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THE HERALD OUTLOOK Saturday April MM Page Complete g vanishin Adjustments needed as baseball changes By John GrabowiU Baseball despite its emphasis on tradition cant halt evolution Artificial turf domed stadiums and free agency are some of the modern changes that for better or worse have affected the game Another key development has been the decline through the years of com plete games by starting pitchers The complete game is slowly but steadily going the way of the dodo Why It has to do with the emergence of lively baseballs relief specialists and more recently designated hitters Its safe to predict there will be fewer complete games hurled in the 1990s than In any other decade The number of complete games pitched in the majors from through was 16972 Since then however the totals have been 1920 12233 39 8290 10039 and 1980 89 As you can see the total fell in ery decade except the 1970s That blip in the curve is explained by the arriv al of the designated hitter the American League Due to expansion meanwhile there were more complete games tossed in the Nation al League in the 1970s than in the 1960s However the percentage of com plete games tossed by NL pitchers ac tually dropped to 22 in the 1970s from I in the 1960s Meanwhile thanks to the DH the percentage of complete games in the rose to 28 in the 70s from 23 in the 1960s This marked the only percentage in crease in either league in a succeed decade Last season was the alltime low for complete games only 483 were tossed in the NL and AL combined Thats fewer than the previous re cord which was set during the strike- BigLeague Pitching Complete games In the 1980s Year NL Total 549 1981 176 510 1982 445 1983 469 1984 234 398 1985 360 1986 1987 189 1988 270 1989 218 265 Now wis Mijon NORTH END NISSAN 610 MARTIN STREET MILTON ONTARIO 8784137 Established HALTON HILLS COLLISION R ACTON ONT 8532880 JOHN shortened 1981 season Just games were played in 1981 a total of 106 were played in The overall figures are dramatic The American League percentage of complete games has dropped from in the era to 17 8 in The figures for the National League are even more pronounced from percent 190109 to 13 1 Georgetown AutoGlass COMPLETE AUTO UPHOLSTERY SEAT COVERS VINYL TOPS SUN ROOFS WINDSHIELDS INSURANCE CLAIMS WELCOMED 8775119 If POMPEI PIZZERIA u J 5ESVING GEORGETOWN AREA FOR OVER YEARS FAST LOCAL DELIVERY ATT BUCCANEER DIVE SHOP SALES SERVICE RENTALS TRAVEL All Levels of Training From Beginner to Professional AIRPORT SERVICE PARCEL EAGLE LANDSCAPING LTD Complete Lawn Maintenance Professional Landscaping And Design Qualify Workmanship ESTIMATES 8731200 PROP ROD BEAUMONT INSTRUMENTS ACCESSORIE SONG BOOKS LESSONS Guolph SI 877491 9 Lloyds Service Centre Lime house Licenced Mechanic Open Sat III Noon percent 1980 89 As littte as years can make a big difference in the game of baseball The majorleague leader in com plete games in was Rick tang- ford of Oakland He had a total of 28 Last year only one major league team had more than 28 complete games Californias pitchers had As the number of complete games has dropped the number of saves ob viously has risen This is the era of the relief ace Although saves were not officially introduced until they have been calculated retroactively by research and they are credited as such in todays baseball record books By decade these are the totals in BEARLY USED the major leagues for saves 191019 2425 195059 197079 and 9479 Thus as the rate of games in the majors has fallen from nearly percent in the first decade of the century to 16 percent in the 1980s the rate of saves has riseo from less than percent to 23 percent Do you know who Jack Taylor was He could finish what he started Taylor a hardy righthander who pitched for the St Louis Cardinals set a record in 1904 that will never be broken He hurled a total of complete WE BUY USED a DISABLED VEHICLES 8776226 Park Avenue I Collision COMPLETE COLLISION SERVICE UNISODY SPECIALISTS FOREIGN DOMESTIC FREE ESTIMATES 8773528 COMMUNITY SPORTS CALENDAR ALL Si Place Your Upcomn Colin Gibson OJTS ORGANIZATIONS EVENT or Post Your RESULTS 8772201 or Fax 8771960 SATURDAY Acton House League Hockey Association yearend banquet at Acton Legion Banquet starts 12 noon presentations and awards at 1 SUNDAY Equestrian Competition Combined Tvo Phase Dressage and Stadium Jumping competition at Georgetown Stables located one mile west of Trafalgar Road on the south side of 17 SideroadAll day SOCCER Georgetown Youth Soccer Club winter soccer school at Georgetown District High School Sessions run from Ham until through May Coaches welcome to attend For more information contact George Barnes 5573 Bill Harrison McNeily or Paul Stubbins 2692 SOCCER Acton Minor Soccer Association conditioning sessions at McKenzie- School gymnasium 7 1 911 1 15 and over m Running shoes required no soccer shoes Free admission For more information contact Steve Bailey Paul Hill 1834 MONDAY BRIDGE Duplicate Bridge open competition Starting at at Georgetown Royal Canadian Legion Branch on Mill Street games in a row for a string of In- nings without being relieved By the way he also pitched in relief twice during his streak of complete games as a starter Taylor wound up the season with a 2119 record and an ERA of 2 22 His total of complete games was the best in the National League that year The season may very well be the first in which a pitcher leads a major league in complete games without reaching double figures The lowest leagueleading total ever for complete games was set In the National League last year by Tim Belcher of Los Angeles and Bruce Hurst of San Diego im NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN YOUR COMPLETE CENTRE FOR HOME IMPROVEMENT DOIT YOURSELF Main St acton 8531970 PLUMBING SUPPLIES LIMITED ACRYLIC BATHS SPAS WHIRLPOOLS 11 Armstrong VANITIES YOUR ONE STOP CAR CARE I LR4 PH ST GEORGETOWN 8730570 PARK MERCURY HIGHWAY NO BETWEEN ACTON GEORGETOWN SALES SERVICE- LEASING 8772261 FERO WASTE DISPOSAL COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL 8753376 MILTON FERO TRUCK GEAR CLUTCHES TRANSMISSIONS DIFFERENTIALS 801981 GILLETT HAULAGE EXCAVATING RR Stgnrttom Excavating Septic Systems THIS SPACE AVAILABLE Call Display Advertising BOUCHER ALUMINUM ALCAN FREE ESTIMATES SELECTION OF COLOURS SEAMLESS STORM STORM WINDOWS 8778830 TWISS FUELS ltd Shell AUTOMATIC vwxnnmn turn- 8786380