Greg Luzinski Stats & Facts

 

 

Greg Luzinski

Positions: Leftfielder and Designated Hitter
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
6-1, 220lb (185cm, 99kg)
Born: November 22, 1950  in Chicago, IL
Draft: Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1st round (11th) of the 1968 MLB June Amateur Draft from Notre Dame HS (Niles, IL).
High School: Notre Dame HS (Niles, IL)
Debut: September 9, 1970 (10,682nd in MLB history)
vs. NYM 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: September 24, 1984 
vs. MIN 0 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: Gregory Michael Luzinski
Nicknames: the Bull
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

 

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1970

Dave Concepcion
Jose Cruz
Don Baylor
Larry Bowa
Ken Singleton
Bobby Grich
Cesar Cedeno
Bert Blyleven
Charlie Hough

 

 

 

Notable Events and Chronology for Greg Luzinski Career

Biography

 

 

Greg Luzinski earned the nickname The Bull with his bulging arms, thick neck, massive body, and viscious righthanded batting stroke. As the Phillies’ left fielder in the 1970s, he teamed with third baseman Mike Schmidt to form a potent slugging combination and help the Phillies to four NL East championships in five years.

The 6’1″ 220-lb Luzinski reached the ML for good in 1972, with two minor league home run crowns, one minor league batting championship, and three minor league strikeout titles on his resume. He hit .281 with 18 HR as a rookie, and .285 with 29 HR and 97 RBI in 1973, the year Schmidt joined the lineup. From 1975 to 1980, the pair averaged nearly 66 HR a year. Luzinski was hobbled by knee surgery in 1974 but rebounded in 1975 to hit .300 with 34 HR and a NL-best 120 RBI. The Bull still routinely struck out 100 times a season, yet pushed his average up to .304 the following year as the Phillies won the first of three consecutive division titles, and in 1977 he logged career highs in all three Triple Crown categories, batting .309 with 39 HR and 130 RBI. In LCS play, Luzinski was just as dangerous, slugging home runs in Game Two in 1976, Game One in 1977, and Games Three and Four in 1978, but the Phillies lost all three series. Luzinski’s production fell off badly in 1979, and in 1980 his average dropped to .228, but the Phillies finally advanced past the LCS with a five-game victory over the Astros, as Luzinski homered to win Game One. In the WS, the Phillies used the clumsy-fielding Luzinski primarily as the designated hitter and he failed to get a single hit, but the Phillies beat the Royals in six games.

Luzinski was sold to the White Sox before the 1981 season and he immediately became Chicago’s full-time DH, where he no longer had to endure criticism for his wretched defense. He played four seasons in Chicago, helping them to the AL West title in 1983 with 32 HR and 95 RBI, then retired after hitting .238 with 13 HR in 1984. The Bull is fourth on the Phillies all-time home run list, behind Schmidt, Del Ennis, and Chuck Klein.

 

 

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Factoids, Quotes, Strange Things

All-Star Selections

Post-Season Appearances
1976 National League Championship Series
1977 National League Championship Series
1978 National League Championship Series
1980 National League Championship Series
1980 World Series
1983 American League Championship Series

Quotes From Luzinski
“I watch the game on television in the clubhouse, and I get a much better look at the pitcher than I get from the dugout. I can see how the ball is moving and how he’s pitching the rest of our hitters.” — Greg Luzinski, on what he does when he’s DHing

All-Star Selections
1975 NL
1976 NL
1977 NL
1978 NL

 

Other Resources & Links