1970 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"Control is the name of the game for Fritz Peterson. Not blessed with overpowering stuff, he depends on putting the ball exactly where he wants it; Fritz seldom walks anybody, as evidenced by the 43 free passes he issued last year in 272 innings.
He registered a deceiving 17-16 record in 1969 with an ERA of 2.55 - best on the Yankee staff. But he would have been a 20-game winner if his mates had hit better behind him. In 12 of his losses, the most the Yankees scored were two runs. He also showed he had staying power, completing 16 of his 37 starts.
Now in his fifth year in the majors, Fritz compiled 12-11 records in both 1966 and '68."
-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1970
"Fritz has long held the title of champion worrier of the Yankees. He worried about making the club in 1966. He was so worried about an eight-game losing streak in 1967 that he had his bags packed for a trip to Syracuse. The Sophomore Jinx worried him so much that year that he wouldn't let his wife Chip and his son Gregg go to games. He worried that he would not last long enough in the majors to eligible for a pension.
'I guess I just like to worry,' Fritz concludes.
It seems to agree with him. He had his best major league season in 1969 when he won 17, lost 16 and had a 2.55 earned run average. Nine of his 16 losses were either by one run or when he was the victim of a shutout. If he'd had some hitting in those games, he might have put five more in the win column -and lost five less - and had a spectacular season.
Fritz doesn't worry while he works. He has control all the way, which is remarkable for a left-hander. He pitched 272 innings last year, gave up only 228 hits, struck out 150 (to lead the club) and walked only 43 men - an average of fewer than 1.5 walks per game. Some of those, of course, were intentional walks. He had only two wild pitches and only three hit batters.
Fritz has a lifetime mark of only 155 walks in 880 innings and 463 lifetime strikeouts. A ratio of two strikeouts to one walk is considered excellent. Pete has a fantastic ratio of three to one. They have to hit the ball if they're going to do anything to Fritz.
Fritz lives in DeKalb, Illinois, holds a master's degree in education from Northern Illinois University, spends his off-season teaching, and sees himself as a future baseball and hockey coach."
-The New York Yankees Official 1970 Yearbook
"The crafty left-hander enjoyed the best year of his career and further established himself as one of the top pitchers in baseball as he wound up fifth among the AL ERA leaders with a 2.55 mark and was also fifth in complete games with 16; he was 15th in ERA in 1968. Fritz set season highs for himself in the following categories: wins (17), games (37), starts (37), complete games, innings pitched (272), shutouts (4), strikeouts (150) and ERA.
Fritz has a variety of pitches and can control them all- his lifetime mark of only 155 walks in 880 innings pitched attests to this. He also has 463 lifetime strikeouts for a fantastic ratio of three strikeouts to every walk; two to one is considered excellent.
Despite these credentials, Fritz still suffered some tough luck in 1969 as nine of his 16 losses were either by one run or when he was the victim of a shutout. In 1967, eight of his 14 losses came in the same manner; he was 8-14 that year. Fritz hurled two 2-hitters and two 3-hitters last year.
A graduate of Northern Illinois University, where he received his Master's degree, Fritz teaches there during the off-season. He is a hockey enthusiast and once played in a semi-pro league."
-1970 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide
No comments:
Post a Comment