Gary Lavelle, baseball player, 1974-1987

Gary Lavelle

Born: 1/3/1949 in Scranton, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1974-09-10 | Final Game: 1987-10-03

Bats: B | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Gary Robert Lavelle

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Biography

Gary Lavelle, born in 1949, was a notable pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1974 to 1987. Known for his impressive performance on the mound, Lavelle finished his career with a record of 80-77 and an earned run average (ERA) of 2.93. His ability to strike out batters was evident in his total of 769 strikeouts, while his skill in closing games was highlighted by his 136 saves. Throughout his career, he earned the distinction of being selected to the All-Star Game twice, showcasing his talent and significance during a competitive era in baseball. Lavelle's playing style was characterized by a strong fastball and effective pitching strategies that allowed him to thrive during a time when relief pitching was becoming increasingly important in the game. His contributions were particularly valuable in the late 1970s and 1980s, as teams began to rely more heavily on specialized roles within their pitching staffs. Lavelle's achievements and consistency on the field left a lasting impact on his teams and the league, solidifying his reputation as a reliable and skilled pitcher in MLB history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
80 77 745 3 0 0 136 1085.0 1004 353 51 440 769 2.93 0

Career ERA 2.93 vs. league average 3.83 across their career seasons — 23.6% 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
1974 SFG NL 0 3 10 0 0 0 0 16.7 14 4 10 12 2.16 3.63 (+40%) -
1975 SFG NL 6 3 65 0 0 0 8 82.3 80 27 48 51 2.95 3.71 (+20%) -
1976 SFG NL 10 6 65 0 0 0 12 110.3 102 33 52 71 2.69 3.51 (+23%) -
1977 SFG NL 7 7 73 0 0 0 20 118.3 106 27 37 93 2.05 4.00 (+49%) -
1978 SFG NL 13 10 67 0 0 0 14 97.7 96 36 44 63 3.32 3.69 (+10%) -
1979 SFG NL 7 9 70 0 0 0 20 96.7 86 27 42 80 2.51 4.00 (+37%) -
1980 SFG NL 6 8 62 0 0 0 9 100.0 106 38 36 66 3.42 3.84 (+11%) -
1981 SFG NL 2 6 34 3 0 0 4 65.7 58 28 23 45 3.84 3.58 (-7%) -
1982 SFG NL 10 7 68 0 0 0 8 104.7 97 31 29 76 2.67 3.86 (+31%) -
1983 SFG NL 7 4 56 0 0 0 20 87.0 73 25 19 68 2.59 3.87 (+33%) -
1984 SFG NL 5 4 77 0 0 0 12 101.0 92 31 42 71 2.76 3.81 (+28%) -
1985 TOR AL 5 7 69 0 0 0 8 72.7 54 25 36 50 3.10 3.89 (+20%) 377.2
1987 TOR AL 2 3 23 0 0 0 1 27.7 36 17 19 17 5.53 4.29 (-29%) -242.5
1987 OAK AL 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 4.3 4 4 3 6 8.31 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
745 111 5 9 2 0 0 4 0 3 52 0.081 0.105 0.099 0.204 0.0

Career AVG .081 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 68.8% below league average.

Career OBP .105 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 67.6% below league average.

Career SLG .099 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 74.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.204 vs. league average 0.711 across their career seasons — 71.3% 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
1974 SFG NL 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1975 SFG NL 65 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1976 SFG NL 65 13 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0.077 — — — — 0.0
1977 SFG NL 73 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1978 SFG NL 67 15 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0.067 — — — — 0.0
1979 SFG NL 70 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1980 SFG NL 62 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1981 SFG NL 34 11 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 3 0.273 — — — — 0.0
1982 SFG NL 68 13 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 4 0.154 — — — — 0.0
1983 SFG NL 56 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1984 SFG NL 77 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1985 TOR AL 69 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 TOR AL 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 OAK AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 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
1985 ALCS TOR 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 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1985 ALCS TOR 0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 745 3 48 181 14 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1974 SFN P 10 0 0 2 1 0
1975 SFN P 65 0 6 11 1 2
1976 SFN P 65 0 5 11 4 0
1977 SFN P 73 0 5 20 1 2
1978 SFN P 67 0 2 19 2 1
1979 SFN P 70 0 4 13 1 0
1980 SFN P 62 0 3 16 0 0
1981 SFN P 34 3 3 16 1 3
1982 SFN P 68 0 8 26 2 0
1983 SFN P 56 0 5 20 1 2
1984 SFN P 77 0 1 13 0 0
1985 TOR P 69 0 2 9 0 1
1987 TOR P 23 0 4 5 0 0
1987 OAK P 6 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 745

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1987 TOR AL $62,500
1986 TOR AL $533,333
1985 TOR AL $475,000
Total Career Earnings $1,070,833