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.
"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 MessersmithAndy Messersmith Autograph on a 1974 Topps Baseball Card (#267 | Checklist) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Andy MessersmithAndy Messersmith Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
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 |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
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 MessersmithAndy Messersmith Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
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 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
12 Years | 353 | 729 | 49 | 124 | 30 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 54 | 46 | 0 | 212 | 46 | 4 | 1 | 6 | .170 | .219 | .232 |
Andy MessersmithAndy Messersmith Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
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 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
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 MessersmithAndy Messersmith Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
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 |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
12 Years | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 145.8 | 3.4 | 13.5 | 1.96 | 6.56 | 3.35 |
Andy MessersmithAndy Messersmith Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
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 | - | - |
Andy Messersmith Stats by Baseball Almanac |
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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