Andy Messersmith Stats

Andy Messersmith was born on Monday, August 6, 1945, in Toms River, New Jersey. Messersmith was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on July 4, 1968, with the California Angels. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Andy Messersmith baseball stats page.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"John Alexander 'Andy' Messersmith, a fine right-handed hurler for the Los Angeles Dodgers, served as the catalyst for the union's winning challenge to baseball's reserve system. His grievance led to the dismantling of the system, and as a result, Messersmith deserves the starting pitching assignment on our All-Star Baseball Law Team. Although not of Catfish Hunter's caliber, over a twelve-year major-league career Messersmith won 130 games and lost 99, compiling an admirable 2.86 earned run average. He led the National League with a twenty-and-six record, with seven shutouts, for the pennant winning Dodgers in 1974. Messersmith was never much for statistics, however. As he explained to the Los Angeles Times in 1974, 'Statistics are overrated. Championships are won in the clubhouse.'" - Author Roger Abrams in Legal Bases: Baseball and the Law (Temple University Press, 03/28/2001, 'Messersmith's Grievance', Page 117)

Andy Messersmith

Andy Messersmith Autograph on a 1974 Topps Baseball Card (#267 | <a href='../baseball_cards/baseball_cards_oneset.php?s=1974top01' title='1974 Topps Baseball Card Checklist'>Checklist</a>)

Andy Messersmith Autograph on a 1974 Topps Baseball Card (#267 | Checklist)

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Birth Name:   John Alexander Messersmith
Nickname:   Andy - Bluto - Channel
Born On:   08-06-1945  (Leo)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Toms River, New Jersey
Year of Death Data Died On:   Still Living (1,000 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Still Living
Cemetery:   n/a
High School:   Woodrow Wilson High School (Long Beach, CA)
College:   University of California, Berkeley
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Right   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   6-01   Player Weight Chart Weight:   200
First Game:   07-04-1968 (Age 22)
Last Game:   06-01-1979
Draft:   1966 : 1st Round (12th)

Andy Messersmith

Andy Messersmith Pitching Stats

1968 23 Angels 28 5 9 4 2 .667 2.21 2 1 4 81.1 321 44 20 21 3 35 4 74 3 1 1 -
1969 24 Angels 40 33 5 16 11 .593 2.52 10 2 2 250.0 1,008 169 70 81 17 100 7 211 16 5 1 -
1970 25 Angels 37 26 8 11 10 .524 3.01 6 1 5 194.2 795 144 65 75 21 78 6 162 2 6 0 -
1971 26 Angels 38 38 0 20 13 .606 2.99 14 4 0 276.2 1,170 224 92 112 16 121 6 179 9 7 0 0
1972 27 Angels 25 21 4 8 11 .421 2.81 10 3 2 169.2 690 125 53 56 5 68 8 142 2 2 1 -
1973 28 Dodgers 33 33 0 14 10 .583 2.70 10 3 0 249.2 1,015 196 75 90 24 77 3 177 6 6 1 0
1974 29 Dodgers 39 39 0 20 6 .769 2.59 13 3 0 292.1 1,179 227 84 93 24 94 0 221 6 3 3 0
1975 30 Dodgers 42 40 2 19 14 .576 2.29 19 7 1 321.2 1,276 244 82 92 22 96 2 213 8 5 0 -
1976 31 Braves 29 28 1 11 11 .500 3.04 12 3 1 207.1 847 166 70 83 14 74 1 135 10 2 0 -
1977 32 Braves 16 16 0 5 4 .556 4.40 1 0 0 102.1 447 101 50 54 12 39 5 69 5 2 0 0
1978 33 Yankees 6 5 1 0 3 .000 5.64 0 0 0 22.1 106 24 14 21 7 15 0 16 0 1 0 -
1979 34 Dodgers 11 11 0 2 4 .333 4.91 1 0 0 62.1 266 55 34 34 9 34 2 26 3 0 0 0
12 Years 344 295 30 130 99 .568 2.86 98 27 15 2,230.1 9,120 1,719 709 812 174 831 44 1,625 70 40 7 0

Andy Messersmith

Andy Messersmith Hitting Stats

1968 23 Angels 29 20 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 10 4 0 0 0 .100 .100 .150
1969 24 Angels 42 77 5 12 2 0 0 0 5 8 0 28 6 0 0 1 .156 .235 .182
1970 25 Angels 38 70 4 11 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 28 5 0 0 0 .157 .157 .243
1971 26 Angels 39 93 8 16 2 0 2 0 5 5 0 30 6 0 0 0 .172 .214 .258
1972 27 Angels 26 53 2 10 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 13 2 0 0 0 .189 .232 .245
1973 28 Dodgers 34 89 3 15 3 0 0 0 6 5 0 16 5 0 0 1 .169 .213 .202
1974 29 Dodgers 39 96 12 23 8 0 1 0 11 11 0 28 4 2 0 1 .240 .312 .354
1975 30 Dodgers 44 108 8 17 4 0 0 0 9 7 0 25 5 2 1 2 .157 .212 .194
1976 31 Braves 29 67 3 12 1 0 0 0 10 4 0 19 6 0 0 1 .179 .225 .194
1977 32 Braves 16 34 2 4 2 0 1 0 3 3 0 9 2 0 0 0 .118 .189 .265
1978 33 Yankees 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1979 34 Dodgers 11 22 1 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 6 1 0 0 0 .091 .091 .136
12 Years 353 729 49 124 30 0 5 0 54 46 0 212 46 4 1 6 .170 .219 .232

Andy Messersmith

Andy Messersmith Fielding Stats

1968 Angels P 28 5 244 19 0.7 18 6 12 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .947 1.99
1969 Angels P 40 33 750 51 1.3 46 17 29 5 2 n/a n/a n/a .902 1.66
1970 Angels P 37 26 584 39 1.1 35 12 23 4 3 n/a n/a n/a .897 1.62
1971 Angels P 38 38 830 72 1.9 67 18 49 5 2 n/a n/a n/a .931 2.18
1972 Angels P 25 21 509 33 1.3 33 9 24 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.75
1973 Dodgers P 33 33 749 59 1.8 54 19 35 5 0 n/a n/a n/a .915 1.95
1974 Dodgers P 39 39 877 71 1.8 62 18 44 9 3 n/a n/a n/a .873 1.91
1975 Dodgers P 42 40 965 59 1.4 54 11 43 5 1 n/a n/a n/a .915 1.51
1976 Braves P 29 28 622 52 1.8 47 14 33 5 2 n/a n/a n/a .904 2.04
1977 Braves P 16 16 307 22 1.4 20 5 15 2 1 n/a n/a n/a .909 1.76
1978 Yankees P 6 5 67 4 0.7 4 2 2 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.61
1979 Dodgers P 11 11 187 14 1.3 14 5 9 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.02
P Totals 344 295 6,691 495 1.4 454 136 318 41 15 n/a n/a n/a .917 1.83
12 Years 344 295 6,691 495 1.4 454 136 318 41 15 n/a n/a n/a .917 1.83

Andy Messersmith

Andy Messersmith Miscellaneous Stats

1968 Angels 0 0 .000 0 1 n/a 0.0 2.0 20.0 2.11 8.19 3.87
1969 Angels 0 0 .000 0 2 n/a 0.0 2.8 15.4 2.11 7.60 3.60
1970 Angels 0 0 .000 1 0 n/a 70.0 2.5 35.0 2.08 7.49 3.61
1971 Angels 0 0 .000 1 0 n/a 46.5 3.1 18.6 1.48 5.82 3.94
1972 Angels 1 0 1.000 0 1 n/a 0.0 4.1 0.0 2.09 7.53 3.61
1973 Dodgers 0 0 .000 1 0 n/a 0.0 5.6 14.8 2.30 6.38 2.78
1974 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 96.0 3.4 8.7 2.35 6.80 2.89
1975 Dodgers 0 0 .000 1 1 n/a 0.0 4.3 12.0 2.22 5.96 2.69
1976 Braves 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 3.5 6.7 1.82 5.86 3.21
1977 Braves 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 34.0 3.8 11.3 1.77 6.07 3.43
1978 Yankees 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.07 6.45 6.04
1979 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 3.7 11.0 0.76 3.75 4.91
12 Years 1 0 1.000 4 5 0 145.8 3.4 13.5 1.96 6.56 3.35

Andy Messersmith

Andy Messersmith Miscellaneous Items of Interest

1968 California Angels 47 $13,500.00 - -
1969 California Angels 47 $15,000.00 - -
1970 California Angels 47 $30,000.00 - -
1971 California Angels 47 $52,000.00 Stats -
1972 California Angels 47 $65,000.00 - -
1973 Los Angeles Dodgers 47 $70,000.00 - -
1974 Los Angeles Dodgers 47 $90,000.00 Stats Stats
1975 Los Angeles Dodgers 47 $200,000.00 Stats -
1976 Atlanta Braves 17 $200,000.00 Stats -
1977 Atlanta Braves 17, 27 $333,333.00 - -
1978 New York Yankees 47 $333,333.00 - -
1979 Los Angeles Dodgers 47 $333,333.00 - -

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baseball almanac fast facts

When Andy Messersmith finished the 1972 season with a perfect fielding percentage (1.000), he became the first (qualifying) Angels pitcher in franchise history to finish a season without committing a single error!

In 1974, Andy Messersmith committed nine errors while pitching, then a year later committed five errors while pitching, but defensively shined while on the mound in Los Angeles, winning back-to-back Gold Glove Awards - the first Dodgers pitcher to ever win a Gold Glove (and consecutive Gold Gloves).

Andy Messersmith was the third Angels twirler to win 20-or-more games in the same season (1971), joining Dean Chance (20-wins in 1964) and Clyde Wright (22-wins in 1970).

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