As part of the FanIQ Baseball Hall of Fame Vote, fans have the opportunity to explain why a player deserves to be inducted. We lead off this series with Kegger making a case for Jack Morris.Jack Morris was the ultimate competitor, and in my eyes, represented what every athlete should try to be, come game time. Jack Morris lasted one heck of a long time in the major leagues. Thirteen times he won fifteen games or more, three times he was a 20 game winner. But it's Morris' durability that made him a great pitcher..well and the fact he was the winningest pitcher of the 1980s.
From his time with the Detroit Tigers (12 seasons), Morris won 198 games. During the 80s, Morris averaged 244 innings pitched per season and won 162 games. After the 1990 season, Morris signed with the Twins. During his lone season in Minnesota, Morris won 18 games and led his team to the World Series. It was here that Morris defined his career. Starting three games in the Series, Morris went 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA in 23 innings. It was game seven where Morris left his legacy, going 10 innings in a 1-0 win. This alone is arguably one of the greatest World Series pitching moments ever.
Other key stats and numbers, taken from the Hall of Fame Candidacy Page.
* 14 straight Opening Day starts - tied with Walter Johnson and Steve Carlton for second most ever
* 515 Consecutive starting assignments
* 33 starts per season from 80-88 (Except `81 - strike shortened)
* Led all ML pitchers in the 1980s with 162 wins, 133 complete games, 332 starts and 2,443 innings
* Holds AL career record for most putouts by a pitcher (387)
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