Best of The San Francisco Giants: Top 10 Relief Pitching Seasons (UPDATED)
By Phil Watson
1. Stu Miller, 1961
| Year ▾ | Age | W | L | ERA | G | GF | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA+ | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 33 | 14 | 5 | 2.66 | 63 | 46 | 17 | 122.0 | 95 | 36 | 37 | 89 | 143 | 1.082 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/12/2014.
In an era where relief pitchers were not considered a commodity as much as they were just failed starters, Miller put together one of the great seasons of any reliever in 1961, as he was selected for both All-Star games that season and received MVP consideration—almost unheard of for a pitcher who did not start games.
Miller’s 14 wins ranked 10th in the NL and he was second with 63 appearances. Had the save been an official stat in 1961 (it wasn’t officially recognized until 1969), his 17 saves would have led the league.
Through the prism, he converted 17 of 25 save opportunities and registered two holds, while allowing only 15 of 71 inherited runners to score, posting an average leverage index of 1.512.
Among relievers, Miller led the league with a 1.082 WHIP, .215 opponent batting average and 62 OPS-plus, was second with a 2.66 ERA and a 143 ERA-plus and third with 6.57 strikeouts per nine innings.