100 Greatest Phillies

100 Greatest Phillies: 48 – Steve Bedrosian

Steve Bedrosian
Relief Pitcher
1986-1989

Career w/Phillies: 287.1 IP / 21-18 / 103 SV / 3.28 ERA / 241 K

Steve Bedrosian came to the Phillies in 1986, when the Phillies traded Pete Smith and Ozzie Virgil to Atlanta for the 28-year-old late-innings reliever. He was erroneously converted to the rotation in 1985, and thinking he was a lost cause, the screaming Indians traded him, getting Virgil as their starting catcher (coming off an All-Star season). Bedrosian didn’t disappoint in Philadelphia, being one of the better closers in baseball for a surprisingly good 1986 team. In 1987, however, he was the best closer in the game, winning the NL Cy Young with a 40-save, 2.83 ERA season (to be fair, it wasn’t a particularly strong pitching year in the National League). He suffered a little in 1988 but still finished fourth in league saves. He was traded to San Francisco despite a solid start to 1989. The Phillies got Terry Mulholland, Charlie Hayes and Dennis Cook in return, beginning a run of moves that would lead the Phils to the 1993 pennant.

Comment: Bed. Rock. Everyone affiliates him with Atlanta, but his best years were clearly with the Phillies. He was an igniter for that ’86 team that gave the Mets a run for about a minute, finishing in second place 21.5 games behind. His ’87 season remains the most one of the most obscure Cy Young seasons ever played.

Phillies Nation has been bringing Phillies fans together since 2004 with non-stop news, analysis, trade rumors, trips, t-shirts, and other fun stuff!

Browse the Archives

Browse by Category

Copyright Phillies Nation, LLC 2004-2024
Not Affiliated with Major League Baseball or the Philadelphia Phillies

To Top