Mario Soto was one of the leading strikeout pitchers of the 1980s. In his first full season, 1980, the right-handed flamethrower was used mainly in relief, started 12 games and relieved in 41 others. He finished with a 10-8 record and struck out 182 batters in 190 innings, third highest Ks total in the NL, and yielded the least amount of hits per/innings, just 126 hits for an amazing .187 opponents batting average, that percentage ranks in the Top 20 best of all-time. In 1981 he put together a 12-9 record. In 1982 he was chosen for his first of three All-Star games. In that year he chalked up a career best 274 batters, second in the majors to Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton’s 276 Ks. From 1981 thru 1985 he struck out more batters than anyone in the major leagues. Baseball Historian |