Throwing From Down Under - baseball pitching

Baseball Digest, Nov, 2000 by Al Doyle

Submarine and sidearm pitchers have been effective in majors

EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE ALWAYS been regarded as a novelty, sidearm and submarine-style pitchers have proven themselves to be effective, throughout baseball history.

It isn't common knowledge today, but Walter Johnson threw his blazing fastball with a sidearm delivery. Despite spending most of his career with second-division teams, Johnson racked up 417 victories in his two decades (1907-27) with the Washington Senators.

Conventional wisdom regarding "down under" pitchers says that they tend to have good control combined with subpar velocity. Johnson certainly didn't fit that stereotype, as his 3,508 career strikeouts stood as the all-time record until Steve Carlton mid Nolan Ryan surpassed "The Big Train" late in 1983.

Johnson showed excellent command of the strike zone during his entire career. In 5,914 career innings, he surrendered 1,363 walks, or just over two free passes per nine innings pitched. Johnson also had 10 consecutive seasons (1910-19) with 20 or more wins.

Submariner Carl Mays was a contemporary (1915-29) of Johnson's, and his 208-126 career record was over-shadowed by a tragic moment.

It was Mays who hit Indians short-stop Ray Chapman in the head in August 1920. The beaning led to Chapman's death, the only such fatality in major league history.

That incident combined with Mays' fondness for pitching inside and his prickly personality did nothing to promote submarine-style pitching, but he was an effective performer. He had five 20-win seasons, and the right-hander tied for the major league lead with 27 victories in 1921.

Despite the Chapman beaning, Mays was a control pitcher, as he finished among the top five in fewest walks per nine innings in four different seasons.

Eldon Auker was a key part of the Tigers pennant-winning squads of 1934 and 1935. In those seasons, the righty went 15-7 and 18-7. He was 1-1 in three World Series starts. Auker finished his career with a 130-101 record.

Dick Hyde had a career year in 1958. The Senators reliever went 10-3 with 18 saves and a 1.75 ERA in 53 games.

Perhaps the most amazing statistic was the lone home run allowed by Hyde in 103 IP. The right-hander never had an ERA below 4.12 in his other five major league seasons.

Ted Abernathy went 8-22 in parts of four seasons with the Senators from 1955 to 1960. After returning to the big leagues in 1963, he picked up 23 saves in two seasons with the Indians, but the best was yet to come.

As the Cubs late-inning stopper in 1965, Abernathy led the majors with 84 appearances and 31 saves. In 1967, the 6-4 underhander led the National League with 70 appearances and 28 saves as a member of the Reds.

Abernathy's other numbers--a 6-3 mark with a microscopic 1.27 ERA and just one HR allowed in 106 IP--were equally impressive.

Any reliever who duplicated that season today would get some Cy Young Award votes, but Abernathy didn't even make the All-Star team, since '60s pitching staffs were built around starters who could complete games.

He Fed the N.L. with 78 appearances in 1968, and Abernathy was second in the American League with 23 saves in 1971, He finished his career with 148 saves.

Dan Quisenberry might be the best-known submarine pitcher of all time. Even though most of his pitches were below 80 MPH, "Quiz" ranks among the most effective relievers of the past 30 years.

As the Royals closer from 1980 to 1986, Quisenberry led A.L. in saves in 1980 and again from 1982 to 1985. He also led A.L. hurlers in appearances three times, with a career-high 84 games in 1985.

Those who wanted to get on base against Quisenberry had to come up swinging, as he had phenomenal control. How about just 12 walks in 136 IP in 1982? He did even better in 1983, with 11 bases oil balls in 139 IP.

A 12-walk, 129 IP performance 1984 was Quisenberry's third consecutive season of less than one walk per nine innings. It's highly unlikely that another pitcher will duplicate that feat.

Quisenberry had 244 saves in his career. That was an impressive accomplishment for a junkballer.

While he didn't close as many games as Quisenberry, Kent Tekulve was always ready to work.

The thin 6-4 righty may have looked more like a college professor than an athlete, but he appeared in 1,050 games (all in relief). Only three other hurlers--Jesse Orosco, Dennis Eckersley and Hoyt Wilhelm--have seen action in more games.

Like Quisenberry, Tekulve was undrafted out of college, as submariners and sidearmers are usually considered freaks rather than prospects. Once he got to the majors at age 27, Tekulve became a fixture in the daily boxscore.

He pitched in 90 or more games in three seasons, leading the N.L. in each those years. His 90-game workload at age 40 with the Phillies in 1987 is a testimony to how a submarine style puts much less wear and tear on a pitcher's arm than the traditional three-quarters delivery.

Tekulve went 12-8 with 20 saves for the Phillies in 1982 while appearing in 85 games. He had six other seasons with 70 or more games pitched. The rubber-armed righty also had seven seasons with more than 100 innings pitched, which is higher than average for a reliever.