Mike Scott
Michael Warren Scott
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 215 lb.
- School Central Arizona College, Pepperdine University
- High School Hawthorne (CA) High School
- Debut April 18, 1979
- Final Game April 13, 1991
- Born April 26, 1955 in Santa Monica, CA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Mike Scott, who had 124 major league victories, turned into an overpowering strikeout artist more than halfway through his career at age 31. Up until then, in seven major league seasons, he never had more than 137 strikeouts in a season and was never close to throwing one strikeout per inning. Then, in 1986, pitching for the Houston Astros, he had 306 strikeouts in 275 innings. After that, his strikeouts, and his strikeouts per nine innings, declined over the rest of his career. The change was due to his learning to throw the split-fingered fastball, which he used with devastating effect.
Scott had been successful before his big strikeout year - he went 18-8 in 1985, and a couple of years before that, in 1983, he had gone 10-6. Mike won the Cy Young Award in 1986, and then came back in 1989 to finish second in the voting. He pitched a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants on September 25, 1986, which clinched the NL West division title for the Astros. He was then outstanding in the NLCS against his former team, the New York Mets, pitching two complete game victories, including a shutout, and striking out 19 while walking just 1 in 18 innings. Unfortunately, those were the only two games the Astros won in the series.
Scott was on Team USA when they won Silver medal in the 1975 Pan American Games.
His entire 13-year major league career was spent with the New York Mets and the Astros. The Mets had drafted him in the 2nd round of the 1976 amateur draft.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 3-time NL All-Star (1986, 1987 & 1989)
- NL Cy Young Award Winner (1986)
- 1986 NLCS MVP
- NL ERA Leader (1986)
- NL Wins Leader (1989)
- NL Innings Pitched Leader (1986)
- NL Strikeouts Leader (1986)
- NL Shutouts Leader (1986)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 4 (1985-1987 & 1989)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1989)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 6 (1985-1990)
- 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 2 (1986 & 1987)
- 300 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1986)
| NL Cy Young Award | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
| Dwight Gooden | Mike Scott | Steve Bedrosian |
Further Reading[edit]
- Mike Scott (as told to George Vass): "The Game I'll Never Forget", Baseball Digest, May 1990, pp. 53-55. [1]
- George White: "Great Scott & the Split-Finger Fastball", in Zander Hollander, ed.: The Complete Handbook of Baseball: 1987 Season, Signet Books, New American Library, New York, NY, 1987, pp. 6-13. ISBN 0-451-14761-8
We're Social...for Statheads
Every Sports Reference Social Media Account
Site Last Updated:
Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction?
Subscribe to our Free Email Newsletter
Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE
Your All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database
Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more.