Workload Compared to His Peers
We know the 1970s were very different times for pitchers when compared to current baseball, but Fidrych’s workload was still an anomaly. In 1976, 27 percent of all starts were complete games. Fidrych completed 83 percent of his starts. In 1976, starting pitchers averaged 6.5 innings per start. Fidrych averaged 8.6 innings per start. Finally, let’s look at batters faced per start as a proxy for pitch counts, which are unavailable. In 1976, starting pitchers faced an average of 27.5 batters per start. Fidrych faced 34.1 batters per start.
Even among the workhorse pitchers of the 1970s, Fidrych stands out. This era included guys like Randy Jones (315.3 IP in 1976), Jim Palmer (315 IP), Catfish Hunter (298.7 IP), Vida Blue (298.3 IP), and Bert Blyleven (297.7 IP). Fidrych was 24th in innings pitched among starters, with 249.3, but he led all starters in innings pitched per start, batters faced per start, and complete games percentage.
Consider the way Fidrych was used during the season:
- He pitched an 11-inning complete game on May 31, facing 47 batters. After four days of rest, he pitched another 11-inning complete game on June 5, facing 41 batters.
- On July 16, he pitched an 11-inning shutout, facing 40 batters. With just three days rest, he pitched a nine-inning complete game on July 20, facing 37 batters.
- From August 7 through August 29, he had six straight complete games, five of which were on three days rest, and two that went 10 innings or more.
Remember also that this was a 21-year-old rookie pitcher. After being drafted in 1974, Fidrych pitched 34 innings in the Rookie League. The next year, he pitched at three levels and threw a total of 171 innings. Then came the bump to 250 1/3 innings in 1976.
Going back to 1901, there had been 11 pitchers in baseball history who were rookies at the age of 21 or younger who threw at least 250 innings in a season. Mark Fidrych became the 12th. Ten of the previous 11 had pitched in 1914 or earlier, a very different era. In fact, it was called the “Dead Ball” era. The 11th was Frank Tanana, who had pitched 268 2/3 innings as a 20-year-old rookie in 1974. A manager could never use a 21-year-old pitcher like this today. He would be fired and never manage again.
Next: Fidrych's Workload Compared to Today's Workhorses