1976 HEADLINE: Jim Palmer Wins Cy Young Award For Third Time In Four Seasons

1976 HEADLINE: Jim Palmer Wins Cy Young Award For Third Time In Four Seasons

On this day in 1976, Jim Palmer won the Cy Young Award for being the best pitcher in the American League.

In a 4-year span from 1973-76, Palmer won the AL Cy Young Award 3 times.  Impressively, he dominated the league and was the leader of a very strong Orioles team.

A quick peek at the numbers:

Year	Record	Comp. Games	ERA	K’s	Walks	K’s:Walks
1973	22-9	19	2.40	158	113	1.4
1975	23-11	25	2.09	193	80	2.4
1976	22-13	23	2.51	159	84	1.9

Oh yeah, he also finished in second place in 1977 behind Sparky Lyle.  In a tight race, Lyle got 40% of the votes while Palmer tallied 34%.

Jim Palmer’s Glorious 1966 Topps Rookie Baseball Card

Jim Palmer’s Glorious 1966 Topps Rookie Baseball Card

When I decided a few years back that I wanted to pay tribute to Jim Palmer and his Hall of Fame career, I knew that some cards would be tougher to obtain.

And while I am not so finicky that I will not accept good or very good condition baseball cards in my collection, I am patient enough to wait it out long enough to know that I have found one that will make me happy.

And you know what, it took quite some time, but I eventually brought one into my collection.

And it is superb – Have a look:

Jim Palmer’s Hall Of Fame Plaque

Jim Palmer’s Hall Of Fame Plaque

Elected to the Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1990, Jim Palmer received 411 of the 444 votes counted.

With a pitching resume that could compare with the game’s greatest, the fact that Palmer fell short of the 300 wins mark by 32 victories did not hurt his reputation as one of the greatest pitchers from the 60’s, 70’s, and into the 80’s.

A true class act that stayed loyal to one team over the course of his career, Palmer still holds several Baltimore Oriole pitching records and remains a team favorite 25+ years since his retirement!!!

Congratulations on a fantastic career and Happy Birthday Mr. Jim Palmer!!!!

Jim Palmer Has A Very Stylish And Surprisingly Affordable Autograph!!!

Jim Palmer Has A Very Stylish And Surprisingly Affordable Autograph!!!

I own a baseball signed by Jim Palmer – one of my personal favorites.  The style in which he scribbles his name is very appealing to the eye, even though someone not familiar with his signature may have a hard time reading it.

And Palmer’s autographs can be had for a pretty good price too.  He is always on the autograph signing circuit, and most of the in-person experiences I have read involving the 3-time Cy Young winner are very positive.

What’s nice about how Palmer signs is the consistency of his autograph – all of them look fantastic!!!

Whether it is on a baseball…

Jim Palmer Was Quite The Spokesman Back In The Day…

Jim Palmer Was Quite The Spokesman Back In The Day…

The expression goes something like this – “The ladies want to be with him, and the guys want to be like him”.

And that is probably why Jim Palmer was a very successful spokesman during his playing days, and even after.

A peek at some fun commercials I found featuring Mr. Palmer….

Good stuff right there!!!

Jim Palmer Owns 3 World Series Championship Rings!!

Jim Palmer Owns 3 World Series Championship Rings!!

It’s very impressive that Jim Palmer has won three World Series Championships.

Equally impressive is that he played in 6 championship match-ups during his 19-year big league career.

However, what I find most impressive about Palmer and his World Series experiences is that he won a World Series in three different decades.  Jim Palmer and his Baltimore Orioles teammates won championships in 1966, 1970, and 1983!!  In those three championship runs, Palmer went a perfect 3-0 for the O’s while pitching 26 innings.  In those 26 innings, he allowed 8 runs while striking out 16.

Simply Stellar!!!

Jim Palmer’s Run Of Three Cy Young Award In Four Consecutive Seasons

Jim Palmer’s Run Of Three Cy Young Award In Four Consecutive Seasons

At the conclusion of the 1976 major league baseball season, Jim Palmer won the Cy Young Award for being the best pitcher in the American League.

In a 4-year span from 1973-76, Palmer won the AL Cy Young Award 3 times.  Impressively, he dominated the league and was the leader of a very strong Orioles team.

A quick peek at the numbers:

Year	Record	Comp. Games	ERA	K’s	Walks	K’s:Walks
1973	22-9	19	2.40	158	113	1.4
1975	23-11	25	2.09	193	80	2.4
1976	22-13	23	2.51	159	84	1.9

Oh yeah, he also finished in second place in 1977 behind Sparky Lyle.  In a tight race, Lyle got 40% of the votes while Palmer tallied 34%.

Jim Palmer Won 20 Or More Games In 8 Different Seasons!!!

Jim Palmer Won 20 Or More Games In 8 Different Seasons!!!

For me, the mark of a truly dominant pitcher has more to do with how successful they are versus what the radar gun says after they throw a baseball.

And 1 of the easiest ways to measure success is in wins.

Jim Palmer won 268 games during his big league career.  And during those 19 seasons, he reached or eclipsed the 20-wins plateau in 8 of them.

A look at the numbers:

Year	# of Starts	# of Wins
1970	39	20
1971	37	20
1972	36	21
1973	38	22
1975	38	23
1976	40	22
1977	39	20
1978	38	21

During his playing days, Palmer pitched in a 4-man rotation.  Starting close to 40 games a year was expected of him, and because of his great athletic ability as well as his staying healthy for the majority of his playing days, he gave the Orioles a strong #1 starter for close to 2 decades!!!

Jim Palmer Goes The Distance…

Jim Palmer Goes The Distance…

I like numbers.  I like odd numbers.  I like impressive numbers.  In my line of work, I constantly play with numbers.

Of all of the impressive numbers on Jim Palmer’s resume, the one that stands out to me the most is:  211!

Jim Palmer threw 211 complete games during his magnificent 19-year baseball career.  Having started a total of 558 games during the regular season, Palmer went the distance in 37.8% of them!!!

By today’s standards nobody is even close to comparable!!!  Atta boy Mr. Palmer!!!

Jim Palmer’s 1969 No-Hitter!!!

Jim Palmer’s 1969 No-Hitter!!!

On August 13, 1969, Jim Palmer and his Baltimore Orioles teammates were at home to face the Oakland Athletics.  2 of the better teams in the American League, both rosters were full of All-stars and future Hall of Famers.

But on this day, it was Palmer’s star that shined the brightest!!

Palmer threw a complete game against the O’s, allowing no hits in the process.  Taking his amazing record to 11-2 on the year, Palmer gave up 0 runs while striking out 8 and walking 6.

The Orioles won the game 8-0, with help from the offense of Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, and Don Bufurd.  And Palmer, a talented athlete himself, helped his cause at the plate too – he went 2-for-3 on the day while also scoring a run and driving in another!

Happy Anniversary Mr. Palmer!!!