Andy Messersmith, baseball player, 1968-1979

Andy Messersmith

Born: 8/6/1945 in Toms River, NJ, USA

MLB Debut: 1968-07-04 | Final Game: 1979-06-01

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: John Alexander Messersmith

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Biography

Andy Messersmith was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, active from 1968 until his retirement in 1979. Born in 1945, he made a significant impact on the game with a career record of 130 wins and 99 losses, showcasing his effectiveness on the mound. With an earned run average (ERA) of 2.86, he established himself as one of the more reliable pitchers of his era, particularly during a time when the game was characterized by strong hitting and evolving offensive strategies. Messersmith recorded 1,625 strikeouts over his career and tallied 15 saves, further highlighting his versatility and skill as a pitcher. Messersmith was selected to the All-Star team four times, reflecting his status as one of the top pitchers in the league during his playing years. He was known for his remarkable control and ability to generate strikeouts, which allowed him to dominate opposing hitters. His career coincided with a transformative period in baseball, as the sport saw changes in player movement and the introduction of free agency, with Messersmith himself being a key figure in the discussions around player rights and contracts. His contributions to the game and his performance on the field left a lasting legacy, influencing future generations of pitchers and shaping the evolution of the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
130 99 344 295 98 27 15 2230.3 1719 709 174 831 1625 2.86 0

Career ERA 2.86 vs. league average 3.64 across their career seasons — 21.4% 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
1968 LAA AL 4 2 28 5 2 1 4 81.3 44 20 35 74 2.21 2.98 (+26%) -
1969 LAA AL 16 11 40 33 10 2 2 250.0 169 70 100 211 2.52 3.61 (+30%) -
1970 LAA AL 11 10 37 26 6 1 5 194.7 144 65 78 162 3.01 3.89 (+23%) -
1971 LAA AL 20 13 38 38 14 4 0 276.7 224 92 121 179 2.99 3.47 (+14%) -
1972 LAA AL 8 11 25 21 10 3 2 169.7 125 53 68 142 2.81 3.26 (+14%) -
1973 LAD NL 14 10 33 33 10 3 0 249.7 196 75 77 177 2.70 3.75 (+28%) -
1974 LAD NL 20 6 39 39 13 3 0 292.3 227 84 94 221 2.59 3.63 (+29%) -
1975 LAD NL 19 14 42 40 19 7 1 321.7 244 82 96 213 2.29 3.71 (+38%) -
1976 ATL NL 11 11 29 28 12 3 1 207.3 166 70 74 135 3.04 3.51 (+14%) 1115.2
1977 ATL NL 5 4 16 16 1 0 0 102.3 101 50 39 69 4.40 4.00 (-10%) -306.6
1978 NYY AL 0 3 6 5 0 0 0 22.3 24 14 15 16 5.64 3.69 (-53%) -
1979 LAD NL 2 4 11 11 1 0 0 62.3 55 34 34 26 4.91 4.00 (-23%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
353 729 49 124 30 0 5 54 1 46 212 0.170 0.219 0.232 0.451 -3610.8

Career AVG .170 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 33.1% below league average.

Career OBP .219 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 31.8% below league average.

Career SLG .232 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — 38.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.451 vs. league average 0.695 across their career seasons — 35.1% 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
1968 LAA AL 29 20 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 10 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1969 LAA AL 42 77 5 12 2 0 0 5 0 8 28 0.156 .248 (-37%) .320 (-26%) .369 (-51%) .689 (-39%) -490.1
1970 LAA AL 38 70 4 11 3 0 1 2 0 0 28 0.157 .253 (-38%) .325 (-52%) .385 (-37%) .711 (-44%) -532.5
1971 LAA AL 39 93 8 16 2 0 2 5 0 5 30 0.172 .249 (-31%) .316 (-32%) .365 (-29%) .682 (-31%) -475.5
1972 LAA AL 26 53 2 10 3 0 0 0 1 3 13 0.189 .243 (-23%) .310 (-25%) .353 (-31%) .664 (-28%) -236.8
1973 LAD NL 34 89 3 15 3 0 0 6 0 5 16 0.169 .256 (-34%) .325 (-35%) .378 (-47%) .703 (-41%) -606.8
1974 LAD NL 39 96 12 23 8 0 1 11 0 11 28 0.240 .256 (-7%) .324 (-4%) .369 (-4%) .693 (-4%) -77.9
1975 LAD NL 44 108 8 17 4 0 0 9 0 7 25 0.157 .257 (-39%) .327 (-35%) .374 (-48%) .701 (-42%) -787.2
1976 ATL NL 29 67 3 12 1 0 0 10 0 4 19 0.179 .255 (-30%) .320 (-30%) .360 (-46%) .681 (-38%) -404.0
1977 ATL NL 16 34 2 4 2 0 1 3 0 3 9 0.118 — — — — 0.0
1978 NYY AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 LAD NL 11 22 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 6 0.091 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.286

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1974 NLCS LAN 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1974 WS LAN 2 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.500

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 3 3 0 21.0 19 9 10 12 3.86

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1974 NLCS LAN 1 0 1 1 0 7.0 8 2 3 0 2.57
1974 WS LAN 0 2 2 2 0 14.0 11 7 7 12 4.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 344 295 136 318 41 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1968 CAL P 28 5 6 12 1 0
1969 CAL P 40 33 17 29 5 2
1970 CAL P 37 26 12 23 4 3
1971 CAL P 38 38 18 49 5 2
1972 CAL P 25 21 9 24 0 0
1973 LAN P 33 33 19 35 5 0
1974 LAN P 39 39 18 44 9 3
1975 LAN P 42 40 11 43 5 1
1976 ATL P 29 28 14 33 5 2
1977 ATL P 16 16 5 15 2 1
1978 NYA P 6 5 2 2 0 0
1979 LAN P 11 11 5 9 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 344

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1976 Pitcher of the Month June
1975 Gold Glove P
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-09-12
1974 Gold Glove P
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-09-20
1974 TSN All-Star RHP

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of California - Berkeley Berkeley CA 1965, 1966

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1975 Cy Young Award NL 5th 1.0 120 0
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 1.0 336 0
1974 Cy Young Award NL 2nd 66.0 120 5
1974 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 4.0 336 0
1971 Cy Young Award AL 5th 1.0 120 0
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 29th 2.0 336 0