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Darryl Tahirali
NHLKiDD
Jack Morris is not the career leader in Wins. He may however be one of the most intimidating and fierce pitchers of recent memory and he could be the hurler who wanted to win the most.
There is no mistaking the talent of Jack Morris. He had a blistering split fingered pitch that was matched only by his sheer determination. He was a great clutch pitcher who was on the pitching staff of four World Series Championships. With a potential exception of Don Larsen’s perfect game, Morris pitched the greatest game in World Series history where he tossed ten shutout innings the deciding game of the 1991 World Series. That game alone may have earned him some voted for the Hall of Fame.
The negative of Jack Morris surrounds his high career Earned Run Average. Morris finished with a 3.90 career ERA, and he would never be found amongst the league leaders in that category. Morris was not always the best with his control and this would occasionally lead to his undoing on the mound. Regardless of those facts, Jack Morris was a pitcher whose teammates would rally around believing that even if he gave up a couple of runs, he had the stuff to buckle down for the rest of the game. As the man with the most wins in the 1980’s, Jack Morris has a very strong case for induction. He may not have had the most desirable ERA, and was the beneficiary of solid run support but to his teammates there was nobody else they would have rather seen on the hill.
The Bullet Points:
Country of Origin:
St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A
Eligible Since:
2000
Position:
Pitcher
Played for:
Detroit Tigers
Minnesota Twins
Toronto Blue Jays
Cleveland Indians
Major Accolades and Awards:
World Series MVP (1991)
5 Time All Star (1981, 1984, 1985, 1987 & 1991)
Most Wins (2) (AL) (1981 & 1992)
Most Innings Pitched (1) (AL) (1983)
Most Strikeouts (1) (AL) (1983)
Most Complete Games (1) (AL) (1990)
Most Shutouts (1) (AL) (1986)
World Series Rings (4) (Detroit Tigers, 1984, Minnesota Twins, 1991, Toronto Blue Jays 1992 & 1993)
Other Points of Note:
Top Ten Cy Young Finishes:
(AL: 1981, 3rd), (AL: 1983, 3rd), (AL: 1984, 7th), (AL: 1986, 5th), (AL: 1987, 9th), (AL: 1991, 4th) & (AL: 1992, 5th)
1981 AL TSN Pitcher of the Year
1984 & 1991 AL Babe Ruth Award
5 Top Ten Finishes (Lowest Earned Run Average)
12 Top Ten Finishes (Most Wins)
9 Top Ten Finishes (Most Innings Pitched)
8 Top Ten Finishes (Most Strikeouts)
10 Top Ten Finishes (Complete Games)
5 Top Ten Finishes (WAR for Pitchers)
Notable All Time Rankings:
31. Strikeouts: 2,478
36. Games Started: 527
42. Wins: 254
50. Innings Pitched: 3,824
Vote Percentage Received for the Hall of Fame:
2000: 22.2
2001: 19.6
2002: 20.6
2003: 22.8
2004: 26.3
2005: 33.3
2006: 41.2
2007: 37.1
2008: 42.9
2009: 44.0
2010: 52.3
2011: 53.5
Should Be Inducted As A:
Detroit Tiger
Comments
One pitcher who piled up a lot of WS championships was Catfish Hunter, who is indeed in the Hall--even though he shouldn't be. Like Morris, Hunter was perceived as a "big-game pitcher," and by a statistical coincidence his postseason ERA is the same as his career ERA: 3.26. But Hunter pitched for two very good teams, the A's and the Yankees, much like Morris did with the Twins and Blue Jays (and even the Tigers). Wins are a team-dependent stat, a fact that has benefited both Morris and Hunter.
Coin cidentally, both pitchers' career ERA+ is identical: 105. In other words, they are really both just better than league-average pitchers. That's not Hall material. The Hall goofed with Hunter but so far it has shown sensibility with Morris.
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