season when the Bucs came to Busch Stadium for a three-game set September 23–25, . The Pirates took two of the three with Curtis taking the loss in the second game. Curtis spent three seasons in St. Louis, going 24-34 with a 3.88 earned run average and 208 strikeouts, mostly as a starter. San Francisco Giants After the season, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants with Willie Crawford and Vic Harris for Mike Caldwell, John D'Acquisto and Dave Rader. Curtis became predominantly a reliever for the first time in his career while with the Giants. He went 17-15 with a 4.45 ERA over three seasons with the Giants, appearing in 116 games. Curtis played for the San Francisco Giants from 1977 to 1979. In his first start for the Giants on May 8, 1977, Curtis pitched a two-hit 10-0 shutout versus the Mets and hit for two singles and a triple. While playing for the Giants, Curtis lived in Foster City, California. San Diego Padres He was converted back to a starter when he signed with the San Diego Padres as a free agent for the season, and emerged as the ace of the staff by the end of the season, going 10-8 with a 3.51 ERA for the last-place team. He began the strike-shortened season as a starter, but after going 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in that role, he was converted to a reliever, and pitched exclusively in that role during the second half of the season when play resumed. California Angels Curtis' contract was purchased by the California Angels on August 31, , during their playoff drive. Though he joined his new club in time to be on the postseason roster, he did not see any playing time during the 1982 American League Championship Series. He remained with the Angels through , then retired. Personal life Curtis lives in Long Beach, California, with his wife, Mary Ann. Upon retiring, Curtis began freelance writing articles for the San Diego Union-Tribune, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle and Sports Illustrated. After a nearly twenty-year absence from the game, he returned to coach the Long Beach Breakers during the two-year run of the independent Western Baseball League ( and ). Curtis was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in the Baseball Category with the Class of 1992. Career statistics References External links John Curtis