Jerry Reuss
Born: 6/19/1949 in St. Louis, MO, USA
MLB Debut: 1969-09-27 | Final Game: 1990-10-03
Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 200 lbs
Biography
Jerry Reuss was a prominent left-handed pitcher who enjoyed a successful Major League Baseball career from 1969 to 1990. Born in 1949, Reuss established himself as a reliable and skilled starter over two decades, culminating in a record of 220 wins against 191 losses and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.64. Known for his finesse and ability to control the game, he struck out 1,907 batters throughout his career and notched 11 saves. His performance earned him two selections to the All-Star Game, highlighting his status as one of the top pitchers of his era.
Reuss played during a transformative time in baseball, which saw the evolution of pitching styles and strategies. His longevity in the game and ability to adapt to different organizations exemplified the persistence and skill required to thrive amidst changing dynamics in the sport. Over his career, he played for several teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he left a lasting impact both on the mound and in the clubhouse. Reuss remains a respected figure in baseball history, celebrated for his contributions to the game and his impressive pitching record.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 220 | 191 | 628 | 547 | 127 | 39 | 11 | 3669.7 | 3734 | 1483 | 245 | 1127 | 1907 | 3.64 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | STL | NL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.00 | - |
| 1970 | STL | NL | 7 | 8 | 20 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 127.3 | 132 | 58 | 49 | 74 | 4.10 | - |
| 1971 | STL | NL | 14 | 14 | 36 | 35 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 211.0 | 228 | 112 | 109 | 131 | 4.78 | - |
| 1972 | HOU | NL | 9 | 13 | 33 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 192.0 | 177 | 89 | 83 | 174 | 4.17 | 1379.3 |
| 1973 | HOU | NL | 16 | 13 | 41 | 40 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 279.3 | 271 | 116 | 117 | 177 | 3.74 | 2715.4 |
| 1974 | PIT | NL | 16 | 11 | 35 | 35 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 260.0 | 259 | 101 | 101 | 105 | 3.50 | -2192.2 |
| 1975 | PIT | NL | 18 | 11 | 32 | 32 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 237.3 | 224 | 67 | 78 | 131 | 2.54 | 4317.8 |
| 1976 | PIT | NL | 14 | 9 | 31 | 29 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 209.3 | 209 | 82 | 51 | 108 | 3.53 | 874.8 |
| 1977 | PIT | NL | 10 | 13 | 33 | 33 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 208.0 | 225 | 95 | 71 | 116 | 4.11 | 3289.5 |
| 1978 | PIT | NL | 3 | 2 | 23 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 82.7 | 97 | 45 | 23 | 42 | 4.90 | 816.4 |
| 1979 | LAD | NL | 7 | 14 | 39 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 160.0 | 178 | 63 | 60 | 83 | 3.54 | - |
| 1980 | LAD | NL | 18 | 6 | 37 | 29 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 229.3 | 193 | 64 | 40 | 111 | 2.51 | - |
| 1981 | LAD | NL | 10 | 4 | 22 | 22 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 152.7 | 138 | 39 | 27 | 51 | 2.30 | - |
| 1982 | LAD | NL | 18 | 11 | 39 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 254.7 | 232 | 88 | 50 | 138 | 3.11 | - |
| 1983 | LAD | NL | 12 | 11 | 32 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 223.3 | 233 | 73 | 50 | 143 | 2.94 | - |
| 1984 | LAD | NL | 5 | 7 | 30 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 99.0 | 102 | 42 | 31 | 44 | 3.82 | - |
| 1985 | LAD | NL | 14 | 10 | 34 | 33 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 212.7 | 210 | 69 | 58 | 84 | 2.92 | - |
| 1986 | LAD | NL | 2 | 6 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 74.0 | 96 | 48 | 17 | 29 | 5.84 | - |
| 1987 | LAA | AL | 4 | 5 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 82.3 | 112 | 48 | 17 | 37 | 5.25 | - |
| 1987 | CIN | NL | 0 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.7 | 52 | 30 | 12 | 10 | 7.79 | 108.6 |
| 1987 | LAD | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4.50 | - |
| 1988 | CHW | AL | 13 | 9 | 32 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 183.0 | 183 | 70 | 43 | 73 | 3.44 | - |
| 1989 | CHW | AL | 8 | 5 | 23 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 106.7 | 135 | 60 | 21 | 27 | 5.06 | - |
| 1989 | ATL | AL | 1 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33.7 | 36 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 5.35 | - |
| 1990 | PIT | NL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3.52 | 0.0 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 631 | 1024 | 71 | 171 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 58 | 1 | 69 | 433 | 0.167 | 0.220 | 0.195 | 0.415 | -5661.4 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | STL | NL | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.333 | 0.0 |
| 1970 | STL | NL | 20 | 40 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 32 | 0.050 | 0.0 |
| 1971 | STL | NL | 36 | 65 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 36 | 0.123 | -442.2 |
| 1972 | HOU | NL | 33 | 66 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 40 | 0.106 | -559.7 |
| 1973 | HOU | NL | 42 | 95 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 45 | 0.137 | -847.5 |
| 1974 | PIT | NL | 35 | 86 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 25 | 0.151 | -609.7 |
| 1975 | PIT | NL | 32 | 71 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 27 | 0.197 | -372.0 |
| 1976 | PIT | NL | 31 | 66 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 22 | 0.242 | -64.5 |
| 1977 | PIT | NL | 35 | 70 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 26 | 0.171 | -471.3 |
| 1978 | PIT | NL | 23 | 27 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0.185 | 0.0 |
| 1979 | LAD | NL | 39 | 42 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 0.167 | 0.0 |
| 1980 | LAD | NL | 37 | 68 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 25 | 0.088 | -650.8 |
| 1981 | LAD | NL | 22 | 51 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0.196 | -347.1 |
| 1982 | LAD | NL | 39 | 77 | 8 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 0.221 | -389.2 |
| 1983 | LAD | NL | 32 | 71 | 4 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 0.282 | -167.0 |
| 1984 | LAD | NL | 30 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0.167 | 0.0 |
| 1985 | LAD | NL | 34 | 74 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 0.135 | -740.3 |
| 1986 | LAD | NL | 19 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 1987 | LAA | AL | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1987 | CIN | NL | 7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.125 | 0.0 |
| 1987 | LAD | NL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1988 | CHW | AL | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1989 | CHW | AL | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1989 | ATL | AL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1990 | PIT | NL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | NLCS | LAN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1983 | NLCS | LAN | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 |
| 1981 | WS | LAN | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.000 |
| 1981 | NWDIV | LAN | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.000 |
| 1981 | NLCS | LAN | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1975 | NLCS | PIT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1974 | NLCS | PIT | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 62.7 | 57 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3.59 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | NLCS | LAN | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10.80 |
| 1983 | NLCS | LAN | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12.0 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4.50 |
| 1981 | NLCS | LAN | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7.0 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5.14 |
| 1981 | NWDIV | LAN | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 18.0 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 0.00 |
| 1981 | WS | LAN | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11.7 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 3.86 |
| 1975 | NLCS | PIT | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 13.50 |
| 1974 | NLCS | PIT | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9.7 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 3.72 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 628 | 548 | 170 | 603 | 42 | 38 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | SLN | P | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | SLN | P | 20 | 20 | 8 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 1971 | SLN | P | 36 | 35 | 6 | 26 | 2 | 0 |
| 1972 | HOU | P | 33 | 30 | 4 | 25 | 4 | 0 |
| 1973 | HOU | P | 41 | 40 | 4 | 37 | 3 | 2 |
| 1974 | PIT | P | 35 | 35 | 11 | 37 | 5 | 1 |
| 1975 | PIT | P | 32 | 32 | 6 | 48 | 0 | 1 |
| 1976 | PIT | P | 31 | 29 | 8 | 26 | 2 | 2 |
| 1977 | PIT | P | 33 | 34 | 7 | 40 | 3 | 2 |
| 1978 | PIT | P | 23 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 4 |
| 1979 | LAN | P | 39 | 21 | 2 | 35 | 3 | 1 |
| 1980 | LAN | P | 37 | 29 | 18 | 40 | 5 | 5 |
| 1981 | LAN | P | 22 | 22 | 10 | 38 | 1 | 4 |
| 1982 | LAN | P | 39 | 37 | 21 | 46 | 3 | 4 |
| 1983 | LAN | P | 32 | 31 | 17 | 52 | 4 | 4 |
| 1984 | LAN | P | 30 | 15 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | LAN | P | 34 | 33 | 12 | 27 | 3 | 0 |
| 1986 | LAN | P | 19 | 13 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| 1987 | CAL | P | 17 | 16 | 7 | 18 | 1 | 3 |
| 1987 | CIN | P | 7 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1987 | LAN | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | CHA | P | 32 | 29 | 10 | 27 | 1 | 2 |
| 1989 | CHA | P | 23 | 19 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 1989 | ML4 | P | 7 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | PIT | P | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 629 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Player of the Week | Week of 1982-06-18 |
| 1980 | Pitcher of the Month | June |
| 1980 | Player of the Week | Week of 1980-06-27 |
| 1980 | TSN Comeback Player of the Year | |
| 1975 | Player of the Week | Week of 1975-09-05 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | CHA | AL | $590,000 |
| 1988 | CHA | AL | $200,000 |
| 1987 | LAN | NL | $1,100,000 |
| 1986 | LAN | NL | $1,000,000 |
| 1985 | LAN | NL | $980,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $3,870,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Cy Young Award | NL | 2nd | 55.0 | 120 | 1 |
| 1980 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 20th | 2.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1975 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 23th | 2.0 | 336 | 0 |