Baseball Roundtable August 2024 Wrap Up – a No-Hitter … a 40-40 season … Triples for the Jackson Three … and More

It’s September 2, and that means it’s time (actually, it’s one day past time) for the Baseball Roundtable monthly Wrap Up for August – a look at the stories and statistics that caught The Roundtable’s attention over the past month, as well as the standings, Roundtable Players and Pitchers of the Month and more. I apologize for being a day late – the Labor Day Holiday and the fact that my wife and I are dealing with COVID, slowed me down a bit. (We tested positive two days after attending a large outdoor Minnesota event – Minnesotans will know of what I write.)  So, this Wrap Up may be a bit briefer than some in the past (but I am sure many of you will applaud that.)

As usual, there were a few attention-grabbers over the past month. We saw:

• a no-hitter (Blake Snell) and a no-hitter lost with two-out in the ninth (Framber Valdez);
• the end of a 21-game losing streak;
• Aaron Judge’s 300th home run;
• Shohei Ohtani reaching 40-40 (in a hurry);
• Gerrit Cole’s 150th win;
• a player (Danny Jansen) playing for two MLB teams in the same game; and
• much more.

Let’s start with Baseball Roundtables’ Players and Pitchers of the Month.  You’ll find some new names here.

BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE PLAYERS AND PITCHRS OF THE MONTH

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Player of the Month – William Contreras, C, Brewers

William Contreras had a solid August at the plate, while playing the game’s most demanding position. He put up a .294 average and his 31 hits were twelfth in the NL; his 23 RBI seventh; his nine home runs fifth; and his 22 runs scored fourth. He also had eight doubles and a triple and his .648 slugging percentage for August was second among National Leaguers with at least 50 August at bats. Contreras also drew 17 walks (tied for second in the NL) and his on-base percentage of .398 was sixth in the league among hitters with at least 50 August at bats.  Admittedly, there were some gaudier numbers in the NL in August (see the Honorable Mentions), but Contreras’ overall productivity, his demanding and commanding position on the field and what he meant to the Brewers Brewers got him my nod. (I expect some pushback on this one.)

William Contreras had nine multi-hit games in August.

 

Honorable Mentions: Lots to choose from here. Mets’ SS Francisco Lindor went .325-6-16 for the month, and his 39 hits tied for the MLB lead. Diamondbacks’ DH Joc Pederson hit .294-6-16 for the month – add in his 17 walks (tied for second in the NL) and he put up a .467 on-base percentage, tops for National Leaguers with at least 50 August at bats. Pirates’ SS Oneil Cruz tied for the August lead in average at .389 with 37 hits and ten steals. (He was hurt by the fact that he had just 12 runs and 14 RBI.) The Diamondbacks’ CF Corbin Carroll gets a mention for scoring an MLB-tops 30 August runs on just 28 hits (.280 average) and eleven walks. In addition, his eleven August homers were second only to Shohei Ohtani (12) in the NL and his 24 RBI tied for fourth in the league. Side note: Ohtani had 12 homers, 22 RBI and 15 steals, but I just couldn’t get past his .235 August average and .286 on-base percentage.

Pitcher of the Month – Tie: Zach Wheeler, RHP, Phillies & Blake Snell, LHP, Padres

Blake Snell, went just 2-0 in six August starts, but he led MLB in strikeouts with 53 (in 38 2/3 innings), had the second-lowest ERA among NL pitchers with at least 25 August innings (1.64), put up a 0.83 WHIP (lowest among NL pitchers with at least 20 August innings) and held hitters to a .125 average (lowest among NL pitchers with at least 25 August innings).  Snell’s month also included a no-hitter (a 3-0 win versus the Reds on August 2). Without the no-no, Zach Wheeler probably would have stood alone in this recognition. With the no-hitter, Snell earned the tie.

Zach Wheeler, went 3-1, 1.62 in six August starts. His 1.62 ERA was the lowest among NL pitchers with at least 25 August innings. He finished second to Blake Snell in the NL in strikeouts with 44 (in 39 innings) – and walked only five. He went at least six innings in each of his six starts and never gave up more than two earned runs in a contest. His only August loss came to the rival Braves (August 20), when he gave up two earned runs over six innings (six hits, no walks, eight strikeouts). He came back to beat the Braves on August 31, with seven (four-hit, zero-walk, seven-strikeout) shutout innings.

Honorable Mentions: Chris Sale, LHP, Braves is (like Snell) another veteran lefty. He went 2-0, 2.05 for the Braves in five August starts and finished third in the NL in whiffs (42 in 30 2/3 innings). He walked just six batters. David Peterson, LHP, Mets was a workhorse, (38 2/3 innings in six starts) and going 3-0, with a 1.86 ERA.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Player of the Month – Aaron Judge, CF, Yankees

What can you say about Aaron Judge? He’s a hitting machine. His 12 August home runs tied for the MLB tops, and his 25 walks led MLB.  He put up a .389 average, a .530 on-base percentage and .856 slugging percentage – all MLB highs for players with at least 75 August at bats (a tie for average with the Pirates; Oneil Cruz. Judge also scored 21 runs and stole a couple of bases.  His 24 RBI tied for second in the AL. This was a no brainer.

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Aaron Judge reached base via a hit or walk in 22 of 26 August games played.

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Honorable Mentions: Heir-loom players. Toronto 1B Vlad Guerrero, Jr. hit .375 (tying for the MLB lead in August hits with 39). He had six home runs and 17 RBI in August. Royals’ SS Bobby Witt, Jr. came in at .312-10-20, with a league-leading 25 runs scored.   There’s also Astros’ LF Yordan Alvarez – .382-8-16.  And, I like Guardians’ 3B Jose Ramirez (.279-6-17), particularly for his league-topping 14 steals.

Pitcher of the Month – Bowden Francis, RHP, Blue Jays

If he hadn’t grabbed this recognition, Bowden Francis would probably have been the Roundtable’s Surprise of the Month.   He went 4-1, 1.05, with 39 strikeouts (just four walks) in 34 1/3 innings.  (Only the Blue Jays’ Jose Berrios had more August wins.) Bowden had the lowest ERA, lowest WHIP (0.41) and lowest average against (0.89) among pitchers with at least 25 August innings. He appeared in six August games (five starts) and, in his last four starts, went at least seven innings in each outing (giving up just two earned runs in 29 innings).

Honorable Mentions: Spencer Arrighetti of the Astros went 3-2, 1.95 in five August starts –  tied for the AL lead in August strikeouts with 47 (in 32 1/3 innings), while walking just ten – and put up a 0.90 WHIP and .168 average against.  In another month, he might have been more than an Honorable Mention, but Bowden Francis had a notably lower ERA, WHIP and average against, plus one more win. Another Astros’ southpaw, Framber Valdez, went 3-1, 1.59, with 38 strikeouts in 34 innings, a 0.65 WHIP and .118 average against. The Blue Jays’ Jose Berrios deserves mention for his MLB-leading five August wins (5-1, 2.50 in six starts), as does Seattle’s Bryan Woo, who led MLB with 40 1/3 August innings, going 2-1, 2.23, with 34 strikeouts and just three walks.

Surprise of the Month

Osvaldo Bido RHP, A’s

Osvaldo Bido, signed with the Pirates as an International Free Agent in 2017.  He made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 2023 – and went 2-5, 5.86 in 16 games (nine starts). That November, he was non-tendered by the Pirates and signed as a free agent with Oakland (who optioned him to Triple-A). The A’s brought him up to start one game of a doubleheader on May 8. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings, giving up four runs.  Then, it was back to Triple-A. He returned to the A’s, in a relief role, in late June and after a several positive performances earned a starting shot on July 23. Bido entered August with a 2-2, 5.00 record on the season.  In August, he was a superb surprise – 3-1, 1.55 in five starts – walking nine and fanning 28 in 29 innings and holding batters to a .143 average.

In seven minor-league seasons, Bido was 31-45. 4.37.

Honorable Mentions: A’s outfielder JJ Bleday is in his third MLB seasons. He hit .167-5-16 in 65 games for the Marlins in 2022 and .195-10-27 for the A’s in 2023.  This season, he was at .238-13-37 in 108 games for the A’s coming into August. This past month, however, he went .289-7-17 and had a hit in all but seven of 25 games – including a five-for-five game (with two doubles and a home run) against the Reds on August 29.  Not a total surprise (he was a first-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt University) by the Marlins in 2019), but enough of one to make it here.

Guardians 23-year-old rookie OF/1B Jhonkensey Noel came into August with a .254-6-12 stat line over his first 24 MLB games. He then went .262-7-14 in 22 August contests.  Now, you gotta love that name -and at 6’3”, he has a great nickname “Big Christmas.”  (Okay, it’s not in ‘Big Papi’ status, but I like it.) He’s a bit of a surprise for The Roundtable, because in 2022, he hit .229 at three minor-league levels and he followed that up with .220 at Triple-A in 2023. (He did however, hit a combined 59 home runs over those two campaigns.) Noel seemed to put it all together this season and was hitting .295-18-59 in 65 games at Triple-A when he was called up in late June.  Noel was signed by the Indians as an international free agent in 2018.

 

One thing that jumped out at me in looking at August results is that the Astros (The AL’s winningest team in August) put up a 2.51 earned run average – the only team under 3.00. The Astros won the most games in the AL, despite scoring the seventh-fewest runs.  The starters were led by Hunter Brown (2-0, 1.45); Framber Valdez (3-1, 1.59) and Spencer Arrighetti (3-2, 1.95). In the pen, Josh Hader, Shawn Dubin, Bryan King and Kaleb Ort combined for 35 appearances (38 1/3 innings) and a 0.70 earned run average. Hader was key at  3-1, 0.68, eight saves an 0.68 ERA.  The offense was led by LF Yordan Alvarez (.383-8-16) and C Yainer Diaz (.304-6-15).

Looking at the two NL teams that won 19 games this past month, the Brewers got 26 of 28 starts out of a five-man rotations of Frankie Montas, Aaron Civale, Tobias Myers, Freddy Peralta and Colin Rae. Those five went a combined 11-5. Devin Williams saved eight games in nine opportunities, with a 2.53 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings.  On offense, the Brew Crew was  led by a William and a Willy.  SS Willy Adames went .288-10-24 (leading the team in home runs and RBI).  Catcher William Contreras went .295-9-23 (finishing second on the team in both categ0ries).  The other 19-win squad, the Dodgers, took a more balanced approach to victory.  They scored the NL’s fifth-most runs and  and gave up the third-fewest. As you might expect, DH Shohei Ohtani led the offense with 12 homers, 22 RBI, 24 runs scored and fifteen steals – despite a .235 average and .286 OBP. Still, there was balance here.  The Dodgers had eight players with ten or more August RBI and seven with ten or more runs scored. Mike Kopech (2-0, 0.68, three saves in 13 games); Evan Phillips (1-0, 0.73, three saves in 14 games); and Alex Vesia (1-1, 1-1, 1.00 in 10 games) were bullpen stalwarts.  More balance? Five pitchers recorded saves for LA in August – and 14 recorded wins.  Jack Flaherty led all starters with a 3-1, 3.49 record.

–——Team Statistical Leaders for August 2024 ———-

RUNS SCORED

National League –Diamondbacks (171); Brewer (156); Cubs (155)

American League – Royals (149); Red Sox (134); Twins (133)

The fewest runs in August were scored by the White Sox (79). In the National League, it was the Giants at 102.  Others under 100 were the Rays (92) and Angels (94).

AVERAGE

National League – Diamondbacks (.272); Padres (.269); Phillies (.265)

American League – Royals (.268); Astros (.260); Blue Jays (.253); Yankees (.253)

The lowest team average for August belonged to the Mariners at .207. The lowest in the NL was the Giants (.225).  The eight of the bottom ten teams in average were from the AL.

HOME RUNS

National League – Diamondbacks (49); Braves (46); Reds (40); Dodgers (40)

American League – Yankees (45); Royals (41); Red Sox (40)

The White Sox had the fewest August homers at 16.  N0 other team was under 24.

The Diamondbacks led MLB in slugging percentage for August at .487.  The Royals led the AL at .460.

TOTAL BASES

National League – Diamondbacks (451); Braves (436); Dodgers (424)

American League –Royals (454); Blue Jays (428); Red Sox (417)

STOLEN BASES

National League – Nationals (38); Marlins (38); Cubs (36)

American League – Rays (38); Guardians (37); Red Sox (25)

The Braves stole the fewest sacks in August at six (in 7 attempts).

WALKS DRAWN

National League –   Brewers (118); Diamondbacks (110); Braves (94)

American League – Yankees (111); Mariners (105); Guardians (93)

The Diamondbacks led MLB in August On-Base Percentage at .356. The Yankees led the AL at .337.

BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS

National League – Rockies (282); Braves (279); Giants (271)

American League – Red Sox (274); Rays (270); Mariners (266)

Padres’ batters fanned the fewest times in August (163). The Yankees fanned the fewest times in the AL at 208.

 Bonus Stats

• Through August, the Tigers have the fewest sacrifice bunts on the season at three, the Diamondbacks the most at 27.
• Mariners’ batters were hit by a pitch an MLB-leading 28 times in August. White Sox’ batters suffered the fewest HBP (4).
• Year-to-date, the Mariners have suffered the most hit batsmen (94), the White Sox the fewest (37).
• The highest August batting average on balls put in play went to the Pirates at .332. The lowest? The Guardians at .253.
• The Brewers led MLB in August triples with 10. The Yankees and Mariners legged out zero triples in August.

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EARNED RUN AVERAGE

National League – Brewers (3.25); Giants (3.58); Dodgers (3.62)

American League – Astros (2.51); Tigers (3.06); Blue Jays (3.31)

The Pirates and Marlins had the highest August ERAs at 5.57 – also north of 5.00 were the Rockies (5.52); Reds (5.41); and White Sox (5.40).

STRIKEOUTS

National League – Braves (313); Giants (273); Padres (272)

American League – Astros (291); Twins (248); Mariners (243)

The Braves averaged an MLB-best 10.88 strikeouts per nine innings in August. The Astros averaged an AL-best 10.45.  Six teams averaged at least nine strikeouts per nine innings for the month.

FEWEST WALKS SURRENDERED

National League – Phillies (68); Dodgers (69); Cubs (71)

American League – Mariners (54); Twins (72); Blue Jays (72)

The Mariners walked an MLB-lowest 2.12 batters per nine innings in August.  The White Sox walked an MLB-worst 4.68 batters per nine frames.  

SAVES

National League – Dodgers (12); Brewers (10); four with nine

American League – Yankees (9); A’s (9); Blue Jays (9); Astros (9); Tigers (9)

The Red Sox blew the most saves in August – converting just seven of 15 opportunities.

Walks+ Hits/Innings Pitched (WHIP)

National League – Brewers (1.14); Dodgers (1.17); Giants (1.18)

American League:  Astros (1.01); Blue Jays (1.04); Tigers (1.05)

Bonus Stats:

• The Reds gave up an MLB-high 54 home runs in August. The Yankees gave up an MLB-low 21 home runs.
• The Astros held opponents to an MLB-low .185 average in August. The White Sox’’ staff was touched for an MLB-high .283 average.
• The Mariners’ strikeouts-to-walks ratio for August topped MLB at 4.50. The White Sox had MLB’s worst ratio at 1.84.
• The Dodgers led MLB with 19 wild pitches in August. The Blue Jays had the fewest (2).

—-AUGUST HIGHIGHTS —–

Blake’s No-No

On August 2, the Giants’ Blake Snell no-hit the Reds 3-0 in Cincinnati. Snell threw 114 pitches (78 strikes) in the gem, walking three and fanning 11. Notably, it was the first complete game in Snell’s nine-season (2016-2024) MLB career – and came in his 202^nd MLB start.

A Homer Happy Holliday

On August 4, the Orioles’ 20-year-old rookie 2B Jackson Holliday went 2-for-4, with a home run and an RBI, as the O’s won 9-5 in Cleveland.  On August 6, Holliday went one-for-two with another home run and RBI in a 5-2 loss in Toronto.. On August 7, Holliday went one-for-four with a home run and two RBI in a 7-3 win in Toronto.   This power outburst made Holliday the youngest AL player ever to homer in three consecutive games, as well as on of (sweet) sixteen players to achieve the feat before their 21st birthday.

Some Highlights are Lowlights

On August 6, the White Sox topped the A’s 5-1 in Oakland – and there must have been a collective sigh of relief. The win stopped their longest-ever losing streak at 21 games (giving them a share of the American League record for consecutive losses). During the streak the white Sox:

• Were outscored 136-50;
• Gave up ten or more runs five times;
• Scored two or fewer runs 11 times;
• Lost ten at home and 11 on the road;
• Lost five one-run games;
• Lost by five or more runs eight times;
• Had 13 different pitchers take losses

So-o-o-o Close

On August 6, Astros’ southpaw Framber Valdez (in his first start of the month) headed into the ninth innings with a 4-2 lead over the hometown Rangers. There was plenty of anticipation. Valdez hadn’t given up a hit, had fanned five and walked only one.  He was on the cusp of a no-hitter. Then things got a little “iffy.”  He walked Rangers’ DH Robbie Grossman on six pitches to start then ninth. Then a sigh of relief as 1B Ezequiel Duran hit into a 5-4-3 double play on his first pitch from Valdez.  One out away from a no-no. Oops! Hold your breath, LF Josh Smith walked on six pitches.  Then, on the very next pitch, Rangers’ SS Corey Seager drove a ball to deep right-center for a two-run home run. Goodbye no-hitter, goodbye shutout and, with Josh Hader heading in to relieve Valdez (after 107 pitches), goodbye complete game.  (Valdez did get the victory.)

Side note: In his final start of the month (August 30 versus the Royals in Houston), Valdez again flirted with a no-hitter. After seven innings, he had not given up a hit and was holding onto a 1-0 lead.  He had thrown 98 pitches, but had gone through a tough 25-pitch seventh frame – groundout, hit by pitch, strikeout, wild pitch, walk, strikeout. Astros’ manager Joe Espada pulled Valdez to start the eighth with the no-no still intact. (Can you imagine taking the ball from Bob Gibson or Jack Morris in that situation?).  The Astros ended up winning 3-2 and the Royals picked up two hits.

Déjà vu

On August 25, 2016, Corey Seager – who broke up Framber Valdez’ no-hit bid with two out in the ninth on August 6 – came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with two out, no one on base, Seager’s Dodgers trailing the Giants 4-0 and Giants’ pitcher Matt Moore one out away from a no-hitter. Seager looped a 1-1 pitch into short RF for a single and Santiago Casilla came on to relieve Moore (who had thrown 133 pitches). Casilla got Justin Turner for the final out.  I note this here, because when Seager broke up Framber Valdez’ August 6 no-hit bid, it made Seager the only player to break up multiple MLB no-hitters with two outs in the ninth inning.   

From Both Sides Now

On August 13, in an Orioles 9-3 loss to the Nationals (in Baltimore), Orioles’ RF Anthony Santander hit his 36^th home run of the season – the most ever by an Orioles’ switch hitter (breaking Ken Singleton’s record set in 1979). As August closed out, Santander had a stat line of .238-39-88.

Rolling a 300 … You Be the Judge

On August 14, the Yankees Aaron Judge hit his 43rd homer of the 2024 season – which also happened to be his 300^th career MLB long ball. It came in his 955^th career game, the fewest games every played to reach 300, as well as in his 3,431^st at bat – a record for the fewest at bats to reach 300 dingers.  The players now in second place? Ralph Kiner and Babe Ruth. Not bad company. Judge’s three-run shot came in the eighth inning of a Yankees’ 10-2 win over the White Sox in Chicago.  At the end of August Judge had a .330-51-124 stat line and was leading MLB in home runs, RBI (123), walks (111), on-base percentage (.463), slugging percentage (.721), total bases (343) and intentional walks (17).  A little balance? He also led the AL in grounding into double plays (20).

A Solid Cycle

On August 15, as the Phillies trounced the Nationals 13-3 (in Philadelphia, Phillies’ rookie Weston Wilson became the second MLB rookie to hit for the cycle this season.  (The other was Wyatt Langford on June 30.) Wilson’s cycle was especially sweet, since Wilson had clearly paid his due before getting to the show.  Wilson also hit a home run in his very first MLB at bat on August 9, 2023 – after seven seasons and 2,836 minor-league plate appearances, Now, he has a cycle to his credit and it too was a bit historic, marking the first time two MLB rookies have hit for the cycle in the same season.

Your Hit Parade, Featuring the Jackson Three

MLB fans were seeing triple (or is it triples) on August 16 as:

• Brewers’ 20-year-old rookie LF Jackson Chourio tripled in the first inning of a Brew Crew 5-3 win over the Guardians;
• Orioles’ 20-year-old rookie 2B Jackson Holliday tripled in the third inning of an Orioles’ 12-10 loss to the Red Sox.
• Padres’ 21-year-old rookie CF Jackson Merrill tripled in the sixth inning of a 7-3 loss to the Padres.

Speed Kills

There is no doubt that Bobby Witt, Jr. is one of MLB’s brightest young stars. At the end of August, he was hitting .341-29-96.  On August 20^th, however, he was overmatched by Angels’ 23-year-old right-handed reliever Ben Joyce. Joyce faced Witt Jr. with two outs in the bottom, of the ninth (and the Angels up 9-5. He struck out Witt on three swinging strikes at speeds of 104.8 mph, 104.5 mph and 103.2 mph. (Was that last one a changeup?)  It was only the second three-pitch strikeout with all pitches at 103 mph or better this season.  The first was also by Joyce.  (Thanks to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs and Jason Bernard or this tidbit.)

 Three-Peat … Of Sorts

On August 21, as the Mets beat the Orioles 4-3 in New York, Mets’ SS Francisco Lindor hit his 25^th homer of the 2024 season. Just two days earlier, in another Mets’ 4-3 win over Baltimore, Lindor had collected his 25^th stolen base of the season.  The highlight’s significance?  Lindor became just the first shortstop in MLB history with three 25-25 (HR/SB) seasons.  Lindor previously reached the 25/25 mark with the Mets in 2023 and with the Indians in 2018. A total of 11 shortstops belong to the 25-25 club. Those with two such seasons include Bobby Witt, Jr. (2023-24 Royals); Trea Turner (2021 Dodgers/Nationals, 2023 Phillies); Jimmy Rollins (2006-07, Phillies; and Hanley Ramirez (2007-08, Marlins).  Lindor ended August .269-28-79, with 25 steals on the season.

More Shutouts

In August, Luis Severino of the Yankees and Blake Snell of the Giants each pitched a shutout (Snell’s was a no-hitter).  This brought 2024’s total number of one-pitcher shutouts to 15, just four short of 2023 total. But don’t get too excited. As recently as 2000, there were 72 one-pitcher shutouts and, in 1968 (The Year of the Pitcher, there were 279 (Don Drysdale threw five shutouts in the month of May alone – and a sixth consecutive whitewashing in his first June start).  My, how times have changed.    

 150 for Gerrit Cole

On August 22, Yankees’ righty Gerrit Cole picked up his fifth win of the 2024 season, giving up just one hit over six innings (five walks/two whiffs), as New York topped Cleveland 6-0. It was the 150^th win of Cole’s ten-season MLB career (2013-2024 … Pirates, Astros, Yankees). The six-time All Star’s best season was 2019 (Astros), when he went 20-5, leading the AL in ERA (2.50) and strikeouts (326). Cole closed August with a 5-3, 3.86 on the season and a career mark of 150-78, 3.19. In an interesting (to The Roundtable) twist, Cole gave up a single on the second pitch of the game (to Guardian’s LF Steven Kwan), which proved to be the only hit Yankee pitching would allow.  Back to #InBaseballWeCountEverything, the Elias Sports Bureau indicated it was the first time the Yankees ever allowed a hit to a game’s first batter and none thereafter.

They Call Him the Streak

On August 23, the Braves Raisel Iglesias came into a game against the Nationals in the ninth frame, with the score knotted at two. He put down the Nat’s in order in the ninth. Then, he hit Nationals’ CF Jacob Young with his first pitch of the tenth, before retiring the side on a pop out and a double play.  The Braves scored the bottom of the tenth to give Iglesias the win. So, why is that a highlight?  Well, that hit batter was the first batter to reach base against Iglesias since July 27 – in between he retired a sting of 38 consecutive batters over the course of 12 appearances.  At the close of August, Iglesias was 4-1, 2.34, with 28 saves on the season. For those who like to know such things, the record for most consecutive batters retired is 46, by the Giants’ Yusmeiro Petit in 2014. Interestingly, when Petit’s streak ended in the third inning of a game on August 28, it came on a double (on an 0-1 pitch) to Rockies’ pitcher Jordan Lyles – a career .112 hitter.

Forty-Forty Vision

On August 23, Dodgers’ DH Shohei Ohtani continued his march into MLB lore.  He came to the plate against the Rays’ Colin Poche in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, the game tied at three and the bases loaded. He rapped Poche’s first offering to deep right-center for a dramatic walk-off Grand Slam. It was Ohtani’s 40th homer of the 2024 season and, with his 40 stolen bases, made him just the sixth member of MLB’s 40-40 Club. (Side note: He stole his 40^th bag of the season in the second inning of the August 23 game.) To add a little frosting to the cake, he also accomplished the “40-40” in his 126^th game of the season, making him the quickest to reach double forty (by 21 games).

The six members of the 40-40 Clubs are Jose Canseco (1988 – 42HR/40SB); Barry Bonds (1996 – 42HR/40SB); Alex Rodriguez (1998 – 42HR/46SB); Alfonso Soriano (2006 – 46HR/41SB); Ronald Acuna Jr. (2023 – 41HR/73SB); Shohei Ohtani (2024- 42HR/42SB … and counting).

More #InBaseballWeCountEverything

On August 27^th, with the Braves’ visiting the Twins in Minnesota, the starting pitchers were Spencer Schwellenbach (Braves) and Simeon Woods Richardson (Twins). Elias Sports Bureau reported that it was the longest ever MLB last name starting pitcher matchup (a combined 28 letters in the two hurlers’ last names).  The Braves, by the way, won the game 8-6 and neither Schwellenbach nor Woods Richardson made it out of the fifth inning.  They did, however, make a little “name-game” history.

Tea for Two 

On August 26, as the Red Sox and Blue Jays faced off in Boston, a bit of history – two months in the making – was written into the record books.  It all reverted ack to June 26, when Danny Jansen started at catcher for the Blue Jays in a game suspended (due to rain) in the top of the second inning with Jansen at the plate with an 0-1 count.  Now, on July 27, Jansen was traded from Toronto to Boston. So, as the June 26 game was resumed (on August 26) the Blue Jays sent Daulton Varsho up to pinch hit for Jansen (who was no longer on the team). Who was behind the plate for the Red Sox, catching for a plate appearance that he began as a batter? Yep, Danny Jansen.  So, Jansen became the first player to play for two teams in the same game.  The Jays, by the way, won the contest 4-1.

The Butler Did It

On August 29, as the A’s lost to the Reds 10-9 in Cincinatti, A’s leadoff hitter and RF 24-year-old Lawrence Butler went three-for four – with three home runs and four RBI.  It was Butler’s second three-homer game of the season, making him the second A’s player and 25^th player overall to have two three-dinger contests in a season.  Butler finished August at .257-20-53 on the season. For those who like to know such things, Sammy Sosa holds the mark for the most three-homer games in a season at three (2001). Mookie Betts, Sammy Sosa and Johnny Mize share the career record for three-homer games at six.

More #InBaseballWeCount Everything

On August 29, Rangers’ shortstop Corey Seager now in his tenth MLB season, slugged his 200^th career round tripper, as Texas topped the White Sox 2-1 in Chicago. The long ball made Seager the first left-handed hitting shortstop to reach 200 home runs. Seager finished August .275-30-74 on the season. 2024 is his third 30-homer season in a row (33 in both 2022 and 2023).

Skubal-Dooby Doo

On August 31, as the Tigers edged the Red Sox 2-1 in Detroit, Tigers’ starter Tarik Skubal had a red-letter day.  First, he got the win (his MLB-leading 16^th  victory of the season). Second, he pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in his MLB career (five seasons/99 starts). Third, his seventh strikeout of the game (Red Sox RF Tyler O’Neill to close out the sixth inning) made him the first MLB pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts this season (he would get one more strikeout in the game). Skubal ended August with a 16-4, 2.51 record on the season.

–INDIVIDUAL LEADERS FOR AUGUST —

BATTING AVERAGE (at least 75 August at bats)

American League:  Aaron Judge, Yankees (.389); Yordan Alvarez, Astros (.382); Vlad Guerrero, Jr., Blue Jays (.375)

National League: Oneil Cruz, Pirates (.389); Luis Garcia, Nationals (.341); Alex Call, Nationals (.33)

The lowest August average among players with at least 75 at bats in the month belonged to the Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe at .099 (9-for917.)

HITS

American League: Vlad Guerrero, Jr., Blue Jays (39); Aaron Judge, Yankees (35); Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (35)

National League: Francisco Lindor, Mets (39); Marcel Ozuna, Braves (37); Oneil Cruz, Pirates (37)

The Royals’ Bobby Witt, Jr.  led all MLBers in August extra-base hits with 20 – nine doubles, one triple and ten home runs.  

HOME RUNS

American League: Aaron Judge, Yankees (12); Corey Seager, Rangers (11); Juan Soto, Yankees (10); Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (10)

National League:  Shohei Ohtani, Angles (12); Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks (11); Willy Adames, Brewers (10); Jake Burger, Marlins (10)

The Yankees’ Aaron Judge led all players with at least 75 August at bats in slugging percentage at .856. The Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll led the NL at .700.

RUNS BATTED IN

American League: Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals (25); Aaron Judge, Yankees (24); Josh Naylor, Guardians (24); Corey Seager, Rangers (24)

National League: Matt Olson, Braves (27); Jake McCarthy, Diamondbacks (26); Manny Machado, Padres (25)

RUNS SCORED

American League:  Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (25); Aaron Judge, Yankees (21); Jose Ramirez, Guardians (21)

National League: Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks (30); Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (24); Willy Adames, Brewers (24)

DOUBLES

American League: Jarren Duran, Red Sox (11); Vlad Guerrero, Jr., Blue Jays (11); Salvador Perez, Royals (9); Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (9)

National League: Bryce Harper, Phillies (11); Matt Olson, Braves (10); six with nine

TRIPLES

American League:  Parker Meadows, Tigers (4); Joey Loperfido, Blue Jays (3); five with two

National League: Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks (4); Jackson Merrill, Padres (3); Seiya Suzuki, Cubs (3)

STOLEN BASES

American League: Jose Ramirez, Guardians (14); Jose Caballero, Rays (9); Jarren Duran, Red Sox (9); Andres Gimenez, Guardians (9)

National League: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (15); Xavier Edwards, Marlins (13); Oneil Cruz, Pirates (10); Nico Hoerner, Cubs (10)

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani stole the most August bases without getting caught (15).

BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS

American League:  Logan O’Hoppe, Angels (44): Colton Cowser, Orioles (43): Christopher Morel, Rays (34); Zack Gelof, A’s (34)

National League: Pete Alonso, Mets (42); Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (41); Ezequiel Tovar, Rockies (38)

WALKS

American League:  Aaron Judge, Yankees (25); Juan Soto, Yankees (20); Steve Kwan, Guardians (167

National League: Michael Toglia, Rockies (21); Joc Pederson, Diamondbacks (17); Spencer Steer, Reds (17); William Contreras, Brewers (17)

PITCHING VICTORIES

American League:   Jose Berrios, Blue Jays (5-1); Bowden Francis, Blue Jays (4-1); Tarik Skubal, Tigers (4-1)

National League:  14 with three

EARNED RUN AVERAGE (minimum 25 August innings)

American League: Bowden Francis, Blue Jays (1.05); Hunter Brown, Astros (1.45): Osvaldo Bido, A’s (1.55)

National League: Zach Wheeler, Phillies (1.62) Blake Snell, Giants (1.64); David Peterson, Mets (1.86)

The highest ERA among pitchers with at least 25 August innings or four August starts was 10.80 by the Marlins’ Roddery Munoz (0-2, 10.80 in five starts – 20 earned runs 16 2/3 innings.)

STRIKEOUTS

American League: Spencer Arrighetti, Astros (47K/ 32 1/3 IP); Tarik Skubal, Tigers (47K/ 38 1/3 IP); Yusei Kikuchi, Astros (47K/ 35 IP)

National League: Blake Snell, Giants (53K/ 38 1/3 IP); Zack Wheeler, Phillies (44K/ 39 IP); Chris Sale, Braves (42K/ 30 2/3 IP); Spencer Schwellenbach, Braves (42K/ 29 1/3 IP)

WALKS + HITS/INNINGS PITCHED (at least 25 August innings)

American League: Bowden Francis, Blue Jays (0.41); Framber Valdez, Astros (0.65); Bryan Woo, Mariners (0.68)

National League: Blake Snell, Giants (0.83);  Zach Wheeler, Phillies (0.85); Logan Webb, Giants (0.87)

Among pitches with at least 25 August innings, the Blue Jays Bowden Francis held batters to the lowest August average at .089.

SAVES

American League:  Chad Green, Blue Jays (8); Josh Hader, Astros (8); Mason Miller, A’s (9)

National League:  Ryan Helsley, Cardinals (9); Devin Williams, Brewers (8); Justin Martinez, Diamondbacks (7)

Chad Green of the Blue Jays and Mason Miller of the A’s saved the most games without a blown save in August (eight each).  

 Primary Resource: Baseball-Reference.com

 

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