Baseball Roundtable

Once again, it’s time for Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” those one-of-a-kind accomplishment or statistics.

This week, I am looking at a statistic that came as a little bit of a surprise to me.  It comes in the answer to the question: Which active player, with at least 100 career plate appearances with runners in scoring position (RISP) has the highest career batting average with RISP?

Looking at active players with at least 100 MLB plate appearances with runners in scoring position, the player with the highest batting average in such situation is not an acknowledged run producer like Aaron Judge (.295 in 991 plate appearances with RISP) or even Freddie Freeman (.333 in 2,220 plate appearances with RISP). Nope, it’s three-time batting champion Luis Arraez, who currently sits at .369 in 540 plate appearances with RISP.)  Okay, I admit, those batting crowns make him a potential candidate for this spot, but he is not among the first names that came to mind when I thought about this list.  (I think of Arraez as more of a table-setter than a bases clearer.) Perhaps even more surprising is number-two on the list, A’s speedy centerfielder Esteury Ruiz (a .243 overall average in his 178 games, but .354 in 130 plate appearances with RISP.

Of course, a lot of things come into play here – and there is a need for caution when evaluating the impact of this particular stat.  You need to consider such factors as the player’s overall average (and how his average with RISP compares), how often the player comes to the plate with RISP and how likely a pitcher is to give the particular player “something to hit” with ducks on the pond. (I did have to refer back to the title of the post at some point).

For example, I took at look at Judge (.295 with RISP) versus Arraez (.369 with RISP) and found a few stats that deserve consideration. To date, Judge has walked in 21.3 percent of his plate appearances with RISP, as opposed to 9.8 percent for Arraez.  Judge’s on-base percentage with RISP is slightly higher (.443 to .423) than Arraez’. When it comes to delivering runs, Judge has driven in 0.38 runs per plate appearance with RISP to 0.37 for Arraez (pretty close). Take out those walks, however, and Judge has delivered 0.53 runs per non-walk plate appearance (at bats and sacrifices), versus 41.3 for Arraez.  Dang, I do love statistics.

Ultimately, though, how can you not be impressed by Arraez’ .369 average with RISP or the fact that Ruiz’ average with RISP is 111 points higher than his overall average?

An MLB Unicorn

Luis Arraez is the only MLB player to win three consecutive batting titles with three different teams (Twins – 2022; Marlins – 2023; Padres – 2024) – and the only player to win an AL and NL batting title I consecutive seasons.

As usual with Baseball Roundtable, “one thing led to another,” and I looked at 2024 averages with RISP and career averages with RISP.

When it came to 2024, I set a minimum of 50 at bats with Runners in Scoring Position.  The leader was Reds’ outfielder Stuart Fairchild, a .215 hitter overall in 2024 (with a four-season MLB career average of .224). Fairchild came to the plate with RISP 53 times in 2024 – and delivered a eye-opening .465 average (20 hits in 43 at bats, six walks, one HBP, two bunts and one sacrifice fly).   Fairchild might be considered a bit of a surprise here.  In his first three MLB seasons, (2021-23), he had 98 plate appearances with RISP and hit .200 (17-for-85).  Here are the 2024 top ten.

I then moved on to career average with RISP, upping the minimum number of plate appearances with RISP to 500 (I wanted to keep Arraez in the mix). Another word of caution here.  The chart below is to provide a general point of comparison only.  The fact is, for all but Arreaz on this chart, the numbers are incomplete, due to fact (as stathead.com notes, play-by-play data for some – many, depending on the year – games in those early years is not be available). Still, the chart gives us a look into some of the best hitters with RISP, and indicates, to this point in his career, Arraez still fares pretty darn well.

Note:  Just missing the chart above is Tony Gwynn, with a career average of .349 in 2,547 plate appearances with RISP (and Gwynn’s play-by-play records are complete).

Baseball fans love numbers.  They like to swirl them around in their mouths like Bordeaux wine.

Pat Conroy – Author

Statistics can be an invaluable tool, but they can also deceive.  They can tell one story, while the truth lies in the nuances of the game.

Bill James –  Baseball writer, historan, statistician

 Baseball statistics are like a girl in a bikini. They show a lot, but not everything.

Toby Harrah, – MLB infielder

Primary Resource: Stathead.com

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs. For the full list click here. 

I tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT

Follow Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook Page here.  More baseball commentary; blog post notifications; PRIZES.

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

P 1095

Once again, it’s time for Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” those one-of-a-kind accomplishments or statistics.  Today, we are looking at a two-team “unicorn” – on September 24, 2019 the Rockies and Giants combined to use a record 25 pitchers in a single game (13 by the Giants and 12 by the Rockies).  Thanks to rules changes put in place the following season, this is likely to remain an MLB unicorn.

The Kind of Statistical Oddies The Roundtable Likes

Only four teams have used a record 13 pitchers in a single game. Yet:

• While a team has used 13 pitches in a single game just four times in MLB history, the Giants did it twice in eight days: in that September 24, 2019 (25 combined pitchers) contest versus the Rockies and on September 17 in a 7-6., 15-inning win at Boston.
• All three teams that have used 13 pitchers in a game hail from the National League West – Giants twice, Rockies and Diamondbacks.
• On the same day that the Giants used 13 pitchers in their game against the Rockies, the Diamondbacks used a record-tying 13 pitchers in a 19-inning, 3-2 win (at home) against the Cardinals. The Diamondbacks and Cardinals used a combined 24 pitchers in that one.
• The Rockies (against whom the Giants used a record-tying 13 pitchers) were the first team to ever use 13 pitchers in a game (September 15, 2015 – in a 16-inning 5-4 win versus the Dodgers in LA).

—–September 24, 2019 – Giants Versus Rockies – Pitchers Used—–

Not Likely to See A Team Use 13 pitchers in a Game Again

Three of the four 13-pitcher games took place in 2019 – the year before the following rules took effect:

• Relievers required to pitch to at least three batters or the end of an inning;
• A runner placed on second at the start of each regular-season extra inning;
• September active roster size limited to 28 players (from 26 for April through August), as opposed the limit of 40 in effect in September of 2019.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

The record for pitchers used in a nine-inning game also belongs to the Giants.  On October 4, 2015, in a 7-3, nine-inning loss to the Rockies (in San Francisco), the Giants used 11 hurlers – nine of them for less than one inning.

The procession to the mound went:

Matt Cain                5 innings

Jeremy Affeldt      2/3 inning

Cory Gearin           1/3

Sergio Romo          2/3

Brett Bochy            1/3

Mike Broadway     2/3

Josh Osich              1/3

Javy Lopez              1/3

George Kontos        0 (three batters faced)

Cody Hall                   0 (three batters faced).

Yusmeiro Petit        2/3

For your entertainment 

The most pitchers used in a nine-inning shutout is eight (five teams) and the moss in a nine-inning no-hitter is six (two teams).

Primary Resource: Stathead.com

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs. For the full list click here. 

I tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT

Follow Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook Page here.  More baseball commentary; blog post notifications; PRIZES.

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

P 1093

Once again, it’s time for Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” those one-of-a-kind accomplishments or statistics.  Today, we are looking at streaks of multi-hit games … with a few unicorns tossed in.

Everybody (well, everybody likely to read this post) is familiar with Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak – an MLB “unicorn.”  Well, Baseball Roundtable decided to take hitting streaks a step or two further – focusing consecutive game streaks in which a batter collected at least two hits, at least three hits, at least four hits and at least five hits. This, by the way, will bring up names from the past like Rogers Hornsby and names from the present like Julio Rodriguez.  It will also put a focus on familiar names like Roberto Clemente and George Brett, as well as lesser-known major leaguers like Milt Stock and Hi Myers. So, let’s get to it.

The Longest Streak of Consecutive Games with at Least Two Hits … 13 Games

Rogers Hornsby, 2B, Cardinals … July 5 – July 18, 1923

Photo: Charles M. Conlon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Hall of Famer Hornsby was in his ninth MLB season when he ran off a 13-game streak of games with two or more hits – hitting .589 and driving in 22 runs as his Cardinals went 10-3. The streak included just one extra-inning game – a 10-inning, 2-1 Cardinals’ win at Philadelphia on July 17 (Game 12 of the streak).  Hornsby collected his second hit in the ninth inning of that contest.)

Hornsby’s streak (part of a 20-game overall hitting streak) included four three-hit games and one five-hit contest.

Hornsby won the batting title that season, hitting .384, despite playing part of the season on an ailing knee (he played in just 107 games). It was the fourth of six consecutive (and seven total) batting titles for Hornsby.

.400 Looks Good To Me

In the five seasons from 1921 through 1925, Rogers Hornsby hit a cumulative .402 over 696 games.

In his 23-season MLB career (1915-37 … Cardinals, Giants, Cubs, Browns), Hornsby went .358-301-1,584, with 1,579 runs scored and 135 steals.  He led his league in average seven times, runs scored five times, hits four times, RBI four times, doubles four times, triples twice, home runs twice.  He had six seasons of 200+ hits. Side note: I’m not a big fan of the new analytics (Okay, they’re not that new), but (looking retroactively) Hornsby did lead positions players in Wins Above Replacement – WAR- a record 11 times.  Other at 11 are Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds). 

A Roundtable Unicorn

In 1922, Rogers Hornsby became the first – and still only – MLB player to hit at least .400 and launch at least 40 home runs in the same season. He hit .401-42-152. He nearly matched that feat in 1925, with .403-39-143 season.

 The Longest Streak of Consecutive Games with at Least Three Hits … Six Games

George Brett, 1976 Royals and Jimmy Johnston, 1923 Robins

George Brett, 3B, Royals … May 8-May 13, 1976

Photo: SW (via MissouriStateArchives, on Flickrderivative work: Delaywaves talk, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

Hall of Famer Brett hit .692 during his streak, collecting three hits in each of the six games. He walked twice did not strike out even once during the steak. Brett’s Royals won five of the six games, which included one extra-inning contest (a ten-inning 5-4 loss to the Twins in Kansas City on May 10). Brett collected his third safety in the eighth inning of that game.

That season Brett led the AL with a .333 average – the first of three career batting titles. He also led the AL in hits (215) and triples (14).

Another Roundtable Unicorn

George Brett is the only player to win an MLB batting title in three different decades: .333 in 1976; .390 in 1980; and .329 in 1990.

Brett played in 21 MLB seasons (1973-93 … Royals), going .305-317-1,596, with 1,583 runs scored and 201 stolen bases. The 13-time All Star led the league in average three times, hits three times, triples three times, doubles once and total bases once.

A True Winning “Run”

On August 17, 1976, George Brett stole home with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning to give the Royals a walk-off (run-off) 4-3 win over the Indians. Brett singled to left with one out (off Dave LaRoche). Stole second with John Mayberry at the plate and went to third on a catcher’s throwing error. After Mayberry fanned, Brett stole home on a 1-1 pitch to Dave Nelson.

Jimmy Johnston, SS, Robins … June 25-30, 1923

Johnston hit .821 during his streak, which included one five-hit game and three four-hit contests.  Surprisingly, his Robins won just three of the six games. The streak included a June 30 doubleheader in which Johnston went eight-for-nine, with three doubles and a home run.

Photo: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Johnston played 13 MLB seasons (1911, 1914, 1916-26 … White Sox, Cubs, Robins, Braves, Giants), hitting .294-22-410, with 754 runs and 169 steals.  While he played primarily at SS during his streak, Johnston moved around then diamond during his career: 1B (49 games); 2B (24 games); 3B (448 games); SS (179 games); LF (776 games); CF (130 games); RF (165 games).  In his five peak seasons (1920-24 Robins), he averaged 136 games a season, with a .313 batting average, 173 hits, 93 runs scored and 49 RBI per campaign.  In those seasons, he appeared in 344 games at 3B, 172 at SS, 147 at 2B, eight in RF and four at 1B.

The Longest Streak of Consecutive Games with at Least Four Hits – Four Games

Julio Rodriguez, 2023 Mariners & Milt Stock, 1925 Robins

Julio Rodriguez, CF, Mariners … August 16-19, 2023

Rodriguez, the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year (at age 21), ran off a four-game streak of at least four hits per game in just his second MLB season. Rodriguez hit .772  during his streak, as the Mariners won all four games. The streak included one five-hit and three four-hit contests. The highlight was a 6-4 Mariners win over the Royals (in Kansas City), when Rodriguez went five-for-five, with a double and a home run – and drove in five of the Mariners’ six runs.

In just three seasons, Rodriguez has been the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year (.284-28-75, with 25 steals) and a two-time All Star. His career stat line (2022-23 … Mariners) is .277-80-246, with 262 runs scored and 86 stolen bases.

Taking It On Down The (first base) Line

In 2023, Julio Rodriguez led MLB with 29 infield hits.

Milt Stock, 2B, Robins … June 30-July 3, 1925

Photo: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Stock was in his thirteenth MLB season when he ran off his four-game streak of games with four or more hits. He had four hits in each of his games and the Robins won three of the four.  The streak included one extra-inning contest (a 10-9 loss to the Phillies (in Philadelphia) on June 30. Stock got his fourth hit in the eleventh inning in that game,

Stock played 13 MLB seasons (1913-26 … Giants, Phillies, Cardinals, Robins), hitting .289-22-696, with 839 runs scored and 155 steals. He hit .300+ in five seasons and, in the four seasons from 1919 through 1922 averaged .310.

The Longest Streak of Consecutive Games with at Least Five Hits … Two Games

Roberto Clémente, 1970 Pirates & Hi Myers 1917 Robins

Roberto Clemente, RF, Pirates … August 22-23, 1970

Photo: Public Domain ia WikiCommons

Hall of Famer Clemente was in his 16^th (and age-35) season when he put together consecutive five-hit games. He went ten for 13 in the two contests, both won by the Pirates (versus the Dodgers in Los Angeles). The first of the two games – a 2-1 Pirates win – went 16 innings and Clemente got his fifth hit in the top of the 16^th.

Clemente played 18 MLB seasons (1955-72) all for the Pirates. He was an All Star in 12 seasons, the 1966 NL MVP, a four-time batting champion and a 12-time Gold Glover.  Clemente hit .300+ in 13 seasons, collected 200+ hits twice (both times leading the league). His career stat line was .317-240-1,305, with 1,416 runs scored and 83 steals.

An Ultimate Unicorn

An Ultimate Grand slam is defined as a walk-off Grand Slam in which all four runs are needed to overcome a three-run deficit.  On July 25, 1956, Roberto Clemente hit the first – and still only – Inside-the-Park Ultimate Grand slam. It came off the Cubs’ Jim Brosnan and erased an 8-5 deficit in the bottom of the ninth.  

Hi Myers, 2B/CF, Robins … August 21-22, 1917

Photo: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Both of the contests in which Myers collected five hits went extra innings (a 13-inning 3-3 tie and a 22-inning 6-5 Robins win). The Pirates provided the opposition in each case. In the first game, Myers got his fifth hit (a triple) in the bottom of the tenth. In the second game, hit number-five came in the bottom of the 21^st frame.   Myers started in CF in both games, but moved to 2B in the 13^th inning of the second contest.

Myers played in 14 MLB seasons (1909, 1911, 1914-1925 … Robins, Cardinals, Reds), hitting .281-32-559, with 555 runs scored and 107 stolen bases, In 1919, he hit .307 and led the NL in triples (14), RBI (73) and total bases (223). Myers hit .300 or better in four seasons and twice led the league in triples.  In his five peak seasons (1919-23, he averaged 136 games per campaign, .304, with four home runs, 72 RBI and 61 runs scored per season.

Note: There have been 120 games in which player collected six or more hits, but no player has recorded two such games consecutively.  The only players with at last two games with six or more hits in their careers are: Jim Bottomley (1924 & 1931); Doc Cramer (1932 & 1935); Jimmie Foxx (1930 & 1932); and Kirby Puckett (1987 & 1991). The most recent player with a six-hit game  is Shohei Ohtani (September 19, 2024).

Primary Resource:  Stathead.com

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs. For the complete list click here. 

I tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT

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Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

P 1092

Once again, it’s time for Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” those one-of-a-kind accomplishment or statistics.  Today, the Roundtable is looking at MLB teams with 100 or more wins in a season.

Overall, there have been a total of 119 100+ win seasons, with 38 of those teams going on to win the World Series.

No team has recorded more 100+ win seasons than the New York Yankees – with 21 such campaigns (ten more than the runner-up Dodgers). The Yankees won 12 World Series in seasons in which they won at least 100 games.

Only six franchises have never had a season of 100 or more victories: Rockies; Marlins; Brewers; Padres; Rangers; Blue Jays; Nationals.

Three-peats

There have been eight instances of a team/franchise recording three consecutive seasons of 100 or more wins.

Here they are, using current franchise names.

• Athletics 1929-39-31 (WS Champions 1929, 1930, 1931)
• Cardinals 1942-43-44
• Orioles 1969-70-71 (WS Champions 1969. 1970, 1971)_
• Braves 1997-98-99
• Astros 2017-18-19 (WS Champions 2017, 2019)
• Yankees 2002-03-04 (WS Champion 2003)
• Dodgers 2021-22-23

A String Quartet

There have been two seasons in which four teams notched 100 or more victories.

2019

Astros:  107-55, won the AL West by ten games over the second place A’s. Lost the World Series to the 93-69 Nationals.

Dodgers:  106-56, won the NL West by 21 games over the second-place Diamondbacks. Lost to the Nationals in the NL Championship Series.

Yankees:  103-59, won the AL East by seven games over the Rays. Lost to the Astros in the American League Championship Series.

Twins: 101-61, won the AL Central by eight games over the Indians. Lost in the AL Division Series to the Yankees.

2022

Dodgers:  111-51, won the NL West by 22 games over the Padres. Lost the NL Division Series to the 89-73 Padres.

Astros:  106-56, won the AL West by 16 games over the Marlins. Won the World Series  4-2 over the Phillies.

Braves: 101-61. Tied for the NL East Lead with the Mets (won Division on a tie breaker).  Lost to the 87-75 Phillies in the NL Division Series.

Mets:  101-61, tied for NL West lead with Braves. Lost to the Padres in the Wild Card Round.

_____________________________________

What the “L” Is That On Our Record?

The fewest losses by any team winning 100+ games is 36: 1906 Cubs (116-36) and 1902 Pirates (103-36).

Man, What Do You Have to Do to Win This Thing? 

Those Two 116-Win Seasons

Those most wins in an MLB season is 116 – 1906 Cubs (116-36) and 2001 Mariners (116-48). The Cubs finished 20 games ahead of the second-place Giants and lost the World Series (four games-to-two to the 93-58 White Sox).  The Mariners finished 14 games ahead of second-place A’s in the West Division. Seattle was eliminated from the post-season (in the American League Championship Series) by the 95-65 Yankees.

On the 1906 Cubs, no pitcher appeared in more than nine games in relief and that was Ed Reulbach, who also started 24 games.

A few similarities:

• Both teams lead their league in runs scored and fewest runs surrendered;
• Both topped their league in batting average and earned run average;
• Both showed game-changing speed – The Mariners finished first in their league in stolen bases, the Cubs second. The Cubs finished first in triples, the Mariners second.

Here’s a bit of a breakout on these two squads.

1906 Cubs

Led the NL in runs scored (704); average (.262); triples (71). They were second in doubles (181); HR (20); and SB (283).  On the mound, Chicago gave up the fewest runs (381); boasted the lowest ERA (1.75); the most strikeouts (702); and most shutouts (30).

First baseman Frank Chance was an offensive key, leading the NL in runs scored (103) and stolen bases (57), while hitting .319 in 136 games. Third baseman Harry Steinfeldt led the league in hits (176) and RBI (83), while hitting .327. Mordecai Brown led the staff with 26 wins and led the NL with a 1.04 ERA and nine shutouts.

2001 Mariners

Led the AL in runs scored (927); average (.288); hits (1,637); and stolen bases (174). The Mariners finish second in walks (614) and triples (38). On the mound, surrendered the fewest runs (627); had the lowest ERA (3.54); and recorded the most shutouts (14). Finished second in saves (56)

Key players on offense included Ichiro Suzuki, who led the league average (.350); hits (242); and stolen bases (56); Brett Boone, who went .331, with 37 homers, 118 runs scored and a league-leading 141 RBI; Edgar Martinez (.306-23-116); and Mike Cameron (.267-25-119).  Thirty-eight-year-old Jamie Moyer led the mound staff with 20 wins (six losses) Kazuhiro Sasaki chipped in with 45 saves.

Primary Resource:  Stathead.com

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

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P 1091

In this post, Baseball Roundtable is taking a look at what has always seemed to me like a “magic” number (and the definition of a true power hitter)– 30 home runs in a season. The Roundtable is taking that look from the angle of players with the most 30+ home run seasons both overall and by position. Why thirty?  Well, in my baseball lifetime (which I think of as beginning in 1953, when I was six-years old and the Braves moved to my home town of Milwaukee), thirty home runs has seemed to a popular measure of true power hitters.  To confirm that, I looked at the relation of power hitters (as defined by the 30+ homer measure) to teams in a few key (to me) seasons.

Consider:

• In 1953, when there were sixteen MLB teams, there were 11 30+ homer players (0.69 per team);
• In 1962, after expansion to 20 teams, there were 14 30+ homer players (0.70 per team);
• In 1993, after expansion to 28 teams, there were 22 30+ homer players (0.79);
• In 2024, with 30 teams, three were 23 30+ homer players (0.77 per team).

That seems to make the 30-homer benchmark rare enough to qualify for examination.

When you look at the list of players with the most season of 30 or more home runs, you’ll pretty much find “all the usual suspects.”   In fact, among the top five totals (six players – a tie for fifth), you will find the top five career home runs leaders (Barry Bonds, Henry Aaron, Babe Ruth, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez). The sixth player on the list is Mike Schmidt, who stands at number 16 in career roundtripppers.  Schmidt is also the only one of this group with less than 22 MLB seasons – 18; but he ranks second in the number of seasons leading his league in home runs (8).

Rodriguez is unique on this list in that he is not only atop (tied) the total 30+ HR seasons list, but is also number-one at SS (7) and number-three at 3B (7). He is the only player among the top five at more than one position. Side note: He also had one season of 30+ home runs, 33 in 2015, when he was used primarily at DH (136 of 151 games).

Now, a brief diversion, in the spirit of how in Baseball Roundtable “one thing always seems to lead to another.”  As I looked at the above list, I got to wondering about the balance of “swinging for the downs” and making contact. Turns out, the list above pretty much matches a list of players with the most seasons of 30+ home runs coupled with  a .300+ batting average. Ruth tops the 30/.300 cadre, hitting .300 or better in all 13 of his 30+ homer campaigns.  Next are Bonds (11 seasons at .300+ out of 14 seasons at 30+ HR) and Henry Aaron (11 out of 15).  Pujols shows up at 10 out of 14; Rodriguez comes in at 8 out of 15 and Schmidt was a bit of an outlier at just 1 out of 13.  (Schmidt, in fact, had just one career season in which hit.300 or better. Two players in double figures  in 30/.300 seasons are not among the top five in 30+ homer seasons, but deserve a mention here:   (Lou Gehrig (10 out of  10) and Manny Ramirez (10 out of 12).

Here is a chart that will help you make some of your own comparisons.

Among active players, five players tie for the most 30+ homer seasons at seven: Nolan Arenado; Paul Goldschmidt; Manny Machado; Giancarlo Stanton; and Mike Trout.

30+ Home Run Season Leaders by Primary Position

Now let’s look by position.  Qualifier Note: The list is based on players who played at least 50 percent of their games at the selected position in their 30+-home run seasons.  It is also based on total home runs for the season, not home runs hit only in games at their primary position.  

CATCHER

Hall of Famer Mike Piazza is the runaway at catcher with nine seasons of 30 or more home runs – out of 16 MLB seasons – not bad for a player who was the 1,390th selection in the 1988 MLB draft. The 12-time All Star retired in 2007 with 427 long balls. Piazza appeared as a catcher in 85.2 percent of his 1,912 MLB games.  Piazza played in MLB seasons (1992-2007 … Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres, A’s), going .308-427-1,335.

I’m Going Where?

In 1998, Mike Piazza had a 30+ home run season (.328-32-111) – despite playing for three different teams. On May 15, he was traded to the Marlins (along with Todd Zeile) for Gary Sheffield, Charles Johnson, Bobby Bonilla. Jim Eisenreich and Manuel Barrios. Piazza (who had been an All Star for the Dodgers in each of the previous five seasons) was hitting .282-9-30 and had played in 37 of the Dodgers 40 games. A week later, he was traded from the Marlins to the Mets for Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnall and Geoff Goetz.  

Two more Hall of Famers, Johnny Bench and Roy Campanella, round out the top three at four 30+ homer seasons each.  They belted 389 and 260 career home runs, respectively.  Campanella’s totals were dampened a bit by eight seasons in the Negro Leagues (with their shorter schedules) and a tragic car accident that ended his career early.  Bench is the only one of the top three to lead his league in home runs (45 in 1979 and 40 in 1972). Bench was an All Star in 14 seasons, Campanella in 11 (three in the Negro Leagues, eight in the National League). Campanella played in 18 MLB seasons (1937-42, 1944-57 … Washington Elite Giants, Baltimore Elite Giants, Philadelphia Stars , Dodgers), hitting .283-260-1,019.  Bench played in 17 MLB seasons (1967-83), all for the Reds. His career line was .267-389-1,376.

The record for home runs in a season in which a player played at least 50 percent of his games at catcher, belongs to the Royals’ Salvador Perez (48 in 2021, when he took a place behind the plate in 124 of 161 games). To date, that is the only 30+ homer season in Perez’ 13-season MLB career (2011-2018, 2020-24 … Royals).

FIRST BASE

Hall of famer Jimmie Foxx tops this list of power hitters, with 12 campaigns of thirty or more homers – five of those forty or more and a high of 58 in 1932. Foxx won four home run titles during his 20-season MLB career (1925-42, 1944-45 … Athletics, Red Sox, Cubs, Phillies) and hit a total of 534 regular-season home runs. Foxx was a nine-time All Star (but the first All Star Game wasn’t held until Foxx’ ninth MLB season). His career stat line was .325-534-1,922. Side note: Despite his high average, Foxx did lead the AL in strikeouts seven times.) 

If there is an underrated player among these top five, it’s probably two-time All Star Carlos Delgado (tied at number-two with 11 seasons of 30+ home runs). Delegado ran off a string of ten straight 30+ HR seasons from 1997 through 2006). He never won a home run title, but did hit 473 long balls in 17 MLB seasons (1993-2009 … Blue Jays, Marlins, Mets). He finished his career at .280-473-1,512 in 2,035 games.

The Roundtable also has to give a shoutout to Albert Pujols, whose 703 career home runs are fourth all-time. He had ten of his 14 30+ homer seasons in years in which he was primarily first baseman and won both of his HR titles as a first sacker (47 in 2009 & 42 in 2010). In 22 MLB seasons (2001-2022 … Cardinals, Angels, Dodgers), Pujols hit .296, with 703 home runs and 2,218 RBI.

Reaching Double Figures (season-wise)

In his first ten MLB seasons (2001-2010), Albert Pujols hit at least .300, rapped at least 30 home runs and drove in at least 100 runs each and every campaign.  That’s unicorn territory.  (He just missed in the eleventh season – .299-37-99).  Over those first ten seasons, Pujols averaged .331, with 41 homers and 123 RBI and was: National League Rookie of the Year; a nine-time All Star; three-time NL MVP; one-time batting champ; and two -time home run leader.

Tied with Pujols for third on this list are a pair of Hall of Famers who each hit 493 career homers:  Lou Gehrig (.340-493-1,995 over 17 seasons) and Fred McGriff (.284-493-1,550 over 19 seasons).

Mark McGwire hit the most home runs in a season by a player to play at least 50 percent to his games at 1B (70 in 1998).

Balancing Those Singles and Homers

In 2000, while playing for the Cardinals, Mark McGwire had a season in which he bashed 32 home runs, while collecting just 72 hits. (32 singles, 8 doubles, 32 homers). Hampered by knee issues, McWire played in just 89 games (.305-32-73). That 72 hits is tied for the fewest hits ever in an MLB 30+ home run season. In 2021, Rays’ catcher Mike Zunino (in his only season of 30 or more homers) collected 33 home runs among 72 hits in 109 games  (.216-33-62).  Zunino actually had more home runs than singles (26 singles, 11 doubles, 2 tipels, 33 homers). 

SECOND BASE

I expected Jeff Kent to be at the top of this chart, but that spot goes to Dan Uggla, with five seasons of 30 or more home runs in a ten-season MLB career (2006-2015 … Marlins, Braves, Giants, Nationals). Uggla hit 190 of those home runs in the first five season of his career. In his MLB debut season (2006 Marlins), Uggla went .282-27-90, setting the record for home runs by a rookie second baseman.  For his career, the three-time All Star was .241-235-706 in 1,346 games.

An Unexpected Streak

In 2001, Dan Uggla (Braves) got off to a terrible start. At the end of play on July 4, he was hitting just .173 (55-for-318), with 12 home runs and 29 RBI (86 games).  On July 5, he started a hitting streak that would extend through August 13 – 33 games, during which he hit .377-15-32.  The 33-game streak ties for the 19^th longest in MLB history.

The most career homers among the six players on this list is 412 by Alfonso Soriano (16 seasons), although he played more career games in LF than at 2B. Rougned Odor had 178 long balls in ten seasons; Chase Utley, 259 in 16 seasons; and Jeff Kent, 377 in 17 seasons.  The only player on the chart with a home run title is Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby with two (42 homers in 1922 & 39 in 1925). Hornsby hit a total of 301 dingers in 22 seasons.

A 40/.400 season – Or More One Thing Leads To Another

The Cardinals’ Rogers Hornsby is the only MLB player to hit 40 or more home runs in a season in which he hit .400 or better (.401-42-152 in 1922).  And, he almost did it twice.  In 1925, Hornsby hit .403-39-143. Only two other players have hit 30 or more home runs in a .400 or better average season. The Saint Louis Stars’ Mule Suttles in 1926 (.425-32-130 in just 89 games played)   and the Red Sox’ Ted Williams .406-37-120 in 1941. 

The most home runs in a season by a player who suited up in at least half his games at second base in 45, by Marcus Semien, for the Blue Jays in 2021. Still active (2013-24 … White Sox, A’s, Blue Jays, Rangers), Semien has only one other season of 30+ homers (33 for the 2019 A’s).

THIRD BASE

Some big names and big home run totals at the hot corner, led by Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt with 12 seasons of 30 or more home runs in years he played at least 50 percent to his games at third. (He had a 13^th 30+ homer season – 33 in 1985 – when he played the majority of his games at 1B.)  A 12-time All Star (and 10-time Gold Glover) Schmidt has eight HR titles (all as a third baseman) to his credit. Schmidt was the NL Most Valuable Player in 1980, 1981 and 1986.  He had  a final stat line of .267-548-1,595 in 18 seasons (1972-90 … Phillies).

Another Hall of Famer, Eddie Mathews, is second on this list. He had ten 30+ home run seasons in his 17 seasons MLB career (1952-68 … Braves, Astros, Tigers). The nine-time All Star’s final stat line was .271-512-1,453.) Mathews won two home run titles (47 in 1953 & 46 in 1959).

Dynamic Duo

Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron hit more combined home runs as teammates (863) than any other one-two MLB combination.

Alex Rodriguez is tied for third on this list with seven seasons of 30+ home runs as a primary third baseman. (He has 15 such seasons total) and you’ll read more about him at shortstop. The 14-time All Star won two home run titles as a third baseman (48 in 2005 & 54 in 2007).  Rodriguez also holds the record for the most home runs in a season by a player with at least 50 percent of his games at third base (54 in 2007.)

It’s a pretty good bet (but not a sure thing) that Nolan Arenado will take over sole possession of third place in the near future. The still active Arenado has seven 30+ homer seasons (and ten Gold Gloves) in his 12 MLB seasons (2013-24 … Rockies, Cardinals). His last 30+ home run campaign, however, was in 2022. Arenado has three HR titles on his resume (43 in 2025, 41 in 2016 and 38 in 2018). He’s an eight-time All Star.  As of 2024, his career stat line is .285-341-1.132.

SHORTSTOP

More Alex Rodriguez, as he tops shortstops with seven 30+ HR seasons in which he played at least half his games at the position.  Rodriguez won three home run titles as a shortstop (52 in 2001; 54 in 2002; and 47 in 2003). His 696 career log balls rank fifth all-time. (Enough said here already, since A-Rod has been discussed among all-time leaders and leaders at third base.) His 57 long balls in 2002 are the single-season high for a player with at least 50 percent of his season’s games at shortstop. His career stat line is .295-696-2,086.

Close on RodrIguez’ heels is the still active Francisco Lindor, with five 30+ homer seasons in his ten MLB seasons (2015-24 … Indians, Mets). Lindor’s 30+ homer seasons came in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2024. The four-time All Star has a career MLB stat line of .274-248-770.   Also at five 30+ homer season as a shortstop is Hall of Famer Ernie Banks – an All Star in eleven seasons, with 512 career homers. Banks had a total of seven career 30+ homer seasons, two as a first baseman.  He had five seasons of forty or more long balls and two two home run titles (47 in 1958 and 41 in 1960.) He played 19 MLB seasons (1953-71), all for the Cubs, going .274-512-1,636.  Miguel Tejada, a six-time All Star is next on the SS list at four 30+ homer seasons in 16 career seasons (1997-2011, 2013 … A’s, Orioles, Astros, Padres, Giants, Royals) – and a .285-307-1,302 stat line.  Still-active Corey Seager has a chance to move up since his three 30+ homer campaigns came over the past three seasons. A five-time All Star, Seager has 200 career homers in ten seasons (2015-24 … Dodgers, Rangers) to go along with a .290 average and 617 RBI.

LEFT FIELD

No contest in left field, as Barry Bonds recorded 14 30+ homer seasons as a left fielder and also holds the single-season record of 73 homers (also the MLB single-season record any position) for a player with at least 50 percent to his season’s games played in left.  A 14-time All Star, Bonds, despite being MLB All-time career leader in home runs (762), captured just two HR titles in 22 MLB seasons (1986-2007 … Pirates, Giants). Thirteen of his 30+ homer season came consecutively 1992-2004. During that stretch he averaged 43 home runs (with a .316 batting average and 107 RBI) per season. His career stat line:  .298-762-1,996.

Walk, Don’t Run

Barry Bonds not only trotted around the bases more times than any other player, he also walked to first base more times than any other player (a record 2,558 career walks, 368 more than number-two Rickey Henderson). Bonds’ 688 career intentional walks are also an MLB record (372 more than number-two Albert Pujols).   

Ralph Kiner deserves a shout out at number-two (tie) with seven 30+ home run seasons in only ten career MLB seasons (1946-55 … Pirates, Cubs, Indians).  His numbers might have been even more spectacular had not a back injury forced him into early retirement.

Lucky Number Seven

Ralph Kiner won the NL home run title with 23 in his rookie season (1946) and the six-time All Star didn’t relinquish it until 1953 – winning seven straight HR titles in his first seven MLB seasons (twice topping 50 HR). During those seven seasons, he averaged 42 home runs and 110 RBI.

Hall of Famer Kiner retired with 369 career homers on his MLB resume:  .279-369-1,015 over ten seasons (1946-55… Pirates, Cubs, Indians).

Tied for the third spot among left fielders is another Hall of Famer – Ted Williams. An all Star in 17 seasons (keep in mind there were two All Star Games from 1959 through 1962, so Williams is on the books as a 19-time All Star).   Williams won four home run titles and hit 521 long balls in his 19-season MLB career (1939-42, 1946-60), all with Boston.  His numbers (and spot on this list), would have been higher if he had not lost three seasons to military service.  Williams hit .344 and drove in 1,839 runs to complement those 521 long balls. He was the AL MVP in 1946 & 1949.

Getting It ON!

Ted William career on-base percentage is an MLB record .482 (2,654 hits, 2,021 walks and 39 HBP in 9,792 plate appearances. 

Tied for fourth are Manny Ramirez – 12-time All Star, one home run title and 555 home runs (.312 average, 1,831 RBI) in 19 MLB seasons (1993-2011 … Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox, Rays) and Albert Belle – five-time All Star, one home run title, 381 career homers (.295 average, 1,726 RBI) in 12 MLB seasons (1989-2000 … Indians, White Sox, Orioles).

CENTER FIELD

Wow!  Lots of accolades here.  The top four on the 30+-homer season list for center field (Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Joe DiMaggio) are all in the Hall of Fame. (DiMaggio is in a three-way for the fourth spot.)  Among the other two on the list, the still-active Mike Trout looks like a good bet to go into the Hall someday and Andruw Jones was at 66.2 percent support in this year’s BBHOF balloting (with two years left on the ballot). Surprisingly, none of the players on this list holds the single-season record for home runs by a primary center fielder. Well surprisingly, until you realize that honor goes to the Yankees’ Aaron Judge with 58 home runs in 2024, when he appeared in CF in 105 of 158 games played. Note: Judge hit 62 long balls in 2022, when he played more games in CF than any other position – but his 78 games in CF was one short of the 50 percent or more qualifier. Judge also spent time in RF and at DH that season.

Say hey, Willie Mays’ 11 30+ homer seasons as a center  fielder tops the list. Mays was an All Star in 20 of his 23 MLB seasons (1948, 1951-52, 1954-73 … Birmingham Black Barons, Giants, Mets). (Again, there were two All Star Games each season from 1959 through 1962.) Mays hit 660 career homers and won four home run titles. It makes sense to note here that he also led the NL in stolen bases four times and earned 12 Gold Gloves and two Most Valuable Player Awards.  Mays’ final MLB stat line: .301-660-1,909.

Mickey Mantle is second with nine 30+ homer season as a primary center fielder.  Mantle was an All Star in 16 seasons and a three-time AL Most Valuable Player.  He hit 536 home runs in his 18-season MLB career (1951-68 … Yankees).  He won four home run titles and was a Triple Crown (HR-RBI-Avg.) winner in 1956 (.353-52-130). Mantle was the AL Most Valuable Player three times 1956, 1957, 1962  and finished second in the MVP voting in three seasons. His final stat line was .298-536-1,509.

Ken Griffey, Jr., with eight 30+ homer seasons,  played in 22 MLB seasons (1989-2010 … Mariners, Reds, White Sox). He was a 13-time All Star and won four home run titles, twice reaching a career high of 56 home runs in a season. He also earned ten Gold Gloves. From 1996 through 2000, he averaged .290, with 50 home runs (49.8, but I rounded up) and 137 RBI per season. He retired with a.284-630-1,836 stat line.

The tie for fourth (at seven 30+ homer seasons) includes Joe DiMaggio (who lost three prime seasons to military service) – 361 home runs,  .325 average, 1,537 RBI, two home run crowns, three MVP Awards and 13 All Star Selections in 13 MLB seasons (1936-42, 1946-51 … Yankees); Andruw Jones with a .254-434-1,289 stat line, one home run title, ten Gold Gloves and five All Star selections in 17 seasons (1996-2012 … Braves, Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox, Yankees).  Also in the fourth-place tie, but likely to move up, is still active Mike Trout with a .299-378-954 stat line, three Most Valuable Player awards and 11 All Star Selections in 14 seasons (2011-2024 …. Angels.) Injuries have cut into Trout’s playing time recently and he’s had just one 30+ home run season since 2019 (40 in 2022).

RIGHT FIELD

Plenty of Hall of Famers in this top five: Henry Aaron, Babe Ruth, Vlad Guerrero, Reggie Jackson, Mel Ott.

It takes 11 30+ homer seasons to top this list – a tie between Hall of Famer Henry Aaron and Sammy Sosa.  Aaron’s 23-season resume (1954-76 … Braves, Brewers) includes 755 home runs, four home run titles, three Gold Gloves and a Most Valuable Player Award.  He was an All Star selection in 21 seasons. Final line: .305, 755 home runs and an MLB record 2,297 RBI.  Sosa played in 18 MLB seasons (1989-2005, 2007… Rangers, White Sox, Cubs, Orioles). He hit 609 home runs, won two home run crowns (50 in 2002 and 49 in 2002), was the 1998 NL MVP and made seven All Star teams. He finished at .273-609-1,667.  In the five seasons from 1998-2002, Sosa averaged .306-58-141 per season.)

A Unicorn of Sorts

Sammy Sosa is the only MLB player with three seasons of 60 or more home runs – and he didn’t lead his league in any of them.  He hit 66 home runs for the Cubs in 1998, when Mark McGwire hit 70 for the Cardinals; 63 for the Cubs in 1999, when McGwire hit 65 for the Redbirds; and 64 for the Cubs in 2001, when Barry Bonds hit 73 for the Giants. 

Third on this list is Babe Ruth with nine (out of 13 total) 30+ home run seasons as a right fielder (50 percent or more of games played in RF). He has a whopping (pun intended) 12 home run titles in his 22 seasons (1914-35 … Red Sox, Yankees, Braves), as well as a 94-46, 2.28 record as a pitcher (with two seasons of 20 or more wins).  He was the 1923 AL MVP. Ruth’s career stat line is .342-714-2,214.

Rounding out the top five are Vlad Guerrero, who played 16 MLB seasons (1996-2011 … Expos, Angels Rangers, Orioles) and hit .318-449-1,496 (no home run titles), made nine All Star teams and was the 2004 AL MVP; Reggie Jackson, who played in 21 MLB seasons (1967-87 … Athletics/A’s, Orioles, Yankees,  Angels), hitting .262-563-1,702, winning four home run crowns, making 14 All Star teams and winning the 1973 AL MVP Award; and Mel Ott, who played in 22 MLB seasons (1926-47 … Giants), hit .304-511-1,860, won six home run crowns, made 11 All Star Teams (remember there was no All Star Game until 1934).

Sosa holds the record for home runs in a season by a player who played at least fifty percent of his games in RF (66 in 1998).

DESIGNATED HITTER

As expected, David Ortiz tops this list with ten 30+ homer seasons. (Let’s face it, pretty much any list that has the words “Designated Hitter” in the title would have Big Papi at or near the top.  Hall of Famer Ortiz recorded ten seasons of 30 or more home runs – including a final (and age-40) season of .315-38-127.   The 10-time All Star played in 20 MLB seasons (1997-2017 … Twins, Red Sox) and hit .286-541-1,768.  Ortiz won one home run title, with 54 long balls in 2006. He appeared as a DH in 84.3 percent of his MLB games.

Please Release Me, Let Me go

David Ortiz played his first six MLB seasons with the Twins (1997-2002) and never hit more than 20 home runs nor drove in more than 75 runs in any campaign (just two seasons of 125 or more games played). He was released by the Twins in January 2003 and signed with the Red Sox. Over the next 14 seasons (with Boston) he never hit fewer than 23 home runs; had ten seasons of 30 or more dingers; drove in 100 or more runs ten times; and played in 140 or more games ten times.

Nelson Cruz had eight seasons of 30+ home runs six (2014, 2016-19, 2021) while playing 50 percent or more of his games as a DH.  He also had 30+ homer seasons in 2009 and 2015 (as primarily a right fielder). Cruz was a seven-time All Star and won one home run title (40 for Baltimore in 2014).  He played 19 MLB seasons (2005-2023 … Brewers, Rangers, Orioles, Mariners, Twins, Rays, Nationals, Padres) and hit .274-464-1,325. He appeared as a DH in 50.9 percent of his MLB games.

Coming in third on this list is a name that surprised me – and a player who probably is not “given his due.” Edward Encarnacion recorded five seasons of 30 or more home runs in season in which he played at least 50 percent of his games at DH. He had another three seasons of 30+ homers (2012-14, 2019) as primarily a first baseman. At his peak, he recorded eight straight 30+-homer seasons (2012-2019).  The three-time All Star played in 16 MLB seasons (2005-2020 … Reds, Blue Jays, Indians, Mariners, Yankees, White Sox), batting .260, with 424 home runs and 1,261 RBI. In a seven-year stretch from 2012 through 2018, he averaged 38 home runs and 109 RBI per campaign.

It a three-way tie for third on this list, but one that will not last.  Hall of Famer Frank Thomas (1990-2008 … White Sox, A’s, Blue Jays) recorded four of his nine 30+ homer seasons while serving at least 50 percent of the time in the DH role. The five-time All Star and two-time MVP hit .301-521-1,704 over his 19 MLB seasons. You can expect Thomas to soon be passed (at least on the DH list) by two active players: Shohei Ohtani, who has four 30+ homer seasons (.282 average and 567 RBI, plus 38-19, 3.01 on the mound) in just seven MLB campaigns (2018-24 … Angels, Dodgers) – and is already a three-time MVP, with two home run crowns on his MLB resume; and Yordan Alvarez (2019-24 … Astros), a three-time All Star, who  has four 30+ homer seasons in just six MLB campaigns (.298-164-466). Over the past four  seasons, Alvarez has averaged .296-34-96.  Ortiz’ ten-spot atop this list is a ways off, but Cruz and Encarnacion are likely to be caught/passed in short order.

Primary  Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Stathead.com

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P 1090

The Hall of Fame results are in and congratulations go out to Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner – who all got the nod from the Baseball Writers Associations of America. Plenty is being written about these well-deserving electees.  This post will focus on a comparison of the BBWAA official results and Baseball Roundtable’s unofficial fan/reader balloting.

A few quick observations (followed by supporting charts):

• The top five vote getters in both the BBWAA and Roundtable balloting were the same – just in a different order.
• Readers were a little stingier with their support than the BBWAA. Only two players got the necessary 75 percent in the unofficial Roundtable ballot – Suzuki and Wagner.
• Ichiro got 99.7 percent of the writers’ votes and 95.1 percent in the Roundtable balloting.
• Nine players failed to make the five  percent necessary to stay on the ballot another year in the official voting, 12 in the Roundtable balloting. Four players missed the cutoff by one vote in the Roundtable balloting.
• Three players got zero votes in the official balloting, six in the Roundtable vote.

A Few Noteworthy Differences 

Torii Hunter got only 5.1 percent of the BBWAA vote, but 24.4 percent on the Roundtable unofficial ballot. (The Roundtable does have a lot of Minnesota readers.)  Conversely, Jimmy Rollins got 18.0 percent of the BBWAA vote and just 4.9 percent from readers. Felix Hernandez was a more popular choice among readers (53.7 percent to the writers’ 20.6 percent); while Chase Utley did better among writers than among readers (39.5 percent on the writers’ ballot, 14.6 percent among readers).

Most Support Gained/Lost

The biggest gainers on the BBWAA ballots were Andy Pettitte (up 14.4 percentage points), Carlos Beltran (up 13.2) and Chase Utley (up 11.0).  This bodes well for  Beltran – at a solid 70.3 percent in just his third year on the ballot.   On the reader ballots, moving up the farthest were Andy Pettitte (up 11.4 percentage points) and Andruw Jones (up 11.6).

Torii Hunter was the only returnee losing ground on the official ballots (down 2.2 percentage points).  Among readers it was Jimmy Rollins (-10.8) and Omar Vizquel (-7.5).

Finally, on the open-ended question – about players not in the Hall that readers thought should be.  Most often mentioned was Roger Clemens, followed by Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds.  Others mentioned were Pete Rose; Lou Whitaker; Bill Freehan; Mark McGwire; Dwight Evans; and Joe Torre (as a player).

Thanks again to all those readers who took the time to vote in the annual Baseball Roundtable (unofficial) Fan/Reader balloting.

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

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P 1089

Once again, it’s time for Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. This week, we’re looking at a couple of fielding records – MLB’s longest error-free streaks.

On July 10, 2022 in the eighth inning of a Tigers/White Sox game in Chicago, Detroit LF Robbie Grossman apparently lost a fly ball in the sun and had it bounce off his glove for an error. That would not be a big thing except for the fact that it was his first error since June 13, 2018 – a span of more than four years and an MLB record of 440 consecutive errorless games.   

During his streak, Grossman suited up for the Twins, A’s and Tigers; cleanly handled 816 chances; and appeared in 302 games in LF, 152 in RF and 3 in CF. (I know this adds up to more than 440 games, but he played multiple position in some contests.)  Surprisingly, despite the long string of errorless games, Grossman’s .983 career fielding percentage as an outfielder, ranks 362^nd among players with at least 500 OF games played.  For those who like to know such things, the current leader in OF fielding percentage is Myles Straw at .9967 – four errors in 1,268 chances over seven seasons (2018-24).

Still active, Grossman has played 12 MLB seasons (2013-24 … Astros, Twins, A’s, Tigers, Braves, White Sox, Royals) going .242-93-41 as a hitter. In 951 games in the field, he has made 28 errors.

Grossman’s was an impressive streak, but how about Casey Kotchman, who holds the MLB record for consecutive chances handled without an error at 2,379.  As you might expect Kotchman was a first baseman. His errorless streak began with an assist in the ninth inning of a June 21, 2008 Angels/Phillies games (Kotchman was with the Angels). Ironically, Kotchman had made two errors earlier in the contest.  The error-free string of chances stretched until Kotchman mishandled a ground ball in the eighth inning of a game against the Yankees on August 21, 2010 (Kotchman was a Mariner at the time).  The 2,379-chance errorless streak included 274 consecutive errorless games.

Kotchman played in 10 MLB seasons (2004-2013 … Angels, Braves, Red Sox, Mariners, Rays, Indians, Marlins), hitting .260-71-388 in 939 games.  In the field, he made 18 errors in 870 games and his .9975 fielding percentage currently ranks first among first baseman with at least 500 MLB games at the position.  From 2009 through 2011, Kotchman played in 376 games and made just three errors in 3,161 chances.

Neither Grossman nor Kotchman ever won a Gold Glove.

Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

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Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

P 1088

Once again, it’s time for Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” those one-of-a-kind accomplishment or statistics.  Today, we are looking at one of those unicorns, pitcher Esteban Yan, who gained unicorn status in the batter’s box and not on the mound.

Over his 11-season MLB career, Yan only came to the plate bat-in-hand, three times and he saw only five pitches.  Yet, he has the distinction the only player in MLB history to retire with a 1.000 batting average in both the National and American Leagues.  Side note:  He is also one of just 32 players to homer on the first pitch they ever saw in the majors, one of just seven whose first-pitch-ever dinger was their only career home run and one of nine pitchers (or eight, depending on how you count – more on that later) who hit the first MLB pitch they saw as a hitter for a home run.  

Yan’s MLB career as a batsman went like this:

June 4, 2000

Yan started on the mound for the Devil Rays versus the Mets in New York. He came to the plate in the top of the second (versus Mets’ starter Bobby Jones) with a 2-0 lead.  Yan blasted the first pitch from Jones (and the first MLB pitch he ever saw as a batter) to left field for a home run.  He next came to the plate in the top of the fifth inning, with one on and one out and the game knotted at three apiece. Yan dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt on n 0-1 pitch (off Jones).  His spot in the order came up again in the top of the sixth (Devil Rays up 5-4, bases loaded and one out).   Jose Guillen pinch hit for Yan and grounded out (with a run scoring on the play.)

June 30, 2003

Now a Cardinal, Yan came on in relief (to open the seventh inning) in this one – with the Redbirds trailing the Giants 4-0. He gave up a run in the seventh, pitched a scoreless eighth and came to the plate in the bottom of eighth (his first plate appearance since that June 4, 2000 game) with the Cardinals down 5-0, two outs and no one on base. He dropped down a bunt single on a 1-0 pitch from Jason Schmidt.  The fact that he was bunting for a base hit (rather than just lucky on a sacrifice attempt) makes this all the more meaningful (at least to me). Yan then pitched a scoreless ninth, but did not come to the plate again as the Cardinals lost 5-0. Yan, in fact, appeared in 447 more major-league games and never again came to the plate.

For his MLB career, Yan was (two-for-two) 1.000-1-1.  On the mound, in eleven seasons (1996-2006 … Orioles, Devil Rays, Rangers, Cardinals, Tigers, Angels, Reds), he was 33-59, 5.14, with 51 saves.

Yan was signed (at the age of 15) by the Braves in 1990, as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic.   He pitched for the Dominican Summer League Braves in 1991-92, going 16-4.  He came to the U.S. to play in 1993 – and played in the minors until a 1997 call up. (He was an Orioles farmhand by that time.)

Now, in the Baseball Roundtable spirit of one thing seems to lead to another, let’s look at the other pitchers who homered on the first pitch they ever saw as hitter.

Adam Wainwright, RHP, Cardinals … May 24, 2006

Adam Wainwright’s long ball came in his second MLB season, 17^th appearance (all in relief). On May 24, 2006, he took the mound (for the Cardinals)  to open the bottom of the fourth inning in relief of Tyler Johnson) of a 2-2 tie with the Giants, He gave up two runs on four hits before getting out of the inning (with a potential third run thrown out at the plate).Wainwright then led off he top of the fifth, belting the first pitch from Noah Lowry to left field for a first-pitch-ever home run. Wainwright threw a pair of scoreless innings after that and got the win in an 8-4 Cardinal’s victory. He came to the plate once more in the game and grounded out third-to-first.

A New Role … and It Stuck

In his first full MLB season, Wainwright made 61 appearance (all in the relief) – going 2-1, 3.12 with three saves.  He also saved four games that post-season, including the seventh and final Game of the NLCS and the fifth and final game of the World Series. Starting from the opening of the next season (2007) through April 25, 2015, he made he made 221 appearances (all starts). He missed the 2011 season (Tommy John Surgery) and suffered a serious Achilles injury in early 2015.

Wainwright pitched in 18 MLB seasons (2005-10, 2012-23) all for the Cardinals. He went 200-123, 3.53 in 478 games (411 starts).  He was a three-time All Star and two-time 20-game winner. He led the NL in wins twice, starts twice, innings pitched twice, complete games three times and shutouts twice. As a hitter, he went 143-for-744 (.192), with 10 homers and 75 RBI.

Wainwright was a first-round selection (Braves), 29^th overall, in the 2000 MLB draft – right out of high school, where he was the 2000 Georgia (High School Baseball) Gatorade Player of the Year, as well as an all-stater in football.  He showed his potential right away, going 6-2, 2.35 in Rookie-Level ball as an 18-year-old. Over the next three minor-league seasons, Wainwright worked his way up to Double-A, going a combined 29-24, 3.30.  Then came a trade, in December 2003, to the Cardinals, a late 2005 call up (just two games) to the Redbirds in 2005, a full-time bullpen role in 2006 and a spot in the starting rotation in 2007.  The rest, as they say, is history.  Wainwright went on to the 18-season MLB career described above.

Tommy Milone, LHP, Nationals … September 3, 2001

Tommy Milone made his MLB debut (with the Nationals) on September 3, 2011 (called up after a 12-6, 3.22 season in 24 Triple-A).  His debut game was a start against the Mets.  The highlight was not his pitching (4 1/3 innings, four runs on six hits, no decision), but rather the results of his first swing of a bat in the major leagues. Milone came up in the bottom of the second inning, with the game tied 1-1, two men on and one out.  He knocked the first MLB pitch he ever saw (off Dillon Gee) over the RF fence for a three-run homer.  Milone started four more games for the Nationals that September and the team won all five of his starts (although Milone went just 1-0, 3.81 and pitched into the sixth inning just once).

Milone went on to pitch in the major leagues for 13 seasons (2011-23 … Nationals, A’s Twins, Brewers, Mets, Mariners, Orioles, Blue Jays), going 53-53, 4.58 in 198 appearances (148 starts).  His best season was 2012, when he went 13-10, 3.74 for the A’s. He pitched in the Mexican League in 2024.  As a major-league hitter, he went .156 (7-for-45), with one home run seven RBI.

Milone was signed in the tenth round of the 2008 MLB draft – out of the University of Southern California, where he had gone 16-17, 4.78 over three seasons (6-6, 3.51 in his final year). He worked his way quickly to the majors (1-6, 3.51 at Class-A in 2008; 12-5, 2.91 at High-A in 2009; 12-5, 2.85 at Double-A in 2010; 12-6, 3.22 at Triple-A in 2011; and the September 2011 call up to the Nationals that led to his first-pitch-ever home run).

Gene Stechschulte, RHP, Cardinals … April 17, 2001

Gene Stechschulte (How would you like to get that one in a spelling bee?) made his first MLB plate appearance in his second MLB season (26^th game). He’s unique on the list in that he didn’t appear in the game as a pitcher, but rather as a pinch hitter (which is why you can make the case for either eight or nine pitchers to be on this list). It came in the fifth inning of a Cardinals’ game against the Diamondbacks – with Stechschulte’s Redbirds trailing 15-1.  With two out and one on, Stechschulte pinch hit for pitcher Mike James and hit the first offering from Armando Reynoso for a two-run homer to left-center.  (Stechschulte did not stay in the game to pitch.)

Stechschulte played in three MLB seasons (2000-02), all for the Cardinals. He went 8-7, 4.58, with six saves in 116 appearances (no starts). As an MLB hitter, he went two-for-five, with one home run and three RBI.

Stechschulte was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cardinals in 1996.  He had played college ball for Ashland University, where as a Junior, playing shortstop, he hit .391-15-58 in 58 games.  His path to the majors, however, was as a pitcher. (He had starred on the mound in high school.) From 1998 through 2000, he saved a total of 78 games at A, Double-A and Triple-A).

Jim Bullinger, RHP, Cubs … June 8, 1992

The Cubs’ Jim Bullinger was in his first MLB season, fourth appearance (all in relief) in the first game of a June 8, 1992 doubleheader (remember those) against the Cardinals, when he got his first MLB plate appearance. He came to the mound (in relief of Shawn Boskie) in the top of the fifth, with the Cubs and Cardinals in a scoreless tie.  Bullinger worked around a harmless walk to preserve the tie and then led off the top of the sixth against Rheal Cornier). He broke the tie on the first pitch, with a home run to left.  Bullinger pitched three innings – one hit, three walks, one strikeout, one run in the Cubs’ 13-inning 5-2 win. He got just the one at -bat.

Let’s Get This Party Started

In Jim Bullinger’s first week in the major leagues, he not only hit a first-pitch-ever homer, he also picked up four saves and was named National League Player of the Week.

Bullinger pitched in seven MLB seasons (1992-98 … Cubs, Expos, Mariners), going 34-41, 5.06, with 11 saves in 186 games (89 starts). As a hitter, he averaged .188 (31-for-165), with four home runs and 19 RBI.

Bullinger was drafted by the in the ninth round of the 1986 draft (out of The University of New Orleans, where he played shortstop and pitched). He was drafted as a shortstop, but quickly converted to the mound.

Don Rose, RHP, Angels … May 24, 1972

Don Rose started for the Angels, against the A’s in Oakland, on May 24, 1972.  It was his second MLB season (one game in 1971), fifth MLB game and first MLB start.  He got his first MLB plate appearance with one out, and no one on in the top of the third inning – and took Diego Segui deep on his first pitch to break the scoreless tie. Rose went on to give up five runs in six innings (and got the win in a 6-5 game).  He got to the plate twice more, reaching on an error in the fourth and popping out on a bunt attempt in the sixth.

Rose pitched in three MLB seasons (1971-72, 1974 … Mets, Angels, Giants), going 1-4, 4.14. As a hitter, he went two-for-ten (.200, with the one homer and RBI).

Bill LeFebvre, LHP … June 10, 1938

On June 10, 1938, Bill LeFebvre came in to pitch for the Red Sox – making his MLB debut – in the top of the sixth, with the Red Sox trailing the White Sox 9-5. He had a tough day on the mound, going four innings and surrendering six runs on eight hits (two homers).  He did better at the plate, rapping the first MLB pitch he ever saw for a solo homer to left center in the bottom of the eighth (off Mike Kreevich). It would be LeFebvre’s sole MLB appearance that season. (He was sent down to the Minneapolis Millers, where he finished the season 8-8, 4.25.)

Lefebvre pitched in four MLB seasons (1938-39, 1943-44 … Red Sox, Nationals), going 5-5, 5.03 in 36 games (10 starts). As a hitter, he hit .276 (24-for-87), with the one home run and 11 RBI. He appeared in 36 games as a pitcher, 42 as a pinch hitter and two at first base.

Not Gonna Waste Any time

Lefebvre was signed by the Red Sox – out of the College of Holy Cross, where he played outfield and pitched – in 1938. He graduated from Holy Cross on June 8, 1938; the next day he was in uniform in Boston; and the day after that he made his MLB debut.

Clise Dudley, RHP … April 27, 1929

So glad, he’s in here.  Gotta love that name.  Clise Dudley was in his first MLB season, third game (all in relief) when his Brooklyn Robins faced the Phillies on April 27, 1929 (in Philadelphia). Dudley took to the mound with two out in the third inning, two men on and the Robins trailing 4-0. Despite a wild pitch, he got out of the jam and came to the plate in the bottom of the frame with one out and no one on. He hit the first offering from Claude Willoughby for a home run to right. He got two more at bats in the game – strikeout, pop up. On the mound, he gave up four runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Dudley pitched in five MLB seasons (1929-33 … Robins, Phillies), going 17-33, 5.03 in 100 games (51 starts). As a hitter, he went .185 (32-for-173, with three home runs and 11 RBI.

Billy Gumbert, RHP, Pittsburgh Alleghenys … June 19,1890

There is not a lot of detail here, but Society for American Baseball Research members (see Primary Resources) have provided enough documentation to qualify Gumber for this list. Billy Gumbert made his MLB debut on June 19, 1890 in the first game of a Pittsburgh Alleghenys’ doubleheader against the Cleveland Spiders. Gumbert pitched a three-hitter and poked a two-run homer (on the first pitch he saw) in a 9-2 win. He went on to a three-season MLB career (1890, 1892-93 … Alleghenys, Colonels), going 7-89, 4.06 as a pitcher and .214-1-10 at the plate.

Anyone Else Want to Give This a Try?

In 1890 the Pittsburgh Allegheny’s went a dismal 23-113-2. They used 20 different starting pitchers and Billy Gumbert at 4-6, 5.22 led the team in wins and winning parentage.

Primary Resources: Statehead.com; Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball Almanac.com; Gene Stechschulte SABR bio, by Brian Batt; Dazzling Debuts: First At Bats Home run Highlights, SABR, by Giselle Stanic; Bill LeFebvre SABR bio, by Bill Nowlin; Jim Bullinger, Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame, allstatesugarbowl.org; Billy Gumbert, SABR Bio, by Bill Lamb.

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P 1087

Once again, it’s time for Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. Regular readers know much The Roundtable likes MLB unicorns, those one-of-a-kind occurrences. This week, that unicorn is Hoyt Wilhelm – the only MLB pitcher to win a regular-season ERA title without starting a single game.

Baseball Roundtable is presenting an abbreviated version of this week’s post here – concentrating on Wilhelm. At the Baseball Roundtable blog site, you can find a longer post, looking at all the MLB pitchers who won an ERA title in a season in which their relief appearances outnumbered their starts – pitchers like Hall of Famer Phil Niekro (the last pitcher to win 20 or more and lose 20 or more in the same season); Danny Darwin (who pitched in 21 MLB seasons and never made an All Star team); Mike Garcia and Wilcy Moore (who – like Wilhelm – won ERA titles as rookies; Sal Maglie (who “jumped “ to the Mexican League, got banned and was able to  jump back to MLB);  Bob Friend (the first pitcher to win an ERA title with a last-place team); Diego Segui, the only player to play for both Seattle expansion teams);  and more. (There are 14 pitchers on the list.)

Side Note; Saves did not become an official stat until 1969. Saves noted here before that season were calculated retroactively.  

Photo: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm was less than 100 days shy of his thirtieth birthday when he made his major-league debut.  Yet, he still fashioned a 21-season, 1,070-appearance MLB pitching career – making his last MLB appearance (two scoreless innings in relief) just 16 days shy of his fiftieth birthday.

Wilhelm’s unicorn season came in his 1952 rookie campaign, when he went 15-3, 2.43 for the Giants, leading the NL in earned run average, winning percentage (.833) and appearances (71). He was the first – and still only – pitcher to win an ERA title without making a single start.  Seven seasons later (1959), Wilhelm would win a second ERA title – this one in a year when his starts outnumbered his relief appearances 27-to-5. Only three other pitchers have won ERA titles both when their relief appearances outnumbered their starts and vice versa (Luis Tiant, Mike Garcia and Cherokee Fisher).

A little background on Wilhelm

At a time when the knuckleball was primarily used by pitchers who had “aged out” of effective curves and heaters, Wilhelm began using the pitch (actually a fingertip-ball in his case) as his mainstay as a teenager. In 1942, after high school, Wilhelm signed with the Class-D North Carolina State League Mooresville Moors, near his home town of Huntersville, North Carolina. He went 10-3 for Mooresville before being drafted into the Army. He spent three prime years in the military, seeing plenty of combat and receiving a Purple Heart for wounds he suffered in the Battle of the Bulge.

Hoyt Wilhelm pitched his entire MLB career with a piece of shrapnel (from the Battle of the Bulge) lodged in his back.

After his release from the service, Wilhelm returned to Mooresville, where he went 41-15 over two seasons and, in 1947, he was signed by the New York Giants.  And, the rest, as they say, is history. Working primarily as a starter, he worked his way up from Class-B to Triple-A between 1948 and 1951 – going 56-46 and pitching to a 3.68 earned run average over 813 innings.

In 1952, Wilhelm stuck with the Giants and had that stellar (unicorn) rookie season that prompted this post.

Wilhelm and his knuckler stayed in the big leagues through 1972.  He pitched in 1,070 games (52 starts, more than half of them in 1959).  His final stat line was 143-122, 2.52, with 228 saves.

How Much Did Hoyt Wilhelm’s Knuckleball Flutter?

In his first 16 years in the major leagues, the teams Wilhelm suited up for led their league in passed balls in 15 campaigns. A couple of other indicators:

• In 1958, with Wilhelm on the staff, Indians’ catchers committed a league-topping 35 passed balls. In 1959, without Wilhelm in the fold, that number dropped to six.
• In 1959, Orioles’ catcher Gus Triandos had 28 passed balls – 24 of them came with Wilhelm on the mound.

THE OTHERS ON THE LIST

Sammy Stewart, RHP, Orioles …. 1981

Stewart put up a league-leading 2.32 earned run average while appearing in 29 games for the Orioles in 1981 (his fourth MLB and age-26 season).  He made just three starts that season, with his 26 relief outings making up 89.7 percent of his total appearances.  In his three starts, he went 0-3, 6.89.  He put up a 1.58 earned run average in relief. His final line for the season was 4-8, 2.32 with four saves in 112 1/3 innings. Long relief was clearly his role, as Stewart averaged 3.7 innings pitched per relief stint over the course of the season.

Stewart pitched in 10 MLB seasons (1978-87 … Orioles, Red Sox, Indians) and went 59-48, 3.59, with 45 saves.  He made just 25 starts in 359 total appearances. – or just seven percent of his total appearances.  Notably, pitching primarily in relief, he pitched 100+ innings in six of his ten MLB campaigns.

Stewart was a 28^th Round pick in the 1974 MLB Draft (Royals), but did not sign. He signed as an amateur free agent with the Orioles. He made his MLB debut, with the Orioles, September 1, 1978 – after a 13-10, 3.80 season (27 starts) at Triple-A. In his debut game, versus the White Sox, he went 5 1/3 innings (six hits, two runs, no walks, nine strikeouts) in a 9-3 win.  At one point in the game, he fanned seven consecutive hitters.

Sammy Stewart’s Best Season:  1984 Orioles … 7-4, 3.29, with 13 saves in 60 appearances (all in relief).

Wilcy Moore, RHP, Yankees …. 1927

Photo: Healdsburg Tribune, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

As 30-year-old rookie with the vaunted 1927 Yankees, Wilcy Moore went 19-7, with league-topping 13 saves and a league-leading 2.28 earned run average in season in which he made 12 starts and 38 (67 percent) relief appearances and pitched 206 innings. Moore was effective as both a starter 6-2, 2.61 in 93 innings and reliever 13-3, 2.11 in 119 2/3 innings. He averaged just over three innings per outing in his relief role.

Moore pitched in the minor leagues from 1922-25, when a “break” changed his trajectory. He suffered a broken arm when hit by a batted ball in the 1925 season and, when he returned to the field, found that it was too painful to throw overhand – so he became a side-armer and that signed his ticket to the Yankees. The new motion led to a devastating “low-in-the-zone” sinker and, in 1926, he went 30-4, 2.86 for the Class-B Greenville Spinners team.  (Not that Moore was a slouch before 1926. From 1922 through 1925, as he worked is way up the minor-league ladder, Moore was a combined 56-24. In 1927, he was a Yankee.)

The 1927 World Series

Wilcy Moore pitched in two games of the Yankees four-game sweep of the Pirates in the 1927 Fall Classic.  He got a save in Game One with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief.  He started and got the win in the Yankee’s Game Four 4-3 victory with a complete game (10 hits, three runs, one earned).

A non-baseball-related arm injury cut into Moore’s effectiveness in 1928-29.  While he went 10-8 with 12 saves over those two seasons, his earned run average was 4.15 – and he spent time on the voluntary retired list.  In 1930, he was back in the minors (St. Paul Saints), his arm issue (pain) had subsided and he righted the ship (22-9, 4.07 with a league-leading 272 innings pitched).  From 1931-33, he pitched in the majors (Red Sox/Yankees), but never as spectacularly as in his rookie season.

Moore’s final MLB line was 51-44, 3.70 with 49 saves. He pitched in 261 games (just 32 starts).

Wilcy Moore’s Best Season:  1927 Yankees … 19-7, league-leading 2.28 ERA, league-leading 13 saves in 50 appearances (12 starts).

Sal Maglie, RHP, Giants …. 1950

Photo: Bowman Gum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sal Maglie got his first taste of the major leagues in 1945 and put up a 5-4, 2.35 record with the Giants.   Then, in 1946, he was among the major leaguers who “jumped” to the Mexican League (which was offering lucrative contracts) – where he played for two seasons. That decision, the Mexican leagues’ decline and Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler’s five-year ban on the players who made the jump from resulted in Maglie not pitching in the major leagues again until 1950 – his age-33 season.  But he was ready. Note: Between 1947 and 1950 (when Chandler cleared the way for the jumpers to return), Maglie ran a gas station and also played with a barnstorming team and in Canada.

In 1950, as a reliever and spot starter, Maglie went 18-4, 2.71, with one save.  He led he National league in ERA, winning percentage and shutouts (while making 66 percent of his appearances coming in from the pen, averaging 2.1 innings per relief outing). That season marked another turning point in Maglie’s career – the shift to a starting role. While he made 31 appearances relief in 1950, he made just 47 relief appearances over his next eight MLB seasons (versus 206 starts).  From 1950-52, Maglie went 59-18 (18-4, 23-6, 18-8), with a 2.86 earned run average.  Then back issues (and perhaps a bit of age) seemed to take a toll, as he picked up just 55 more wins over the next six seasons.

Maglie pitched in ten MLB seasons (1945, 1950-58 … Giants, Indians, Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals) going 119-62, 3.15. He had an ERA under 3.00 in six of his ten MLB seasons. Who knows what he might have done if he hadn’t lost those five prime years to the Mexican League and the Chandler ban.

Sal Maglie’s Best Season: 1952 Giants … 23-6, 2.93, 22 complete games, four shutouts in 42 games (37 starts). You can also make a case for the 1950 season, already discussed.

Danny Darwin, RHP, Astros … 1990

Darwin was in his 13^th (and age-34) MLB season when he led the National League in ERA at 2.21 – to go with 11 wins (four losses) and two saves.  That season Dawin made 48 appearances, 31 (64.6 percent) in relief. He averages 1.5 innings per relief stint and 6.9 innings per start.

What impressed me most about Darwin was his willing versatility (21 seasons, 371 starts, 345 relief appearances). He had seven seasons of 25 or more starts and four of 35 or more relief appearances. In 1985, he appeared in 68 games – all in relief.  A few years later, in 1993, he started 34 games and did not appear even once in relief. Overall, He had 13 seasons when his starts outnumbered his relief roles and eight where his relief appearances outnumbered his starts. You might get an idea of how his career went when you consider that in 1982, he went 10-8, 3.44 in 56 appearances for the Rangers – 55 of those in relief.  The very next season, he went 9-9, 3.44 in 28 (26 of them starts) appearances for those same Rangers.

Over his 21 seasons (1978-98 … Rangers, Brewers, Astros, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Pirates, White Sox, Giants), Darwin went 171-182, 3.84 with 32 saves.

Darwin signed with the Rangers as an undrafted amateur free agent in 1976 and almost immediately showed potential – going 13-4, 2.51 in 23 starts for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers. Although he struggled in 1978 (8-9. 6.26 at Triple-A), he did get a September call up went 1-0, 4.15 in three games for the Rangers. In 1979, he improved (6-6, 3.60 at Triple-A) and was called up to the Rangers to stay in June. He finished that season at 4-4, 4.04. From 1980 through 1998, he appeared in 693 MLB games and just one minor-league contest.

Danny Darwin’s Best Season: 1989 Astros or 1993 Red Sox …  His best season as a starter was 1993, when he went 15-11, 3.26 in 34 appearances (all starts) for Boston. It marked his most wins, starts and innings pitched in any season. As a reliever, his top campaign was probably 1988 for the Astros (11-4, 2.36, with seven saves in 68 appearances – no starts).

William “Cherokee” Fisher, RHP … Athletics (National Association) 1873

The National Association Philadelphia Athletics played a 51-game schedule in 1873 and Cherokee Fisher went 3-4, 1.81 with two saves in 13 appearances (five starts).  It was the second consecutive season that Fisher led the Association in ERA. In 1872, with the Baltimore Canaries, he had gone 10-11.80 in 19 appearances (eight starts).

Fisher pitched in seven MLB seasons (1871-76, 1878   … Rockford Forest Citys, Baltimore Canaries, Philadelphia Athletics, Hartford Dark Blues, Philadelphia Whites, Cincinnati Reds, Providence Grays) going 56-84, 2.61 in 165 appearances (141 starts).

Cherokee Fisher’s Best Season: 1872 Canaries (National Association) … In 1872, Fisher went 10-1, 1.80 for the Canaries, leading the National Association in winning percentage (.909) and ERA. That season, he appeared in 19 of the Canaries’ 58 games (11 starts).

Diego Segui, RHP, Oakland Athletics … 1970

Diego Segui started his MLB career with the Kansas City Athletics in 1962.  From 1962 through 1966, he was primarily a starter going 33-50, 4.33 in 176 appearances/109 starts. Then from 1967-1977, he made 401 relief appearances and just 62 starts.  In 1970, he split his time between starting and relief – 19 starts and 28 relief appearances (59.6 percent). He went 10-10, with a league-leading 2.56 earned run average. That season, he was slightly more effective as a starter (8-6, 2.33 than as a reliever (2-4, 3.11). In 1962, he averaged 1.5 innings per relief role and 6.1 frames per start.

The Ancient Mariner

Diego Segui pitched in the first-ever regular season game for the expansion Seattle Pilots (April 8, 1969 at California), as well as in the first-ever regular-season game for the Seattle Mariners (April 6, 1977).  He is the only player to have played for both Seattle expansion teams. Segui was the oldest player on the 1977 Mariners’ squad (he turned forty during the season, earning him the nickname “The Ancient Mariner.”)

Segui’s final MLB stat line (1962-75, 1977 … Athletics, Pilots, Cardinals, Reds Sox, Mariners) was 92-111, 3.81, with 71 saves.

Diego Segui’s Best Season:  1969 Pilots … Given the 1969 Pilots 64-98-1 record, Segui’s 12-6, 3.35, 12-save season stands out (66 appearances/8 starts). He was on the mound in 35 percent of the Pilots’ wins.  He was second on the team in wins (Gene Brabender was 13-15); first in saves; first in appearances; third in innings pitched (142 1/3).

Rudy May, LHP, Yankees …. 1980

Rudy May was in his 13^th MLB season (age-35 season) when he had his ERA-leading campaign.  In a season in which he made 17 starts and 24 relief appearances (58.5 percent) for the Yankees, May went 15-5, 2.46 with three saves.  As a starter, he went 10-3, 3.52 in 117 2/3 innings (averaging 6.9 innings per start).  As a reliever, he was 5-2, 2.34, with three saves in 57 2/3 frames (2.4 frames per appearance).  May was primarily a starter throughout his 16-season MLB career. In fact, his starts outnumbered his relief appearances in 12 of his 16 MLB seasons.

In his 16 MLB campaigns (1965, 1969-83 … Angels, Yankees, Orioles, Expos, ) May went 152-156, 3.46, with 12 saves in 535 appearances (360 starts) – 105 of his 175 relief appearances came in his final six MLB seasons.

Rudy May’s Best Season: 1980 Yankees … I’ve got to go with the season that got him on this list: 15-5, 2.46 with three saves deserve recognition. It was May’s second-most wins in a season (He went 18-14 in 1977.); lowest qualifying ERA; and second-highest winning percentage (.750). You could also make a case for his 1979 Yankees/Expos season (10-3, 2.31 in 33 games/7 starts).

Frank Baumann, LHP, White Sox … 1960

Over his 11 MLB seasons, Frank Bauman was primarily a reliever.  In fact, 43 of his 78 career starts came over two seasons (1960-61, White Sox). In 1960, he went 13-6, with a league-leading 2.67 ERA for the White Sox in 47 appearances – 27 in relief (57.4 percent). In his 1960 dual role, Baumann was equally effective as a starter and reliever – 7-3, 2.74 as a starter and 6-3, 2.49 in relief roles. He averaged 6.7 innings per start and 1.9 innings per relief appearance.

Baumann was in the majors from 1955-65 (Red Sox, White Sox, Cubs), going 45-48, 4.11, with 14 saves in 244 games (78 starts).

Baumann was a highly regarded high school prospect and signed with the Red Sox as a teenager in 1952.  In two seasons at Triple-A (as an 18- and 19-year-old, he went 14-7, 3.25.  He lost the 1954 season to military service and was up and down (minors and majors) with the Red Sox from 1955 through 1958.  He stuck with Boston in 1959, going 6-4, 4.05 in 26 games (10 starts) before being traded to the White Sox – where in 1960, he turned in the season that go him on this list.

Frank Baumann’s Best Season: 1960 White Sox … 13-6, 2.67, with four saves.

Phil Niekro, RHP, Braves … 1967 Braves (Member BBHOF)

Phil Niekro made his way into the Hall of Fame as a starter.  Of his 318 victories, 302 came as a starter and 82.9 percent of his 864 appearances came in a starting role. In fact, in his 24 MLB seasons, 104 of his 148 relief appearances came in his first four seasons. It was in his fourth MLB seasons (his age-28 season) that Niekro won his only ERA title going 11-9, 1.87, with nine saves for the Braves in a season of 20 starts and 26 relief appearances. He went 10-7, 1.96 in 20 starts (averaging 8.0 innings per start) and 1-2, 1.54, with nine saves as a reliever (1.8 innings per appearance.)

It was not, however, the only time, Niekro would lead the league in a pitching category. He would go on to lead his league in wins twice (losses four times – consecutively 1977-80), winning percentage once, starts four times, complete games four times, innings pitched four times and strikeouts once. He would become a five-time All Star and five-time Gold Glover.

Niekro pitched in 24 MLB seasons (1964-87 …. Braves, Yankees, Indians, Blue Jays), going 318-274, 3.35 with 29 saves. He is in MLB’s overall career top 20 in wins (318 – 16^th); innings pitched (5,404 – fourth); strikeouts (3,342 – 13^th); games started (716 – fifth);

You Win Some/You Lose some

Phil Niekro is the last pitcher to record 20 wins and 20 losses in the same season. In 1979, he led the National League in wins and losses, with a 21-20, 3.39 record. That season, he made 44 starts and got a decision in 41.  He threw a league-leading 23 complete games and pitched a league-topping 342 innings.   The only other pitcher with a “20-20” season since 1916 is Wilbur Wood (another knuckleballer), who went 24-20 for the White Sox in 1973. There have been a total of 152 20-20 seasons, just 11 in the Modern ERA (post-1900).

Niekro signed with the Braves as an amateur free agent in July of 1958. He didn’t get a lot of traction early in his pro career and, in fact, did not make his MLB debut until 1964 (a call up after an 11-5, 3.45 season at Triple-A).  His first full MLB season was the 1967 season that put him on this list.

Phil Niekro’s Best Season: Tied: 1969 Braves/1982 Braves … In 1969, Niekro went 23-13, 2.56, with one save.  Forty appearances, 35 starts, 21 complete games. In 1982, his age-43 season, he went 17-4, 3.61 in 35 starts.

Luis Tiant, RHP, Red Sox … 1992 

Like Wilhelm, Luis Tiant captured an ERA title in a year when he made more appearances in relief than as a starter and in a year when he made more starts than relief appearances.   In 1968, with the Indians, Tiant went 21-9, 1.60 (winning the ERA crown) in a season in which he made 32 starts among his 34 games appearances.  Then in 1972, with the Red Sox, he went 15-6, with three saves and a league-topping 1.91 ERA. That season he made 43 appearances – 19 as a starter and 24 (55.8 percent) in relief.  He went 12-5, 1.88 as a starter and 3-1, with three saves and a 2.05 ERA as a reliever. He averaged 7.8 innings per start and 1.3 innings per relief appearance.

Tiant pitched in 19 MLB seasons (1964-1982 … Indians, Twins, Red Sox, Yankees, Pirate, Angels), going 229-172, 3.30. He made 484 starts and came on in relief in another 89 games. Tiant was a three-time All Star. He won 20 or more games in four seasons and led the league in shutouts three times.

A Dazzling Debut

Luis Tiant made his MLB debut (as a 23-year-old) with the Cleveland Indians on July 19, 1964. It was the second game of a doubleheader against the Yankees In New York. The Yankees, defending AL Champions, were on their way to a 99-63 season and another AL pennant – and had their ace Whitey Ford on the mound (Ford was 12-2, 2.04 at the time). In that debut game, Tiant dazzled, tossing a four-hit (all singles) shutout and fanning 11 Bombers, as Cleveland prevailed 3-0.

Tiant’s contract was purchased by the Cleveland Indians (from the Mexico City Tigers) in 1962. Just 21-years-old, he had three Mexican-League seasons under his belt. In the Cleveland system, he went 7-8, 3.60 at A/Triple-A in 1962; 14-9, 2.56 at A-Level in 1963; and 15-1, 2.04 at Triple-A in 1964 before a July call up. (He went 10-4 2.83 for the Indians in is rookie season.)

Luis Tiant’s Best Season: As already noted, in 1968, Tiant went 21-9, with a league-low 1.60 ERA. He threw 19 complete games in 32 starts and led the American League with nine shutouts.

Bob Friend, RHP, Pirates … 1955

Bob Friend was in his fifth (and age-24) MLB season when he won his only ERA title.  That season, Friend went 14-9, 2.83, with one save in 44 appearances – 20 starts and 24 relief outings (54.5 percent).  It was, notably, Friend’s first winning MLB season. In his first four seasons, he had gone 28-50, 4.61. In 1955, The last-place Pirates had gone 60-94 and Friend was their only pitcher with a winning record.  That season, Friend went 9-8, 3.21 as a starter and 5-1, 1.95 with two saves as a reliever. He averaged 7 innings per start and 2.5 innings per relief appearance.

May the Last Be First

In 1955, Bob Friend became the first pitcher to lead his league in ERA while pitching for a last-place team..

Friend pitched in 16 MLB seasons (1951-66 … Pirates, Yankees, Mets), going 197-230, 3.58.  He made 497 starts and 105 trips in from the bullpen. He was a three-time All Star and logged eight seasons of 14 or more victories.

Friend was signed by the Pirates as a 19-year-old in 1949 and spent just one year in the minor leagues (14-13, 3.62 in Class-B and Triple-A) before making it to the Pirates (6-10, 4.27 in 1951).

Education is Important

Bob Friend attended Purdue University in 1949 (signed with the Pirates that same year) and then attended Purdue in the off-season for eight consecutive years – earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics in 1957,  

Bob Friend’s Best Season:  1958 Pirates … In 1958, Friend led the NL with 22 wins (14 losses) and put up a 3.68 ERA, finishing third in the Cy Young Award voting.

Fred Anderson, RHP, Giants … 1917

In 1917, Fred Anderson went 8-8, with league-best 1.44 ERA for the Giants. He made 18 starts and came out of the pen 20 times (52.6 percent). Anderson went 6-7, 1.45 as a starter and 2-1, 1.51 in relief. He averaged 6.5 frames per start and 2.1 innings per relief appearance.

Anderson pitched in seven MLB seasons (1909, 1913-18 … Red Sox, the Federal League Bufalo Buffeds/Blues, Giants), going 53-57, 2.86, with eight saves.  He made 114 starts and came on in relief in 64 times.

Fred Anderson’s Best Season: 1915 Federal League Buffalo Blues … 19-13, 2.51 with 14 complete games in 28 starts (36 total appearances).

Steve Ontiveros, RHP, Athletics …. 1994

In 1984, Steve Ontiveros went 6-4, with a league-leading 2.65 earned run average for the Athletics in 13 starts and 14 relief outings (51.9 percent).  It was his ninth MLB season (his age-33 season).  He was much more effective as a starter than a reliever that season – 5-2, 1.59 as a starter and 102, 5.58 as a reliever. He went 6.5 innings per start and 2.2 innings per relief appearance.

Ontiveros started his MLB career as a reliever. In his first two MLB seasons (1985-86), he went 3-5, 3.30 with 18 saves in 85 appearances for the A’s – all out of the pen. Then, from 1987 through 1989 (A’s/ Phillies), he went 15-13, 4.12 in 51 games, starting in 37 (72.5 percent).  He next had two MLB seasons (1990 and 1993 … Phillies/Mariners) in which he made just 29 appearances – all in relief.   The, of course, came 1994, nearly evenly split between starting and relieving, before a final two seasons 1995 and 2000 (A’s/Red Sox) in which he made 22 starts in 25 appearances,

It all added up to a career MLB record of 34-31. 3.67 over ten seasons (73 starts and 134 relief appearances). Ontiveros made one All Star team (1995, with the A’s.) Side note:  Ontiveros’ MLB career was interrupted more once than by arm issues.

Ontiveros was a second-round pick (Athletics) in the 1982 MLB Draft – out of the University of Michigan. He went 18-8, 3,78 in four minor-league seasons before his 1985 call up.

Steve Ontiveros’ Best Season: 1994 Athletics … It would have to be that 1994 season, with the league-low 2.65 ERA in 27 games (6-4 won-lost). A close second would be his one All Star campaign (1995 A’s), when he went 9-6, 4.37 in 22 games (all starts).

Mike Garcia, RHP, Indians … 1949

Mike Garcia was a rookie for the Indians in 1949 (he pitched in one game, two innings in 1948). In 1949 (his age-25 season), he went 14-5, with a league-best 2.39 ERA over 20 starts and 21 relief appearances.  Yep, he barely made this list. He started the season in the bullpen, appearing in relief in his 12 of his first 14 outings.  A 4-2 (1 save), 3.12 record earned him a regular starting spot. For the season, he was 11-4, 2.36 as a starter and 3-1, 2.33 (two saves) in relief. He averaged 6.9 innings per start and 1.4 innings per relief appearances.

Garica captured a second ERA title in 1954, when he went 19-8, 264 in 45 games (34 starts) for the Indians.

Garcia pitched in 14 MLB seasons (1947-1961 … Indians, White Sox, Senators), going 142-97, 3.27 in 281 starts and 147 relief appearances.  In his four prime years (1951-54), he went 79-41, 2.84, twice winning 20 or more games and making three All Star squads.

Garcia began his professional career (as an 18-year-old) in in the Indians’ farm system in 1942. (He had been spotted playing semi-pro ball in California.)  That first season, he put up a 10-10, 3.94 at Class-D.  He then spent three years in the military before returning to pro-ball in 1946 (22-9, 2.56 at Class-C.)  Two more solid minor-league seasons (17-10, 3.24 at A-Level and 19-16, 3.09 at Double-A) punched his ticket to the majors.

Mike Garcia’s Best Season:  1952 Indians … In 1952, Garcia went 22-11, 2.37, with 19 complete games in 36 starts (he also made ten relief appearances – four saves) and pitched six shutouts.

Stu Miller RHP, Giants … 1958   

In 1958, Stu Miller, in his sixth (age-30) MLB season went 6-9, with a league-leading 2.47 ERA in 20 starts and 21 relief appearances (51.2 percent). He went 6-7, 3.01 as a starter and 0-2, 0.81 in relief. He went 6.9 innings per start and 2.1 innings per relief appearance.

Miller pitched in 16 MLB seasons (1952-54, 1956-68 … Cardinals, Phillies, Giants, Orioles, Braves) making his mark primarily as a reliever. (He went 105-103, 3.24, with 153 saves in 93 starts and 611 relief appearances. He twice led his league in saves (for the Giants in the NL in 1961 with 17 and for the Orioles in the AL in 1963 with 27). He was an All Star in 1961, when he went 14-5, 2.66 with 17 saves in 63 relief outings.

Miller was signed out of a Cardinals tryout camp in 1949 and worked his way up to the Cardinals by 1952 (age-24-season). That season, he was 11-5, 2.34 at Triple-A before an August call up. He went 6-3, 2.05 for the Redbirds in 12 appearances (11 starts).

Stu Miller’s Best Season:  1965 Orioles … In 1965, Miller went 14-7, 1.89, with 24 saves in in 67 appearances (all in relief.)

Primary Resources: Stathead.com; Baseball-Reference.com; Hoyt Wilhelm SABR bio, by Mark Armour;  Sal Maglie SABR Bio by Judith Testa; Bob Friend, SABR bio, by Clifton Parker.

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