Lerrin LaGrow

Infobox MLB retired
name = Lerrin LaGrow
bgcolor1 =
textcolor1 =
bgcolor2 =
textcolor2 =


width =
caption =
position = Pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1948|7|8
deathdate =
bats =Right
throws = Right
debutdate =July 28
debutyear =1970
debutteam =Detroit Tigers
finaldate =July 14
finalyear =1980
finalteam =Philadelphia Phillies
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value =34-55
stat2label =ERA
stat2value =4.11
stat3label =Strikeouts
stat3value =375
teams =
*Detroit Tigers (1970, 1972-1975)
*St. Louis Cardinals (1976)
*Chicago White Sox (1977-1979)
*Los Angeles Dodgers (1979)
*Philadelphia Phillies (1980)
highlights =

Lerrin Harris LaGrow (July 8, 1948 - ) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played 10 seasons in the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers (1970, 1972-1975), St. Louis Cardinals (1976), Chicago White Sox (1977-1979), Los Angeles Dodgers (1979), and Philadelphia Phillies (1980).

Biography

Early career

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, LaGrow attended Arizona State University in 1968 and 1969 before beginning his professional baseball career. [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/college/arizona_state_university_baseball_players.shtml] He was the Southern League's Player of the Year in 1970. The Tigers brought him up in July 1970, and he had a 7.30 earned run average in 10 relief appearances. After spending the 1971 season back in the minor leagues, LaGrow rejoined the Tigers in 1972 and 1973, appearing in 37 games, 34 of which were in relief.

Bert Campaneris bat throwing incident: 1972 ALCS

In 1972, LaGrow had a 1.32 earned run average (Adjusted ERA+ of 240) in 16 games. He also pitched 1 scoreless inning in Game 2 of the 1972 American League Championship Series against the Oakland Athletics. LaGrow's single inning led to one of the most memorable moments of the 1972 ALCS. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Bert Campaneris came to bat, having had 3 hits, 2 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases in his first 3 at bats in the game. LaGrow's first pitch hit Campaneris in the ankle. Campaneris staggered for a moment, glared at LaGrow and then flung his bat toward LaGrow. The bat spiraled at LaGrow five feet off the ground, but LaGrow ducked, and the bat narrowly missed LaGrow, landing a few feet behind the mound. A bench-clearing brawl ensued, and Tigers manager Billy Martin had to be restrained by umpires and teammates to prevent him from going after Campaneris. Both LaGrow and Campaneries were suspended for the rest of the ALCS. [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Lerrin_LaGrow_1948&page=chronology] [http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Lerrin_LaGrow]

tarting pitcher: 1974-1975

In 1974 and 1975, LaGrow became part of the Tigers starting rotation, starting 34 games in 1974 and 26 games in 1975. While LaGrow's earned run average was below average in those 2 years, his record looked even worse, as the 1974 and 1975 Tigers were among the worst teams in franchise history, losing 90 in 1974 and 102 in 1975. In 1974, LaGrow was 8-19, and in 1975 his record was 7-14.

White Sox relief ace: 1977-1978

In April 1976, the Tigers sold LaGrow to the St. Louis Cardinals. LaGrow pitched in 8 games for the Cardinals with a 1.48 earned run average.

During 1977 and 1978, LaGraw moved to Chicago and became their ace reliever. He appeared in a career high 66 games for the White Sox in 1977 and another 52 in 1978. In 1977, he had 25 saves for the White Sox, third best in the American League. He was also among the league leaders in saves in 1978 with 16.

He finished his career with stints with the Dodgers and Phillies. In 10 seasons he had a 34-55 Win-Loss record in 309 games (67 as a starter), with 19 complete games, 2 shutouts, 140 games finished, 54 saves, 779 innings pitched, 814 hits allowed, 74 home runs allowed, 312 walks allowed, 375 strikeouts, a 4.11 ERA and a 1.445 WHIP.

External links

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/l/lagrole01.shtml Baseball-Reference.com]
* [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=lagrole01 Baseball Almanac]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Lerrin_LaGrow_1948 BaseballLibrary.com]