Baseball's Best Decade (29 page)

The Cleveland Indians led the American League in strikeouts in 1963 … and for the next 5 consecutive seasons. The Tribe’s 1963 strikeout brigade was paced by (left to right) Pedro Ramos, Barry Latman and Jim “Mudcat” Grant. None of those pitchers would be with Cleveland by the end of the 1964 season, replaced by young strikeout aces such as Sam McDowell, Sonny Siebert and Luis Tiant.

1950s –
For the first time in major league history, every team in the major leagues recorded at least 6,000 strikeouts for the decade. Total strikeouts for all major league teams increased by 22.3% over the combined total for the 1940s. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers paced the National League in strikeouts, leading the league every year in the 1950s. The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox each led the American League in strikeouts 3 times during the decade.

Who almost made the list?
Boston/Milwaukee Braves at 6,876, Chicago Cubs at 6,868, Philadelphia Phillies at 6,818.

1960s –
Though major league pitchers in each decade surpassed their strikeout performance of the previous 10 years, nothing could have anticipated the increase in strikeouts that would be recorded during the 1960s. Total strikeouts leaped by 54.3% compared to the 1950s. All of the non-expansion teams recorded at least 8,000 strikeouts, a major league first. And the only expansion team that played more than one season and failed to reach 7,000 strikeouts was the New York Mets. (Until the 1950s, no major league team had ever achieved 7,000 strikeouts in a decade.) The Los Angeles Dodgers led the National League 5 times in strikeouts. The Cleveland Indians topped the American League in strikeouts 6 times during the decade.

Who almost made the list?
San Francisco Giants at 9,555, Philadelphia Phillies at 9,257, St. Louis Cardinals at 9,237.

1970s –
Strikeouts increased again in the 1970s, up 16.9% from the 1960s, as the major leagues topped 200,000 strikeouts for a decade for the first time. Of the 24 teams that played the full decade, 19 recorded at least 8,000 strikeouts for the decade, a mark that wasn’t reached by any major league team until the 1950s. The New York Mets led the National League in strikeouts 6 times. Adding Nolan Ryan to the California Angels’ staff made the Angels the American League strikeout leaders 8 straight seasons from 1972 to 1979.

Who almost made the list?
Detroit Tigers at 8,572, Cleveland Indians at 8,516, St. Louis Cardinals at 8,414.

Top St
rikeout Teams for Each Decade (1980s-2000s)

1980s –
The total number of strikeouts rose again, as the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners played their first full decades, increasing the total number of games and innings played. But the increase in strikeouts was only 7.9%, the smallest increase in 3 decades, and seems especially modest when you realize that the major leagues played 5.7% more games than in the 1980s. The Houston Astros led the National League in strikeouts 4 times, as did the Texas Rangers in the American League.

Who almost made the list?
Philadelphia Phillies at 8,882, Boston Red Sox at 8,861, Texas Rangers at 8,806.

1990s –
Total strikeouts leaped again, this time increasing by 20.7% over the 1980s. Every major league team that played the full decade exceeded 8,000 strikeouts; 6 teams topped 10,000.

Who almost made the list?
Montreal Expos at 10,007, New York Mets at 9,960, Philadelphia Phillies at 9,934.

2000s –
All but 6 major league teams recorded more than 10,000 strikeouts during the decade, a team total that was achieved only by the Dodgers and Indians prior to the 1990s. The Detroit Tigers, who finished last among major league teams in strikeouts for the decade with 9,440, would have finished third among all teams in the 1980s. The Chicago Cubs led the major leagues each season from 2001-2008.

Who almost made the list?
Florida Marlins at 11,252, San Diego Padres at 11,090, New York Yankees at 11,032.

The Best In
dividual ERAs for Each Decade (1920s-1940s)

The 1920s failed to produce a pitcher with a decade-long ERA under 3.00. The closest was Grover Alexander, the veteran right-hander who posted a 3.04 earned run average for the 1920s after recording a 2.09 ERA for the previous “dead ball” decade.