There’s nothing more exciting then a rookie making a huge impact on a championship ball club. And there’s nothing like a rookie being thrown into the fire and being asked to close out games on a consistent basis. Rawly Eastwick finished more games for Sparky (40) then any other Red and he led the National League with twenty two saves.

Over 90 solid innings, Eastwick posted a 2.60 ERA (ERA+ of 138) and a WHIP of 1.133. He also topped the team with 6.10 strikeouts per nine innings.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the numbers…

Innings Pitched 90
Wins 5
Losses 3
Saves 22
ERA 2.60
ERA+ 138
WHIP 1.133
H/9 7.70
BB/9 2.50
SO/9 6.10
HR/9 0.60
Pitching Runs Above Replacement 37
Stuff 9

Definitely some nice numbers, but this is like running into a Mack truck with your tricycle. We all know Willie Hernandez had one of the single best seasons for a reliever ever, and while Eastwick threw well, he just can’t match up

Scorecard – 1975 Reds 7, 1984 Tigers 8

You can read Brian’s analysis of Willie Hernandez over at Tigerblog.

So we’re done with the debate, and the 1984 squad edged the Big Red Machine. I know all the Reds’ fans will flood me with mail about how this isn’t the best way to compare the teams, but before you do, I just want to say I completely agree with you!!!

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