Stu Miller, 1965
67 games, 14-7, 1.89 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 119.1 innings, 104 strikeouts, 24 saves
Miller spent five seasons with the Baltimore Orioles from 1963-1967. Over 297 games during that span, he posted a 2.37 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, recorded 38 victories, and collected 100 saves. Miller was in the top-20 of American League MVP voting in three of those seasons, with his highest finish (7th) coming in 1965.
In 1965, Miller’s 4.3 wins above replacement (Baseball Reference version) was good for seventh among American League pitchers. His 67 games placed him fifth.
Miller was second among AL relievers that season in both wins and saves. His save percentage (96%) was highest for anyone with double-digit saves. Of the 44 base runners Miller inherited, only nine came around to score. He recorded more than three outs in 45 of his appearances, fourth most in the American League.
Miller’s 14 wins are most among qualified Oriole relief pitchers since 1954 and his 119.1 innings are third.
Randy Myers, 1997
67 games, 2-3, 1.51 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 59.2 innings, 56 strikeouts, 45 saves
In just two seasons with the Orioles, Myers managed to rack up 76 saves to go along with a 2.51 ERA and 130 strikeouts over 118.1 innings. In his final season in Baltimore, Myers finished fourth in both the American League MVP and Cy Young Award voting.
Myers’ 45 saves led the majors and stood as the franchise record until Jim Johnson passed him during the 2012 season. Myers failed to convert a save just once in ’97, the fewest of any AL reliever with 20+ save opportunities.
Among qualified Oriole relievers since 1954, Myers’ 1.51 ERA is the lowest for a single season. He also stranded base runners at an 86.1% clip, good for 10th best.
Gregg Olson, 1989
64 games, 5-2, 1.69 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 85 innings, 90 strikeouts, 27 saves
In his age-22 season, Gregg Olson burst onto the American League scene with one of the better curveballs we’ve seen from an Oriole pitcher. He would end up becoming the first relief pitcher to capture the American League Rookie of the Year Award (receiving 26 of 28 first place votes) and finished sixth in Cy Young Award voting.
Olson’s ERA is the seventh lowest among Oriole relievers since 1954 and his .184 batting average against places him eighth.
B.J. Ryan, 2004
76 games, 4-6, 2.28 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 87 innings, 122 strikeouts, 3 saves
In 2004, Ryan tied his career high by appearing in 76 games and logged a career-high 87 innings while putting together one of the more dominant strikeout seasons by a guy from the bullpen Orioles fans have seen.
Ryan was fourth in the American League in both games and holds (21), while holding opposing batters to a .200/.279/.272 slash line during the process.
Ryan’s 122 strikeouts were second most among American League pitchers with fewer than 100 innings to Francisco Rodriguez’s 123 (84 IP). In fact, Ryan led all Oriole pitchers that season in Ks, which is pretty mind boggling when you let that sink in. Rodrigo Lopez had 121 in 170.2 innings, Erik Bedard registered 121 in 137.1, and Sidney Ponson recorded 115 in 215.2.
Jim Johnson, 2012
71 games, 2-1, 2.49 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 68.2 innings, 41 strikeouts, 51 saves
[youtube]http://youtu.be/Y1WWBIBHAm8[/youtube]
In his first full season as the Orioles’ closer, Jim Johnson set a new franchise record, made his lone All-Star team, and finished seventh in American League Cy Young voting.
Johnson’s 51 saves led the majors and surpassed the previous team record set by Randy Myers in 1997. He became the 10th player in MLB history to top the 50-save plateau.
An ERA+ of 170 placed Johnson fourth among AL relievers with 20+ saves (13 pitchers).
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