Bob Welch
Born: 11/3/1956 in Detroit, MI, USA
Died: 6/9/2014 in Seal Beach, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 1978-06-20 | Final Game: 1994-08-11
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 190 lbs
Full name: Robert Lynn Welch
Biography
Bob Welch was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1978 to 1994. Born in 1956, he made a significant impact on the game during his time, finishing with a career record of 211 wins and 146 losses. His earned run average (ERA) stood at 3.47, showcasing his ability to limit scoring opportunities for opposing teams. Welch was known for his impressive strikeout capability, amassing a total of 1,969 strikeouts throughout his career. Additionally, he contributed to his teams with 8 saves, demonstrating versatility in his pitching role.
Welch was a two-time All-Star and garnered further acclaim by winning the prestigious Cy Young Award, solidifying his status as one of the elite pitchers of his era. His playing style was characterized by a fierce competitiveness and a repertoire that included a powerful fastball and an effective slider. Welch's career coincided with a transition period in baseball, marked by the increasing emphasis on power hitting and offensive production. As a result, his accomplishments on the mound were particularly noteworthy during an era that challenged pitchers with evolving batting techniques. Bob Welch remains a respected figure in baseball history, remembered for his contributions to the game and his standing as a successful starting pitcher.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 211 | 146 | 506 | 462 | 61 | 28 | 8 | 3092.0 | 2894 | 1191 | 267 | 1034 | 1969 | 3.47 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | LAD | NL | 7 | 4 | 23 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 111.3 | 92 | 25 | 26 | 66 | 2.02 | - |
| 1979 | LAD | NL | 5 | 6 | 25 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 81.3 | 82 | 36 | 32 | 64 | 3.98 | - |
| 1980 | LAD | NL | 14 | 9 | 32 | 32 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 213.7 | 190 | 78 | 79 | 141 | 3.29 | - |
| 1981 | LAD | NL | 9 | 5 | 23 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 141.3 | 141 | 54 | 41 | 88 | 3.44 | - |
| 1982 | LAD | NL | 16 | 11 | 36 | 36 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 235.7 | 199 | 88 | 81 | 176 | 3.36 | - |
| 1983 | LAD | NL | 15 | 12 | 31 | 31 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 204.0 | 164 | 60 | 72 | 156 | 2.65 | - |
| 1984 | LAD | NL | 13 | 13 | 31 | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 178.7 | 191 | 75 | 58 | 126 | 3.78 | - |
| 1985 | LAD | NL | 14 | 4 | 23 | 23 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 167.3 | 141 | 43 | 35 | 96 | 2.31 | - |
| 1986 | LAD | NL | 7 | 13 | 33 | 33 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 235.7 | 227 | 86 | 55 | 183 | 3.28 | - |
| 1987 | LAD | NL | 15 | 9 | 35 | 35 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 251.7 | 204 | 90 | 86 | 196 | 3.22 | - |
| 1988 | OAK | AL | 17 | 9 | 36 | 36 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 244.7 | 237 | 99 | 81 | 158 | 3.64 | -183.4 |
| 1989 | OAK | AL | 17 | 8 | 33 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 209.7 | 191 | 70 | 78 | 137 | 3.00 | 1347.1 |
| 1990 | OAK | AL | 27 | 6 | 35 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 238.0 | 214 | 78 | 77 | 127 | 2.95 | -2081.9 |
| 1991 | OAK | AL | 12 | 13 | 35 | 35 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 220.0 | 220 | 112 | 91 | 101 | 4.58 | -5142.4 |
| 1992 | OAK | AL | 11 | 7 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 123.7 | 114 | 45 | 43 | 47 | 3.27 | -2332.7 |
| 1993 | OAK | AL | 9 | 11 | 30 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.7 | 208 | 98 | 56 | 63 | 5.29 | -4851.4 |
| 1994 | OAK | AL | 3 | 6 | 25 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68.7 | 79 | 54 | 43 | 44 | 7.08 | -2007.9 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 520 | 582 | 26 | 88 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 22 | 171 | 0.151 | 0.186 | 0.177 | 0.363 | -4236.7 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | LAD | NL | 23 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0.172 | 0.0 |
| 1979 | LAD | NL | 25 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.158 | 0.0 |
| 1980 | LAD | NL | 34 | 70 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0.243 | -291.9 |
| 1981 | LAD | NL | 23 | 45 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0.222 | 0.0 |
| 1982 | LAD | NL | 38 | 85 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 0.141 | -809.6 |
| 1983 | LAD | NL | 31 | 73 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 0.096 | -758.6 |
| 1984 | LAD | NL | 32 | 51 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0.078 | -611.7 |
| 1985 | LAD | NL | 25 | 50 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0.180 | -326.7 |
| 1986 | LAD | NL | 35 | 76 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 0.105 | -739.1 |
| 1987 | LAD | NL | 38 | 83 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 24 | 0.157 | -699.0 |
| 1988 | OAK | AL | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1989 | OAK | AL | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1990 | OAK | AL | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1991 | OAK | AL | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1992 | OAK | AL | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1993 | OAK | AL | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1994 | OAK | AL | 26 | 1 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | ALCS | OAK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1990 | ALCS | OAK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1990 | WS | OAK | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| 1989 | ALCS | OAK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1988 | ALCS | OAK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1988 | WS | OAK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1985 | NLCS | LAN | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1983 | NLCS | LAN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1981 | WS | LAN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1981 | NWDIV | LAN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1981 | NLCS | LAN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1978 | NLCS | LAN | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1978 | WS | LAN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 49.3 | 58 | 25 | 24 | 41 | 4.56 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | ALCS | OAK | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7.0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2.57 |
| 1990 | ALCS | OAK | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7.3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1.23 |
| 1990 | WS | OAK | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7.3 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4.91 |
| 1989 | ALCS | OAK | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.7 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3.18 |
| 1988 | ALCS | OAK | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.7 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 27.00 |
| 1988 | WS | OAK | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 1.80 |
| 1985 | NLCS | LAN | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6.75 |
| 1983 | NLCS | LAN | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6.75 |
| 1981 | NLCS | LAN | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1.7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5.40 |
| 1981 | NWDIV | LAN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 |
| 1981 | WS | LAN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1978 | NLCS | LAN | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2.08 |
| 1978 | WS | LAN | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4.3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 6.23 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 506 | 462 | 243 | 394 | 26 | 30 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | LAN | P | 23 | 13 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979 | LAN | P | 25 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
| 1980 | LAN | P | 32 | 32 | 15 | 26 | 1 | 3 |
| 1981 | LAN | P | 23 | 23 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982 | LAN | P | 36 | 36 | 19 | 26 | 2 | 0 |
| 1982 | LAN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | LAN | P | 31 | 31 | 14 | 27 | 3 | 1 |
| 1984 | LAN | P | 31 | 29 | 20 | 28 | 2 | 5 |
| 1985 | LAN | P | 23 | 23 | 15 | 27 | 3 | 1 |
| 1986 | LAN | P | 33 | 33 | 21 | 26 | 2 | 2 |
| 1987 | LAN | P | 35 | 35 | 25 | 38 | 0 | 3 |
| 1988 | OAK | P | 36 | 36 | 16 | 32 | 1 | 2 |
| 1989 | OAK | P | 33 | 33 | 26 | 21 | 4 | 3 |
| 1990 | OAK | P | 35 | 35 | 20 | 31 | 0 | 2 |
| 1991 | OAK | P | 35 | 35 | 15 | 29 | 2 | 1 |
| 1992 | OAK | P | 20 | 20 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 1993 | OAK | P | 30 | 28 | 16 | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| 1994 | OAK | P | 25 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 506 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Cy Young Award | |
| 1990 | TSN All-Star | RHP |
| 1990 | TSN Pitcher of the Year | |
| 1989 | Player of the Week | Week of 1989-08-25 |
| 1980 | Player of the Week | Week of 1980-05-16 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | OAK | AL | $3,450,000 |
| 1993 | OAK | AL | $3,450,000 |
| 1992 | OAK | AL | $3,450,000 |
| 1991 | OAK | AL | $3,450,000 |
| 1990 | OAK | AL | $1,133,334 |
| 1989 | OAK | AL | $1,208,333 |
| 1988 | OAK | AL | $937,500 |
| 1987 | LAN | NL | $837,500 |
| 1986 | LAN | NL | $743,750 |
| 1985 | LAN | NL | $643,750 |
| Total Career Earnings | $19,304,167 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti | MI | 1975, 1976, 1977 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Cy Young Award | AL | 1st | 107.0 | 140 | 15 |
| 1990 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 9th | 54.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1987 | Cy Young Award | NL | 8th | 3.0 | 120 | 0 |
| 1983 | Cy Young Award | NL | 8th | 2.0 | 120 | 0 |