Al Hrabosky, baseball player, 1970-1982

Al Hrabosky

Born: 7/21/1949 in Oakland, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1970-06-16 | Final Game: 1982-08-18

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Alan Thomas Hrabosky

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Biography

Al Hrabosky, born in 1949, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1970 until his retirement in 1982. Known for his intense demeanor and unique pre-pitch routine, Hrabosky earned the nickname "The Mad Hungarian." He made a significant impact during his career, particularly as a reliever, and was celebrated for his ability to close out games effectively. Hrabosky's career record stood at 64-35, with an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.1, which showcased his consistency on the mound. Throughout his career, Hrabosky recorded 548 strikeouts and amassed 97 saves, highlighting his effectiveness in high-pressure situations. He became a key figure in the bullpens of the teams he played for, particularly with the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he won a World Series championship in 1982. Hrabosky's contributions were integral during an era that saw the evolution of the relief pitcher role, paving the way for future closers in the game. His legacy endures not only through his statistics but also through his distinctive style and competitive spirit, which left a lasting impression on baseball fans and players alike.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
64 35 545 1 0 0 97 722.0 619 249 50 315 548 3.10 0

Career ERA 3.10 vs. league average 3.72 across their career seasons — 16.5% better than 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
1970 STL NL 2 1 16 1 0 0 0 19.0 22 10 7 12 4.74 3.89 (-22%) -
1971 STL NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 2 0 0 2 0.00 — -
1972 STL NL 1 0 5 0 0 0 0 7.0 2 0 3 9 0.00 — -
1973 STL NL 2 4 44 0 0 0 5 56.0 45 13 21 57 2.09 3.75 (+44%) -
1974 STL NL 8 1 65 0 0 0 9 88.3 71 29 38 82 2.95 3.63 (+19%) -
1975 STL NL 13 3 65 0 0 0 22 97.3 72 18 33 82 1.66 3.71 (+55%) -
1976 STL NL 8 6 68 0 0 0 13 95.3 89 35 39 73 3.30 3.51 (+6%) -
1977 STL NL 6 5 65 0 0 0 10 86.3 82 42 41 68 4.38 4.00 (-9%) -
1978 KCR AL 8 7 58 0 0 0 20 75.0 52 24 35 60 2.88 3.69 (+22%) -
1979 KCR AL 9 4 58 0 0 0 11 65.0 67 27 41 39 3.74 4.00 (+7%) -
1980 ATL NL 4 2 45 0 0 0 3 59.7 50 24 31 31 3.62 3.84 (+6%) -1771.4
1981 ATL NL 1 1 24 0 0 0 1 33.7 24 4 9 13 1.07 3.58 (+70%) 480.9
1982 ATL NL 2 1 31 0 0 0 3 37.3 41 23 17 20 5.54 3.86 (-44%) -836.5

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
546 56 4 8 0 1 0 6 0 4 17 0.143 0.213 0.179 0.392 0.0

Career AVG .143 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 44.5% below league average.

Career OBP .213 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 34.1% below league average.

Career SLG .179 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 52.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.392 vs. league average 0.702 across their career seasons — 44.2% 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
1970 STL NL 16 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1971 STL NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1972 STL NL 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1973 STL NL 44 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1974 STL NL 66 13 2 4 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 0.308 — — — — 0.0
1975 STL NL 65 15 2 3 0 0 0 4 0 2 5 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1976 STL NL 68 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1977 STL NL 65 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1978 KCR AL 58 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 KCR AL 58 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 ATL NL 45 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1981 ATL NL 24 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1982 ATL NL 31 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1978 ALCS KCA 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 3 0 0 3.0 3 1 0 2 3.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1978 ALCS KCA 0 0 3 0 0 3.0 3 1 0 2 3.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 545 1 20 58 8 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1970 SLN P 16 1 1 0 0 0
1971 SLN P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1972 SLN P 5 0 0 0 0 0
1973 SLN P 44 0 2 5 2 1
1974 SLN P 65 0 3 7 3 0
1975 SLN P 65 0 0 6 0 0
1976 SLN P 68 0 1 13 1 1
1977 SLN P 65 0 3 8 0 1
1978 KCA P 58 0 3 9 0 1
1979 KCA P 58 0 2 4 2 0
1980 ATL P 45 0 3 2 0 0
1981 ATL P 24 0 1 1 0 0
1982 ATL P 31 0 1 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 545

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1975 Pitcher of the Month July
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-07-11
1975 TSN Fireman of the Year

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Fullerton College Fullerton CA 1968, 1969

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1975 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 33.0 120 2
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 66.0 336 0
1974 Cy Young Award NL 5th 9.0 120 0
1974 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 4.0 336 0