According to NBC News on Saturday, former Oakland Athletics all-star Matt Keough passed away at the age of 64. The cause of death has not yet been reported.
Keough played nine Major League Baseball seasons from 1977 to 1986. He played with the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Houston Astros. After his MLB career, Keogh played four seasons with the Hanshin Tigers of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan.
Despite only having a record of eight wins and 15 losses with the Athletics in 1978, Keogh was an all-star. In 32 starts that season, Keogh had a respectable earned run average of 3.24.
Two years later with Oakland, one could argue that Keogh had the best season of his MLB career. In 1980, he had career highs in wins (16), strikeouts (121) and the lowest earned run average of his career at 2.92. Keogh was also named the 1980 American League Comeback Player of the Year.
In 1979, Keogh pitched poorly as he only had a record of two wins and 17 losses with the Athletics with a high earned run average of 5.04 and a very high WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.69. To see his earned run average drop from 5.04 to 2.92 from 1979 to 1980, says a lot of Keogh’s character and resiliency.
In nine Major League Baseball seasons, Keogh had a record of 58 wins and 84 losses in 215 games played. In 1190 innings pitched, Keogh gave up 1190 hits, 552 earned runs, and 510 walks. Keogh also had 590 strikeouts, a career earned run average of 4.17 and a career WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.43.
Keogh also pitched one game in Major League Baseball postseason and was masterful despite recording a loss. Keogh pitched 8 1/3 innings pitched for the Athletics in game three of the American League Championship Series on October 15, 1981. Keogh only gave up one earned run in a 4-0 Athletics loss to the New York Yankees.
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