Luke Walker

Who is Luke Walker?

James Luke Walker is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played between 1965 and 1974 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers. He batted and threw left-handed.

Walker did almost everything a pitcher is asked to do. He started and filled various relief roles coming out from the bullpen as a closer, middle reliever, and set-up man as well. His most productive season statistically came in 1970 with Pittsburgh, when he finished 15-6, while his 3.04 ERA, .714 winning percentage, and 7.1 hits per nine innings all ranked him third among National League pitchers. He also fired a pair of two-hit shutouts. That year, the Pirates won the National League East title for their first post-season birth since winning the 1960 World Series. However, they were swept by the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS. Walker was the losing pitcher in Game Two, giving up two runs in seven innings in a 3–1 Reds victory. Bobby Tolan scored all three Reds runs, including a home run off Walker in the fifth inning.

In 1971, Walker went 10–8 with a 3.55 ERA for the 1971 World Series champion Pirates.