The 1966 Cleveland Indians were not a great team, finishing the season with an 81-81 record and 5th in the American League. What kept them respectable was a fantastic pitching staff led by Gary Bell, Sonny Siebert, Sam McDowell, Steve Hargan, and Luis Tiant.
| Rk | Pos | Name | Age | W | L | ERA | G | GS | GF | SV | IP ▼ |
H | BB | SO | ERA+ | FIP | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SP | Gary Bell | 29 | 14 | 15 | 3.22 | 40 | 37 | 1 | 0 | 254.1 | 211 | 79 | 194 | 107 | 2.98 | 1.140 |
| 2 | SP | Sonny Siebert | 29 | 16 | 8 | 2.80 | 34 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 241.0 | 193 | 62 | 163 | 123 | 3.40 | 1.058 |
| 3 | SP | Sam McDowell* | 23 | 9 | 8 | 2.87 | 35 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 194.1 | 130 | 102 | 225 | 120 | 2.71 | 1.194 |
| 4 | SP | Steve Hargan | 23 | 13 | 10 | 2.48 | 38 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 192.0 | 173 | 45 | 132 | 139 | 2.51 | 1.135 |
| 5 | RP | Luis Tiant | 25 | 12 | 11 | 2.79 | 46 | 16 | 22 | 8 | 155.0 | 121 | 50 | 145 | 124 | 3.03 | 1.103 |
| 6 | RP | John O’Donoghue* | 26 | 6 | 8 | 3.83 | 32 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 108.0 | 109 | 23 | 49 | 90 | 3.91 | 1.222 |
| 7 | RP | Tom Kelley | 22 | 4 | 8 | 4.34 | 31 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 95.1 | 97 | 42 | 64 | 79 | 4.44 | 1.458 |
| 8 | Jack Kralick* | 31 | 3 | 4 | 3.82 | 27 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 68.1 | 69 | 20 | 31 | 91 | 4.28 | 1.302 | |
| 9 | RP | Bob Allen* | 28 | 2 | 2 | 4.21 | 36 | 0 | 23 | 5 | 51.1 | 56 | 13 | 33 | 82 | 2.65 | 1.344 |
While Luis Tiant would have the best career of the bunch, and two years later would put together a 20-win season with the Tribe. Tiant would follow his 20-game season with another 20-game season, only it was 20 losses. This was due largely to rule changes–a smaller strike zone and a reduced mound height–that improved offense across the league. Tiant is only of only a dozen players to win 20 games, then lose 20 the next season.
Overall, Tiant had a great career:
- 229-172 overall record, good for a career 114 ERA+ and 66.1 WAR.
- Four 20-win seasons
- Three All-Star selections
- Two ERA Titles
- Three seasons with Top 6 Cy Young votes