Peavy brings to mind a trivia question

So I was just reading about Jake Peavy not being traded to the Braves and saw his 10-11 record with a 2.85 ERA. It got me thinking, who holds the records for most losses with an ERA under 3.00?

Unfortunately, a brief internet search didn't reveal the answer. So I turn to you, SportsJournalists.com, (ahem, buckweaver, cough, cough) for the answer (or at least the means to finding it).

 

My first thought was Wilbur Wood... quick check shows he was 24-17 with a 2.51 ERA in '72

 

My first thought was Joe Horlen -- but he only lost 14 with a sub-3 ERA.

 

Nolan Ryan had an 8-16 record and a 2.76 ERA for the Astros in 1987. Don't know if that's the record, but when you consider that '87 has always been rumored as a loaded-ball year, it's a good place to start the conversation.

 

Here's a contender:

Nate Andrews, 1943 Boston Braves, 14-20 with a 2.57 ERA.

Probably also got hit by lightning in his lifetime. Twice.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/a/andrena01.shtml

 

And a list of 20-game losers... there's a bunch of sub-3 guys on here, once you get back to the stone ages...

http://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/20gameLosers.shtml

 

Went back a little further... Jack Chesbro 14-20 in 1908...2.93 ERA

 

(Just keeping it to post-1900 pitchers) George Bell went 10-27 with a 2.64 ERA in 1910.

 

Well, Will White lost 42 games in 1880 while posting a 2.14 ERA. But you probably wanted a modern-day pitcher: Vic Wills went 18-25 with a 2.85 ERA in 1904, and George Bell was 10-27 with a 2.64 ERA in 1910.

 

And a few of those 20-game losers in the dead ball era had sub 2.00 ERAs

 

Good. Fuck George Bell.

 

George Bell's the winner, using a sub-3.00 ERA as criteria. Congrats, DC.

Bob Groom had 26 losses and a 2.87 ERA in 1909. He's next. Then, Bugs Raymond (25 losses, 2.03 ERA, 1908) and Walter Johnson, (25 losses, 2.22 ERA, 1909) If you want to skip the Deadball Era, you've got Nate Andrews as the leader with 20 losses and a 2.57 ERA in 1943.


If you want to use sub-2.50 ERAs as the criteria (post-Deadball):

- Dave Roberts, 17 losses, 2.10 ERA, 1971
- Gaylord Perry, 16 losses, 1.92 ERA, 1972
- Don Drysdale, 16 losses, 2.18 ERA, 1964
- Nolan Ryan, 16 losses, 2.28 ERA, 1972
- Bob Friend, 16 losses, 2.34 ERA, 1963

- Bob Feller, 15 losses, 2.18 ERA, 1946
- Jim Bunning, 15 losses, 2.29 ERA, 1967
- Orel Hershisher, 15 losses, 2.31 ERA, 1989

Pretty good names on that list.