Pete Vuckovich

Peter Dennis Vuckovich

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 220 lb.
• School Clarion State College
• High School Conemaugh Valley High School
• Debut August 3, 1975
• Final Game October 2, 1986
• Born October 27, 1952 in Johnstown, PA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Pete Vuckovich went 18-6 with a 3.34 ERA with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982 and won the Cy Young Award that year. He played hurt down the stretch that year, and his arm never fully recovered, but he was indispensable to the team's pennant that season. He eventually retired after the 1986 season due to injuries.

He reached the majors with the Chicago White Sox in 1975 after having been a 3rd-round selection in the 1974 amateur draft. he was taken by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1977 expansion draft and he and Tom Murphy were the only pitchers on the inaugural edition of the team in 1977 to post a record of .500 or better: Murphy went 2-1 in 19 games and Pete was 7-7 in 53 games and also led the team with 8 saves. Following the season, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in return for pitchers Victor Cruz and Tom Underwood. He was a starter for St. Louis for three seasons from 1978 to 1980, winning in double figures each year. before the 1981 season, he was part of a huge trade to the Brewers that included seven players, including such luminaries as future Hall of Famers Rollie Fingers and Ted Simmons. The trade is discussed extensively in Daniel Okrent's book, Nine Innings.

Vuckovich went 14-4, 3.55 in his first season with the Brewers in 1981 in a season shortened by the 1981 strike. he helped them to the second-half title under that year's unique postseason format. He started one game and relieved in another as the Brewers lost to the New York Yankees in the Division Series, not allowing an earned run in 5 1/3 innings while picking up a win. In the 1982 Postseason, he made two starts in both the ALCS and the World Series, but was tagged with a loss in both series, without a win. After barely pitching in 1983 and missing 1984 altogether, he went 6-10, 5.51 while making 22 starts in 1985, when he clearly did not have much left in his arm. he made another six starts in 1986, pitching a bit better (he went 2-4 with an ERA 3.06 but poor peripheral numbers), and called it a career.

Vuckovich later on played slugger Clue Haywood in the 1989 movie Major League and was a Brewers TV broadcaster from 1989 to 1991.

He joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 1992 and was the minor league pitching coordinator in 1992-1993. He was a special assistant to GM Cam Bonifay in 1994-1995 and Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel during the 1996 campaign. Moving back to the field, Vuckovich was the team's pitching coach from 1997 to 2000. He then returned to the front office and served as an assistant to Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington in 2011 at least. Vuckovich was a Special Assistant to the GM for the Seattle Mariners in 2013.

He was a contemporary of both John Vukovich and George Vukovich, although none of the three were related and the other two spelled their last name slightly differently.

Notable Achievements

• AL Cy Young Award Winner (1982)
• AL Wins Leader (1981)
• AL Winning Percentage Leader (1982)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 2 (1979 & 1982)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 3 (1979, 1980 & 1982)

AL Cy Young Award
1981	1982	1983
Rollie Fingers	Pete Vuckovich	LaMarr Hoyt

Related Sites

• Pete Vuckovich at the SABR Bio Project