Larry Christenson, baseball player, 1973-1983

Larry Christenson

Born: 11/10/1953 in Everett, WA, USA

MLB Debut: 1973-04-13 | Final Game: 1983-06-03

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: Larry Richard Christenson

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Biography

Larry Christenson was a professional baseball pitcher who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1983. Born in 1953, Christenson played the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he became known for his reliable arm and competitive spirit on the mound. Over his ten-year career, he compiled a record of 83-71, showcasing his ability to secure victories for his team. With an earned run average (ERA) of 3.79, he established himself as a formidable presence during an era that saw significant offensive output in the league. Christenson's career statistics included 781 strikeouts and 4 saves, reflecting his dual capacity as both a starter and a reliever. He was particularly noted for his durability and consistency during a time when pitching depth was crucial for teams navigating through long seasons. His contributions were key to the Phillies' success during the late 1970s and early 1980s, a period that laid the groundwork for the team's eventual World Series championship in 1980. Larry Christenson remains a respected figure in Phillies history, remembered for his contributions to the game and the franchise.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
83 71 243 220 27 6 4 1402.7 1401 591 100 395 781 3.79 0

Career ERA 3.79 vs. league average 3.78 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1973 PHI NL 1 4 10 9 1 0 0 34.3 53 25 20 11 6.55 3.75 (-75%) -993.8
1974 PHI NL 1 1 10 1 0 0 2 23.0 20 11 15 18 4.30 3.63 (-19%) -273.1
1975 PHI NL 11 6 29 26 5 2 1 171.7 149 70 45 88 3.67 3.71 (+1%) 1938.3
1976 PHI NL 13 8 32 29 2 0 0 168.7 199 69 42 54 3.68 3.51 (-5%) 612.9
1977 PHI NL 19 6 34 34 5 1 0 219.3 229 99 69 118 4.06 4.00 (-2%) 299.5
1978 PHI NL 13 14 33 33 9 3 0 228.0 209 82 47 131 3.24 3.69 (+12%) 4221.3
1979 PHI NL 5 10 19 17 2 0 0 106.0 118 53 30 53 4.50 4.00 (-12%) 705.2
1980 PHI NL 5 1 14 14 0 0 0 73.7 62 33 27 49 4.03 3.84 (-5%) 920.1
1981 PHI NL 4 7 20 15 0 0 1 106.7 108 42 30 70 3.54 3.58 (+1%) 1223.3
1982 PHI NL 9 10 33 33 3 0 0 223.0 212 86 53 145 3.47 3.86 (+10%) 4775.4
1983 PHI NL 2 4 9 9 0 0 0 48.3 42 21 17 44 3.91 3.87 (-1%) 1565.5

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
243 427 31 64 13 2 11 46 2 24 223 0.150 0.195 0.267 0.462 -2053.9

Career AVG .150 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 42.3% below league average.

Career OBP .195 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 40.1% below league average.

Career SLG .267 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 30.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.462 vs. league average 0.707 across their career seasons — 34.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1973 PHI NL 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1974 PHI NL 10 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1975 PHI NL 29 57 3 14 2 1 2 6 0 3 27 0.246 .257 (-5%) .327 (-13%) .374 (+13%) .701 (avg) -19.7
1976 PHI NL 32 51 5 10 4 0 2 9 0 3 28 0.196 .255 (-23%) .320 (-25%) .360 (+9%) .681 (-7%) -80.8
1977 PHI NL 34 74 4 10 0 0 3 13 0 4 38 0.135 .264 (-49%) .329 (-45%) .401 (-36%) .730 (-40%) -518.3
1978 PHI NL 33 67 3 5 1 0 1 4 0 4 35 0.075 .257 (-71%) .323 (-61%) .378 (-65%) .702 (-63%) -700.0
1979 PHI NL 19 31 4 9 3 1 1 1 1 2 13 0.290 — — — — 0.0
1980 PHI NL 14 19 6 7 0 0 1 4 0 3 9 0.368 — — — — 0.0
1981 PHI NL 20 30 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 16 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1982 PHI NL 33 67 4 5 2 0 1 7 1 2 36 0.075 .261 (-71%) .324 (-69%) .388 (-62%) .712 (-65%) -735.2
1983 PHI NL 9 17 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 8 0.059 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1981 NEDIV PHI 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1980 NLCS PHI 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1980 WS PHI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1978 NLCS PHI 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1977 NLCS PHI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 6 5 0 20.7 28 17 7 15 7.40

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1981 NEDIV PHI 1 0 1 1 0 6.0 4 1 1 8 1.50
1980 NLCS PHI 0 0 2 1 0 6.7 5 3 5 2 4.05
1980 WS PHI 0 1 1 1 0 0.3 5 4 0 0 108.00
1978 NLCS PHI 0 1 1 1 0 4.3 7 6 1 3 12.46
1977 NLCS PHI 0 0 1 1 0 3.3 7 3 0 2 8.10

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 243 220 85 177 24 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1973 PHI P 10 9 2 5 0 0
1974 PHI P 10 1 1 2 0 0
1975 PHI P 29 26 14 12 2 1
1976 PHI P 32 29 9 14 3 1
1977 PHI P 34 34 14 28 8 1
1978 PHI P 33 33 8 37 3 1
1979 PHI P 19 17 4 15 0 0
1980 PHI P 14 14 5 16 3 0
1981 PHI P 20 15 8 13 2 0
1982 PHI P 33 33 16 26 2 2
1983 PHI P 9 9 4 9 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 243

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-04-07
1977 Pitcher of the Month September