Yesterday (April 23, 2022), the Cubs crushed the Pirates 21-0 in Chicago. (Despite, I might add, hitting only one home run.) The big bat in the game was rookie 1B Alfonso Rivas, who went three-for-five with a home run and five RBI. In the game, four other Cubs had at least three hits: RF Seiya Suzuki (three-for-for); C Wilson Contreras (three-for-five); LF Ian Happ (three-for-six); and SS Nico Hoerner (four-for-five). In the contest, the score was 16-0 by the end of the fifth inning. Pirates’ starter Zach Thompson took the loss – giving up nine runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks in two innings pitched.
Side note: This post is going out a little later than I would have preferred, but I have a good excuse. I was at this afternoon’s Twins’ extra-inning win.
Surprisingly, it was not MLB’s worst-ever shutout loss. In fact, it was not even the worst-ever shutout loss in a Cubs-Pirates game. On September 16, 1975 – with the Pirates and Cubs matched up at Wrigley Field – the Pirates dealt the Cubs the worst shutout loss in MLB history (at least since 1901) – 22-0 (a lopsided whitewashing later tied) … with the Cubs getting only three hits to the Pirates’ 24. The Pirates got home runs from Richie Hebner and Dave Parker.
This game was 9-0 after just one frame – which went like this:
Rick Reuschel Pitching
- 2B Rennie Stennett– double.
- 3B Richie Hebner – RBI single.
- CF Al Oliver – walk.
- 1B Willie Stargell – RBI single, Oliver to third.
- RF Dave Parker – sacrifice fly.
- LF Richie Zisk- single, Stargell to third.
- C Manny Sanguillen – walk.
- SS Frank Taveras – RBI single, loading the bases.
- P John Candelaria – two-run single. Taveras to third.
Tom Dettore Pitching
- Stennett – RBI single, Candelaria to third.
Wild Pitch – Candelaria scores, Stennett to second.
- Hebner – ground out to first.
- Oliver – walk.
- Stargell – RBI single, Oliver to third.
- Parker – ground out to first.
Reuschel took the loss, surrendering eight runs (all earned) on six hits and two walks in one-third of an inning.
In this game Rennie Stennett of the Pirates tied the major-league record for base hits in a nine-inning game – going seven-for-seven: four singles, two doubles and a triple. Stennett had two hits in both the first and fifth innings.
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On August 31, 2004, the Cleveland Indians tied the 22-0 mark, topping the Yankees by that score in New York. SS Omar Vizquel was six-for-seven (five singles, two doubles) in that one, with three runs scored and four RBI. Nine different Indians collected RBI in the game: Vizquel (4); C Victor Martinez (4); CF Coco Crisp (3); DH Travis Hafner (3); RF Jody Gerut (3); 1B Ben Broussard (2); LF Matt Lawton (1); 3B Casey Blake (1); and RF Ryan Ludwick, who didn’t start the game, (1). The Indian got home runs from Crisp, Gerut and Martinez.
For those who might be wondering, the worst-ever run differential in an MLB game (at least since 1901) is 27. On August 22, 2007, the Rangers topped the Orioles 30-3 in Baltimore. That, however, is a topic for another post.
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