A two-time world champion, Eastwick pitched for eight seasons in the majors, going 28-27 with 68 saves and a 3.31 ERA. A relief specialist, Eastwick arrived in the majors with the Cincinnati Reds in 1974 and took over as the team’s closer the following season. He led the National League with 22 saves in 1975 which helped him finish third in the NL Rookie of the Year vote. He enjoyed the best year of his career in 1976, winning 11 games and again leading the NL in saves with 26, all while posting a 2.09 ERA in 107.2 innings. Eastwick finished fifth in that year’s Cy Young vote and was 13th in the MVP tally. The Reds dealt Eastwick to the St. Louis Cardinals in the middle of the 1977 season and while he remained an effective bullpen arm, he was never as good as he was in his first two years in Cincinnati. He went on to pitch for the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs before calling it quits in 1981.
Eastwick was on of the hero’s of the Reds’ 1975 World Series win over the Boston Red Sox. He was the winning pitcher in Games 2 and 3 and got the save in Game 5. He pitched in five games, finishing four of them. He had a 2.25 ERA in eight innings of work. He got a second ring when the Reds won the World Series in 1976. However, he did not pitch in that series.
Rawly Eastwick – career stats
