Claude Osteen
| Birthdate | 8/9/1939 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1956 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Astros, Cardinals, Dodgers, Reds, Senators, White Sox |
| Position | Pitcher |
From 1964-1973 three-time All Star Claude Osteen averaged more than 16 wins per season; his World Series ERA was 0.86 in 21 innings of work.
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Claude Osteen played with the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Senators from 1957-1964
Claude Osteen played with the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Senators from 1957-1964
Claude Osteen enjoyed a long and productive career in professional baseball. A veteran of 18 big league seasons, the left-hander pitched from 1957-1975.
To put that span in perspective, at 17 years old in 1957 the left-hander pitched on the same staff as Joe Nuxhall who debuted in 1944. In his final year in the majors in 1975, Osteen was a teammate of Goose Gossage and faced a young George Brett. On May 16th that year, he pitched in a game against the Indians that featured Dennis Eckersley whose career ended two years shy of the new millennium.
Osteen made his debut with the Reds against Stan Musial’s St. Louis Cardinals. Two outings later he walked Chuck Tanner who was his last big league manager. It took Osteen some time to find his footing as he bounced between the majors and the minors from 1957-1961.
In 1962 and ’63 he combined to go 17-27. The win/loss record belied his effectiveness. His Washington team lost 207 games in the two seasons. Meanwhile, Osteen had 15 complete games, and four shutouts. His 3.47 ERA was 12% better than league average.
In 1964 he posted his first winning season at 15-13 for the 100-loss Senators. That December the Dodgers acquired Osteen. For the next 9 seasons, he was among the most reliable and productive hurlers in the game.
Shown here are a pair of Claude Osteen Topps baseball cards autographed by the pitcher. On the left is Osteen’s rookie card with the Reds. To the right is a from his first winning season with the Senators in 1964.
The Dodgers traded Frank Howard for Claude Osteen in a 7-player deal that helped both teams
The Dodgers traded Frank Howard for Claude Osteen in a 7-player deal that helped both teams
By the time Claude Osteen 24, he had appeared in parts of 7 big league seasons. At the end of 1964 he had a middling record of 32-42 with a 3.60 ERA.
In early December, the Dodgers put together a 7-player deal to acquire the left hander. The key piece Los Angeles sent to the Senators was big Frank Howard.
The trade worked out well for both clubs.
Official Dodger team historian Mark Langil broke down the trade thusly, “During his nine-year career with the Dodgers, Osteen averaged 37 starts, 266 innings and 16 wins. Osteen was a 20-game winner in 1969 and 1972. He was traded to the Houston Astros after the 1973 season in exchange for outfielder Jimmy Wynn, himself a key component of the 1974 NL pennant-winning Dodgers.
“As for Howard, he became a fan favorite in Washington until the franchise moved to Texas in 1972. He was an All-Star in four consecutive seasons and between 1968 and 1970 belted 136 home runs. Howard drew a career-high 132 walks in 1970 to complement his 44 home runs and 126 RBI.
“In 2009, the Washington Nationals unveiled three statues at Nationals Park honoring Howard, Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson and Homestead Grays catcher Josh Gibson.”
Shown here is Howard’s 1960 Topps rookie card signed by the man who finished with 382 home runs.
Osteen had an 0.86 ERA in 21 innings in World Series play; he earned a ring in 1965
Osteen had an 0.86 ERA in 21 innings in World Series play; he earned a ring in 1965
Claude Osteen won 196 big league games in the regular season, posting a 3.30 earned run average and 1.275 WHIP. He also made three starts in the World Series. On baseball’s biggest stage, Osteen was tough as nails.
In 1965 the left-hander got two starts. In Game 3 he twirled a complete-game 5-hit shutout, stifling the offense of the AL champion Twins. Four days later in Game 6, he was the tough luck loser, allowing just one earned run in five innings of work. Twenty-four hours later the Dodgers triumphed in Game 7 behind Sandy Koufax’s ten-strikeout, three-hit shutout.
In ’66 the Osteen and the Dodgers returned to the Fall Classic. He started Game 3 and pitched well, limiting Baltimore to one run on three hits in seven innings. The mighty Dodger pitching staff succumbed in a four-game sweep.
Osteen’s career statistics in the Fall Classic include an 0.86 ERA in 21 innings. He tallied one complete game – the 1965 Game 3 whitewash – and an 0.875 WHIP.
Shown here is a 9×11 sheet commemorating the 1965 World Champion Dodgers. It is autographed by the Dodger dynamic duo Don Drysdale and Koufax. Osteen is depicted in the top right corner.
In 1966 Osteen, Koufax, Drysdale, and Sutton started all but 8 of the Dodgers' games
In 1966 Osteen, Koufax, Drysdale, and Sutton started all but 8 of the Dodgers' games
The Dodgers starting pitching rotation in 1966 was one for the ages. Headlined by Cy Young Award winner Sandy Koufax, it boasted two other Cooperstown men, veteran Don Drysdale, and rookie Don Sutton.
Koufax won 27 in his final season. Second in victories was Claude Osteen who’s 2.85 ERA was also second among Dodger starters. Those four hurlers combined to make 154 starts and win 69 games. The team’s other 8 starts went to 23-year old Joe Moeller who posted a personal-best 131 ERA+ in his career year.
The Dodgers won the National League pennant over the rival Giants. In Koufax’s final season, the Baltimore Orioles swept aside the Dodgers to claim the World Series title.
Shown here is a photo of Osteen’s pitching mates Koufax and Moeller. The circumstances of the photo present an interesting case. It was taken on May 24, 1964 after a game against the Phillies. Twenty-one year old Moeller started the contest against the future Hall of Famer Jim Bunning Philadelphia club that came in with the best record in baseball.
Unfazed, Moeller blanked the Phils through six innings, allowing just three hits. Koufax who pitched a complete game just three days earlier came on in relief. Sandy completed the shutout with three scoreless frames, picking up the 7th save of his career.
Both pitchers have signed the photo.
Claude Osteen surrendered a memorable homer to Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry
Claude Osteen surrendered a memorable homer to Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry
Hall of Fame hurler Gaylord Perry was awful with a bat in his hands. His career on-base percentage is a woeful .153. Even worse, his lifetime OPS+ is -10. That means as a batter he was 110% lower than league average.
Perry’s manager in his first three big league seasons was Alvin Dark. From 1962-1965 while they were together in San Francisco, Perry tallied just 10 hits in 99 plate appearances.
That performance prompted Dark to remark, “Mark my words. A man will land on the moon before Gaylord Perry hits a home run.”
No one knew how prophetic Dark’s thoughts would be.
Some five years after uttering those words, Perry made a start against the Dodgers on July 20, 1969. The same day at 1:17 Eastern Standard Time, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon.
Nearly 300,000 miles away, Perry came to bat and hit the first homer of his big league career.
The spitball artists explained the event to MLB.com in 2009.
“Well, about the top of the third, over the loudspeaker they were telling everyone to stand and give a moment of silent thanks for the astronauts who landed on the moon. And I’d say 30 minutes later, Claude Osteen grooved me a fastball and I hit it out of the park.”
Alvin Dark was right.
Shown here is an invitation to his induction on July 21, 1991. The writers selected Perry along with Rod Carew and Fergie Jenkins. The three were joined by Veterans Committee picks Tony Lazzeri and Bill Veeck.
Carew signed the back of this invitation and inscribed a nice note to the scout who signed him to his first pro contract. That can be seen on Carew’s page by clicking here
Claude Osteen had two 20-win seasons and eight campaigns of 15 or more victories
Claude Osteen had two 20-win seasons and eight campaigns of 15 or more victories
In his 9 seasons in Los Angeles Osteen made three All Star teams, had a pair 20-win campaigns, and pitched in two World Series. He also had two seasons with 17 victories and two with 16. The southpaw’s best year came in 1969, the first of his 20-win showings. Osteen posted career-highs in starts (41), complete games (16), shutouts (7), strikeouts (183), and WAR (5.8).
In back-to-back World Series in 1965 and ’66, Osteen sparkled. In 21 Fall Classic innings he posted a 0.86 ERA, earning a ring in ’65.
During his career, Osteen was competent at bat, hitting over .200 in six seasons. The pitcher also boasts 34 career appearances as a pinch-hitter. Additionally his .971 lifetime fielding percentage is 18 points higher than the league average.
By the time his big league career was over, Osteen had 18 seasons and 196 wins to his credit. His 40 shutouts tie him at 44th on the all-time list with teammate Sandy Koufax and Cooperstown men Jim Bunning and Chief Bender. The durable Osteen also started 488 games, placing him 55th in the history books. His career WAR is higher than that of Hall of Fame hurlers Catfish Hunter and Jesse Haines.
After hanging up his spikes, Osteen served as pitching coach for the Cardinals, Phillies, Rangers, and Dodgers.
Shown here are a pair of index cards. The top one is signed by Osteen who has added, “3 Time All Star”. Osteen has inscribed the bottom card with his career highlights, “20 game winner twice 1969-1972, World Series shutout 4-0 1965, Lifetime ERA 3.29, World Series ERA 0.86 21 inn, winning pitcher – 1970 All Star Game”
Don Sutton and Claude Osteen combined to win 253 games for the Dodgers from 1966-1973
Don Sutton and Claude Osteen combined to win 253 games for the Dodgers from 1966-1973
Claude Osteen pitched 18 big league seasons for six teams. Nine of those years came in LosAngeles. From 1966-1973 he was the southpaw in a strong left-right combination with Hall of Famer Don Sutton.
During the 8 years they were together, Osteen won 132 games and had a 3.13 earned run average. Right-hander Sutton complimented him with 120 victories of his own to go along with a 3.03 ERA.
Osteen reached the 20-win threshold twice, and posted two 17-win seasons. Sutton nearly matched that with a 19- and 18-win campaign to go along with a pair of seasons with 17 victories.
In this handwritten letter on Dodger letterhead, Sutton opines about the choice of the cap in his Hall of Fame plaque. The 324-game winner writes, “Jim, Although I played for a few teams, I’m very proud that it’s a Dodger cap in Cooperstown. Don Sutton 8-14-99”.
For Sutton fans August 14th is a highlight. One year to the day before he signed this, Sutton’s #20 was retired in a ceremony at Dodgers Stadium.
In December of '73 the Dodgers traded Osteen to the Braves for Jimmy Wynn
In December of '73 the Dodgers traded Osteen to the Braves for Jimmy Wynn
After 19 seasons with the Dodgers, Claude Osteen was traded to the Astros in December of ’73. The deal sent Osteen and a minor leaguer to Houston for outfielder Jimmy Wynn.
Osteen pitched two more years, going 16-27 with a 4.11 ERA before retiring. In Wynn’s two seasons in Los Angeles the Dodgers combined to win 180 games and the 1974 NL pennant. His production resulted in a 7.7 WAR season the the Senior Circuit champs and a 4.7 WAR in ’75.
By the time the Dodgers traded Wynn in a six-player deal with the Braves that netted Dusty Baker, Osteen’s career was over.
Osteen provided Los Angeles value on the field and on the trading block. The Dodgers swap of Osteen for Wynn and Wynn for Baker helped the franchise for more than a decade.
The government postcard above was signed by Wynn a week before the 1969 season opener. To see more about Wynn, click here.
