Don Drysdale
Forever linked with pitching mate Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale is a Hall of Famer in his own right, winning 209 games while pitching for five pennant winners. His 58 2/3 innings shutout streak in 1968 was a record that stood for 20 years. Like Koufax, Drysdale retired young due to an arm injury, at the age of 32.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 547 |
1169 |
218 |
96 |
29 |
113 |
0 |
.186 |
.295 |
.228 |
.523 |
75.1 |
|
Where does Don Drysdale rank among baseball greats?
Don Drysdale ranks #42 among the Top 50 all-time at SP. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1962
The 25-year old righty led the NL with 25 wins, winning the major league Cy Young Award. He also paced the loop in innings and K's.
Factoids
Only Warren Spahn hit more homers than Don Drysdale among pitchers in National League history. Drysdale hit 29, including seven in one season twice.
Don Drysdale pitched the first west coast game in Los Angeles Dodgers' history, losing to the Giants in San Francisco in 1958.
The Holdout
Drysdale and Koufax teamed to set down enemy batters, leading the Dodgers to World Series appearances in 1963 and 1965. After the season, in which the duo went 49-20, they teamed to fight the front office, demanding more money and security. Both wanted long-term contracts, and at the time most of the media were against them. They sought a three-year, $1.05 million contract to be divided evenly. Drysdale eventually signed for $110,000 and Koufax for slightly more.
Where He Played
Drysdale started 465 games and relieved in 53.
Born
Donald Scott Drysdale was born on July 23, 1936, in Van Nuys, CA.
Died
July 3, 1993, Montreal, PQ
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
4 17,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1956
Frank Robinson
Luis Aparicio
Bill Mazeroski
Curt Flood
Don Drysdale
Moe Drabowsky
Tito Francona
Charlie Lau
Whitey Herzog
Uniform Numbers
#53 (1956-1969)
Similar Players
Milt Pappas and Catfish Hunter
Related Players
Sandy Koufax... Drysdale broke Walter Johnson's record of consecutive scoreless innings, set in 1913... Orel Hershiser passed Drysdale in his final start of 1988, running his shutout streak to 59 innings.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1975 |
BBWAA |
76 |
21.0% |
1976 |
BBWAA |
114 |
29.4% |
1977 |
BBWAA |
197 |
51.4% |
1978 |
BBWAA |
219 |
57.8% |
1979 |
BBWAA |
233 |
53.9% |
1980 |
BBWAA |
238 |
61.8% |
1981 |
BBWAA |
243 |
60.6% |
1982 |
BBWAA |
233 |
56.1% |
1983 |
BBWAA |
242 |
64.7% |
1984 |
BBWAA |
316 |
78.4% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1956 World Series
1959 World Series
1963 World Series
1965 World Series
1966 World Series
Awards and Honors
1962 ML Cy Young
Feats
Drysdale's 58 2/3 consecutive shutout inning streak was unmatched for 20 seasons, until broken by Dodger right-hander Orel Hershiser in September, 1988.
Transactions
Before 1954 Season: Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent.
All-Star Selections
1959 NL
1961 NL
1962 NL
1963 NL
1964 NL
1965 NL
1967 NL
1968 NL
Replaced
Carl Erskine, who at age 30, was just about through as a starting pitcher.
Replaced By
The 1969 Dodgers relied heavily on their three top starting pitchers: Claude Osteen, Bill Singer, and Don Sutton, to start 122 of their games. Drysdale, in his last season, was a fifth starter, getting 12 starts.
Best Strength as a Player
Intimidation. Drysdale was the most feared brushback pitcher of the 1960s. He knocked down batters, brushed them off the plate, and hit them if he needed to.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Durability. Drysdale was done at the age of 32, despite being a very large and athletic man. His arm just gave out.
Learn More about Don Drysdale
Search Amazon.com for Books about Don Drysdale ⇒
Search for Don Drysdale at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒