Just a few days ago, Tigers’ third baseman Miguel Cabrera made headlines as the first MLB player to record 30 home runs and 90 RBIs by the All Star break – making him the sole member of an exclusive, if somewhat arbitrary, MLB “club.” I use the term arbitrary because, while 30/90 are nice round numbers, neither are pre-All Star break records. More on that later, but BBRT can report that, thanks to a four-RBI performance on Sunday, Orioles’ first sacker Chris Davis – the main obstacle to a repeat Triple Crown by Cabrera – has doubled the size of the pre-All Star 30/90 club.
As we head into the break Cabrera stands at .365, with 30 home runs and 95 RBI – leading MLB in average and RBI and second (to Davis) in home runs. Notably, Cabrera’s numbers are up in all three categories over those at the break in last year’s Triple Crown season (.324-18-71 at the 86-game mark). Davis goes into the break at .316, with 37 home runs (leading MLB) and 93 RBI (second only to Cabrera).
Now about those AS break records. Davis’ 37 home runs are second to Barry Bonds, who had 39 HRs at the 2001 break. Also at 37 homers at the break are Mark McGwire in 1998 and Reggie Jackson in 1969. (For a complete look at the 30-homers at-the-break club, see BBRT’s post of July 7, just add Cabrera to the list).
Hank Greenberg – 103 RBI at the break.
The record for RBI at the break is 103, by the Tigers’ Hank Greenberg in 1935 (at the 76-game mark). Greenberg finished the season at 170 RBI. The Tiger, the first to carry the nickname “Hammerin’ Hank,” was an RBI machine, leading the AL four times in his 13 MLB seasons and topping 130 in a season five times, with high of 183 in 1937. In his peak years (1936-40), Greenberg averaged better than an RBI per game (777 RBI in 759 games). The only other player to top 100 RBI at the break was Juan Gonzalez of the Rangers, who had 101 at the 1998 All Star break (87 games in), finishing the season at 157. Gonzalez only led the league once in his 17 seasons, but did top 130 RBI four times.
Also making waves at the break is 41-year-old Mariners’ outfielder Raul Ibanez, who goes into the break at .267, with 24 home runs and 56 RBI – with the HR and RBI totals at the break the highest ever for a forty-plus player. Ibanez is fast closing in on Ted Williams’ record of 29 homers in a full season for a player after his fortieth birthday. In his final season (1960), at age 41, Williams hit 29 homers in 113 games. Ibanez, who was an All Star only once (2009, when he hit a career-high 34 homers for the Phillies), is not on the All Star team. He has 295 home runs to date, in an 18-year MLB career.
Another “oldie-but-goodie” who will be at the All Star Game is Yankee closer Mariano Rivera. The 43-year-old Rivera has an MLB record 638 saves. This season he has 30 saves and a 1.83 ERA – the saves represent his highest total ever at the break. Rivera, in his final season, is going out in style. The record for saves at the AS break, by the way, belongs to Francisco Rodriguez, who had 35 saves for the Angels at the break in 2008 – on his way to an MLB record 62-save season. In his peak four seasons (2005-2008), Rodriguez ran up 194 saves. John Smoltz is close behind (and holds the NL record for saves at the break) with 34 saves for the Braves at the 2003 All Star break. Smoltz, a full-time reliever for only three of his 22 seasons, recorded 144 saves from 2002-2004. For you trivia buffs, Smoltz and Dennis Eckersley are the only two MLB pitchers to record seasons of 20 or more wins as a starter and 50 or more saves as a reliever. This season, Jim Johnson of the Orioles is the saves leader at the break with 33 saves to go with a 2-7 record and a 3.71 ERA.
Rickey Henderson – 84 steals at the break.
A couple of other All Star break facts. Rickey Henderson holds the record for stolen bases at the break. In 1982, while with the A’s and on the way to an MLB single season record 130 steals, Henderson had 84 stolen bags at the break. This year’s stolen base leader at the break is the Red Sox’ Jacoby Ellsbury with 36.
When it comes to wins at the AS break, your leader is the White Sox’ Wilbur Wood, who had 18 wins at the break in 1973. (He also had 14 losses, was not selected for the All Star Team and finished the season 24-20.)
Wilbur Wood 18 wins and the break and not an All Star selection.
The most wins for a pitcher who made the All Star team is 17 by the A’s Vida Blue (17-3 at the 1971 break) and the Tigers’ Mickey Lolich (17-6 at the 1972 break). Blue finished 24-8 on the year, while Lolich ended up 22-14. This year’s wins leaders at the break are Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore (13-3) and the Tigers’ Max Scherzer (13-1).
