#341 Bobby Bolin

Eat your heart out, Bobby Bonilla...real fans know who the true "Bobby Bo" is.

Fun facts about Bobby Bolin:

-Born in Hickory Grove, SC, Bobby signed with the Giants in 1956 at age 17.

-He cut a swath through the minors, winning 57 games in his first four pro seasons.

-Appeared in 37 games as a rookie in 1961, all but one as a reliever. He saved five games and had a respectable 3.19 ERA, though he struggled with his control (6.9 BB/9 IP).

-Received incrementally larger starting assignments in his first four seasons. Went 23-18 with a 3.34 ERA and 13 saves from 1962-1964.

-Starting 13 games and relieving in 32 more, he went a career-best 14-6 with a 2.76 ERA (seventh-best in the N.L.) in 1965.

-1966 was Bobby's lone season as a full-time starter. He completed ten games and his 2.89 ERA placed him in the league's top ten for the second straight year, but he managed just an 11-10 record for the 93-win Giants. Call it hard luck - his game logs show that he received an average of 3.35 runs of support from his offense. Though he failed to complete six innings in ten of 34 starts, many of his no-decisions could have been wins; his ERA was 2.93 in the 14 games in which he did not receive a decision. He basically had to be flawless to win (0.85 ERA in 11 wins).

-Had a pair of one-hit shutouts in his career: August 14, 1964 vs. the Braves and October 1, 1966 at Pittsburgh.

-Despite starting only 19 of his 34 games in 1968, Bolin qualified for the ERA title and finished second to Bob Gibson with a 1.99 mark. His 0.985 WHIP was fourth-best, and he went 10-5.

-After a rough patch in the early 1970s, he finished his career with two good years out of the Boston bullpen in 1972 and 1973. Went out on top with a 2.70 ERA and a team-best 15 saves in his final season.

-In 13 seasons he was 88-75 with a 3.40 ERA, 32 complete games, and 50 saves.