Jerry Reuss

Jerry Reuss (; born June 19, 1949) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Reuss played for eight teams in his major league career; along with the Dodgers (1979–87), he played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1969–71), Houston Astros (1972–73), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1974–78). At the end of his career (1987–90), he played for the Cincinnati Reds, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Pirates again (Reuss is one of only two Pirates to have played for Danny Murtaugh, Chuck Tanner, and Jim Leyland, the other being John Candelaria). With the Dodgers, he won the 1981 World Series over the New York Yankees. In he became the second pitcher in history, joining Milt Pappas, to win 200 career games without ever winning 20 in a single season (a feat later matched by: Frank Tanana, Charlie Hough, Dennis Martínez, Chuck Finley, Kenny Rogers, Tim Wakefield and Zack Greinke). As a child, he dreamed of playing baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. He attended Ritenour High School in Overland, Missouri, where he played baseball and basketball. In both 1966 and 1967, he led Ritenour to the Missouri state baseball championship. He also played American Legion baseball.

He signed a letter of intent to attend Southern Illinois University (SIU), but once he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, he followed his American Legion coach's advice to sign with them if they offered him a contract in the belief Reuss could become a major league pitcher.

Career

St. Louis Cardinals (1967-71) Reuss was drafted in the second round of the 1967 Major League Baseball draft by the Cardinals, with the 30th overall selection. Only 18-years old, he spent the majority of 1967 pitching for the Single-A Cedar Rapids Cardinals in the Cardinal's minor league system. He had a 2–5 won–loss record in nine starts, but an excellent 1.86 earned run average (ERA). He played the 1968 season for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, with a 7–8 record, but again with an excellent ERA (2.17). In 1969, he was promoted to the Triple-A Tulsa Oilers, where he had his first winning record (13–11), but a 4.06 ERA, striking out 151 batters in 186 innings pitched.

He was called up to the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time in 1969. Reuss won his first Major League game in 1969, a 2–1 victory over the Montreal Expos, pitching seven innings without giving up a run; and became part of the starting rotation in 1970. In 1970, he played a portion of the season in Tulsa (7–2 with a 2.12 ERA), He played a full season for the Cardinals in 1971, starting 35 games, with a 14–14 record and 4.78 ERA. Reuss said that Devine later told him the chief reason he was traded was because Busch disapproved of Reuss's blond mustache, and not chiefly Reuss's negotiation style. The trade was crushing for Reuss because of his lifelong feelings about wanting to play for his hometown Cardinals.

The trade looked like a fairly even swap at the time. While Spinks had shuttled between Houston and their top minor league affiliate, the Oklahoma City 89ers, over the last three years, he had been almost unhittable during his minor league stints.

Spinks had pitched well in Single-A baseball in 1968, but with the Triple-A 89ers in 1969 he was 7–11 with a 5.48 ERA, 9–12 with a 3.30 ERA in 1970, and 9–6 with a 3.25 ERA in 1971. He played in 10 games for the Astros in 1970-71. In trading Spinks, Astros manager Harry Walker thought Spinks could win six-eight games a season, while Reuss had the potential to win 14-18 games a year. Spinks had an excellent start with the Cardinals in 1972, but never recovered from a freak knee injury he suffered on July 4, 1972. Although a pitcher, Spinks was used as a pinch runner because of his speed. He ran through his third-base coach's signal to stop at third base, racing towards home plate where he collided with catcher Johnny Bench, tearing knee ligaments. Spinks needed knee surgery, and then needed shoulder surgery in 1973 because of a sore arm, which would be his last major league season. He was out of baseball by 1976.

Pittsburgh Pirates (1974-78) After the 1973 season, the Astros traded Reuss to the Pirates for Milt May. After the October 31, 1973 trade, Reuss responded, "I'm surprised because the Astros received only a second‐string catcher for me. I thought I was worth more than Milt May." In the offseason, he attended the University of California, Santa Barbara.

In his first three seasons with the Pirates (1974-76) he had winning records, 16–11, 18–11, and 14–9, respectively. Reuss was the starting pitcher for the Pirates in game 1 of the 1974 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched well, allowing one run in seven innings, but the Pirates lost to Don Sutton and the Dodgers 3-0. With the Pirates facing elimination in game 4, Reuss again started against Sutton but did not fare so well, allowing 3 runs in 2 2/3 innings in a game the Pirates eventually lost, 12-1. In 1975, in addition to his Pirates best won-loss record, he had a 2.54 ERA, and was selected to play on the NL All-Star team. Reuss was named starting pitcher for All-Star Game, and pitched three innings, without allowing a run. He was 23rd in Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting that year. He was fourth best in the league for most wins and in ERA.

Reuss had a down year in 1977 (10–13 with a 4.11 ERA), and had shoulder problems which limited his availability in 1978. He also threw a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants on June 27, striking out only two batters, narrowly missing a perfect game due to a throwing error in the first inning by shortstop Bill Russell. Reuss's no-hitter is just one of ten in baseball history in which a pitcher did not walk or hit a batter, but whose perfect game bid was foiled by a fielding error. Reuss finished second behind Steve Carlton in the running for the Cy Young Award, and won the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award. He was also selected for the second time to the NL All-Star Team and struck out all three batters he faced in that year's game, earning the win.

In Reuss went 10–4 with a career-low 2.30 ERA in a strike-shortened season. He defeated Nolan Ryan and the Houston Astros 4–0 in the deciding game five of the NL West Division Series, throwing a complete game five-hitter. He lost Game 3 of the 1981 National League Championship Series to the Montreal Expos, and went 1–1 in two games against the New York Yankees in the 1981 World Series, helping the Dodgers win the title.

Reuss had two more winning seasons with the Dodgers before injuries took their toll. His last good season with the Dodgers was in 1985 (14–10, 2.92 ERA), but in , at age 37, he suffered a sore elbow requiring surgery after a dismal start to the season (2–6 with a 5.84 ERA). leading White Sox pitchers with a 13–9 season, and earning his 200th career win that year. He was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers, in need of a veteran fifth starter for its pennant drive, from the White Sox for Brian Drahman at the trade deadline on July 31, 1989. before returning to broadcasting with the Dodgers from 2006 to 2008, serving as a color commentator alongside Rick Monday.

Jerry has also broadcast for the Las Vegas Stars (1994, 1995, and 1999), the Las Vegas 51's (2005–2018), and the Las Vegas Aviators (2019-current).

Honors On January 31, 2016, Jerry was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame located in Springfield, Missouri. Library Journal called Reuss "a gifted storyteller" who describes "what it's like to be both an aspiring teenage ballplayer newly signed to a contract and a 40-year-old athlete clinging to the baseball life he loves so much."