Mark Langston, baseball player, 1984-1999

Mark Langston

Born: 8/20/1960 in San Diego, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1984-04-07 | Final Game: 1999-09-24

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 177 lbs

Full name: Mark Edward Langston

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Biography

Mark Langston was a prominent left-handed pitcher whose career spanned from 1984 to 1999. Born in 1960, Langston made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during an era characterized by offensive prowess and evolving pitching strategies. His career record of 179 wins and 158 losses highlighted his competitiveness and durability on the mound, while his earned run average (ERA) of 3.97 underscored his ability to manage games effectively against some of the best hitters of his time. Langston recorded an impressive 2,464 strikeouts, showcasing his dominant strikeout ability and solidifying his reputation as one of the premier strikeout pitchers of his generation. Langston was recognized for his talents early in his career, earning the TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year award and being selected as an All-Star four times. His pitching style combined a powerful fastball with an effective changeup, allowing him to excel in various ballparks across the league. Throughout his career, Langston played for multiple teams, leaving a lasting legacy as one of the top pitchers in the game during the late 1980s and 1990s. His contributions to the sport continue to be remembered by fans and historians alike, marking him as a significant figure in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
179 158 457 428 81 18 0 2962.7 2723 1306 311 1289 2464 3.97 0

Career ERA 3.97 vs. league average 4.14 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
1984 SEA AL 17 10 35 33 5 2 0 225.0 188 85 118 204 3.40 3.81 (+11%) 1481.2
1985 SEA AL 7 14 24 24 2 0 0 126.7 122 77 91 72 5.47 3.89 (-41%) -6870.5
1986 SEA AL 12 14 37 36 9 0 0 239.3 234 129 123 245 4.85 3.97 (-22%) 171.9
1987 SEA AL 19 13 35 35 14 3 0 272.0 242 116 114 262 3.84 4.29 (+11%) 4327.2
1988 SEA AL 15 11 35 35 9 3 0 261.3 222 97 110 235 3.34 3.73 (+11%) -866.9
1989 SEA AL 4 5 10 10 2 1 0 73.3 60 29 19 60 3.56 3.71 (+4%) 2067.8
1989 WSN NL 12 9 24 24 6 4 0 176.7 138 47 93 175 2.39 3.71 (+35%) -
1990 LAA AL 10 17 33 33 5 1 0 223.0 215 109 104 195 4.40 3.86 (-14%) -
1991 LAA AL 19 8 34 34 7 0 0 246.3 190 82 96 183 3.00 3.91 (+23%) -
1992 LAA AL 13 14 32 32 9 2 0 229.0 206 93 74 174 3.66 3.75 (+2%) -
1993 LAA AL 16 11 35 35 7 0 0 256.3 220 91 85 196 3.20 4.19 (+24%) -
1994 LAA AL 7 8 18 18 2 1 0 119.3 121 62 54 109 4.68 4.51 (-4%) -
1995 LAA AL 15 7 31 31 2 1 0 200.3 212 103 64 142 4.63 4.45 (-4%) -
1996 LAA AL 6 5 18 18 2 0 0 123.3 116 66 45 83 4.82 4.61 (-4%) -
1997 LAA AL 2 4 9 9 0 0 0 47.7 61 31 29 30 5.85 4.39 (-33%) -
1998 SDP NL 4 6 22 16 0 0 0 81.3 107 53 41 56 5.86 4.43 (-32%) -
1999 CLE AL 1 2 25 5 0 0 0 61.7 69 36 29 43 5.25 4.71 (-12%) -529.3

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
459 92 5 14 3 0 0 5 0 2 38 0.152 0.168 0.185 0.353 -494.3

Career AVG .152 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 41.9% below league average.

Career OBP .168 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 49.0% below league average.

Career SLG .185 vs. league average .402 across their career seasons — 54.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.353 vs. league average 0.732 across their career seasons — 51.8% 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
1984 SEA AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 SEA AL 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 SEA AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 SEA AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 SEA AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 SEA AL 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 WSN NL 24 64 4 11 2 0 0 3 0 0 26 0.172 .254 (-32%) .319 (-47%) .375 (-46%) .694 (-46%) 0.0
1990 LAA AL 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 LAA AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 LAA AL 33 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1993 LAA AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1994 LAA AL 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 LAA AL 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 LAA AL 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1997 LAA AL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1998 SDP NL 23 24 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 2 9 0.083 — — — — 0.0
1999 CLE AL 25 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 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
1998 NLCS SDN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1998 WS SDN 1 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 4 0 0 2.0 2 3 2 1 13.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1998 NLCS SDN 0 0 3 0 0 1.3 1 0 0 1 0.00
1998 WS SDN 0 0 1 0 0 0.7 1 3 2 0 40.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 457 428 127 493 39 33

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1984 SEA P 35 33 15 30 2 2
1985 SEA P 24 24 9 26 2 4
1986 SEA P 37 36 7 27 6 3
1987 SEA P 35 35 8 41 2 3
1988 SEA P 35 35 11 45 4 6
1989 SEA P 10 10 7 6 0 1
1989 MON P 24 24 8 22 2 1
1990 CAL P 33 33 7 42 3 0
1991 CAL P 34 34 15 34 3 2
1992 CAL P 32 32 7 41 3 1
1993 CAL P 35 35 10 47 2 4
1994 CAL P 18 18 3 27 2 1
1995 CAL P 31 31 2 43 3 2
1996 CAL P 18 18 7 27 1 0
1997 ANA P 9 9 2 11 1 1
1998 SDN P 22 16 2 16 1 1
1999 CLE P 25 5 7 8 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 457
Designated Hitter 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1995 Gold Glove P
1994 Gold Glove P
1993 Gold Glove P
1992 Gold Glove P
1991 Gold Glove P
1989 Pitcher of the Month July
1989 Player of the Week Week of 1989-07-08
1988 Gold Glove P
1988 Pitcher of the Month September
1988 Player of the Week Week of 1988-09-23
1987 Gold Glove P
1987 Pitcher of the Month August
1984 Player of the Week Week of 1984-06-29
1984 TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1999 CLE AL $350,000
1998 SDN NL $500,000
1997 ANA AL $4,000,000
1996 CAL AL $5,000,000
1995 CAL AL $5,000,000
1994 CAL AL $3,550,000
1993 CAL AL $3,550,000
1992 CAL AL $3,550,000
1991 CAL AL $3,550,000
1990 CAL AL $1,800,000
1989 SEA AL $1,350,000
1988 SEA AL $820,000
1986 SEA AL $242,500
1985 SEA AL $160,000
Total Career Earnings $33,422,500

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
San Jose State University San Jose CA 1979, 1980, 1981

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1991 Cy Young Award AL 6th 7.0 140 0
1987 Cy Young Award AL 5th 7.0 140 0
1984 Rookie of the Year AL 2nd 82.0 140 3