hendersons -- Dave Henderson and Rickey Henderson —- score five runs. Welch wins his 27 in just 238 innings, a ML-record average of one win per nine innings, the only pitcher to do so. Welch had no wins out of the bullpen (as noted by Bill Deane), unlike Bob Grim, who won 20 games in 1954 in 199 IP.

» November 13, 1990: Oakland's Bob Welch wins the American League Cy Young Award. His 27 wins were the most in the majors since Steve Carlton in 1972.

» December 15, 1990: American League Cy Young Award winner and free agent Bob Welch re-signs with Oakland, while "free look" free agents Jack Clark and Brett Butler sign with the Red Sox and Dodgers, respectively.

» April 19, 1994: The Red Sox defeat the Athletics, 13-5, as Mo Vaughn and Tim Naehring twice hit back-to-back home runs. The pair connect off Bob Welch in the 2nd inning and off Carlos Reyes in the 6th.

» August 28, 2002: Odalis Perez of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo homer, off Arizona's Rick Helling, for the only run of the game. He is the first pitcher (and the 12th ever) since Bob Welch in 1983 to hit a solo homer for the only run.