That’s so far beneath the major league record — 1.82 by Big Ed Walsh in the dead ball era — that it’s hard to fathom,” Boswell wrote. And hitters simply couldn’t elevate the ball against him. And that brings us to player No.
After just 16 minor league games, Olson was brought to the bigs. 49 on our Top 50 list, the Birds’ all-time saves leader, Gregg Olson.It isn’t easy to be voted the league’s top rookie in the same year that Olson’s dominance didn’t come out of nowhere. In his six years with the Orioles, Olson gave up only 10 home runs in 350.1 innings.Olson’s breakout served as a perfect symbol for the 1989 “Why Not?” Orioles’ surprising success. Amidst an otherwise stellar 1993 season (in which he posted a career-best 1.60 ERA), Olson suffered a torn ligament in his elbow that he attempted to pitch through. "I did everything I could do to not make it happen.
Check out Billy Ripken saying, "You're fucking awesome!" Olson’s bread and butter was his sharp-breaking, knee-buckling curveball, a pitch that especially helped him neutralize left-handed batters.
You can also find him @GreggOlson30 on Twitter.University of California must stop considering ACT, SAT in admissions, judge rulesWalmart has the 'secret sauce' for a profitable online business, former CEO says
Spitballin': with Gregg Olson Sometime in 1867, just two years after Abraham Lincoln had a rough night watching Our American Cousin, a fellow by the name of Candy Cummings noticed that seashells curved when they were thrown. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours.
He posted 27 saves with a 1.69 ERA during his first full season in the majors in 1989 and became the first reliever to be named American League Rookie of the Year. I met Jill thirteen years ago . . Gregg Olson - Professional Career Olson used to come into save situations blowing people away with his 90-plus fastball and a devastating curveball, known as "Uncle Charlie." "Losing was something Olson never dealt with at Omaha Northwest, going 27-0 with a 0.76 ERA, 276 strikeouts, seven no-hitters — including four in the state playoffs and one in the state championship game — and four state titles before playing at Auburn.Olson's dominance didn’t translate to the college game at first. During the franchise’s glory years, the club’s farm system was a source of strength, constantly supplying fresh, productive youngsters to help the Birds remain one of the American League’s most elite contenders. And the O’s had the hardware to prove it; from 1960 through 1982, the Orioles racked up five Rookie of the Year awards, more than any other AL club.Not all of those Orioles ROYs went on to sterling careers in Baltimore.
in 1989. to Olson at the end of the game. "I just went out there and played. He was elected to the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2008, followed by an induction into the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. "I wouldn’t allow myself to lose," Olson said. Through it all, the fresh-faced right-hander was there to lock things down at the end.The script for that magical season didn’t end quite as planned, and Olson is sometimes (unfairly) associated with the Birds’ most heartbreaking loss.
(Can you imagine the ensuing Twitter firestorm if the O’s drafted a reliever that high today?
And you thought the Heston Kjerstad pick was controversial.) In the final series of the year, the O’s had a chance to tie for the division lead with a win in Toronto, but lost the opener when the Olson’s dominance extended well past that first season. I've seen his curveball when it should have been on the cover of a Stephen King novel.