What a great race they had this year in the NL. The Giants won the pennant with 103 wins; the Dodgers finished one game back, with 102 wins. Cincinnati won 98 games. The Giants then lost in the World Series in seven games to the Yankees.
        All three teams had great batting lineups. Surprisingly, none of the three teams had really outstanding pitching staffs, though there were some pitchers who had great seasons. Don Drysdale of the Dodgers won the Cy Young Award.

        Drysdale broke in with the Dodgers when he was 20 years old. This was his seventh season in the majors, and his best. Drysdale was a classic power pitcher and a perfect fit with the Dodgers; he was a tall, handsome dude from California who was tough to hit, threw a lot of innings, and had very good control. This was the first of four consecutive seasons in which Drysdale had 300+ innings pitched; the extra workload, however, didn't do him any good. Drysdale won only five games past age 32, finishing with 209.
        Drysdale is in the Hall Of Fame, though it took him a long time to get there. His career was shorter than you would expect from a Hall Of Famer, and his won-loss records weren't great, despite the fact he usually played for good teams. He was a very good pitcher, but not as good as Koufax, Gibson, or Marichal.
        Compare Drysdale's career to another power pitcher, Vida Blue. Blue began his career in 1969, Drydale's last season. Blue was 20 years old when he made his debut; so was Drysdale. Blue pitched spent all but two years of his career on the West Coast, in Oakland and San Francisco. Drysdale pitched for two years in Brooklyn, then moved West to Los Angeles for the remainder of his career.
        Drydale's won-lost record was 209-166; Blue's was 209-161. Drysdale won a Cy Young Award; Blue won both a Cy Young and an MVP. Drysdale had two 20-win seasons, with a high of 25; Blue had three 20-win seasons, with a high of 24. Drysdale won three World Series, in 1959, 1963 and 1965. Blue also won three World Series, from 1972-74. Drysdale led the league three times in strikeouts; Blue never led the league, though his 301 strikeouts in 1971 were more than Drysdale ever had.         On the whole, Drysdale was probably a better pitcher, had a much better ERA and was more durable. Then again, he also pitched in the 1960's, when many pitchers had great seasons. The point isn't which pitcher was better; the point is, was either a Hall Of Famer? And if one is, then what about the other? I'm not arguing for Vida Blue to be inducted, but I do think that there are many pitchers who were as good as Drysdale who must be wondering why he got into the Hall and they didn't.
         Bob Purkey and Joey Jay both pitched for Cincinnati. Purkey was a knuckleballer, had a solid, if unremarkable career; this was by far the best season. Jay reached the majors with the Braves when he was 18; he spent seven years sitting on the bench, before he was finally traded to the Reds. This was the second straight year he won 21 games; he faded quickly afterwards. Jack Sanford was the Giants' top starter; he too had a solid, unremarkable career. He pitched well this season, though his won/loss record was certainly helped by the great Giants' offense.
        Sandy Koufax also pitched for the Dodgers, and continued his breakthrough into greatness. For the first time, Koufax was able to combine outstanding control with his devastating fastball and curve. It also helped that the Dodgers moved into a new park at Chavez Ravine; the old Los Angeles Coliseum had a short left-field fence, and was a brutal park for left-handers. This year, Koufax dominated hitters, though he didn't pitch nearly as much as Drysdale. Koufax missed time with circulatory problems, the same ones that would end his career five years later.