Tug McGraw, baseball player, 1965-1984

Tug McGraw

Born: 8/30/1944 in Martinez, CA, USA

Died: 1/5/2004 in Brentwood, TN, USA

MLB Debut: 1965-04-18 | Final Game: 1984-09-25

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Frank Edwin McGraw

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Biography

Tug McGraw was a prominent left-handed pitcher who enjoyed a successful career in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1984. Born in 1944, McGraw made his mark in the league with a record of 96 wins and 92 losses, along with an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.14. Over his two-decade career, he struck out 1,109 batters and accumulated 180 saves, showcasing his effectiveness both as a starter and a reliever. His contributions to the game were recognized with two All-Star selections during his career, reflecting his status as one of the top pitchers of his time. McGraw is perhaps best known for his time with the New York Mets, where he played a crucial role in the team's historic 1969 World Series victory. His spirited personality and distinctive delivery style made him a fan favorite, and he became synonymous with the phrase "You gotta believe!" which embodied the underdog spirit of the Mets. McGraw's legacy in baseball extended beyond his on-field achievements; he was also known for his work in the community and in later years, as a television personality, further solidifying his place in baseball history. His career spanned a transformative era in the sport, and his contributions have left a lasting impact on the game.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
96 92 824 39 5 1 180 1514.7 1318 528 108 582 1109 3.14 0

Career ERA 3.14 vs. league average 3.69 across their career seasons — 14.9% 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
1965 NYN NL 2 7 37 9 2 0 1 97.7 88 36 48 57 3.32 3.50 (+5%) -1201.9
1966 NYN NL 2 9 15 12 1 0 0 62.3 72 37 25 34 5.34 3.52 (-52%) -2273.5
1967 NYN NL 0 3 4 4 0 0 0 17.3 13 15 13 18 7.79 3.30 (-136%) -721.3
1969 NYN NL 9 3 42 4 1 0 12 100.3 89 25 47 92 2.24 3.61 (+38%) 1933.9
1970 NYN NL 4 6 57 0 0 0 10 90.7 77 33 49 81 3.28 3.89 (+16%) 1199.6
1971 NYN NL 11 4 51 1 0 0 8 111.0 73 21 41 109 1.70 3.47 (+51%) 3757.7
1972 NYN NL 8 6 54 0 0 0 27 106.0 71 20 40 92 1.70 3.26 (+48%) 2750.9
1973 NYN NL 5 6 60 2 0 0 25 118.7 106 51 55 81 3.87 3.75 (-3%) -382.4
1974 NYN NL 6 11 41 4 1 1 3 88.7 96 41 32 54 4.16 3.63 (-15%) -1297.8
1975 PHI NL 9 6 56 0 0 0 14 102.7 84 34 36 55 2.98 3.71 (+20%) 775.0
1976 PHI NL 7 6 58 0 0 0 11 97.3 81 27 42 76 2.50 3.51 (+29%) 1525.1
1977 PHI NL 7 3 45 0 0 0 9 79.0 62 23 24 58 2.62 4.00 (+34%) 1589.9
1978 PHI NL 8 7 55 1 0 0 9 89.7 82 32 23 63 3.21 3.69 (+13%) 1981.5
1979 PHI NL 4 3 65 1 0 0 16 83.7 83 48 29 57 5.16 4.00 (-29%) 260.5
1980 PHI NL 5 4 57 0 0 0 20 92.3 62 15 23 75 1.46 3.84 (+62%) 3479.7
1981 PHI NL 2 4 34 0 0 0 10 44.0 35 13 14 26 2.66 3.58 (+26%) 687.8
1982 PHI NL 3 3 34 0 0 0 5 39.7 50 19 12 25 4.31 3.86 (-12%) 440.4
1983 PHI NL 2 1 34 1 0 0 0 55.7 58 22 19 30 3.56 3.87 (+8%) 333.7
1984 PHI NL 2 0 25 0 0 0 0 38.0 36 16 10 26 3.79 3.81 (+1%) 1225.2

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
826 214 14 39 7 0 1 18 0 10 57 0.182 0.221 0.229 0.450 0.0

Career AVG .182 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 28.7% below league average.

Career OBP .221 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 31.2% below league average.

Career SLG .229 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 39.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.450 vs. league average 0.699 across their career seasons — 35.6% 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
1965 NYN NL 38 23 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0.130 — — — — 0.0
1966 NYN NL 15 17 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.235 — — — — 0.0
1967 NYN NL 4 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1969 NYN NL 43 24 1 4 1 0 0 3 0 1 6 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1970 NYN NL 57 13 1 4 1 0 0 5 0 0 2 0.308 — — — — 0.0
1971 NYN NL 51 18 3 4 2 0 1 2 0 0 5 0.222 — — — — 0.0
1972 NYN NL 54 20 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1973 NYN NL 60 24 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 2 9 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1974 NYN NL 41 14 2 1 1 0 0 3 0 2 5 0.071 — — — — 0.0
1975 PHI NL 56 13 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.154 — — — — 0.0
1976 PHI NL 58 7 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1977 PHI NL 45 10 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 0.400 — — — — 0.0
1978 PHI NL 55 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1979 PHI NL 65 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1980 PHI NL 57 8 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1981 PHI NL 34 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1982 PHI NL 34 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1983 PHI NL 34 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1984 PHI NL 25 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
26 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.200

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1981 NEDIV PHI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1980 NLCS PHI 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1980 WS PHI 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1978 NLCS PHI 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 NLCS PHI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1976 NLCS PHI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1973 NLCS NYN 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1973 WS NYN 5 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333
1969 NLCS NYN 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
3 3 26 0 8 52.3 38 13 33 48 2.24

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1981 NEDIV PHI 1 0 2 0 0 4.0 2 0 0 2 0.00
1980 NLCS PHI 0 1 5 0 2 8.0 8 4 4 5 4.50
1980 WS PHI 1 1 4 0 2 7.7 7 1 8 10 1.17
1978 NLCS PHI 0 1 3 0 0 5.7 3 1 5 5 1.59
1977 NLCS PHI 0 0 2 0 1 3.0 1 0 2 3 0.00
1976 NLCS PHI 0 0 2 0 0 2.3 4 3 1 5 11.57
1973 NLCS NYN 0 0 2 0 1 5.0 4 0 3 3 0.00
1973 WS NYN 1 0 5 0 1 13.7 8 4 9 14 2.63
1969 NLCS NYN 0 0 1 0 1 3.0 1 0 1 1 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 824 39 75 219 23 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 NYN P 37 9 5 14 3 2
1966 NYN P 15 12 3 9 0 0
1967 NYN P 4 4 1 4 0 0
1969 NYN P 42 4 6 19 4 2
1970 NYN P 57 0 9 17 3 0
1971 NYN P 51 1 2 12 1 2
1972 NYN P 54 0 6 13 0 0
1973 NYN P 60 2 8 19 1 1
1974 NYN P 41 4 2 13 3 0
1975 PHI P 56 0 4 15 1 2
1976 PHI P 58 0 4 12 4 0
1977 PHI P 45 0 2 13 0 2
1978 PHI P 55 1 4 13 1 2
1979 PHI P 65 1 6 4 0 0
1980 PHI P 57 0 3 15 0 1
1981 PHI P 34 0 3 4 0 0
1982 PHI P 34 0 4 7 0 1
1983 PHI P 34 1 1 10 1 1
1984 PHI P 25 0 2 6 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 824

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1980 Babe Ruth Award RP
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-08-30
1973 Player of the Week Week of 1973-09-14

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1980 Cy Young Award NL 5th 1.0 120 0
1980 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 10.0 336 0
1977 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 2.0 336 0
1973 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 17.0 336 0
1972 Most Valuable Player NL 25th 2.0 336 0