As of the morning of April 17, 55 players had made their MLB debut thus far in the 2024 season. Twenty-nine of those were pitchers and eight were starters. Of those eight, Shota Imanaga had the most impressive debut outing, going six innings, giving up just two hits and fanning nine (no walks) in a 5-0 win over the Rockies. Six innings is the longest MLB debut outing by any pitcher so far  this season.

That got to me to thinking about debut mound outings and how expectations and results have changed over time, I found that, in the Modern Era (post-1900), 472 pitchers have thrown a complete game of at least eight innings in their first MLB mound appearance. (I chose eight innings because, with a loss, you can throw a complete – non-weather or darkness-shortened – game – of eight innings. My choice of the Modern Era reflects issues with the availability and reliability of pre-1901 game logs.) The chart below shows how the handling of pitchers has changed over time. (At least as measured by MLB debut complete games.) Note:  These numbers and the list at the end of this post may change a bit once Negro League game stats from 1920-48 are fully documented and incorporated into the MLB record books.

Now, 472 outings seemed like a lot of ground to cover.  So, for this post, I limited myself to a look at pitchers who threw a shutout (of at least nine innings) in their first MLB trip to the mound.  There were 67 of those.  (There were also seven MLB debut shutouts of 5-to-7 innings.) The debut-game shutout list includes some familiar names, like Luis Tiant, Dave McNally, Juan Marichal and Schoolboy Rowe, as well as some less well-known monikers like Andy Van Hekken, Tot Pressnell, Tom Tuckey and Vitautis “Vito” Tamulis. I might add that a debut shutout does not offer much in the way of a prediction for the future.  Of the 67 pitchers who three a nine-inning shutout in their debut, 30 finished their MLB career with more wins than losses; 29 with more losses than wins and eight with an even number of wins and losses. (Side note: Vito Tamulis pitched in six MLB seasons (1934-35, 1938-41 … Yankees, Browns, Dodgers, Phillies), going 40-23, 3.97. In his MLB debut – September 25, 1934 – for the Yankees – he shut out the Athletics 5-0, with a seven hitter (one walk/five strikeouts.)

Notably, for six of those pitchers, that debut shutout proved to be their only MLB victory.

The most recent MLB debut shutout was tossed by The Tigers’ 23-year-old southpaw Andy Van Hekken on September 3, 2002 (yes, more than twenty years ago), as the Tigers topped the Indians 4-0 in Detroit.  Van Hekken went nine innings, gave up eight hits and two walks and, surprisingly, fanned just one.  Notably, Van Hekken is also the most recent pitcher to open his MLB career with a complete game of any kind.

Van Hekken’s gem was not a portent of things to come.  In 2002, he pitched in four more games (all starts), going 0-3, 4.29. He was back in the minors to open the 2003 season and never pitched in the major leagues again (although he did pitch professionally (minor leagues, independent, Japan, Korea, China). In 2023, he was hired as pitching coach for Calvin University.

In 13 minor-league seasons, Van Hekken went 105-72, 3.89, logging more than 1,500 innings. He also pitched more than 1,000 frames in foreign leagues.  He is one of just six pitchers to throw a shutout in their MLB debut and never log another MLB victory.

Among the hurlers tossing debut whitewashes, Juan Marichal logged the most MLB wins – going 243-142 over 16 seasons.

 

—Baseball Roundtable Rates the Most Impressive/Interesting MLB Debut Shutouts—

Here are Baseball Roundtable’s favorite debut shutouts.

One: Doing It All – On the Mound and At the Plate … Jason Jennings

On August 23, 2001, Colorado Rockies’ 22-year-old rookie right-hander Jason Jennings made his first MLB appearance – a start on the mound against the New York Mets (in New York). Jennings – a 1999 first-round draft pick – did not disappoint. After a slow start (a single and a walk to the first two batters he faced), Jennings settled in.  In that first big-league appearance, he went the distance – tossing a complete-game, five-hit (four walks/eight strikeouts) shutout.

He did alright at the plate, as well, again after a slow start.  The left-handed hitter popped up to third in his first at bat (ending the first inning, when the Rockies gave him a three-run cushion). Then, in the top of the fourth, he singled to left; in the fifth, he grounded to first; in the seventh he stroked an RBI single to center; and he topped of his first game with a leadoff home run in the top of the ninth. His day? Three-for-five, one run scored, two RBI and a home run – and, of course, that shutout.

 

The Rockies’ Jason Jennings is the only Modern-Era pitcher to toss a shutout and hit a home run in his MLB debut. 

Jennings ended his first MLB campaign 4-1, 4.58 in seven starts and .267-1-2 at the plate. He continued to deliver on that first impression in 2012, when he went 16-8, 4.52 in 32 starts for the Rockies – and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award.  That made him 20-9, 4.53 for his first two MLB seasons. He also improved his results at the plate in 2002, raking at a .306 pace (19-for-68), with four doubles and 11 RBI in 30 games.

Jennings’ run, however, did not continue – as he went on to face some control issues as well as elbow problems. The 2002 season was his final .500 or better campaign and, over his final seven seasons (Rockies, Astros, Rangers), Jennings went 42-65, with a 5.06 earned run average. He did notch five more complete games, two more shutouts and a second home run.  His final stat line for nine seasons? Pitching: 62-74, 4.95. Batting: .207-2-26.

Doing It All In Other Ways

Jason Jennings, selected by the Rockies in the first round of the 1999 MLB draft (16th overall), was a star in both high school and college.  He was All-District in high school (Poteet HS –Mesquite, TX) football as a punter/place-kicker and an outstanding pitcher and hitter in baseball (named District Most Valuable Player as a senior when he hit .410 and went 10-3, 0.92 on the mound). He played baseball at Baylor University from 1997-99 and, in 1999, was named the National College Player of the Year by “Baseball America” and “Collegiate Baseball.”  A three-time All-American, Jennings was elected to the Baylor University Hall of Fame (2009).

 

Two: A Whiff Master …  Karl Spooner

Southpaw Karl Spooner was called up to the Dodgers in late 1954 – after going 21-9, 3.14 for the Double-A Fort Worth Cats.  He was an immediate sensation – pitching a complete-game, three-hit shutout against the rival Giants in his September 22, 1954 debut.  In the 3-0 win, Spooner walked three and fanned 15 batters – still the MLB record (since tied) for a pitcher in his first MLB appearance.

Spooner, notably, did not get off to a great start – giving up a single and two walks in the first frame – but pitching out of trouble. Not a single batter reached second base after the first inning and in the seventh and eighth, Spooner faced the minimum six batters and fanned them all (swinging) on a total of 29 pitches.  Spooner cemented the number-two spot on this list (whether it’s a fair way to “score” or not) with his second MLB appearance – another complete-game shutout. This time a four-hit, 1-0 win over the Pirates (September 25) in which he walked three and fanned a dozen.  So, in his first two MLB appearance, Karl Spooner did not give up a run and fanned 27 batters in 18 innings – in a season in which the average strikeouts per nine innings among MLB pitchers was 4.2.   Side note: The Astros’ J.R, Richard tied Spooner’s record of 15K in an MLB debut (September 5, 1971), but gave up three runs (two earned) in his outing.

Clearly, with Spooner, it looked like the Dodgers had an “ace” in the making. That, however, was not to be.  In 1955, a Spring Training shoulder injury took its toll and Spooner pitched only 98 2/3 innings that season – going 8-6, 3.65 in 29 appearances (14 starts). He spent the next three seasons in the minor leagues, before retiring at age 27.  His MLB career (1954-55 … Dodgers) stat line was 10-6, 3.09, with 105 strikeouts in 116 2/3 innings.

A Roundtable Extra – Pre-1900

Charles “Bumpus” Jones is the answer to a baseball trivia question – “Who is the only major leaguer to throw a complete-game, no-hitter in his very first MLB appearance?”  At first glance, one might be tempted to reply “Bobo Holloman” – but, while Bobo threw a no-no in his first MLB start, it was preceded by four relief appearances.  Bumpus, however, threw a no-hitter in his first-ever MLB mound appearance.  It came on October 15, 1892 (the final day of the season) against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jones walked four and struck out three in the game – a 7-1 Reds’ win. The only Pirates’ run scored in the third inning on a walk, a stolen base and an error by Jones

 

 Three: One Strike Short of History … Billy Rohr

Red Sox’ lefty Billy Rohr finishes this high on this list based on the pressure of the moment. The 21-year-old made his debut (April 14, 1967) against the Red Sox’ rival Yankees, at the New Yorkers’ 1967 home opener, and his mound opponent was Yankee ace, hero and future Hall of Famer Whitey Ford.

How did the rookie handle the pressure? Well, with two out in the bottom of the ninth, he was protecting a 3-0 lead and had yet to give up a hit (five walks, two strikeouts). In addition, he was dealing with the effects of a sixth-inning line drive off the bat of Yankee’s RF Bill Robinson that had ricocheted off Rohr’s shin to third baseman Joe Foy who threw to first for the out. Rohr had to argue with manager Dick Williams to stay in the game.  Now, with two down in the ninth, all that stood between Rohr and a no-hitter was Yankee catcher Elston Howard.  Rohr got ahead of Howard 1-2 and was one strike away from a no-hitter in his first MLB appearance. The next pitch was called a ball (Red Sox catcher Russ Gibson would forever maintain it was a strike). Then, on a 2-2 count, Howard hit a soft, looping liner over second baseman Reggie Smith – putting an end to the no-hitter. On the very next pitch, Yankees’ 3B Charley Smith flied out to right and Rohr had a one-hit shutout in his MLB debut.

One week later (April 21), Rohr made his second major-league appearance.  Again, he faced the Yankees, this time in Boston. He sparkled once more, holding a 6-0 lead after seven innings. The New Yorkers finally scored off the rookie in the eighth, on an RBI single by Rohr’s debut nemesis Elston Howard.

So, after two MLB appearances, Rohr was 2-0, with two complete games and 0.50 earned run average. It looked like the youngster was on his way. He was not.  Rohr made eight more appearances (six starts) through June 1, going 0-3, 7.71, before being sent back down to Triple- A. (He did make one more appearance, in relief, for Boston in September.) Early in the 1968 season, he was sold to the Indians, where he went 1-0, 6.87 in 17 relief appearances. He made his last MLB appearance on June 26, 1967, although he did toil in the minors until 1972.  After that 2-0, 0.50 start, Rohr ended with an MLB line (1967-68 … Red Sox) of 3-3, 5.64.  Rohr, by the way, was originally signed by the Pirates out of Bellflower (CA) High school, where he went 23-6 with four no-hitters.

 

Four: Youth Will Be Served … Lew Krausse Jr.

The youngest player to throw nine-inning shutout was Lew Krausse, Jr. (18 years-52 days) of the 1961 Kansas City Athletics – and he did it in his MLB debut, just ten days after graduating from high school.  That made plenty of noise on the impression-meter for me. In his June 16, 1961 MLB debut, Krausse pitched three-hit, five-walk, six-whiff shutout in a 4-1 win over the Angels.  He finished that season at 2-5, 4.85 in 12 appearances (eight starts).

Graduating With Honors

Research by Society for American Baseball Research member Larry DeFillipo shows that in his last two high school seasons, Lew Krausse, Jr. went 13-1, 0.09 (yes, the decimal point is in the right place), fanning just over 20 hitters per nine innings.

Control issues and elbow surgery delayed Krausse’s MLB progress and it wasn’t until 1966 that he found a full-time spot on the A’s staff, going 14-9, 2.99. He ultimately pitched in 12 MLB seasons (Athletics, Brewers, Red Sox, Cardinals, Braves), going 68-91. 4.00

 

Five: Russ Van Atta, LHP, Yankees April 25, 1933 … A Shutout and Four Hits

Russ Van Atta was a pitching star at Penn State, where he reportedly lost only one game in four college seasons (before signing with the Yankees in 1928). Van Atta pitched in the minors from 1928 through 1932 (four years with the Double-A American Association Saint Paul Saints, where he went 22-17 in 1932). He made his debut for the Yankees on April 25, 1933, facing the Washington Senators.  (Note: These were not the Senators of later years. In 1933, the Senators went 99-53-1 and finished first in the American League.)

In his debut, Van Atta threw a five-hit shutout (three walks, five strikeouts) as his Yankees won 16-0.  Not only that, he went four-for-four (all singles) at the plate, scoring three runs and driving in one. Van Atta had as many hits in the game as teammates Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig combined.

Van Atta finished his rookie season 12-4, 4.18, in 26 games (22 starts) with ten complete games – and with a .283 average in 60 at bats.

Van Atta looked to be on the cusp of a solid MLB career, only to see it derailed by a “unique” injury. Between the 1933 and 1934 seasons, he injured the index finger on his pitching hand rescuing a dog from a home fire – and it affected his mound performance. He went 3-5, 6.34 in 1934 (28 games, nine starts).  After that season, he was primarily a relief pitcher – leading the AL in appearances in 1935 and 1936.  Van Atta had a seven-season MLB career (1933-39 … Yankees, Browns) and went 33-41, 5.60. As a batter, he went .228-2-17 in 206 at bats.

 

Six: Taking a Perfect Game into the Seventh … Juan Marichal

Juan Marichal was signed by the Giants in 1958 as a 20-year-old out of the Dominican Republic – and made his MLB debut (at age 22) on July 19, 1960.  When called up, he was 11-5, 3.11 in 18 Triple-A starts for the season. The future Hall of Famer showed his credentials as “The Dominican Dandy” right from that very first appearance. He tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout against the Phillies in San Francisco. Allowing just one walk and fanning a dozen (the Giants won 2-0). He retired the first 19 MLB batters he ever faced (until a seventh-inning error by SS Eddie Broussard put Phillies’ 2B Tony Taylor on base). The first hit against Marichal didn’t come until there were two outs in the eighth (a single by catcher Clay Dalrymple). In the game, only one Phillie reached second base. In his first three MLB starts, Marichal tossed three complete-game victories (one a ten-inning contest) and gave up just three runs in 29 frames.

Marichal pitched 16 MLB seasons (1960-75 … Giants, Red Sox, Dodgers), going 243-142, 2.89.  He was an All Star in nine seasons and a seven-time winner of 20+ games.  Despite seasons of 25-8, 2.41 (1963), 25-6, 2.23 (1966) and 26-9, 2.43 (1968), he never won a Cy Young Award.  In fact, he did not get a single CYA vote in any of those three seasons. The unanimous winners were Sandy Koufax in 1963 and 1966 and Bob Gibson in 1968.

 

Seven:   Up to the Task …  Elmer Myers

Elmer Meyers had a big hill to climb (see what I did there) in his October 6, 1915 MLB debut.  The right-handed Philadelphia Athletics’ rookie was facing the Washington Nationals, with an 85-67 record, while his Athletics were 42-109.    The 21-year-old rookie, called up for a start after a 29-10 season for the Class-D Raleigh Capitols proved up to the task. Myers tossed a nifty two-hit (five walks), 12-strikeout shutout, as Philadelphia prevailed 4-0.  Meyers went on to an eight-season (1915-22 … Athletics, Indians, Red Sox) MLB career, going 55-72, 4.06.

 

 Eight:  Start with a Shutout, Follow Up with a Shutout … Al Worthington

Al Worthington made a name for himself in the major leagues as a reliever – running off a string of seven seasons of double-digits in saves and leading the AL with 18 saves for the Twins in 1969. Worthington gets irony points here, since the respected reliever made this list by virtue of throwing two, complete-game shutouts in his first two MLB appearances. The 24-year-old was in his third pro season and was 9-5, 2.90 for the Minneapolis Millers when he was called up by the Giants. In his MLB debut game on July 6, 1953, he shut down the Phillies on two hits (four walks, six whiffs) as his Giants won 6-0 in New York. Five days later he started again and shut out the Dodgers 6-0 on four hits (one walk, seven strikeouts). It was the only time the NL Champion Dodgers were shutout that season. Things went a little south after that, as his next eight decision were all losses (0-8, 5.13 in that span). He ended his rookie campaign at 4-8, 3.44. Worthington went on to a 14-season MLB career, going 75-82, 3.39 with 111 saves (533 relief appearances, 69 starts).  He was 16-31, 3.99 as a starter and 59-51 (with those 111 saves), 3.11 as a reliever

 

Nine: Slow Joe Off to a Fast Start – Joe Doyle

Known as Slow Joe Doyle for his pace on the mound, Doyle made his MLB debut for the Highlanders (Yankees) on August 25, 1906, shutting out the Indians 2-0 (in New York) on six hits (two walks, five strikeouts). He followed it up August 30 with another complete-game shutout.  This time a two-hitter (no walks, six strikeouts) as the Highlanders beat the Senators 5-0. He finished his rookie season at 2-1, 2.38 and went on to a five-season MLB career (1906-10) with a 22-21, 2.85 line.

 

Ten: Whew. That was a Close One … Jim Scott

Only a” lucky” 13 Modern-Era rookies have faced the tension of a 1-0 shutout victory in their MLB debut. only three of those had to wait until the ninth inning for their team to sore and only one – Number Ten on this list – saw the winning run cross the plate in the bottom of the ninth.

Jim Scott debuted for the White Sox, against the Browns, on April 25, 1909. Scott gave up just three singles and wo walks in his debut, fanning six. His white Sox managed just four singles (six walks) and that lone run in the bottom of the ninth – scored by Freddy Parent on a Browns’ fielding error.

Scott went on to pitch in nine MLB seasons (1909-17) all for the White Sox He went 107-114, 2.30, with his best season coming in 1915, when he went 24-11, 2.03. He was better than his W-L record would indicate, finishing in the league’s top ten: three-times in earned run average; four times in strikeouts; five times in strikeouts per nine innings; four times in shutouts; twice in Walk+Hits Per Nine innings; four times in games started; and twice in complete games.

A Tough Loss

On May 14, 1914, Jim Scott pitched nine no-hit innings for the White sox (versus Nationals, but gave up two hits and one run in the tenth to take a loss.

 

Eleven:  A Pair of Five-Hitters … Johnny Marcum

The Philadelphia Athletics called up 23-year-old Johnny Marcum in September of 19-33 – after a 20-13, 3.74 season for the Double-A Louisville Colonels.  He showed his “stuff” right away. In his first appearance, September 7, he tossed a five-hit (six walks, four whiffs) shutout, as the Athletics topped the Indians 6-0 in Philadelphia. He started again on the 11th and tossed another five-hit shutout (three walks, three whiffs) as the Athletics topped with White Sox 8-0. He finished his rookie season at 3-2, 1.70 and went 65-63 in a seven-season (1933-39) MLB career.

 

Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; the following SABR bios: Bumpus Jones, by Chris Rainey; Fred Clarke, by Angelo Luisa; Billy Rohr, by Alexander Edelman;  “A Most Spectacular Debut” (Russ Van Atta), by Randolph Linthurst.” June 16, 1961: Lew Krausse twirls debut shoutouts 10 tens after High-school graduation”, Larry Defillipo, Society for American Baseball Research.

 

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P1032

This is not an earthshaking blog topic, but the kind of hardball coincidence that catches Baseball Roundtable’s attention.

On July 28, in the second game of a doubleheader, Phillies’ righty John Buzhardt picked up a victory – going the distance as the Phillies topped the Giants 4-3 in Philadelphia.  Over the next 22 days, the Phillies lost a still-MLB record 23 consecutive ballgames. (Remember single-admission doubleheaders).

Then, on August 20, again in the second game of a doubleheader, they broke the losing streak.  And, again, the winning pitcher was Buzhardt – who gave up four runs in a nine-inning complete game as Philly prevailed 7-4 over the Braves in Milwaukee. So, Buzhardt’s two wins were the bookends holding the 23-game losing streak in the middle.  Oh, and what number was Buzhardt wearing? Twenty-three, of course.

Buzhardt’s August 20th win, not only marked the end of the Phillies’ record losing streak, it also marked the beginning of the 1961 Phillies’ longest winning streak. From August 20-25, the Phillies won four in a row.  The last winner in that Phillies 1961-best winning streak?  You got it. Once again,  John Buzhardt with a 9-4 complete-game victory over the Braves.

Buzhardt, by the way, finished the season as 6-18, 4.49. (Those six victories, however, were second most on the team (Art Mahaffey went 11-19, 4.10).  And Buzhardt did take three of the losses in the 23-game streak.  It was not all his fault, however.

A few points to consider.

That 23-game losing streak – during which the Phillies were outscored 133-54 – was part of a 47-107 season that saw the Phillies finish in last (eighth) place – 46 games off the pace.  In the campaign, they scored the NL’s fewest runs (584), and gave up the second most (796) – versus the league average of 700 in each category. They also had the league’s highest earned run average (4.61 vs. the league average of 4.03) and lowest team batting average (.243 vs. the league average of .262).  During the 23-game losing streak itself, the Phillies scored two or fewer runs 16 times.  A few other notables about the streak, it included:

• 18 road games and just five home games;
• Seven one-run losses;
• Three doubleheader sweeps;
• Four shutouts’ losses, three in consecutive games;
• and a 31-inning scoreless streak.

Side note: During the season, the Phillies lost 35 one -run games (19 wins), were shut out 15 times and were held to two runs or less 67 times.

The Phillies finished the dismal 1961 season with a phlourish. In their final four games, all at home, they were outscored 33-6, but still managed one win – a 2-1 victory over oaf all pitchers), the Dodgers’ Sandy Koufax.

Now, let’s get back to John Buzhardt.  In his two seasons with the Phillies, the team went 106-202-1. In those two seasons (1960-61, Buzhardt went 11-34, 4.18 (and those 34 losses represented just over 35 percent of his total losses over an 11-season MLB career). Pitching “not for the Phils,” Buzhardt was 60-62, 3.47. For his career (1958-68 … White Sox, Phillies, Cubs, Astros, Orioles) Buzhardt he was 71-96, 3.66. Buzhardt’s two best seasons were 1964-65, when he went 10-8, 2.98 and 13-8, 3.01 for the White Sox.

Again, not a particularly earthshaking post, but I do like the fact that victories by number-23 bookended the Phillies’ record 23-game losing streak.

Primary Resource:  Basevall-Reference.com

 

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P1031

Welcome to another of Baseball Roundtable’s “When I start looking into a topic one thing always seem to lead to another” posts.  This one started out the “Where is the asterisk when you need it?” and ended up with a look at players who had multi-homer games when they also took the hill as a pitcher.  This took me down a research rabbit hole that included 71 multi-homer games by 58 different pitchers – with names and credentials ranging from Babe Ruth and Shohei Ohtani to Garland Buckeye and Elon Hogsett (and a lot in between, like “Dons” Cardwell, Drysdale and Newcombe and even Phil Collins).  But I’m betting ahead of myself.

Note: Given statistical accuracy and game formats, I am limiting myself to the Modern Era (post-1900). Also, not all Negro game stats (1920-48) have been fully documented and incorporated into the MLB record books.

Another Ruth/Ohtani Comparison

Let me explain how this all started. Browsing through Baseball-Reference.com, I noted that, while Shohei Ohtani has had 16 multi-homer games in his seven MLB seasons (171 total homers), he has had only one two-homer game in a contest in which he also pitched. That came in a June 27, 2023, 4-2 Angels win over the White Sox. In that game, Ohtani hit his second home run in the bottom of the seventh inning – after being replaced on the mound in the top of the inning (remaining in the lineup at DH). So, technically, that separates him from players who hit two (or more) homers in a game while in the lineup as a pitcher. Perhaps not a big “difference,” but (for The Roundtable) a statistical “distinction.”

This led me to look for any other pitchers/players who also had a multi-homer game in which at least one homer came after they had been pulled from the mound. I found one.  Babe Ruth, who had 72 multi-homer games, had just one multi-homer contest in which he also pitched.  That came on June 13, 1921, when Ruth made a rare start on the mound for the Yankees. Ruth homered to lead off the third inning (off Howard Ehmke). He was pulled from the mound in the top of the sixth, with two-on, no outs and the Yankees up 10-4. But, he didn’t’ go to the dugout. He moved to CF.  In the bottom of the seventh, now-centerfielder Ruth hit his second homer of the game (a two-run shot of Ehmke). So, like Ohtani, Ruth’s sole game in which he pitched and hit two home-runs also featured one homer after he left the mound. The Yankees, by the way, prevailed 13-8.

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For those who like to know such things.

In 1918, when Babe Ruth won 13-7, 2.22 for the Red Sox and won his first home run title (with 11 dingers), he hit two homers as a pitcher, six as a centerfielder, two as a first baseman and one as a left fielder. In 2023, when Shohei Ohtani went 10-5, 3.14 and won the AL home run title with 44, he hit seven home runs in games in which he pitched (four of those while he was still in the game at pitcher). He was in the lineup as DH for all 44 long balls.  

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Now for some additional pitcher’s multi-homer game tidbits.

A Handful of Multi-Homer Games

No pitcher had more multi-homer games than Wes Ferrell with five. (Five is officially a handful, isn’t it?)

In his fifteen-season MLB career (1927-41 … Indians, Red Sox, Nationals, Yankees. Dodgers, Braves), Ferrell went 193-128, 4.04 – with six seasons of 20 or more wins – leading the AL with 25 wins (14 losses) in 1935. As a hitter, he went .280-38-208 in 548 games.  Ferrell, notably, appeared in 157 games as a pinch-hitter and 13 in left field.  His 37 home runs as a pitcher are a record for MLB moundsmen (he hit one homer as a pinch hitter).

Other pitchers with multiple, multiple-homer games are:

Don Newcombe      3

Jack Harshman        2

Dick Donovan          2

Tony Cloninger         2

Lew Burdette           2

Rick Wise                  2

Red Ruffing             2

Pedro Ramos           2

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Thirteen Can Be a Lucky Number

On May 13, 1942, as the Braves topped the Cubs 6-5, Braves’ pitcher Jim Tobin became the first (still only) modern-era pitcher to hit three home runs in a single game. Tobin hit a solo shot leading off the fifth (off Jake Mooty) to tie the game at two; a solo shot off Mooty to open the seventh (with the Braves trailing 4-2); and a two-run shot in the eighth, breaking a 4-4 tie, off Hiram Bithorn.  Tobin went the distance in the game, giving up five runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks.

Tobin pitched in nine MLB seasons (1937-45 … Pirates, Braves, Tigers), going 105-112, 3.44 (287 games/227 starts). As a hitter, he went .230-17-102 in 396 games. He appeared in 92 games as a pinch-hitter and four at 1B.

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Come On Home, Boys

The Braves’ Tony Cloninger had a pair of multi-homer games, but the one he enjoyed on July 3, 1996 (in a 17-3 win over the Giants in San Francisco) was a record-setter. On that day, he not only racked up his second multi-homer game of the season, but also became the first and still only pitcher to hit two grand slams in a game and set the (still-standing) MLB record for RBI in a game by a pitcher at nine. Here was Cloninger’s game:

First Inning – Grand Slam off Bob Priddy (the Braves scored seven runs in the top of the first);

Third inning – Ground out to short off Priddy;

Fourth Inning – Grand Slam off Ray Sadecki;

Sixth Inning – Flyout to left off Sadecki;

Eighth Inning – RBI single off Sadecki.

Cloninger pitched a complete-game, seven-hitter (three runs, two walks, five whiffs).

Notably, Cloninger’s two-home game came just 17 days after he enjoyed a two-homer contest in a 17-1 Braves’ win over the Mets.

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Pitchers with Two Multi-Homer Games in a Single Season

Wes Ferrell, Red Sox                      1934

Don Newcombe, Dodgers            1955

Jack Harshman, Orioles                1958

Dick Donovan, Indians                  1962

Tony Cloninger, braves                  1966

Rick Wise, Phillies                           1971

____________________________________________

Cloninger pitched in 12 MLB seasons (1961-72 … Braves, Reds, Cardinals), going 113-97, 4.07.  His best season was 1965, when he went 24-11, 3.29 for the Braves. As a hitter, he went .192-11-67 in 366 games.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

After retiring from MLB, Tony Cloninger became a world-class, slow-pitch softball player. In 1978 (six years after his MLB retirement), playing for the United States Slow-Pitch Softball Association’s Slow-Pitch World Series Champion Howard & Carroll team, Cloninger was selected as the third baseman on the Series All-World Team.

_______________________________

Wisely Done, Rick

The Roundtable does like MLB unicorns – and, like Cloninger’s two-Grand Slam game, this one. On June 23, 1971, the Phillies’ Rick Wise became the first (and still only) MLB pitcher to hit two home runs and throw a no-hitter in the same game. Wise shut down the Reds in Cincinnati by a 4-0 score – giving up no hits, walking one and fanning three. He also rapped a two-run homer (off Ross Grimsley) in the fifth inning and a solo shot off Clay Carroll in the eighth.  Only a one-out, sixth-inning walk (to the Reds SS Dave Concepcion kept Wise from a perfect game on this day. And, consider the opposition. The Reds’ Lineup included the likes of: RF Pete Rose; CF George Foster; 1B Lee May; C Johnny Bench; and 3B Tony Perez.

Wise played in 18 MLB seasons (1964, 1966-82 … Phillies, Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians, Padres), going 188-181, 3.69. He won 15 or more games in six seasons. As a hitter he went .195-15-66 in 341 games.

Let’s get this Party Started

Another unicorn. On April 2, 2017, the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner became the first (still only) pitcher to hit two home runs on Opening Day. It came against the Diamondbacks (in Arizona) and MadBum homered to lead off the fifth inning (off Zack Greinke) and went deep again (a solo shot with one out, that gave the Giants a 4-3 lead) in the seventh off Andrew Chapin. He also drew a seven-pitch walk in the second inning. Bumgarner got a no-decision in the game – going seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits, while walking none and fanning 11.

In 15 MLB seasons (2009-2023 … Giants, Diamondbacks), Bumgarner went 134-124, 3.47 and was an All Star four times.  As a hitter his stat line is .172-19-65 in 313 games.

Side Note; April 2 is the earliest date for a two-homer game by a pitcher.  The other pitcher to do it?  Zack Greinke (who opposed Bumgarner on Opening Day 2017). Exactly two years later, in the Diamondbacks sixth game of the season, Grienke hit a pair of homers and drove in four runs as his D-backs topped the Padres 8-5 in San Diego.

Whiff N’Poof

No pitcher fanned more batters in a two-homer game than the Indians’ Pedro Ramos.  On July 31, 1963, in a start against the Angels (in Cleveland), Ramos went two-for-four with a pair of solo home runs. He also fanned 15 Angels batters in a 9-5 win.

____________________________________________

Adding Insult to Injury

In the sixth inning of the Indians 9-5 win over the Angels on July 31, 1963, the Indians tied an MLB record by bashing four consecutive home runs – and Pedro Ramos was part of that record. The home run string began with two out in the seventh inning and included (in order) 2B Woodie Held, P Pedro Ramos, LF Tito Francona and SS Larry Brown.

_______________________________________

Ramos logged two two-homer games in his career – with wildly different pitching lines.  One was a three-hit shutout, in which he struck out just one batter.  In the second, he gave up five runs on 11 hits and two walks, but fanned 15.

Ramos pitched in 15 MLB seasons (1955-67, 1969-70 … Senators/Twins, Indians, Yankees, Phillies, Pirates, Reds, new Senators). He went 117-160, 4.08 as a pitcher and .155-15-56 in 696 games as a hitter.

Wrong Side of the Ledger

Pedro Ramos is one of only two MLB pitchers to lead his league in losses four consecutive seasons. Ramos (with the Senators) led the AL in losses from 1958 through 1961, with records of 14-18, 13-19, 11-18 and 11-20.  Phil Niekro matched that record in the NL, leading the league in losses from 1977 through 1980, going 16-20, 19-18, 21-20 and 15-18.  (In 1979, Niekro’s 21-20 record led the NL in wins and losses.)  The only other player to lead his league in losses four times is Bobo Newsom (who led the AL in losses I 1934, 1935, 1941 and 1945).

Oh, What A Relief It Is

Only four relievers have notcheda  two-homer game as hitter.

Babe Birrer’s two-homer game (July 19, 1955) in relief may be the most interesting.  While he didn’t enter the game until the sixth inning, Birrer drove in six of the Tiger’s 12 runs in a 12-4 win over the Orioles (in Detroit). In his two plate appearances, Birrer:

• Poked a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth (off George Zuvernick);
• Hit another three-run shot in the eighth (off Art Schallock).

Those, by the way, were the only home runs and RBI in Birrer’s short MLB career (1955-56, 1958 … Tigers, Orioles, Dodgers). He appeared in 56 games, going 4-3, 4.36 in 119 2/3 innings. As a hitter, he went .259-2-6 in 27 at bats.

_____________________________________

Teamwork

The Teams with the most pitchers multi-homer games in their history are:

Indians – Eight: Pedro Ramos (2); Dick Donovan (2); Bob Lemon; Mel Harder; Wes Ferrell; Garland Buckeye.

Phillies – Eight: Rick Wise (2); Randy Wolf; Robert Person; Randy Lerch; Larry Christenson; Phill Collins; Jack Knight.

My Favorite Names of Two-Homer Pitchers – Garland Buckeye, Elon Hogsett and Phill Collins (No, not that Phil Collins).

Gotta love Garland Buckeye and Elon Hogsett – pitchers with two-homer games on September 10, 1925 (for the Indians) and August 31, 1932, respectively.

Buckeye, a hefty 6’-260-pound southpaw went 30-39, 3.91 over five MLB seasons (1918, 1925-28 … Nationals, Indians Giants). As a batter, he went .230-5-23 in 108 games.  Garland’s best season was 1925, when he went 13-8, 3.65 for the Indians. He drove in five runs in his two-homer game.

Buckeye’s size made him seem more suited for football – and he suited up at center/guard for the Chicago Tigers of the American Professional Football Association (forerunner to the NFL) in 1920, with the Chicago Cardinals (APFA and NFL from 1921 through 1924) and the American Football League Chicago Bulls in 1926.

Hogsett was also a southpaw and he enjoyed a 11-season MLB career (1929-38, 1944 … Tigers, Browns, Nationals) – going 63-87, 5.02 on the mound (as a starter and reliever (114 starts/216 relief appearances). As a hitter, he was .226-6-27 in 339 games. In his two-homer game, he went three-for-three (two homers and a single), with three RBI.

Then there is Phil Collins. No not the Genesis/Grammy-winning Phil Collins. This Phil Collins had an eight-season MLB career (1923, 1929-35 … Cubs, Phillies, Cardinals) – going 80-85, 4.66 – and four-times winning 12 or more games in a season. On July 22, 1930, Collins started for the Phillies (makes sense if your name is Phil) against the pirate in Philadelphia. He went three-for-four at the plate, with two homers, a single and four RBI.  He also tossed a complete game (12 hits, five runs, six walks, three whiffs) in the Phillies 11-5 win. Over his career, Collins hit .193-4-44 in 322 games.

 

 

MLB Pitchers with Three-Homer Games (Modern ERA)

Jim Tobin, Braves                            May 13, 1942

 

MLB Pitchers with Two-Homer Games (Modern Era)

Ed Summers, Tigers                       Sept. 17, 1910

Ed Willet, Tigers                              June 30, 1912

Jim Shaw, Nationals                       May 2, 1919

Babe Ruth, Yankees                       June 13, 1921

Art Nehf, Giants                              July 29, 1924

Tony Kaufmann, Cubs                    July 4, 1925

Garland Buckeye, Indians             Sept. 10, 1925

Jess Doyle, Tigers                           Sept. 28, 2925

Jack Knight, Phillies                        June 24, 1926

Phil Collins, Phillies                       July 22, 1930

Red Ruffing, Yankees                     Sept. 18, 1930

Wes Ferrell, Indians                       August 31, 1931

Elon Hogsett, Tigers                       August 31, 1932

Hal Schumacher, Giants                April 24, 1934

Wes Ferrell, Red Sox                      July 13, 1934

Wes Ferrell, Red Sox                      August 22, 1934

Wes Ferrell, Red Sox                      July 31, 1935

Mel Harder, Indians                       July 31, 1935

Red Ruffing, Yankees                     June 17, 1936

Wes Ferrell, Red Sox                      August 12, 1936

Elden Auker, Tigers                        August 14, 1937

Jack Wilson, Red Sox                     June 16, 1940

Spud Chandler, Yankees                July 26, 1940

Bill Lee, Cubs                                   May 7, 1941

Bucky Walters, Reds                      May 20, 1945

Dave Koslo, Giants                         July 7, 1949

Bob Lemon, Indians                       July 24, 1949

Ben Wade, Dodgers                       July 6, 1952

Don Newcombe, Dodgers            April 14, 1955

Don Newcombe, Dodgers            May 30, 1955

Jim Hearn, Giants                           July 9, 1955

Babe Birrer, Tigers                          July 19, 1955

Don Newcombe, Dodgers            Sept. 19, 1956

Dixie Howell, White Sox               June 16, 1957

Billy Hoeft, Tigers                           July 14, 1957

Lew Burdette, Braves                    August 13, 1957

Lew Burdette, Braves                    July 10, 1958

Jack Harshman, Orioles                 July 16, 1958

Don Drysdale, Dodgers                 August 23, 1958

Jack Harshman, Orioles                 Sept. 23, 1958

Don Cardwell, Cubs                       Sept. 2, 1960

Glen Hobbie, Cubs                         July 2, 1961

Milt Pappas, Orioles                       August 27, 1961

Dick Donovan, Indians                  May 18, 1962

Pedro Ramos, Indians                   May 30, 1962

Dick Donovan, Indians                  August 31, 1962

Pedro Ramos, Indians                   July 31, 1963

Earl Wilson, Red Sox                      August 16, 1965

Tony Cloninger, Braves                  June 16, 1966

Tony Cloninger, Braves                  July 3, 1966

Jim Rooker, Royals                          July 7, 1969

Rick Wise, Phillies                           June 23, 1971

Rick Wise, Phillies                           August 28, 1971

Fergie Jenkins, Cubs                      Sept. 1, 1971

Sonny Siebert, Red Sox                 Sept. 2, 1971

Larry Christenson, Phillies            Sept. 5, 1976

Randy Lerch, Phillies                      Sept. 30, 1978

Walt Terrell, Mets                          August 6, 1983

Jim Gott, Giants                              May 12, 1985

Derek Lilliquist, Braves                  May 1, 1990

Darren Driefort, Dodgers             August 8, 2000

Mike Hampton, Rockies                June 5, 2001

Robert Person, Phillies                  June 2, 2002

Randy Wolf, Phillies                        August 11, 2004

Dontrelle Willis, Marlins               Sept. 20, 2006

Micah Owings, Diamondbacks    August 18, 2007

Noah Syndergaard, Mets             May 11, 2016

Madison Bumgarner, Giants        April 2, 2017

Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks      April 2, 2019

Shohei Ohtani, Angels                   June 27, 2003

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

 

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P1029

Oh yes, one thing leads to another – again.

Yesterday, the Diamondbacks (March 28) made a bit of Opening Day history.  In their opener against the Rockies, the Diamondbacks scored 14 runs in the third inning – a modern era (post-1900) single-inning Opening Day record – and they did it without the benefit of a home run.  That inning took me back in time to another even more unique frame – which took place on April 22, 1959, when the White Sox plated 11 runs in an inning, while logging just one hit.

Let’s look at both innings.

In yesterday’s 14-run third, the Diamondbacks sent 18 batters to the plate – collecting ten singles, three doubles and two walks.  In the inning:

• Five of the nine players in the starting lineup collected two hits;
• Corbin Carroll walked twice;
• Eight of the nine collected at least one RBI;
• Eight of the nine scored at least one run, with six scoring twice;
• The Diamondbacks had two streaks within the inning when seven consecutive batters reached base;
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno each has three RBI.

It went like this:

• SS Geraldo Perdomo, the number-nine hitter singled off Kyle Freeland;
• 2B Ketel Marte singled;
• RF Corbin Carroll walked, loading the bases;
• LF Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. hit an RBI single;
• 1B Christian Walker hit a two-run double;
• C Gabriel Moreno hit an RBI single;
• 3B Eugenio Suarez hit an RBI single;
• DH Blaze Alexander flied out to RF;
• CF Alek Thomas hit an RBI double;
• Anthony Molina relieved Freeland;
• Perdomo hit an RBI single;
• Marte hit an RBI single;
• Carroll drew his second walk, again loading the bases;
• Gurriel hit a two-run single;
• Walker singled, loading the bases.
• Moreno hit a two-run double;
• Suarez drove in a run with a sac fly;
• Alexander hit an RBI single;
• Jalen Beeks replaced Molina on the mound.
• Thomas grounded out pitcher to first.

The Diamondbacks came into the inning with a 2-0 lead and did not score after the 14-run third – coming away with a 16-1 win. (From the time that Beeks took the mound for the Rockies, the Rox bullpen held the Diamondbacks to two hits over 5 1/3 innings, with seven strikeouts.

__________________________________________

Now for that 1959 game. On April 22, 1959 – in a 20-6 win over the Kansas City Athletics (in Kansas City), the White Sox scored 11 runs in the seventh inning on just one hit (a single). Here are few “numbers” from that 11-run inning:

• The Sox sent 17 batters to the plate, but collected just one hit;
• Sox’ hitters stepped into the box with runners in scoring position 14 times;
• Sox hitters batted with the bases loaded 12 times and never got the ball past the pitcher;
• Eight different White Sox’ players drew walks;
• The Sox drew eight bases-loaded walks (and had one bases-loaded hit batsman);
• White Sox’ 2B Nellie Fox walked twice with the bases loaded in the inning.

Here’s how it went that inning (per baseball-reference.com):

• 1B Ray Boone was safe on a throwing error by A’s shortstop Joe DeMaestri;
• RF Al Smith attempted to sacrifice Boone to second (score was 8-6 at the time) and reached on an error by A’s third baseman Hal Smith;
• LF Johnny Callison singled to right. Scoring Boone and Smith (with the help of an error by A’s right fielder Roger Maris). Callison ended up on third;
• SS Louis Aparicio walked – then stole second (runners now on second and third);
• P Bob Shaw walked (loading the bases);
• PH Earl Torgeson (batting for 3B Sammy Esposito) walked (scoring Callison);
• 2B Nellie Fox walked (scoring Aparicio);
• CF Jim Landis reached on fielder’s choice – grounding back to pitcher Mark Freeman, who took the force at home (bases still loaded);
• C Sherman Lollar walked (scoring Torgeson, bases still loaded);
• Boone made his second plate appearance of the inning and walked (scoring Fox).
• Smith made his second plate appearance of the inning and walked (scoring Landis);
• Callison, who had the only hit of the inning in his first plate appearance, was hit by a pitch (scoring Lollar, bases still loaded). Lou Skizas came in to run for Callison;
• Aparicio drew his second walk of the inning (scoring Boone, bases still loaded);
• Shaw struck out.
• PH Bubba Phillips (batting for Torgeson, who batted for Esposito earlier in the inning) walked (scoring Smith, bases still full);
• Fox drew his second bases loaded walk of the inning (scoring Skizas);
• Landis grounded out pitcher to first to end the inning.

The 20-runs the White Sox scored that day were the most they plated in any game that season.  Another side note: It did not start out like it was going to be a good day for the White Sox.  The A’s knocked Chicago’s starting pitcher Early Wynn – who would go on to lead the AL in wins with 22 – out of the game with six runs on six hits and two walks in the first 1 2/3 innings. The Sox actually trailed 6-1 after two frames. A few other stats:

• The Sox collected a total of 16 hits and 13 walks in the contest; which also saw four Kansas City errors.
• In addition, to scoring 20 times, Chicago left eleven runners on base.
• Nellie Fox was the offensive star of the game – with four hits (five at bats), two walks and five RBI.

The A’s used six pitchers in the contest, three in the seventh inning.

The 1959 AL pennant-winning White Sox went on to become known as the “Go-Go Sox” for their ability to manufacture runs despite a punchless offense. (The Sox finished last in the league in home runs and sixth – out of the eight AL teams – in batting average and runs scored, but first in stolen bases and second in walks).

This One Had a Homer

For those that like to know such things, the most runs tallied in any MLB inning is 18, by the National League Chicago White Stockings (Cubs) in a 26-6 win over the Detroit Wolverines on September 6, 1883.  That inning featured 18 Chicago base hits (six doubles, one triple, one home run, ten singles and two Detroit errors. ).  Those 18 hits are also an MLB single-inning record, as are the 29 total bases. Three players logged a record  (tied, but never broken) three  hits in the inning (3B Ed Williamson, SS Tom Burns and 2B Fred Pfeffer). Tom Burns’ two doubles and a home run set the mark for extra-base hits in an inning. Burns and Williamson set the mark (since tied) for runs scored in an inning with three.  Six players had two hits in the inning.

Primary Resources:  Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball’s Biggest Inning, by Art Ahrens, 1977 Baseball Research Journal (Society for American Baseball Research).

COMING SOON – A DEEP DIVE INTO PITCHERS WITH MULTI-HR GAMES (as hitters).

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P1028

On July 21, 1975, Mets’ infielders Felix Millan (2B) and Joe Torre (1B) became a record-setting double play combination – but that was not necessarily a good thing.

In 6-2 loss to the Astros in New York, Millan went four-for-four (four singles) and each time was forced at second base, as Torre grounded into four double plays in his four plate appearances. Plenty of unicorns here. By grounding into four twin killings, Torre became the first (and still only) National League player to ground into four double plays in a game. (The only other MLB player to “accomplish” this feat is Tigers’ LF Goose Goslin, who grounded not four twin killings as the Tigers topped the Indians 4-1 on April 28, 1934.)  The Millan/Torre combination also  became the first (and still only) MLB combo to be partners on wrong end of a double play four times in a game. Further, Astros’ starter Ken Frosch, who went the distance (11 hits, two runs, one walk, two strikeouts) became the first (and still only) pitcher to induce the same batter to hit into four double plays  in a game. That day, by the way, Millan was batting second and playing second base for the Mets, while Torre was batting third and playing third base (nice symmetry there).  Side note: Some of this could possibly change as Negro League game stats from 1920-48 are further documented and incorporated into the MLB record book.  

Here’s the Millan/Torre story:

• In the bottom of the first, already trailing 2-0, Millan singled with one out. Torre followed by hitting into an inning-ending double play – Forsch to second baseman Larry Milbourne to first baseman Bob Watson.
• In the third frame, with the Mets down 5-1, Millan singled with one out and one on. Torre followed by grounding into an inning-ending shortstop Roger Metzger to Milbourne to Watson DP.
• In the sixth frame, Millan led off with his third one-bagger of the day. This time, Torre hit into a Melbourne to Metzger to Watson twin killing.
• In the seventh, Millan punched another single (with one man on). Torre followed by grounding into a Metzger to Milbourne to Watson double play.

Double Whammy

Nice coincidence. Torre and Millan each had a consecutive double consonant in their last names. In the game, seven players with a double consonant in their last name (Torre, Millan, Greg Gross, Enos Cabell, Mike Phillips, Hank Webb and Jack Heidemann) took the field.  Also in the game was the double-voweled Ed Kranepoole. Honorable mentions go out to first name, double-consonant players that game (Cliff Johnson, Larry Milbourne and Jerry Grote).

That season, Torre grounded into 22 double plays – second most in the NL. During his 18-year MLB playing career, Torre led the NL in GIDP three times. His final stat line was .297-252-1,185 in 2,209 games.

A few double- play tidbits.

• Albert Pujols holds the career record for GIDP at 426 (Over 22 seasons (He led the league in GIDP four times.)
• Miguel Tejada led the league in GIDP he most times in MLB history (five – 2004-06, Orioles and 2008-09, Astros).
• Jim Rice holds the record for most GIDP in a season at 36 (1984 Red Sox).
• 

As always, when Baseball Roundtable begin looking a topic “one thing seemed to lead to another.”  This led me to the MLB career of Ron Wright.

RON WRIGHT.  Three at bats – six outs – and done

Attitude is everything – and we could all learn a lot from Ron Wright, a one-time MLB prospect who calls his one-game major-league career “the best day of my professional life,” despite the fact that he missed, hit and ran his way into six outs in only three at bats (and a total of nine pitches). Starting his first – and only – game after being called up in April 2002 by the Mariners, Wright began his MLB career by striking out with two on in the second inning – and it was all downhill from there. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Wright’s day went like this:

Second Inning: With Ruben Sierra on second and John Olerud on first, Wright – who started at DH, batting seventh – took a called third strike (on an 0-2 pitch) 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 run down 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 the first offering from Rogers  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 MLB stat line).  McLemore, by the way, struck out.

The Mariners trailing 5-1 after six frames, came back to win the game 9-7.

RON WRIGHT HITS/RUNS INTO A TRIPLE PLAY

 

Wright went back down to the minors before getting another MLB at bat and never made it back. (He did hit .273 with 15 HRs for Tacoma in 2002).  So, his major-league career consisted of three at bats, nine pitches and six outs – strikeout, triple play, double play.  For The Roundtable, the key words are major-league. Ron Wright made it to The Show.

Primary Resources:  Baseball-Refernces.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; MLB.com

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P1026

 

 

With Spring Training Games in full swing and the 2024 MLB season just around then corner, it seems a good time to again  reflect on ten reasons why I love this game.

 

1. Baseball comes along every spring, accompanied by sunshine and optimism.

Baseball is the harbinger of better times.  It signifies the end of winter (not a small thing if you’re from Minnesota) and the coming of spring, a season of rebirth, new life and abundant optimism.   Each season, you start with a clean slate.   Last year’s successes can still be savored but last year’s failures can be set aside (although rival fans may try to refresh your memory), replaced by hope and anticipation.   On Opening Day, in our hearts, we can all be in contention.

 

2. Baseball is timeless and, ultimately, fair in the offering of opportunity.

The clock doesn’t run out.  No matter what the score, your team gets its 27 outs and an equal opportunity to secure victory.  What could be more fair?  And then there is the prospect of “extra” innings, bonus baseball for FREE.

 

3. Plays and players are distinct (in space and time).

Baseball, while a game of inches, is also a game of considerable space.   The players are not gathered along an offensive line or elbow-to-elbow under a basket. They are widely spaced, each with his own area of responsibility and each acting (as part of a continuing play) in their own time frame.  (On a groundout, for example, the first baseman can’t catch the ball until after the shortstop throws it.)   This enables fans to follow, understand and analyze each play (maybe not always accurately) in detail.   And, baseball’s distinct spacing and timing makes it possible to see the game even when you are not there.  A lot of people grinned at President Gerald Ford’s comment that he “watched a lot of baseball on the radio.”  In my view, he was spot on.  You can see baseball on the radio – you can create a “visual” of the game in your mind with minimal description.    That’s why on summer nights, in parks, backyards and garages across the country, you’ll find radios tuned to the national past time.

 

4. The scorecard.

Can there be anything more satisfying than keeping an accurate scorecard at the ball park?  It serves so many purposes.  The keeping of a scorecard ensures your attention to the happenings on the field.  Maintaining the score card also makes you, in a way understandable only to fellow fans, more a part of the game.   That magical combination of names, numbers and symbols also enables you to go back and check the progress of the game at any time.  “Oh, Johnson’s up next.  He’s walked and grounded out twice.”  It’s also a conversation starter, when the fan in the row behind you asks, “How many strikeouts does Ryan have today?”   And, it leaves you (if you choose to keep it) with a permanent record of the game, allowing you to replay it in your mind (or share it with others) at will.  Ultimately, a well-kept score card enhances the game experience and offers a true post-game sense of accomplishment.

 

5. The long season.

Baseball, as so many have pointed out, is a marathon rather than a sprint.  It’s a long season with ample opportunity to prove yourself and lots of chances to redeem yourself.  For fans, the long season also represents a test of your passion for the game.  Endurance is part of the nature of the true baseball fan.  And, and in the end, the rigors of a 162-game season prove your mettle and that of your team.   Not only that, but like a true friend … baseball is there for you every day.

 

6. The pace of the game invites contemplation.

Although the relatively new pitch clock has altered this perception a bit, baseball still offers a “pace of game” that invites contemplation. Between innings, between batters, during pitching changes, sometimes even during a plate appearance, baseball leaves us time to contemplate what just occurred, speculate on what might happen next and even share those thoughts with nearby spectators.  Baseball is indeed a thinking person’s game.

 

7. Baseball invites, encourages, even demands, conversation.

Reason number six hinted at the importance of conversation, noting that the pace of the game offers time to contemplate the action (past and future) and share those thoughts with others.   I love that about the game, but I also love the fact that whenever baseball fans gather, their passion comes out in conversation – and they find plenty to talk about:

• Statistics, statistics, statistics. Baseball and its fans will count anything.  Did you know that Yankee Jim Bouton’s hat flew off 37 times in his 2-1, complete-game victory over the Cardinals in game three of the 1964 World Series?  More seriously, statistics are part of a common language and shared passion that bring baseball fans together in spirited conversation.  As best-selling author Pat Conroy observed “Baseball fans love numbers.  They love to swirl them around in their mouths like Bordeaux wine.”  I agree, to the fan, statistics are intoxicating.
• Stories, stories, stories. Baseball and its fans celebrate the game’s history.  And, I’m not talking just about statistics.  I’m also talking about the stories that give this great game color, character and characters – from Rube Waddell’s zaniness to Joe DiMaggio’s elegance or from Rickey Henderson’s baserunning bravado to Hamon Killibrew’s stoic power.  And, there also are moments in time that mark hardball history, like Ty Cobb sharpening his spikes on the dugout steps, Babe Ruth’s called shot, Willie Mays’ basket catch, Dock Ellis’ LSD-fueled no-hitter.
• Trivia, trivia, trivia. This may fall close to the “stories, stories, stories” category, but fans cherish the trivia that surrounds our national past time – whether that trivia is iconic or ironic.  For example, it’s ironic that iconic Yankee slugger Babe Ruth holds the best winning percentage against the Yankees of any pitcher with 15 or more decision against them (17-5, .773) or that the Bambino stole home more times than base-stealing icon Ricky Henderson.

Basically, I took a long time to say I love the fact that baseball fans will talk with passion about something that happened in today’s game, yesterday’s game, over time or even in a game that took place on August 4, 1947.  And, as a bonus, all this conversation – all the statistics, stories and trivia – make the games, moments within the games and the characters of the game (heroes, goats and mere participants) as timeless as baseball itself.

 

8. The box score.

My mother used to refer to an accordion as “an orchestra in a box.”  That’s how I view the daily box score – the symphony of a game recorded in a space one-column wide by four inches deep.   Some would say the box score reduces the game to statistics, I would say it elevates the game to history.  What do you want to know about the contest?   Who played where, when?  At bats, hits, stolen bases, strikeouts, errors, caught stealing, time, attendance, even the umpires’ names?   It’s all there and more – so much information, captured for baseball fans in a compact and orderly space.  I am, of course, dating myself here, but during baseball season, the morning newspaper, through its box scores, is a treasure trove of information for baseball fans.

 

 

 

9. The irony of a team game made up of individual performances.

While baseball and baseball fans live for individual statistics and, while the spacing of the players drives individual accountability, the game is, ironically, deeply dependent on the concept of “team.”

Consider the offense.  Unlike other sports, where you can deliver victory by giving the ball or puck – time and time again (particularly as the clock runs down) – to your best runner, skater, receiver or shooter, in baseball, your line-up determines who will be “on the spot” and at the plate when the game is on the line.  It may be your .220-hitting second basemen, rather than your .320-hitting outfielder.  Yet, even as the team depends on the hitter, he is totally alone in his individual battle with the pitcher.  And, achieving individual statistics that signify exceptional performance also demands a sense of team.  You don’t score 100 runs without a team mate to drive you in (although the statistic remains your measure of performance) …  and, you don’t drive in 100 runs if no one gets on base in front of you.   And, can you think of any other sport that keeps track of – and honors – the team-oriented “sacrifice.”

On defense, the story is the same.  A ground ball pitcher, for example, needs a good infield behind him to optimize his statistical presence in the “win” column.  And the six-four-three double play requires masterful teamwork as well as individual performance – duly recorded in the record books as an assist for the shortstop, a putout and an assist for the second baseman and a put out for the first baseman.  Then there is the outfield assist – a perfect throw from a right fielder to nail a runner at third earns an assist and the third baseman a putout.

Ultimately, baseball is a game of individual accomplishments that must be connected by the thread of “team” to produce a positive outcome.

 

10. Baseball’s assault on the senses. (Indoor ballparks fall a bit short here).

The sight of a blue sky and bright sun above the ballpark or a full moon over a black sky above a well-lit stadium.  The feel of the warm sun or a crisp evening breeze.  The scent of freshly mowed grass or steaming hot dogs.  The taste of cold beer and peanuts.  The sound of the crack of the bat, the cheers (or moans) of the crowd, the musical pitch of the vendors.  Baseball assaults all the senses ― in a good way.

 

Now, I could go on and on, there are lots more reasons to love this game:

• Its combination of conformity (all infields are laid out the same) and individualism (outfield configurations not so much);
• Its contributions to culture (literature and movies);
• Its strategy (hit-and-run, run-and-hit, sacrifice bunts, infield / outfield positioning, pitching changes, etc.);
• Triples;
• The 6-4-3 double play;
• Knuckleballs; and
• More.

But to protect myself – and you readers – I’ve limited myself to ten.   I probably could have saved a lot of time and words had I just started with this so-perfect comment from sportscaster Bryant Gumbel, “The other sports are just sports.  Baseball is love.”  That says it all.

 

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

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From Bob Feller to Nolan Ryan and Joey Jay to Jamie Moyer, Baseball Roundtable looks t some mound accomplishments for the “ages,” as I wait for the first Spring Training box scores.

YOUTH WILL BE SERVED

Youth was never served (on the diamond) quite like it was for hard-throwing teenager Bob Feller.  As the chart below shows, if you make a list of the youngest pitchers to fan ten or more batters in an MLB game, Bob Feller holds the first nine positions.

How remarkable was “Feller’s Feat” at the time?  Consider that, in Feller’s rookie season, MLB pitchers averaged 3.5 strikeouts per nine innings and there were only 24 double-digit strikeout games notched by MLB pitchers. Feller, who had yet to graduate from high school, had four of them.  By comparison, in 2023 there were an average of 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings and there were 225 games in which a pitcher recorded ten or more whiffs.

Note:  For this post, Baseball Roundtable is using Modern Era (post-1900) National League and American League statistics.  An explanation of the reasoning behind that decision can be found at the end of this post.

 

Feller’s four double-digit-strikeout games in 1936 were second only to the six by Van Lingle Mungo (gotta love that name) of the Dodgers. Mungo, however, had 37 starts that season, while Feller (who made his first start on August 23) had just eight. (In his first start, Feller threw a complete game, in a 4-1 win over the Browns.  He gave up just six hits and one-run, while walking four and fanning 15. He faced 11 batters (including pitchers and pinch hitters) in the game and fanned nine of them at least once.  Before that first start, Feller had pitched in six games, going a total of eight innings, giving up 11 hits and seven runs, walking eight and fanning seven. Starting seemed to agree with him more.

Four weeks and four starts later, Feller fanned 17 Athletics in a Cleveland 5-2 win over Philadelphia – setting (at the time) the American League record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game and tying the MLB mark., (Both since broken.)  Side note:  Intimidation may have played a role in that win.   “Rapid Robert” walked nine and hit a batter in that game, whole giving up just two hits.  For more about Feller, as well as a look at a lineup of batters who fared well against “The Heater from Van Meter,” check out the Bob Feller edition of the Roundtable’s “Who’s You Daddy?” series.  Just click here.

Bob Feller had 51 double-digit strikeout games in his career, 16 before his 20^th birthday.

Now, if you go 20 games deep in your look at the youngest pitchers to record ten strikeouts in a game, you’ll find:

• Bob Feller – ten times;
• Gary Nolan – five times;
• Bert Blyleven – twice;
• Felix Hernandez;
• Dwight Gooden; and
• Harry Harper.

Hall of Famer Feller pitched in 18 MLB seasons (1936-41, 1945-56), all for the Indians.  He went 266-162, 3.25 and lead the AL in victories six times and strikeouts seven times. If he hadn’t lost three prime years to military service (WWII), he very likely would be among MLB’s 300-gamer winners.

I’d be remiss here if I didn’t give a shout out to Gary Nolan – the only pitcher other than Feller to crack the top ten list (above). Nolan was a teenage phenom and first-round draft choice (Reds), lucky 13^th overall, in 1966. He had won more than 30 games as a high schooler, leading his high school team to three straight league titles. He also led his American Legion team to three state titles and had had games of 23 and 25 strikeouts for the squad.

Nolan started his professional career in 1966, going a combined 14-8, 2.58 with 229 strikeouts in 176 innings at Rookie- and A-Ball. In 1967,  about six weeks before his 19^th birthday, he made his MLB debut in a start for the Reds (versus the Astros) in Cincinnati.  His first MLB inning went: SS Sonny Jackson (strikeout); RF Jim Landis (strikeout): 2B Joe Morgan (walk); CF Jimmy Wynn (strikeout). Nolan got the win, going 7 1/3 innings, (six hits, three runs, two walks, eight whiffs), as the Reds prevailed 7-3.  In his very next outing, he made the double-digit strikeout list.  Facing the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Nolan got a no-decision, going nine innings, giving up eight hits and one run, while walking two and fanning 12.  Over the course of his rookie season, he would record one fifteen-strikeout game, three twelve-whiff games and one ten-strikeout contest.

Say Hey, Willie

On June 7 of his rookie season, Gary Nolan notched 15 whiffs in 7 2/3 innings of a 4-3 Reds’  loss to the Giants. Nolan left with the game tied at 3-3.  At that point, he had faced Giants’ star Willie Mays four times in the game and fanned him four times. (One of just four, four-whiff games in Mays’ career.)

Nolan finished his rookie season at 14-8, 2,58, with 206 strikeouts in 226 2/3 innings.  Since 1901, only Dwight Gooden (276) and Bob Feller (240) have fanned more batters in a “teenage” season.  For those who like to know such things,  Amos Rusie holds the All-time record for strikeouts in a teenage season at 341 (in 548 2.3 innings) for the 1890 Giants.

 Nolan, who faced arm and shoulder issues during his career, pitched in ten MLB seasons (1967-73, 1975-77), almost all with the Reds  (245 appearances with the Reds, five with the Angels).  He went 110-70, 3.08, with 1,039 strikeouts in 1,674 2/3 innings.  He was an All star in 1972, when he went 15-5, 1.99 in 25 starts. Ironically, his highest strikeout ratio (8.2 per nine innings) came in his rookie season. (Nolan did suffer a shoulder injury the following spring.)  Over his career, he had four seasons of 15 or more wins.

OLD GUYS RULE

When you look at the oldest hurlers with ten-strikeout games, as you might expect Nolan Ryan (here’s that second Nolan, mentioned in the header) and Randy Johnson dominate the chart. Ryan has seven of the top ten spots, and is the only MLB pitcher with a ten-whiff game after his 45^th birthday.  Johnson’s last double-digit strikeout game came 18 days before his 45^th birthday. For the Nolan Ryan edition of “Who’s Your Daddy?,” click here.  For Randy Johnson, click here.

You have to go down to number 13 before you find anyone not named Ryan or Johnson on this “Old Guys Rule” list – and that would be Gaylord Perry, with an 11-tsrikeout game at age 43 years-243 days.

Looking at the top twenty, you would see:

• Nolan Ryan – 14 times,
• Randy Johnson – four times; and
• Gaylord Perry – twice.

I went all the way down to number 50 and found:

• Nolan Ryan – 34 times
• Randy Johnson – seven times;
• Roger Clemens – four times;
• Gaylord Perry – twice;
• Rich Hill;
• Steve Carlton; and
• Johnny Niggerling.

Johnny Niggeling, the least familiar name on this list, tossed a 13-inning, 12-strikeout game for the Washington Senators on June 15, 1945 – at the age of 41 years-340 days (which puts him at 48 in the top 50). He gave up nine hits, two walks and four runs in a 4-4 tie with the Red Sox.   Knuckleballer Niggeling made his MLB debut at age 34, in his ninth professional season. He went on to pitch in nine MLB seasons (1938-46 … Senators, Browns, Reds, Braves) and went 64-69, 3.22. He had just five double-digit strikeout games – four of them after his 40^th birthday.

Nolan Ryan had 215 double-digit strikeout games (the MLB record), with 53 after turning forty.  Randy  Johnson had 212 double-digit whiff contests, with 23 after turning 40.

 Of course, with Baseball Roundtable #OneTningAlwaysLeadsToAnother.

Delving into the youngest and oldest pitchers to record double-digit strikeout games, led me to consider the youngest and oldest pitcher to record a shutout.

Youngest Pitchers to Throw an MLB Shutout

 

The Youngest pitcher to throw a (Modern Era) shutout is the Reds’ Joe (we called him J0ey) Jay at 18 years-36 days of age.  Jay was signed right out of high school by the Braves in 1953 and (under the bonus rule of the time) because of the amount of his bonus had to be kept on the Brave’s major-league roster for at least two seasons or be exposed to the waiver wire. The youngster (players in his situations were often referred to as “bonus babies”) rode the bench most of the season.  As of mid-September, he had made just one MLB appearance – two-innings of scoreless relief in a 10-0 Braves loss to the Phillies on July 21.  On September 20, with the pennant race pretty much resolved, the Braves gave the teenager his second MLB appearance and his first start. He responded with a seven-inning (rain-shortened, but official) shutout – becoming the youngest MLB pitcher in the Modern Era to complete a whitewashing.  As you might expect the “bonus baby” rule somewhat dampened Jay’s development.  In 1953-54, he appeared in just 18 games (two starts) and went 2-0, 4.18. In 1955-57, Jay spent most of his time in the minor leagues and a 17-10, 3.31 record at Triple-A Wichita in 1957 set him up for a full-time return to the majors in 1958. Jay went on to complete a 13-season MLB career (1953-55, 1957-66 … Braves, Reds), going 99-91, 3.77. For the Reds, he went 21-10, 3.53 in 1961 (his lone All-Star campaign) and 21-14, 3.76 in 1962.

 

Joey Jay was he first former Little Leaguer to make the major leagues.

The youngest player to throw nine-inning shutouts was Lew Krausse, Jr. of the 1961 Kansas City Athletics.

Lew Krausse, Jr.’s father, Lew Krausse, Sr.,  pitched for the Athletics in 1931 and 1932, going 5-1, 4.50. It was Krausse Senior who signed Krausse Junior to his MLB contract.

Krausse Jr.  went straight from high school to the majors.  In his first professional mound appearance (ten days after his high school graduation) on June 16, 1961, Krausse pitched three-hit shutout over the Angels.  He finished that season at 2-5, 4.85 in 12 appearances (eight starts).

Graduating With Honors

Research by Society for American Baseball Research member Larry DeFillipo shows that in his last two high school seasons, Lew Krause, Jr. went 13-1, 0.09, fanning just over 20 hitters per nine innings. (And yes, that ERA is 0.09.)

Control issues and elbow surgery delayed Krause’s MLB progress and it wasn’t until 1966 that he found a full-time spot on the A’s staff, going 14-9, 2.99. He ultimately pitched in 12 MLB seasons (Athletics, Brewers, Red Sox, Cardinals, Braves), going 68-91. 4.00

There have been (since 1901) 57 shutouts thrown by teenagers, just nine of those by 18-year-olds. Of those nine, only Von McDaniel and Gary Nolan have two shutouts as 18-year-olds.

The leaders in shutouts before a twentieth birthday:

Smokey Joe Wood – five;

Gary Nolan – five;

Pete Schneider – three;

Dwight Gooden – three;

Oldest MLB Pitcher (Modern Era) to Throw a Shutout

Jamie Moyer threw his first MLB shutout for the Cubs (a a 24-yer-old) on August 16, 1986. Twenty-four seasons later, on May 7, 2010, while with Phillies, he shutout the Braves in a 7-0 win in Philadelphia.  At 47 years-170 days of age, it made him the oldest pitcher to record an MLB shutout (Modern Era).  Moyer, by the way, threw only ten shutouts in his 25-season ML:B career (1986-91, 1993-2010, 2013 … Cubs, Rangers, Cardinals, Orioles, Red Sox, Mariners, Phillies, Rockies). Moyer retired with a 269-209, 4.25 record over 696 games (638 starts). He won ten or more games in 15 seasons and was twice a 20-game winner (21-7, 3.27 in 2003 and 20-6, 3.43 in 2001 – both for the Mariners).

There have been 169 shutouts thrown by pitchers forty years old or older.  Here are the leaders:

Cy Young – 15;

Jack Quinn – 12;

Warren Spahn – 12;

Phil Niekro – 11;

Early Wynn – seven;

Nolan Ryan – seven;

Johnny Niggeling – seven; and

Dennis Martinez – seven.

 

Note: This post looks at leaders from the NL and AL in the Modern Era (post-1900) due partially to the availability and reliability of pre-1900 box scores/game logs and player birth dates.  Further, pre-1900 rules changes make 1901 a logical break when looking at pitchers’ performance.  For example, prior to 1888, a walk required, at varying times, nine, eight, six or five errant pitches. Prior to 1893, the pitching distance was notably less than today’s 60’6” (45-feet, 50-feet and 55-feet, six-inches at times). Foul balls began being counted as strikes in the NL in 1901 and the AL in 1903.  

A second note on the charts.  They may change as Negro League game statistics from 1920-48 are further documented and incorporator into the LB record books.

Primary resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; The aaseballCube.com

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs.  To see the full list, click here.

Baseball Roundtable is also on the Anytime Baseball Supply Top 66 Baseball Sites list.  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.

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

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