Don Drysdale
The man they called "Big D" was pitching's intimidator-in-chief, standing 6-foot-6 and throwing at hitters with surgical precision. Drysdale's 58⅔ consecutive scoreless innings in 1968 remains one of baseball's most untouchable records, a testament to his ability to dominate when it mattered most.
His 2.95 career ERA and 125 ERA+ anchored the Dodgers' golden age, but the real story lives in his peak seasons. That 164 ERA+ represents sustained excellence few pitchers ever reach. Combined with 2,486 strikeouts across 3,432 innings, Drysdale proved he could overpower hitters while eating massive workloads.
The Cy Young Award in 1962 validated what batters already knew: facing Drysdale meant pain was coming, whether from his blazing fastball or the message pitches that earned him a fearsome reputation. His Hall of Fame induction in 1984 cemented his status as one of the game's great competitors.
Career · Hitting
14 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | BRO | 26 | 26 | 1 | 1 | .192 | .568 | — |
| 1957 | BRO | 37 | 73 | 2 | 6 | .123 | .405 | — |
| 1958 | LAD | 47 | 66 | 7 | 12 | .227 | .852 | — |
| 1959 | LAD | 46 | 91 | 4 | 12 | .165 | .528 | — |
| 1960 | LAD | 41 | 83 | 0 | 4 | .157 | .488 | — |
| 1961 | LAD | 40 | 83 | 5 | 12 | .193 | .630 | — |
| 1962 | LAD | 43 | 111 | 0 | 14 | .198 | .498 | — |
| 1963 | LAD | 42 | 96 | 0 | 5 | .167 | .439 | — |
| 1964 | LAD | 40 | 110 | 1 | 8 | .173 | .420 | — |
| 1965 | LAD | 58 | 130 | 7 | 19 | .300 | .839 | — |
| 1966 | LAD | 46 | 106 | 2 | 8 | .189 | .475 | — |
| 1967 | LAD | 38 | 93 | 0 | 6 | .129 | .312 | — |
| 1968 | LAD | 31 | 79 | 0 | 3 | .177 | .377 | — |
| 1969 | LAD | 12 | 22 | 0 | 3 | .136 | .390 | — |
| Career | 547 | 1169 | 29 | 113 | .186 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
14 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | BRO | 25 | 99.0 | 5 | 5 | 2.64 | 150 | 55 | 1.273 |
| 1957 | BRO | 34 | 221.0 | 17 | 9 | 2.69 | 142 | 148 | 1.167 |
| 1958 | LAD | 44 | 211.7 | 12 | 13 | 4.17 | 93 | 131 | 1.351 |
| 1959 | LAD | 44 | 270.7 | 17 | 13 | 3.46 | 113 | 242 | 1.219 |
| 1960 | LAD | 41 | 269.0 | 15 | 14 | 2.84 | 135 | 246 | 1.063 |
| 1961 | LAD | 40 | 244.0 | 13 | 10 | 3.69 | 109 | 182 | 1.307 |
| 1962 | LAD | 43 | 314.3 | 25 | 9 | 2.83 | 140 | 232 | 1.113 |
| 1963 | LAD | 42 | 315.3 | 19 | 17 | 2.63 | 132 | 251 | 1.091 |
| 1964 | LAD | 40 | 321.3 | 18 | 16 | 2.18 | 164 | 237 | 0.965 |
| 1965 | LAD | 44 | 308.3 | 23 | 12 | 2.77 | 126 | 210 | 1.090 |
| 1966 | LAD | 40 | 273.7 | 13 | 16 | 3.42 | 103 | 177 | 1.184 |
| 1967 | LAD | 38 | 282.0 | 13 | 16 | 2.74 | 120 | 196 | 1.167 |
| 1968 | LAD | 31 | 239.0 | 14 | 12 | 2.15 | 139 | 155 | 1.075 |
| 1969 | LAD | 12 | 62.7 | 5 | 4 | 4.45 | 81 | 24 | 1.340 |
| Career | 518 | 3432.0 | 209 | 166 | — | — | 2486 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.