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 or statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention.
Last Tuesday, I focused on disappointing MLB pitching debuts, with emphasis on pitchers who gave up four or more runs without recording a single out. This week it’s disappointing offensive debuts (with special emphasis on – but not limited to – players who struck out at least four times in their MLB debut.) Side note: Individual game details for the Negro Leagues from 1920-48 have not been fully documented and incorporated into the MLB record books, so the included lists could change in the future.
At the top of the disappointing MLB offensive debuts list, we have a tie.
Ron Wright, DH, 2002 Seattle Mariners … April 14, 2002
Three plate appearances … nine pitches, six outs
Wright was a seventh-round pick (Braves), out of high school, in the 1994 MLB Draft. He didn’t make his MLB debut until his ninth professional season – despite being a legitimate prospect and a three-time minor-league all-star. Wright hit 32 home runs for the Macon Braves as a 19-year-old. He added another 36 minor-league dingers for the Durham Bulls and Greenville Braves the next year. Wright was traded to the Pirates in 1996, and would later play in the Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and Seattle systems. Injuries, however, took him off track. Wright missed most of the 1998 and 1999 seasons with a back injury (surgery, ultimately left him with ongoing numbness in his right leg), but worked hard to regain his prospect status.
In 2001, playing for the Durham Bills, he hit .262 with 20 home runs and was considered one of the International League’s top fielding first-sackers. The following season, an injury to Seattle DH Edgar Martinez led to an April call-up to the Mariners. On April 14, he started (and ended) his MLB career in a game won (at Texas) by Seattle 9-7, with Seattle getting 18 hits. Wright’s day went like this:
- Second Inning; With Ruben Sierra on second and John Olerud on first and no outs, Wright struck out on three pitches from Rangers’ starter Kenny Rogers;
- Fourth Inning; With Sierra on third and Olerud on first, Wright hit a grounder to Rogers (on a 2-2 pitch), who threw to SS Alex Rodriguez at second for the force. Sierra, who had broken for home, was caught in a SS-C-3B-P rundown for a second out, and Wright, who tried to take second during the rundown, was thrown out P-2B. An unusual triple play.
- Sixth inning; Again, up with both Sierra and Olerud on base (second and first, respectively), Wright hit Rogers’ first-offering into a more traditional short-to-second-to first double play.
- Seventh Inning; Up again with Sierra and Olerud on base (first and third) with one out, Mike McLemore pinch hit for Wright (ending Wright’s Day). McLemore, by the way, struck out.
Wright went back down to the minors before getting another MLB at bat and never made it back to “The Show.” So, his major-league career consisted of three at bats (with a total of six runners on base) and six outs – strikeout, triple play, double play. And, as for that fielding expertise, Wright’s spent his short MLB career as a DH. Still, in all his interviews since then, Wright had indicated he cherishes the game and the fact that he is one of the rare few who did make it to the major leagues.
Ed Cermak, RF, Cleveland Blues … September 9, 1901
One (or maybe four) And Done
Ed Cermak came to the plate four times in his MLB debut – and struck out four times. Now, there have been 11 players (seven non-pitchers) who fanned a Modern-Era record four times in their major-league debuts, but Cermak stands out for me for a number of reasons:
- He was the first and youngest player in the Modern Era to do it;
- He is the only player whose four debut-game whiffs were the only strikeouts his squad suffered in the contest;
- He did it in a season which the average strikeout per nine innings was just 3.2 and Bill Bernhard (Athletics), who fanned Cermak four times, averaged just 2.0 strikeouts per nine frames.
To add further legitimacy to my selection, he is one of just two players whose four-strikeouts (in four plate appearances) represented their entire MLB career – and there is reason to discount the other instance. (More on that a bit later in the “He took one for the Team” section.
The 19-Year-old Cermak was considered somewhat of a prospect. He drew attention playing for an amateur squad known as the O’Connor Baseball Team in Cleveland and played well enough to be given a late-season tryout with the major-league Blues. Cleveland was 49-68 at the time, and looking for some help. Like Ron Wright (above) Cermak’s first MLB game was his final game. However, there was a difference. Cermak continued his baseball life by going on to play in the minor-leagues from 1903-08 and later becoming a minor-league umpire.
Close to the Top two
Urbane Pickering, 3B, Red sox … April 18, 1931
Pickering holds the MLB Modern-Era record for most at bats in a debut game without a hit (but it probably deserves an asterisk). On April 18, 1931, in a Red Sox’ 15-inning win over the Yankees in New York, Pickering (who started at 3B, batting fifth, went zero-for seven, with two strikeouts. (He did pick up an RBI).
As for that suggested asterisk. As we look through the description of Pickering’s day at the plate, we see that MLB rules contributed to his chart-topping seven hitless at bats in a debut. Going into the 1931 season, the sacrifice fly rule was eliminated. (For a bit of background, the sacrifice fly rule was restored in 1939. Then, in 1940, the sac fly rule was again dropped. Finally, beginning in the 1953 season, the rule was restored – and remains unchanged). Long story short, one of Pickering’s “at bats” was a run-scoring fly out to right field. I thought of leaving him out of this post, but I just couldn’t deny myself the opportunity to write about a player with a name like Urbane Pickering.
Here’s how his MLB debut went:
Second Inning – Strikeout, leading off the frame;
Third inning – Up with two men on and two outs, strikeout;
Sixth Inning- No one on, two out, flyout to right field;
Eighth Inning – One out, runners on second and third – flyout to right field (one run scores);
Tenth Inning – One on, one out, pop out to second;
Thirteenth Inning – leading off, flyout to center;
Fifteenth Inning – One on, one out, flyout to right.
Pickering played in 235 MLB games over two seasons (1931-32, Red Sox), hitting .257-11-92).
If we give Pickering retroactive benefit of the Sacrifice Fly rule, he would join the list below.
Honorable Mention
Ray Jarvis, Red Sox, April 20, 1969
Five Strikeouts in his first game as a hitter (but not his MLB debut)
Jarvis was a right-handed pitcher for the Red Sox who fanned five times in five plate appearances in the first game in which he appeared as a hitter. (It was not, however, his MLB debut game. He had pitched three times in relief before the April 20, 1969 contest.)
In the April 20 game, he came on in relief of one of MLB’s better hitting pitchers (Ken Brett) in the top of the first inning. Brett had surrendered three runs and given up two singles, a double and three walks (plus a balk) while recording just one out. Jarvis came in with the bases loaded and promptly fanned the first two hitters he faced to end the threat. He then pitched a great game in relief – 8 2/3 innings, two hits, one run, three walks and eight whiffs. At the plate, not so much.
Jarvis came to the plate five times and struck out five times. – tying the MLB nine-inning game record for strikeouts.
Jarvis pitched in two MLB seasons (1969-70 … Red Sox), going 5-7, 4.64 in 44 games (12 starts). As a hitter, he was 2-for-29 (.069) with 19 strikeouts.
At the Roundtable … One thing always seems to lead to another.
In 1973, Ken Brett set an MLB record (for pitchers) by hitting a home run in four consecutive games (starts) between June 9 and June 23. Over his MLB career (1967,1969-81 … Red Sox, Brewers, Phillies, Pirates, Yankees, White Sox, Angels, Twins, Dodgers, Royals), Brett hit .262-10-44 in 347 at bats. As a pitcher, he went 83-85, 3.93 in 349 games (184 starts).
Final Thought: He Took One – actually four – For The Team
Jim McGarr, Tigers, is one of two players whose MLB career (in his case his entire professional baseball career) consisted of four strikeouts in four plate appearances. His came on May 18, 1912 – as the Tigers faced the Athletics in Philadelphia. Tigers players were, at the time, refusing to play in protest to the suspension of star Ty Cobb for attacking a fan (on May 15 in New York). To avoid a fine and forfeit, the Tigers recruited a team of amateurs to take on the Athletics. The 23-year-old McGarr (a machinist, who played on his company’s amateur team) led off and played second base in the Athletics/Tigers lopsided affair (Athletics 24-Tigers 2) and went zero-for-four with four strikeouts in four plate appearances. After the contest, Cobb urged his professional teammates to return to the field – and McGarr’s professional baseball career was over.
Primary Resources: Stathead.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; ClevelandBaseballHistory.com.
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