Doug Rau, baseball player, 1972-1981

Doug Rau

Born: 12/15/1948 in Columbus, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1972-09-02 | Final Game: 1981-05-26

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Douglas James Rau

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Biography

Doug Rau was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1972 until his retirement in 1981. Born in 1948, Rau established himself as a reliable arm on the mound during a competitive era marked by the transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-minded styles of the late 20th century. Over the course of his career, he compiled an impressive record of 81 wins and 60 losses, showcasing his ability to both start and finish games effectively. Rau finished his career with a 3.35 earned run average, which reflected his skill in maintaining control and limiting runs, particularly in critical situations. He struck out 697 batters throughout his time in the league, demonstrating his effectiveness as a strikeout pitcher. In addition to his wins and strikeouts, Rau recorded 3 saves, highlighting his versatility and ability to contribute in high-pressure moments. His contributions to the game were part of a generation of players that helped shape the modern era of baseball, and his legacy is remembered by fans and historians alike.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
81 60 222 187 33 11 3 1261.0 1259 469 99 382 697 3.35 0

Career ERA 3.35 vs. league average 3.69 across their career seasons — 9.3% 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
1972 LAD NL 2 2 7 3 2 0 0 32.7 18 8 11 19 2.20 3.26 (+32%) -
1973 LAD NL 4 2 31 3 0 0 3 63.7 64 28 28 51 3.96 3.75 (-6%) -
1974 LAD NL 13 11 36 35 3 1 0 198.3 191 82 70 126 3.72 3.63 (-3%) -
1975 LAD NL 15 9 38 38 8 2 0 257.7 227 89 61 151 3.11 3.71 (+16%) -
1976 LAD NL 16 12 34 32 8 3 0 231.0 221 66 69 98 2.57 3.51 (+27%) -
1977 LAD NL 14 8 32 32 4 2 0 212.3 232 81 49 126 3.43 4.00 (+14%) -
1978 LAD NL 15 9 30 30 7 2 0 199.0 219 72 68 95 3.26 3.69 (+12%) -
1979 LAD NL 1 5 11 11 1 1 0 56.0 73 33 22 28 5.30 4.00 (-32%) -
1981 LAA AL 1 2 3 3 0 0 0 10.3 14 10 4 3 8.71 3.58 (-143%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
222 377 21 58 3 1 0 21 0 28 95 0.154 0.213 0.167 0.380 -2608.9

Career AVG .154 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 40.2% below league average.

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

Career SLG .167 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 55.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.380 vs. league average 0.700 across their career seasons — 45.7% 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
1972 LAD NL 7 7 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1973 LAD NL 31 11 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1974 LAD NL 36 64 3 9 0 0 0 4 0 6 22 0.141 .256 (-45%) .324 (-34%) .369 (-62%) .693 (-49%) -499.5
1975 LAD NL 38 87 5 17 0 0 0 6 0 5 28 0.195 .257 (-24%) .327 (-27%) .374 (-48%) .701 (-38%) -538.1
1976 LAD NL 34 60 5 9 0 0 0 2 0 7 15 0.150 .255 (-41%) .320 (-27%) .360 (-58%) .681 (-43%) -409.0
1977 LAD NL 32 71 4 10 1 0 0 2 0 5 11 0.141 .264 (-47%) .329 (-38%) .401 (-61%) .730 (-51%) -613.4
1978 LAD NL 30 63 3 9 1 0 0 5 0 2 13 0.143 .257 (-45%) .323 (-48%) .378 (-58%) .702 (-53%) -549.0
1979 LAD NL 11 14 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1981 LAA AL 3 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
6 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
1978 NLCS LAN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1978 WS LAN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 NLCS LAN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 WS LAN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1974 NLCS LAN 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 2 6 3 0 11.0 13 8 3 6 6.55

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1978 NLCS LAN 0 0 1 1 0 5.0 5 2 2 1 3.60
1978 WS LAN 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 1 0 0 3 0.00
1977 NLCS LAN 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 1 0.00
1977 WS LAN 0 1 2 1 0 2.3 4 3 0 1 11.57
1974 NLCS LAN 0 1 1 1 0 0.7 3 3 1 0 40.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 222 187 29 184 7 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1972 LAN P 7 3 0 6 0 1
1973 LAN P 31 3 1 8 0 0
1974 LAN P 36 35 8 27 0 3
1975 LAN P 38 38 6 40 5 1
1976 LAN P 34 32 5 39 1 1
1977 LAN P 32 32 3 30 0 0
1978 LAN P 30 30 3 24 1 2
1979 LAN P 11 11 2 10 0 0
1981 CAL P 3 3 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 222

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1976 Player of the Week Week of 1976-07-23

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Texas A&M University College Station TX 1968, 1969, 1970