Friend Scott Fennessy recently received a 1950 set in the mail and shared a couple standouts with me. This was stood out. It’s multi-faceted Bob Lemon.
1950 Bob Lemon
- 23-11 record
- 22 complete games
- .276/.345/.485 as a hitter
Lemon is a Hall of Fame pitcher who spent his entire 15-year career with Cleveland. In 1950, he was pretty much in the prime of his career. Though he had a 3.84 ERA, he won 23 games against 11 losses and completed 22 games. His 170 strikeouts led the AL.
| Split | W | L | W-L% | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 Totals | 23 | 11 | .676 | 3.84 | 44 | 37 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 288.0 | 281 | 144 | 123 | 28 | 146 | 170 |
Lemon could also hit. He batted .276 with 16 extra base hits including 6 homers. In the days when pitchers had to hit, that made a difference.
| Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 Totals | 72 | 37 | 151 | 134 | 21 | 37 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 27 | 0 | 13 | 25 | .276 | .345 | .493 |
Ok, Bob Lemon of 1950 is a B. That’s not incredibly special or “Monster”. Most pitchers with a 3.84 ERA would be graded a C but APBA has an unwritten rule in which a pitcher who wins 20 or more games is automatically is upgraded to a B.
I do find it interesting that the league leader in strikeouts is only rated with a Y (not wrong, just interesting). That’s a product of the era, I suppose.
Lemon has a decent hitting card too. So much so that it might eclipse some of the others in the Cleveland lineup. Not only does he have power numbers 1-5-6-6 but there is a 44-7 as well. While most pitchers only have one 14, Lemon can claim three. And you know what?? Not a whole lot of 13s either. I’m only counting five.
An interestingly, Lemon was rated as a fast baserunner. Probably not surprising considering his time on the bases.
Thanks, Scott!
With 146 walks issued (only three of them intentional), how does Lemon escape having a W?