Vern Law
Law threw a heavy sinker that induced countless ground balls during Pittsburgh's golden era, but his signature moment came in 1960 when he won 20 games and the Cy Young Award while anchoring the Pirates' unlikely World Series championship. That season remains one of the most dominant pitching performances in franchise history, with his 2.15 ERA leading the National League.
The right-hander's durability defined his career — he logged over 200 innings in seven different seasons and finished with 2,672 career frames. Law's 162 wins came almost exclusively in a Pirates uniform, making him synonymous with Pittsburgh baseball during the 1950s and 1960s.
His career ERA+ of 101 tells the story of a workhorse who consistently pitched at league average or better across 18 seasons. Law's peak came relatively late, with his Cy Young season arriving at age 30, proving that his heavy fastball and pinpoint control aged remarkably well.
Career · Hitting
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | PIT | 27 | 41 | 0 | 1 | .073 | — | — |
| 1951 | PIT | 28 | 32 | 1 | 4 | .344 | — | — |
| 1954 | PIT | 50 | 52 | 1 | 13 | .231 | .695 | — |
| 1955 | PIT | 44 | 63 | 1 | 8 | .254 | .648 | — |
| 1956 | PIT | 39 | 57 | 1 | 8 | .175 | .471 | — |
| 1957 | PIT | 34 | 63 | 0 | 6 | .190 | .453 | — |
| 1958 | PIT | 36 | 62 | 2 | 12 | .194 | .659 | — |
| 1959 | PIT | 38 | 96 | 1 | 8 | .167 | .411 | — |
| 1960 | PIT | 35 | 94 | 1 | 7 | .181 | .504 | — |
| 1961 | PIT | 11 | 19 | 0 | 5 | .263 | .634 | — |
| 1962 | PIT | 23 | 45 | 0 | 5 | .311 | .757 | — |
| 1963 | PIT | 21 | 23 | 0 | 0 | .217 | .435 | — |
| 1964 | PIT | 36 | 61 | 1 | 3 | .311 | .764 | — |
| 1965 | PIT | 34 | 82 | 1 | 6 | .244 | .524 | — |
| 1966 | PIT | 34 | 66 | 1 | 3 | .242 | .609 | — |
| 1967 | PIT | 26 | 27 | 0 | 1 | .111 | .328 | — |
| Career | 516 | 883 | 11 | 90 | .216 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | PIT | 27 | 128.0 | 7 | 9 | 4.92 | 89 | 57 | 1.453 |
| 1951 | PIT | 28 | 114.0 | 6 | 9 | 4.50 | 90 | 41 | 1.404 |
| 1954 | PIT | 39 | 161.7 | 9 | 13 | 5.51 | 71 | 57 | 1.590 |
| 1955 | PIT | 43 | 200.7 | 10 | 10 | 3.81 | 105 | 82 | 1.405 |
| 1956 | PIT | 39 | 195.7 | 8 | 16 | 4.32 | 92 | 60 | 1.365 |
| 1957 | PIT | 31 | 172.7 | 10 | 8 | 2.87 | 133 | 55 | 1.181 |
| 1958 | PIT | 35 | 202.3 | 14 | 12 | 3.96 | 97 | 56 | 1.354 |
| 1959 | PIT | 34 | 266.0 | 18 | 9 | 2.98 | 131 | 110 | 1.120 |
| 1960 | PIT | 35 | 271.7 | 20 | 9 | 3.08 | 124 | 120 | 1.126 |
| 1961 | PIT | 11 | 59.3 | 3 | 4 | 4.70 | 86 | 20 | 1.517 |
| 1962 | PIT | 23 | 139.3 | 10 | 7 | 3.94 | 100 | 78 | 1.313 |
| 1963 | PIT | 18 | 76.7 | 4 | 5 | 4.93 | 70 | 31 | 1.357 |
| 1964 | PIT | 35 | 192.0 | 12 | 13 | 3.61 | 99 | 93 | 1.224 |
| 1965 | PIT | 29 | 217.3 | 17 | 9 | 2.15 | 163 | 101 | 0.998 |
| 1966 | PIT | 31 | 177.7 | 12 | 8 | 4.05 | 87 | 88 | 1.278 |
| 1967 | PIT | 25 | 97.0 | 2 | 6 | 4.18 | 79 | 43 | 1.443 |
| Career | 483 | 2672.1 | 162 | 147 | — | — | 1092 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.