Bret Saberhagen

By Brad Berreman
Love of Sports Correspondent

Bret Saberhagen won two A.L. Cy Young Awards and two Comeback Player of the Year Awards, yet had under 200 career wins.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say he’s probably the only player to hold that distinction.

Saberhagen won his Cy Youngs in 1985 and 1989 as a member of the Kansas City Royals, leading them to the World Series in 1985, going 20-6 with a 2.87 ERA at just 21 years of age. He threw two complete games in the World Series as the Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. He was named Series MVP.

He continued a strange pattern of success in odd numbered seasons, by going 18-10 with a 3.36 ERA in 1987 and earning his first of three career All-Star nods as he entered the All-Star break with a 15-3 record. He suffered a shoulder injury during the All-Star Game, which hampered his performance during the second half of the season, but he still won the Comeback Player of the Year Award that season.

In 1989, he again won the Cy Young, this time going 23-6 with a 2.16 ERA as he led both leagues in complete games with 12 and won a Gold Glove as well. He was particularly good for the season’s final two months, going 14-1 with four shutouts over that span.

Saberhagen made his second All-Star team in 1990, despite having just a 5-7 record leading into the All-Star break. He only made one start in the second half of that season, as he missed most of the rest of the season due to injury.

He threw a no-hitter in 1991, which was his last season as a Royal. This is also the last no-hitter the Royals franchise has had. He was traded to the New York Mets before the next season. He’d win 14 games in the strike-shortened ‘94 season, during which he made his third and final All-Star team.  He actually had more wins than walks that season, a truly remarkable feat.

After that, Saberhagen would join the Colorado Rockies in 1995 and helped the team make the playoffs before being eliminated in the NLDS by the Atlanta Braves. He was once again plagued by injuries, something that had become a theme for his career.

He had one last solid season in 1998, winning 15 games for the Boston Red Sox and winning the AL Comeback Player of the Year for the second time in his career. He missed the entire 2000 season and pitched just three games for Boston in ‘01 before retiring.

For his career, he had a 167-117 record with a 3.34 ERA and 1,715 strikeouts. He currently coaches high school baseball in Calabasas, California.

So, in recognition of a pitcher who had an injury plagued career but also showed great resiliency, here’s some Old School Love to Bret Saberhagen!