As this writing project of mine continues on, soon entering into its third month, the number of players moving from the Living Players box into the Dead Players box will continue to increase. Bud Harrelson went first, followed by Don Gullett two weeks ago. And today Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Larry Demery, who recently passed away at the age of 70, joins that list.
One of the things I enjoy about writing this way is that I can look back at baseball the way it once was, and isn’t anymore and will likely never be again. For starters, consider the name “Larry.” Of the 600+ players in my 70s collection, there are no fewer than 11 named Larry: I’ve already written about Larry Biittner and Larry Cox, and will be writing about Larrys Bowa, Dierker, Gura, Haney, Harlow, Hisle, Lintz and Parrish in the months ahead. And among the players appearing in the new 2024 Topps baseball set, I can’t imagine there’s a single Larry to be found.
Another way that baseball was different in the 1970s was the level of African Americans who played in the major leagues. Currently, just six percent of major leaguers are black, as opposed to the 18% that it was when Larry Demery’s 1975 card appeared. That’s a two-thirds drop, which is almost impossible to ignore. A drop like this means a player who looks like Larry Demery is much harder to find in today’s game.
A third and final difference in 70s baseball when compared with today’s game is the way that starting pitchers are used. In the four seasons that Larry Demery pitched in the majors, he made a total of 46 starts and completed seven of them. I don’t like invented statistics, but once in every six or seven starts, Demery pitched a complete game. At the tail end of the 1976 season, he pitched a complete game against the Cubs and also took a 1-0 loss. Such a thing would never happen in today’s game.
Compare Demery’s career with that of Alex Cobb, who made his first All-Star team in 2023 at the age of 35. By pitching two complete games last season, he raised his career total to six, or one less than Demery pitched during his brief career. Alex Cobb has started 230 games over his 12 seasons in the majors. With a complete game ratio comparable to Larry Demery’s, Cobb would have upwards of 30 by this point in his career. But pitch counts and increased bullpen management and a contract calling for him to make $10 million dollars in 2024 mean that nobody will expect even two complete games from him this season.
So to wrap this up, the passing of Larry Demery reminds me, and should remind us all, that Larrys, African American players, and complete games all have become much more scarce than they once were.
That’s all for now. I’ll be back with more of this soon.
Another unique thing about the national game. I wonder how many Lawrences there are in the game. I know quite a few in my life, but no Larrys.
I don't miss the complete games. It's great when it happens but I don't find baseball more interesting for it. At least not most I'd the time. I'd rather see pitchers throw their best stuff, and there is no going back anyway. You can tell a pitcher not tk his best. How many do you think are going to do that?