Oh, What a Relief: Dick Radatz

In an era when 20-save relievers were as rare as 20-game winners have become today, Dick Radatz was the first major league pitcher to post consecutive 20-save seasons. In fact, he had 3 consecutive seasons with 20+ saves, from 1962 to 1964, and was easily the most dominant relief pitcher in baseball over that period.

Dick Radatz

Radatz was a star in basketball and baseball at Michigan State University when he was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1959. Used mostly as a starter, he won 12 games pitching for 2 minor league teams in 1960, and was moved to the bullpen in 1961. That was his entry to the big leagues a year later.

At 6-foot, 6-inches and 230 pounds, his presence on the mound was imposing. His fast ball was intimidating. Radatz didn’t have an effective off-speed pitch. He didn’t need one. He came in throwing blistering heat, and for 3 years, most of the batters he faced went down swinging. In 1964, he struck out 181 batters in 157 innings, an average of 10.4 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. The season before, he averaged 11 strikeouts per 9 innings.

He was, indeed, a “Monster,” so dubbed by Mickey Mantle, who struck out 47 times out of 63 career at-bats against Radatz. The nickname stuck.

In his 1962 rookie season, he was 9-6 with a 2.24 ERA in 62 appearances, all in relief. (Radatz never started in the major leagues.) He finished 53 games for the Red Sox, and saved the most games (24) in the American League. He turned around in 1963 and did even better: 15-6 with a 1.97 ERA and 25 saves for a Red Sox team that finished seventh with 76 victories. He struck out 162 batters in 132.1 innings in 1963.

In 1964, Radatz appeared in 79 games. He finished 67 games and saved 29, both tops in the majors. His record was 16-9 with a 2.29 earned run average.

Then something went out of his fastball. He had pitched 314 innings in the 3 previous seasons, throwing hard on nearly every pitch, and apparently the wear on his arm was beginning to show. In 1965, Radatz was 9-11 with a 3.91 ERA and 22 saves, but he registered “only” 121 strikeouts in 124.1 innings – the first time in his major league career when he averaged less than a strikeout per inning. A disastrous start in 1966 prompted the Red Sox to deal Radatz to the Cleveland Indians for pitchers Don McMahon and Lee Stange. The change in scenery didn’t help his declining velocity. Radatz finished the 1966 season with a combined record of 0-5 and a 4.64 ERA. He would play only 2 more seasons, for 4 different teams, but never regained his magic.

Radatz finished his 7-year major league career with a record of 52-43 and a 3.13 ERA. He had 122 saves. Radatz was a member of the American League All-Star team in 1963 and 1964. He was named the Sporting News American League Fireman of the Year in 1962 and 1964.