Tug McGraw Stats

Frank Edwin McGraw was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the New York Mets (1965�1967, 1969�1974) and Philadelphia Phillies (1975�1984). Did you know that Tug, his nickname, was the father of country music singer Tim McGraw? Did you know Tug recorded the final out, via a strikeout of the Kansas City Royals left fielder Willie Wilson, in the 1980 World Series, bringing the Philadelphia Phillies their first world championship? Did you know McGraw was the last active major league player to have played under manager Casey Stengel?

Tug McGraw Rookie Card | 1965 Topps Baseball Card (#533 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library

The Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame is a collection of plaques, mounted on a brick wall in the Ashburn Alley section of Citizens Bank Park. From 1978 to 2003, the Phillies inducted one figure from their franchise history and one notable person from the Philadelphia Athletics (A's) organization each year, with the exception of 1983, when the Phillies inducted their Centennial Team. Their Centennial Team commemorates the best players of the first 100 years in franchise history and Mcgraw made the team which includes: Richie Ashburn (OF), Bob Boone (C), Larry Bowa (SS), Steve Carlton (LHP), Del Ennis (OF), Dallas Green (MGR), Jim Konstanty (RHP), Garry Maddox (OF), Tug McGraw (LHP), Robin Roberts (RHP), Pete Rose (1B), Mike Schmidt (3B) and Manny Trillo (2B).

Phillies Centennial Team | Philadelphia Phillies | Citizens Bank Park

The Montreal Expos began as a franchise in 1969 and lost their first ever franchise game on April 9, 1969, to relief pitcher Tug McGraw. How did the former starting pitcher, up through this season, become a reliever? McGraw explained, "The only other pitcher with a screwball was Jim Brewer of the Dodgers, so the hitters weren�t used to seeing it. By June, I was still pitching well and Gil (Hodges, his manager in the minors) called me into his office again. He said, 'Tug, I have three pieces of advice for you. One, I think you should think about staying in the bullpen permanently. You could be a great reliever and at best an average starter. Two, this team needs a late-inning stopper, and I want you to be my stopper. Three, I think you�ll make a lot more money as a reliever than as a starter. Now it�s up to you.' I said, 'Gil, if you think that's the way for me to go, I'm there already.' The rest is history."