Tug McGraw

From SoSH

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Awards 3 Achievements 4 Trivia 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Overall Career

Frank Edwin McGraw Jr. (August 30, 1944 - January 5, 2004) had limited success as a starting pitcher for the New York Mets, but went on to become a very effective relief pitcher. Relying largely on his screwball, he went 9-3 with 12 saves and a 2.42 ERA for the World Champions in 1969, but did not get to pitch in the World Series. He also saved 25 games for the 1973 National League Champions, who finished just 2 games over .500 to win the NL East.

McGraw -- then the Mets' franchise leader in saves, games pitched, and games finished -- was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1974 season, in which he went 6-11 with just three saves and a 4.16 ERA, largely due to a shoulder problem. After the trade, he had surgery to remove a cyst and recovered completely. He made the 1975 All-Star Team, finishing the season at 9-8 with 14 saves and a 2.98 ERA.

McGraw shined in the postseason for the Phillies in 1980 en route to their first and (to date) only World Series title. He appeared in all five games of the 1980 National League Championship Series, collecting two saves despite allowing eight hits and four walks in eight innings of work. In the World Series, however, he struck out 10 batters in 7 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on seven hits across four games, collecting two saves. He struck out Willie Wilson to end Game 6 and clinch the series.

McGraw spent his last four seasons as a set-up man rather than a closer and retired after the 1984 season. He worked as a reporter in Philadelphia for several years after retiring. On March 12, 2003, while working as an instructor at Phillies spring training, he was diagnosed with an inoperable, malignant brain tumor and given three weeks to live. He survived nine months, long enough to attend the closing ceremonies of Veterans Stadium, where he re-enacted the final out of the 1980 World Series. McGraw died on January 5, 2004 in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Awards

• 2-time National League All-Star (1972 & 1975)
• 1980 National League Babe Ruth Award
• Inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1993
• Honored with a plaque on the Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame in 1999

Achievements

• Fourth on the Mets' and Phillies' lists for franchise saves leaders
• Leads all Phillies in games finished, with 313

Trivia

• Won World Series rings with the New York Mets in 1969 (did not play) and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980.
• Father of country music star Tim McGraw.
• McGraw was the winning pitcher on August 26, 1965 when the Mets defeated Sandy Koufax for the first time.
• Created the Mets' rallying cry "Ya Gotta Believe!"
• Could also throw right-handed and would often play right-handed catch with teammates before games
• McGraw was the last active player to have played under Casey Stengel

Transactions

• June 12, 1964: Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent.
• December 3, 1974: Traded by the New York Mets with Don Hahn and Dave Schneck to the Philadelphia Phillies for Del Unser, John Stearns, and Mac Scarce.
• November 5, 1980: Granted Free Agency.
• December 6, 1980: Signed as a Free Agent with the Philadelphia Phillies.
• November 8, 1984: Granted Free Agency.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Tug McGraw - Courtesy of Wikipedia