The Dodgers were the juggarnaut of the National League this year. They lead the league in runs scored, ERA, and wins; they then won the pennant by crushing the Pirates in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were destroyed in the World Series by the Oakland Athletics.
        The Dodgers pitching staff was led by starters Andy Messersmith and Don Sutton, and the hardest working reliever ever, Mike Marshall, who won the Cy Young Award.

         Marshall is the only pitcher in baseball history with 100+ games pitched, and with 200+ innings pitched in a season. And chances are that he will retain those records for a long time. He pitched very well, but I don't agree with his selection; his won-loss wasn't great, especially for a guy who pitched for a great team. His ERA was good, not great, as was his save total. I can't see how he could have been better than Messersmith. The heavy workload didn't do Marshall much good; he declined rapidly the next few seasons. He made a successful comeback with Minnesota, who let him pitch 90 games in 1979; his career ended quickly thereafter.
        Andy Messersmith was a terrific pitcher; this may have been his best season, though he had several others just like it. He had starred earlier for Angels, and could have been part of a rotation with Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana, but for some reason the Angels dealt him to the Dodgers. He pitched great in Los Angeles, then he and Dave McNally challenged the reserve clause after the 1975 season. The players won the challenge; Messersmith and McNally became the first two free agents in baseball, and a new era of baseball economics was ushered in. Messersmith then signed with the Braves, and his career went to hell in a handbasket.
        Speaking of the Braves, they probably had the best pitching in league this year. The Dodgers had a slightly better staff ERA, but they played in pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium, while Atlanta pitchers toiled in the Launching Pad, Fulton-County Stadium. Phil Niekro had perhaps his best season; this was one of the rare years in which Niekro actually played for a good team, and thus he had a good won-loss record as well. The Braves also had Lee "Buzz" Capra on their staff; Capra never won more than six games in any other year in his career, but he was great this year.
        I don't think there's any question that Phil Niekro was the best pitcher in the NL this year. He was the leader or runner-up in wins, complete games, shutouts, innings, and ERA, and he pitched in a tough ballpark. I also think Messersmith was better than Marshall, who I'll place third.