Larry Christenson
Born: 11/10/1953 in Everett, WA, USA
MLB Debut: 1973-04-13 | Final Game: 1983-06-03
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 215 lbs
Full name: Larry Richard Christenson
Biography
Larry Christenson was a professional baseball pitcher who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1983. Born in 1953, Christenson played the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he became known for his reliable arm and competitive spirit on the mound. Over his ten-year career, he compiled a record of 83-71, showcasing his ability to secure victories for his team. With an earned run average (ERA) of 3.79, he established himself as a formidable presence during an era that saw significant offensive output in the league.
Christenson's career statistics included 781 strikeouts and 4 saves, reflecting his dual capacity as both a starter and a reliever. He was particularly noted for his durability and consistency during a time when pitching depth was crucial for teams navigating through long seasons. His contributions were key to the Phillies' success during the late 1970s and early 1980s, a period that laid the groundwork for the team's eventual World Series championship in 1980. Larry Christenson remains a respected figure in Phillies history, remembered for his contributions to the game and the franchise.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | 71 | 243 | 220 | 27 | 6 | 4 | 1402.7 | 1401 | 591 | 100 | 395 | 781 | 3.79 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | PHI | NL | 1 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34.3 | 53 | 25 | 20 | 11 | 6.55 | -993.8 |
| 1974 | PHI | NL | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23.0 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 4.30 | -273.1 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 11 | 6 | 29 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 171.7 | 149 | 70 | 45 | 88 | 3.67 | 1938.3 |
| 1976 | PHI | NL | 13 | 8 | 32 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 168.7 | 199 | 69 | 42 | 54 | 3.68 | 612.9 |
| 1977 | PHI | NL | 19 | 6 | 34 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 219.3 | 229 | 99 | 69 | 118 | 4.06 | 299.5 |
| 1978 | PHI | NL | 13 | 14 | 33 | 33 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 228.0 | 209 | 82 | 47 | 131 | 3.24 | 4221.3 |
| 1979 | PHI | NL | 5 | 10 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 106.0 | 118 | 53 | 30 | 53 | 4.50 | 705.2 |
| 1980 | PHI | NL | 5 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73.7 | 62 | 33 | 27 | 49 | 4.03 | 920.1 |
| 1981 | PHI | NL | 4 | 7 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 106.7 | 108 | 42 | 30 | 70 | 3.54 | 1223.3 |
| 1982 | PHI | NL | 9 | 10 | 33 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 223.0 | 212 | 86 | 53 | 145 | 3.47 | 4775.4 |
| 1983 | PHI | NL | 2 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48.3 | 42 | 21 | 17 | 44 | 3.91 | 1565.5 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 243 | 427 | 31 | 64 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 46 | 2 | 24 | 223 | 0.150 | 0.195 | 0.267 | 0.462 | -2053.9 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | PHI | NL | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1974 | PHI | NL | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 29 | 57 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 0.246 | -19.7 |
| 1976 | PHI | NL | 32 | 51 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 0.196 | -80.8 |
| 1977 | PHI | NL | 34 | 74 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 0.135 | -518.3 |
| 1978 | PHI | NL | 33 | 67 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 35 | 0.075 | -700.0 |
| 1979 | PHI | NL | 19 | 31 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 0.290 | 0.0 |
| 1980 | PHI | NL | 14 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0.368 | 0.0 |
| 1981 | PHI | NL | 20 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0.100 | 0.0 |
| 1982 | PHI | NL | 33 | 67 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 0.075 | -735.2 |
| 1983 | PHI | NL | 9 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.059 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | NEDIV | PHI | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1980 | WS | PHI | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1980 | NLCS | PHI | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1978 | NLCS | PHI | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1977 | NLCS | PHI | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 20.7 | 28 | 17 | 7 | 15 | 7.40 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | NEDIV | PHI | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1.50 |
| 1980 | NLCS | PHI | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6.7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4.05 |
| 1980 | WS | PHI | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.3 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 108.00 |
| 1978 | NLCS | PHI | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.3 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 12.46 |
| 1977 | NLCS | PHI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8.10 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 243 | 220 | 85 | 177 | 24 | 6 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | PHI | P | 10 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | PHI | P | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | PHI | P | 29 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| 1976 | PHI | P | 32 | 29 | 9 | 14 | 3 | 1 |
| 1977 | PHI | P | 34 | 34 | 14 | 28 | 8 | 1 |
| 1978 | PHI | P | 33 | 33 | 8 | 37 | 3 | 1 |
| 1979 | PHI | P | 19 | 17 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | PHI | P | 14 | 14 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 0 |
| 1981 | PHI | P | 20 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| 1982 | PHI | P | 33 | 33 | 16 | 26 | 2 | 2 |
| 1983 | PHI | P | 9 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 243 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Player of the Week | Week of 1978-04-07 |
| 1977 | Pitcher of the Month | September |