Success in the Shade of a Palm

From Player Profiles at 1960s Baseball …

Dave Giusti had 2 pitching careers spanning 15 major league seasons. Starting out with the Houston Colts, he was an innings-eating starter who had limited success with a team of decidedly limited abilities. Then after 7 years as a starter, Giusti became one of the most effective relief pitchers in the National League once transplanted in the bullpen of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Dave Giusti

Perfecting the off-speed palm ball transformed Giusti into a devastating reliever, and made him a critical part of the Pirates’ success in the early 1970s.

But prior to his big breakout in Pittsburgh, Giusti was a promising young starter in Houston, the team that signed him as an amateur free agent in 1961. He made his major league debut in 1962, and earned a permanent spot on the Houston pitching roster in 1964, finishing the season as a long reliever and occasional starter with an 8-7 record and a 4.32 ERA. By 1966 he was the ace of the staff, going 15-14 with a 4.20 ERA, and pitching over 200 innings, which he would repeat in each of the next 2 seasons.

Giusti won 11 games in both 1967 and 1968, and then was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for catcher Johnny Edwards. He struggled to a 3-7 record with the Cardinals, and was subsequently dealt to Pittsburgh.

In Pittsburgh, Giusti found immediate success as the team’s closer. He was 9-3 in 1970 with a 3.06 ERA and 26 saves. He led the National League in saves with 30 in 1971, and recorded more than 20 saves in both 1972 and 1973. From 1970 through 1973, Giusti averaged 61 appearances and 24 saves per season, with a combined ERA of 2.61.

In 1975, Giusti was now 35 and his fastball had lost some of its zip, but he still managed to go 5-4 for Pittsburgh with a 2.95 ERA and 17 saves. He repeated with another 5-4 record in 1976, but with only 6 saves and a 4.32 ERA.

Giusti was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 1977, but despite a 2.98 ERA, he saved only 6 games with a 3-3 record. Giusti finished the 1977 season with the Chicago Cubsand retired with a career record of 100-93 and a 3.60 ERA. He was a member of the National League All-Star team in 1973.