Pete Vuckovich, baseball player, 1975-1986

Pete Vuckovich

Born: 10/27/1952 in Johnstown, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1975-08-03 | Final Game: 1986-10-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: Peter Dennis Vuckovich

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Biography

Pete Vuckovich was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1975 to 1986. Born in 1952, Vuckovich became known for his strong right arm and competitive spirit on the mound. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 93 wins and 69 losses, with a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.66. He struck out 882 batters and recorded 10 saves, showcasing his versatility and effectiveness as both a starter and a reliever. Vuckovich's performance peaked when he was awarded the prestigious Cy Young Award, highlighting his status as one of the elite pitchers of his era. Vuckovich played during a transformative period in baseball, characterized by an evolution in pitching styles and strategies. His ability to mix pitches effectively and maintain composure under pressure made him a valuable asset to his teams. Vuckovich's contributions to the game extended beyond the numbers, as he became a respected figure in the clubhouse and a competitive force on the field, leaving a lasting impression on the franchises he represented. His career remains a testament to the skill and dedication required to excel in Major League Baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
93 69 286 186 38 8 10 1455.3 1454 592 107 545 882 3.66 0

Career ERA 3.66 vs. league average 3.82 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
1975 CHW AL 0 1 4 2 0 0 0 10.3 17 15 7 5 13.06 3.71 (-252%) -
1976 CHW AL 7 4 33 7 1 0 0 110.3 122 57 60 62 4.65 3.51 (-32%) -
1977 TOR AL 7 7 53 8 3 1 8 148.0 143 57 59 123 3.47 4.00 (+13%) 1843.2
1978 STL NL 12 12 45 23 6 2 1 198.3 187 56 59 149 2.54 3.69 (+31%) -
1979 STL NL 15 10 34 32 9 0 0 233.0 229 93 64 145 3.59 4.00 (+10%) -
1980 STL NL 12 9 32 30 7 3 1 222.3 203 84 68 132 3.40 3.84 (+11%) -
1981 ATL AL 14 4 24 23 2 1 0 149.7 137 59 57 84 3.55 3.58 (+1%) -
1982 ATL AL 18 6 30 30 9 1 0 223.7 234 83 102 105 3.34 3.86 (+14%) -
1983 ATL AL 0 2 3 3 0 0 0 14.7 15 8 10 10 4.91 3.87 (-27%) -
1985 ATL AL 6 10 22 22 1 0 0 112.7 134 69 48 55 5.51 3.89 (-42%) -
1986 ATL AL 2 4 6 6 0 0 0 32.3 33 11 11 12 3.06 3.97 (+23%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
286 208 15 33 7 0 0 13 1 3 49 0.159 0.169 0.192 0.361 -1774.3

Career AVG .159 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 39.0% below league average.

Career OBP .169 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 48.0% below league average.

Career SLG .192 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 50.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.361 vs. league average 0.711 across their career seasons — 49.2% 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
1975 CHW AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 CHW AL 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 TOR AL 53 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 STL NL 45 58 4 8 1 0 0 3 0 1 22 0.138 .257 (-47%) .323 (-53%) .378 (-59%) .702 (-56%) -548.1
1979 STL NL 34 79 7 12 0 0 0 3 0 1 14 0.152 .265 (-43%) .329 (-52%) .397 (-62%) .727 (-57%) -789.4
1980 STL NL 32 71 4 13 6 0 0 7 1 1 13 0.183 .264 (-31%) .326 (-40%) .387 (-31%) .714 (-35%) -436.7
1981 ATL AL 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 ATL AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 ATL AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 ATL AL 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 ATL 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
6 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
1982 ALCS ML4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1982 WS ML4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 AEDIV ML4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 6 5 0 33.7 33 14 15 16 3.74

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1982 ALCS ML4 0 1 2 2 0 14.3 15 7 7 8 4.40
1982 WS ML4 0 1 2 2 0 14.0 16 7 5 4 4.50
1981 AEDIV ML4 1 0 2 1 0 5.3 2 0 3 4 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 286 186 87 222 21 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1975 CHA P 4 2 1 2 0 0
1976 CHA P 33 7 3 19 3 0
1977 TOR P 53 8 9 23 5 3
1978 SLN P 45 23 12 34 2 4
1979 SLN P 34 32 14 28 5 2
1980 SLN P 32 30 16 28 1 3
1981 ML4 P 24 23 11 27 0 1
1982 ML4 P 30 30 13 39 4 1
1983 ML4 P 3 3 1 1 0 0
1985 ML4 P 22 22 5 14 1 1
1986 ML4 P 6 6 2 7 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 286

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1982 Cy Young Award

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1985 ML4 AL $540,000
Total Career Earnings $540,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Clarion University of Pennsylvania Clarion PA 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1982 Cy Young Award AL 1st 87.0 140 14
1982 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 11.0 392 0
1981 Cy Young Award AL 4th 8.0 140 0