MLB History: Top 100 Players In Baseball History (100-91)
By David Hill
99. Don Drysdale
When one thinks of the Dodgers pitching during the late 1950’s into the middle part of the 1960’s, the first name that comes to mind is Sandy Koufax. However, his teammate, Don Drysdale, would likely have been the staff ace on any other squad.
Despite being overshadowed by his teammate, Drysdale still received a fair amount of recognition for his ability on the mound. He was an eight time All-Star, won a Cy Young award and finished fifth in the MVP vote twice. His career 209-166 record may not be impressive, but Drysdale’s 2.95 ERA, 1.148 WHiP and three strikeout titles show what type of pitcher he was.
Drysdale was also an intimidating figure when he toed the rubber. The inside part of the plate was his as well, and Drysdale did not worry about pitching inside or sending a message. In fact, Drysdale led the National League in hit batters five times, and finished second on four other occasions. His career 154 hit batters is 19th all time. As Orlando Cepeda once said of him, “The trick against Drysdale is to hit him before he hits you.”
He was also not just a pitcher. Drysdale was quite capable at the plate as well, slugging 29 career home runs and batting as high as sixth during his career. He was also used as a pinch hitter on occasion, and, in 1965, was the only regular in the starting lineup for Game One of the World Series that had batted .300 or better.
A lifelong Dodger, Don Drysdale passed back in 1993 in Montreal before broadcasting a game at the age of 56. Even though his life was cut short, the memory of his performances still live on amongst Dodgers faithful.
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