As usual, there a few things unusual over the past thirty days. We saw:

• The Astros’ Ronel Blanco tossing MLB’s first 2024 no-hitter (in his first MLB complete game);
• Brothers Josh and Bo Naylor homering in the same inning for the same team (Guardians) on National Siblings Day;
• The Red Sox’ Tyler O’Neill homering for a record fifth consecutive Opening Day;
• The Phillies’ Bryce Harper‘s 1,000th run scored and the Astros’ Alex Bregman’s 1,000th base hit;
• TWO “Madduxes” –  one-pitcher shutouts of less than 100 pitches;
• A beekeeper leaving a T-Ball game to “save” a Diamondbacks” game;
• Tigers’ rookie Wenceel Perez homering from both sides of the plate in the same game; and
•  Much more.

Read on for these highlights – and the more. As usual, we’ll start with Baseball Roundtable’s Players and Pitchers of the Month.

—BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE PLAYERS AND PITCHERS OF THE MONTH—

National League

Player of the Month – Tie: Mookie Betts, SS, LA Dodgers & Marcell Ozuna, DH, Braves     

Mookie Betts: Talk about a team player (and superior athlete) Mookie Betts came to the Dodgers (from the Red Sox) in 2020 with four All Star selections, four Gold Gloves as an OF, one batting title and one MVP Award. In his first season in Dodger blue, he added another outfield Gold Glove. In 2021-22, Betts was an All Star (in RF and CF). Then, in 2023, when the Dodgers had a need at second base, he started 77 games in RF, 62 at 2B and 12 at SS. As the 2024 season opened, the Dodgers asked Betts to take a larger role at SS.  Thus far, he has started 22 games at SS and 10 at second base. How has all this moving around the field to help the team affected Betts?

In March/ April, Betts led MLB in hits with 46, batting average (among qualifiers) at .368, walks (26), on-base percentage (among qualifiers) at .477;   and runs scored with 29, while also hitting six home runs, and driving in 23 (third-highest in the NL) and stealing eight bases in eight attempts., In March/April,  he had a eleven multi-hit games (including a five-for-five on April 16); hit in 25 of 32 gams and never went more than two consecutive gams without a hit.

Marcell Ozuna: Braves’ LF Marcell Ozuna hit an NL- leading nine home runs and drove in an MLB-topping 31 runs in 28 games, while putting up a .327 average. His month included nine multi-RBI games. Ozuna also enjoyed a 17-game hitting streak March 30-April 19 during which he went .377-8-24.

Oh, if you don’t like ties, go with Betts. since he also plays defense.

Honorable Mentions: Reds’ SS Elly De La Cruz delivered power and speed, with a .279 average, eight homers (19 RBI) and an MLB-leading 18 steals (21 attempts); and the Brewers’ C William Contreras provided exceptional production from the catcher’s spot, with a .345-5-23 line (and tossed in a pair of stolen bases).

Pitcher of the month: Ranger Suarez, LHP, Phillies

Photo: Ian D’Andrea on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

I could have gone with Phillies’ southpaw Ranger Suarez or Dodgers’ righty Tyler Glasnow. Both won an MLB-high five games.  Suarez was 5-0 to Glasnow’s 5-1.  Suarez also had a nifty 1.32 earned run average and 0.63 WHIP – to Glasnow’s 2.72 and 0.93.  Glasnow had the edge in innings pitched (43 to 41, but with one more start) and strikeouts (an MLB-high 53 to Suarez’ 40).  Overall, I just felt Suarez has a slight edge – plus you gotta like the name “Ranger.”

Suarez got off to a bit of a slow start, giving up five earned run in his first two starts (11 innings) – a win and a no-decision. He then reeled off four more straight wins giving up just one earned run (30 innings), including a shutout versus Colorado on April 16. At one point in March/April, Suarez had thrown 32 consecutive scoreless innings.

Honorable Mentions:  As noted above, Tyler Glasnow; also the  Cubs’ Shota Imanaga, who went 4-0, with a 0.98 earned run average, also deserves a shoutout.  Although he logged only 27 2/3 innings in five starts and The Roundtable likes a little more length.

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American League

Player of the Month – Salvador Perez, C, Royals

Photo: Arturo Pardavila III on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Salvador Perez had the third-highest batting average among AL players with at least 75 March/April at bats at .355, his seven home runs tied for sixth in the league and his 26 RBI topped the junior circuit. After going zero-for-seven in the season’s first two games, he never went hitless in consecutive games again. He had eleven multi-hit games (four three-hit contests). His 38 hits were fourth in the AL.  Not bad for a Gold Glove-caliber catcher.

Honorable Mentions: Orioles’ SS Gunnar Henderson put together a nice 291-10-24 March/April – tying for the MLB lead in homers. He also scored 25 runs (second in the AL) and stole six bases. Another SS, the Royals’ Bobby Witt, Jr. hit .315 for March/April with four home runs and 167 RBI.  He tied Henderson for second in the AL in runs scored with 25 and also shared the league lead with nine steals.  Finally, Guardians’ LF Steven Kwan led the AL with 42 hits and 27 runs scored, while hitting .350-3-9.

Pitcher of the Month – Tyler Skubal, LHP, Tigers

Tarik Skubal went 4-0 in six starts (tying for the AL lead in victories) and put up a 1.72 earned run average, minuscule 0.74 WHIP (lowest among AL pitchers with at least 20 March/April innings).  He held hitters to a .162 average (third-best in the AL among pitchers with at least 20 innings) and fanned 41 (just six walks) in 36 2/3 innings.

Honorable Mentions: Jose Berrios (he’s been around so long, it’s hard to believe he’s just 29) went 4-2, with a 1.44 earned run average for the Blue Jays. He fanned 31 batters in 43 2/3 innings.  The Royals’ Seth Lugo went 4-1, with a tidy 1.66 ERA.  Like Berrios, he did not rely on the strikeouts, fanning 23 in 38 innings.

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Surprise Player of the Month: Tie:  Ronel Blanco, RHP, Astros & Mason Miller, RHP, A’s

You can read more about Ronel Blanco in the “Highlights” section, however, you should know that he came into the 2024 MLB season as a 30-year-old, in his eighth professional season, with just 24 MLB appearances (seven starts) and a 2-1, 4.78 stat line on his MLB resume. However, in his first 2024 start (versus the Blue Jays) for the Astros, he twirled the first no-hitter of 2024. Now that was a surprise. Then, in his second start, he went 5 2/3 frames before giving up his first hit of the season.   He now stands at 3-0, 1.65, and that no-no (his only MLB complete game) remains a surprise.

Mason Miller signed with the A’s (third round of 2021 MLB Draft) out of Gardner-Webb University, where he was 8-1, 3.30 in 14 starts (121 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings) in his senior year.  By 2023, the 100-mph+  flamethrower was in the A’s rotation, with the promise of “ace” status down the road.  Then, elbow issues put him on the shelf for about four months, (He missed most of May and all of June, July and August.)  When, Miller returned in September, he was handled with extreme caution, never pitching more than three innings.  He was moved into a new role in 2024, closer – and he adapted surprisingly well.   In eleven March/April appearances, he picked up eight saves and put up a 1.35 ERA, with 28 strikeouts and just four walks in 13 1/3 innings. He closed out the period with ten consecutive scoreless appearances.

Honorable Mentions: The Red Sox’ Kutter Crawford only went 1-1, but he put up a 1.35 ERA – giving up just five earned runs in 33 1/3 innings, with 34 strikeouts.  A big part of the surprise was his ability to avoid the gopher ball. Coming into this season, the 28-year-old had given up 30 home runs in 208 2/3 MLB innings. He has yet to give up a homer this season. Crawford was signed in the 16^th Round of the 2017 MLB draft (out of Florida Gulf Coast University – where he had gone 7-1, 1.71 in three seasons). Coming into this season, he was 9-15, 4.74 in 53 games (36 starts) for the Red Sox between 2021 and 2023.

The Roundtable also should shine a light on rookie SS Blaze Alexander, who won a spot on the Diamondbacks roster after posting a .400 batting average in Spring Training (two homers, eight RBI and five steals in 24 games). An 11^th round draft choice out of high school, Alexander had gone .276-52-244 in five minor-league seasons. He was .290-10-58 primarily at Triple-A in 2023.  In March/April, the hit .311-3-13 in 22 games.  (I had to find a place to mention these two:  Kutter and Blaze, great baseball names.

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THE TROT INDEX … A REGULAR BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE FEATURE

Through April 30,  35.1 percent of the MLB season’s 34,079 plate appearances ended in a trot (back to the dugout, around the bases, to first base). We’re talking about strikeouts, home runs, walks, hit by pitch and catcher’s interference – all outcomes that are, basically, devoid of action on the base paths or in the field. Here’s the breakout: strikeouts (22.5%); walks (8.7%); home runs (2.7%); HBP (1.2%); catcher’s interference (less than 1%). Strikeouts, by the way, outnumbered base hits 7,656 to 7,294. 

The 35.1 percent figure is down  from 36.1% through April in 2023. I also looked into full-year Trot Index figures for the years I have been a fan: in 2023; 30.3% in 2010; 29.9% in 2000; 31.7% in 1990; 23.1% in 1980; 27.0% in 1970; 25.1% in 1960; and 22.8% in 1950.

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If the season ended April 30, the playoff teams would have been:

National League: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers  Wild Cards: Phillies, Cubs, Reds

American League: Guardians, Orioles, Mariners  Wild Cards: Yankees, Royals and Red Sox or Tigers

A few observations on the March/April results:

National League

Braves: No team has a higher wining percentage March/April than the Braves at 19-9, .679.  The Guardians, Orioles, Yankees, and Dodgers also all won 19 games, but each had more losses than the Braves.   And, the Bravos did it:  1) Without Cy Young Award favorite Stephen Strider  (2o23’s only 20-game winner and the 2923MLB strikeout leader) due to season ending elbow surgery); and 2) With a slumping Ronald Acuna, Jr. (an expected MVP candidate who went .337-41-106, with 73 steals a year ago), who hit .255, with just one home run and six RBI in March/April). If I had to name a couple of players who were key to picking up the slack.  They would be DH Marcell Ozuna, who led the NL in home runs (9) and RBI (31) through April and Chris Sale, who was 3-1, 3.69 in five starts. Thirty-year-old veteran RHP Reynaldo Lopez (who started just one game, in 129 appearances, over the 2022-23 seasons) also went 2-0, 0.72 in four starts for the Braves. In addition, reliever A.J. Minter picked up five wins out of the pen (5-2, 2.63 in 15 appearances).  Ozuna did get help on offense, with three additional Braves picking up 15 or more March/April RBI.

Marlins: On the other end of the spectrum, the Miami Marlins (84-78 a year ago and a Wild Card team, finished March/April at an NL-worst 6-24. If you look at the Marlins who played in at least 20 March/April games, only two hit at least .250. Overall, the Marlins scored the second-fewest runs in the NL (111), ahead of only the Cardinals (108) and gave up the second-most runs (174), with only the Rockies, at 183, allowing more).

The Dodgers, as expected, are out in front in the NL West, the Phillies are hot on the Braves tail in the East and it looks like a scramble in the Central.

Hmmm?

The Diamondbacks had a +26 run differential in March/April –  third-best in the NL – but were three games below .500 (14-17).

American League

Guardians: The Guardians surprised a lot of people with their 19-10 start.  Like the Braves above, they are missing their staff ace Shane Bieber (60-day Injured list).   What should be scary for the rest of the Division is that only one player in their starting lineup has celebrated his 28th birthday (3B Jose Ramirez – 31 – who is hitting .252-5-24).  The offensive leaders are a pair of 27-year-olds:  1B Josh Naylor at .282-7-24; and LF Steven Kwan at .350, with 27 runs scored. On the mound, a pair of 25-year-old starters (Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee) have gone a combined 5-1, 4.45 in 12 starts. Then, of course, there is lights out closer 26-year-old Emmanuel Clase (1-1, 0.63 with eight saves).

White Sox: On the downside of the standings, you’ll find the White Sox, with a league-worst 6-24 record. Like the Marlins in the NL, the White Sox offense has had trouble finding its way.  Of the eight White Sox players with at least 20 games played, only two are hitting  at least .250 and the overall team average .212. Only two White Sox have ten or more RBI – LF Andrew Benintendi (13) and utility player Gavin Sheets (11). The pitching hasn’t fared any better. On the starting staff, after Erick Fedde’s 2-0, 2.60, you have earned run averages that read: Garrett Crochet – 5.97 in seven starts; Michael Soroka – 6.48 in seven starts; Chris Flexen – 6.38 in four starts; Jonathan Cannon – 7.24 in three starts; Nick Nastrini – 7.88 in two starts; and Tanner Banks – 4.50 in one start. To date, the White Sox have an MLB-worst negative-79 run differential.

Now, I didn’t expect that:  The biggest surprise in the AL may the Astros at 10-19 and in last place in the AL West – particularly given the strong starts of RF Kyle Tucker (.300-7-20); DH Yordan Alvarez (.263-7-18); 2B Jose Altuve (.345-7-9); and C Yainer Diaz (.871-3-13).  If you had to pinpoint the issue, you can look to injuries to the pitching staff (on the IL at the end of April were Cristian Javier; Kendall Graveman; Jose Urquidy; Luis Garcia; Lance McCullers, Jr.  And, there are some issues in the bullpen. Usually reliable Josh Hader and Ryan Pressley have earned run averages of 76.39 and 6.17, respectively,

In March/April, the Astro had the AL’s highest batting average (.265) and third–highest earned run average (5.01).

As expected the Orioles and Yankees are battling it out in the East and the Central is developing into a scramble.  In the West, at least for now, the  the Mariners and Rangers are taking advantage of the Astros fall from grace.

A few bullets. In March/April:

• The teams with the six lowest earned run averages were all in the AL: Red Sox, Mariners; Yankees; Tigers; Royals, Guardians.
• The Astros were the only team to strikeout fewer than 200 times (187).
• The top three run-scoring  teams were  in in the NL West: Dodgers (169); Diamondbacks (162); Padres (157 – tied with the Orioles).
• The Twins were the only team to average ten or more strikeouts (by their pitchers) per nine innings.
• Nine of the top 11 teams in walks drawn were in the NL.
• The Red Sox were the only team with an ERA under 3.00 (2.59)

——-Team Statistical Leaders for March/April  2024 ———-

RUNS SCORED

National League – Dodgers (169); Diamondbacks (162); Padres (157)

American League – Orioles (157); Guardians (152); Yankees (150);

The fewest runs in March/April were scored by the White Sox (84). In the National League it was the Cardinals at 108.  Beside the White Sox, the A’s were also under 100 runs at 94. 

AVERAGE

National League – Dodgers (.271); Braves (.269); Brewers (.257)

American League – Astros (.265); Orioles (.254); Rangers (.250); Red Sox (.250)

The lowest team average for March/April belonged to the A’s at .207. The lowest in the NL was the Cardinals (.220). 

HOME RUNS

National League – Phillies (40); Dodgers (36); Brewers (35)

American League – Orioles (45); Yankees (39); Red Sox (36)

The White Sox and Cardinals had the fewest home runs in March/April at 20.  

The Orioles led MLB in slugging percentage for at .450.  The Dodgers led the AL at .437. 

TOTAL BASES

National League – Dodgers (484); Padres (437); Phillies (435)

American League – Orioles (453) ; Red Sox (427); Astros (427)

STOLEN BASES

National League – Reds (54); Nationals (53); Brewers (40)

American League – Guardians (32); Rays (31); Royals (31); Angels (31)

The Cubs stole the fewest sacks in March/April   – nine in 16 attempts.   The Rangers were at the bottom of the AL, with 13  in 17 attempts. 

WALKS DRAWN

National League –   Dodgers (135); Pirates (126); Diamondbacks (116)

American League – Yankees (135); Blue Jays (110); Mariners (101); Red Sox (101)

The Dodgers led MLB in March/April on-base percentage at .351. The Yankees led the AL at .337. The Marlins and White sox anchored their leagues at .278. 

BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS

National League – Pirates (295); Reds (294);  Rockies (290)

American League – Mariners (311); A’s (303); Red Sox (296)

Astros’ batters fanned the fewest times in March/April (187). The Mets fanned the fewest times in the NL at 212.

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Bonus Stats

• The Tigers were successful on 15 of their 16 March/April steal attempts. The only team with only one caught stealing.
• Three teams (Braves, Mariners, Tigers) recorded zero sacrifice bunts in March/April. No team recorded more than eight (White Sox & Cardinals).
• Guardians batters were hit by a pitch an MLB-leading 27 times. The only other team with at least 20 HBP was the Twins at 26. The Phillies suffered the fewest HBP – six.

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EARNED RUN AVERAGE

National League – Phillies (3.44); Mets (3.48); Braves (.357)

American League – Red Sox (2.59); Mariners (3.03); Yankees (3.06)

The Rockies  had the highest March/April ERA at 6.05.  Also over 5.00 were the Angels (5.08) and White Sox (5.05)

STRIKEOUTS

National League – Phillies (292); Dodges (269); Mets (265)

American League – Twins (287);  Mariners (284); Guardians (283)

The Twins averaged an MLB-best 10.04 strikeouts per nine innings in March/April. The Phillies averaged an NL-best 9.49.  Five  teams averaged nine whiffs per nine or better. 

FEWEST WALKS SURRENDERED

National League –   Braves (80); Giants (81); Cardinals (85); four with 92

American League – Mariners (69); Red Sox (75); Orioles (74)

The Mariners walked an MLB-lowest 2.32 batters per nine innings in March/April.  The Mets walked an MLB-worst 4.34 batters per nine frames.

SAVES

National League – Dodgers (11) ; Cardinals (11); Brewers (10); Padres (10)

American League – Yankees (13); Guardians (10); Tigers (10)

The Pirates, Marlines, Rays, and White Sox  blew the most saves in March/April  – eight each in  in 17, 12, 17 and  12 opportunities, respectively.  The Cardinals blew the fewest saves, just two in 13 opportunities. 

Walks+ Hits/Innings Pitched (WHIP)

National League – Phillies (1.15); Dodgers (1.18); Braves (1.18)

American League:  Mariners (1.02); Tigers (1.10); Red Sox (1.12)

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Bonus Stats:

• The White Sox gave up an MLB-high 42 home runs in March/April. (The Mets gave up an MLB-low 17 home runs.
• The Mariners held opponents to an MLB-low .208 average in March/April. The Rockies’ staff was touched for an MLB-high .296 average.
• The Mariners strikeouts-to-walks ratio for March/April topped MLB at 4.12. The Rockies had MLB’s worse ratio at 1.64.

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–March April Highlights—

Too Early for Me

The Dodgers and Padres opened the 2024 season on March 20 in the Gocheck Skydome in Seoul South Korea.  The two teams split a two-game series a two-game series (May 20-21), with the Dodgers winning Game One 5-2 and the Padres taking Game Two 15-11.  It was a tale of two different games, with zero extra-base hits in Game One and six doubles, a triple and two home runs in Game Two. I f there were standout performances, I’d point to Mookie Betts playing shortstop for the Dodgers and going four-for-five with a double, a home run, two runs scored and six RBI in Game Two and the Padres’ Jake Cronenworth’s four-for-four, with a triple, two runs scored four RBI in the same game.  The biggest surprise? Dodgers’ signee Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-year, $325-million contract) lasting just one inning (five earned runs) in his first Dodger start. That’s all I’ll say about these games – largely because I am not a fan of the “overseas” openers, particularly when they occur so many days before a full slate of games.  It just doesn’t seem like Opening Day to me.

Like to Get Off to A Good Start

On March 28, with the Red Sox facing the Mariners in Seattle, Boston RF Tyler O’Neill went one-for-three, with a walk – scoring two runs and driving in one as the Crimson Hose prevailed 6-4.  O’Neill’s one hit was a home run, marking the fifth consecutive Opening Day on which he homered.  The Elias Sports Bureau reported that his March 28 long ball made O’Neill the first player to homer on five consecutive (2020-24) MLB Opening Days – breaking a tie with (three catchers) Yogi Berra, Gary Carter and Todd Hundley.  Notably, the 2020-to-2024 Openers are the only five Opening Day games that O’Neill has been in the starting lineup up for during his seven-season MLB career.  (He did get into the Cardinal’s 2019 Opening Day game as a pinch hitter.)

Let’s Try Something Different

In case, you missed it, Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSport) reported on March 28^th that the Giants have used a different left fielder on Opening Day in each of the past eighteen seasons – an MLB record (per the Elias Sports Bureau) for consecutive years starting a different player, on Opening Day, at any specific position, with no repeaters.  Is this more #InBaseballWeCountEverything? Langs gave us the names, the chart below adds a bit of detail (trivia?).

It was by, the way, the final MLB season for six of those leftfielders; 12 of the group were in their age-30 or later season; and, of those, six were in their age-35 or later campaign.

Ouch!

On Thursday, March 28, the Rockies opened their 2024 season on the road against the Diamondbacks. By the end of the third inning, I am sure they were yearning for home.  The Diamondbacks scored twice in the first and then, in the bottom of the third inning, plated 14 more runs (without the aid of a home run). The Elias Sports Bureau reported that the 14 tallies were the most (in the Modern Era) in a single inning for any team on an Opening Day. In the inning:

• eight of the nine players in the Diamondbacks’ lineup collected hits (Corbin Carroll, who did not get a hit collected two walks) and five had two safeties;
• eight of the nine eight of the nine Diamondbacks scored and six scored twice;
• eight of the nine recorded an RBI, with two notching three RBI;
• Rockies’ pitchers threw 62 pitches, 42 strikes (of, course plenty of those strikes were struck for base hits.

It went like this:

SS Geraldo Perdomo … single off Kyle Freeland;

2B Ketel Marte … single;

RF Corbin Carroll … walk, loading the bases;

LF Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. … RBI single ;

1B Christian Walker …  two-run double;

C Gabriel Moreno … RBI single;

3B Eugenio Suarez …  RBI single;

DH Blaze Alexander … fly out;

CF Alek Thomas … RBI double;

Anthony Molina replaced Freeland on the mound.

Perdomo … RBI single;

Marte …  RBI single;

Carroll … walk, loading the bases;

Gurriel, Jr. … two-run single;

Walker … single, loading the bases;

Moreno … two-run double;

Suarez … sac fly;

Alexander … RBI single;

Jalen Beeks replaced Molina on the mound.

Thomas … groundout, pitcher -to-first;

It might have bene a sign of things to come, The Rockies finished April with a 7-22 record.

#InBaseballWeCountEverything

This event makes the highlights section simply because it provides another solid example of #InBaseballWeCountEverything.  On March 31, the Reds’ DH Jonathan India was at the plate in the bottom of the ninth – with two outs, no one on base and the Reds trailing 5-2.  India logged a tough 10-pitch at bat against Nationals’ closer Kyle Finnegan (who closed April with nine saves) delivering a double to left.  Next up was CF Wil Benson, who hit the first pitch he saw from Finnegan to deep left-center for a game-tying home run. Then 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand tagged an 0-1 pitch from Finnegan to deep left for a walk0off game winning homer.

Now here’s that “counting” example.  Elias Sports Bureau noted that the homer came in Encarnacion-Strand’s 66^th MLB game and that in those 66 games, Encarnacion-Strand has three walk-off hits – a walk-off in 4.5 percent of his games played, That, at the time, was the highest walk-off percentage of any player who debuted in the Expansion Era and had played at least 50 games.  Are we getting a little deep into the weeds here?

Blanco Blanks the Blue Jays – No April Foolin’

On April 1, Astros’ righthander Ronel Blanco threw the first no-hitter of the 2024 season – blanking the Blue Jays 10-0 in Houston.  The 30-year-old Blanco – in just his third MLB season – gave up two walks and fanned seven in the no-no. A few trivia tidbits:

• The no-hitter was Blanco’s first-ever MLB complete game;
• It came in just his eighth career MLB start (25^th appearance);
• It was his first appearance of more than six innings;
• It was the first time he struck out more than four batters in a game;
• Measured by date, it was the earliest no-hitter in an MLB season (remember, the season starts earlier these days);
• Blanco and his catcher that day (Yainer Diaz) became just the first all-Dominican-born battery to deliver a no-hitter.

In his first outing after the no-no (April 7 versus Texas), Bianco went 5 2/3 innings before giving up his first hit (of the season).  He got the win in that one after tossing six innings of one-hit (four walks, four whiffs) ball.

Blanco signed with the Astros, out of the Dominican, as an international free agent, in 2016 and made his MLB debut as a 28-year-old on April 8, 2022. He ended this April 3-0, 1.65 on the season and  with a career MLB record at the end of April stood at 5-1, 3.66.

More #InBaseballWeCountEverything

The Elias Sports Bureau reports that Ronel Blanco’s no-hitter made new Astro’s manager Joe Espada the first major-league manager to have his first MLB victory marked by a no-hitter.  

Harper Bats a Thousand – Kind of

Harper Photo: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

On April 2, Bryce Harper came into the Phillies game against the Reds looking for his first hit of the 2024 season (he was 0-for-13, with two walks and five whiffs).  He got it – and then some. Harper went three-for-four with three home runs and six RBI. Harper’s second homer of the game was a significant one, as he drove himself in for his 1,000^th career run scored. The third round tripper, in the seventh, was a Grand Slam.  It was Harpers’ second career three-homer game and seventh Grand Slam. The Phillies won the game 9-4.

Three is Not Necessarily a Crowd

On April 2, the Phillies’ 1B Bryce Harper recorded the 2024 season’s first three-homer game.  He was later joined by The A’s C Shea Langeliers (April 9) and Braves’ C Travis d’Arnaud (April 19).  On April 12,  Astros’ RF Kyle Tucker became the first player to have two multi-homer games in 2024 (April 1 & April 12).  He was later joined by the Twin’s 2B Edouard Julien and Astro’s OF/DH Yordan Alvarez. Overall, the month saw 42 players record at least one multi-homer game in March/April.

A True Walk-off Win

On April 5, the Brewers came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, tied 5-5 with the Mariners.  On the mound was righty Andres Munoz.  Brewers’ CF Sal Frelick opened the inning by drawing a five-pitch walk. PH Jake Bauers followed with a six-pitch walk. Next up was 2B Brice Turang. You guessed it, five-pitch walk.  Munoz then fanned RF Jackson Chourio on five pitches, before C William Contreras walked on five offerings, plating the winning run.  Yes, a Walk-Off – without ever putting a ball in play.

The Naylors Nail National Siblings Day

April 10 was National Siblings Day – and, in Cleveland, the Guardians starting lineup included brothers Josh and Bo Naylor, at 1B and C, respectively.  The siblings did not disappoint. In the fourth inning – for the second time in their MLB careers – they went deep in the same frame.  Josh with a solo shot and, three batters later, Bo with a two-run blast (both off Erick Fedde). The pair continued their celebration of Siblings Day in the bottom of the tenth (and final) inning. With the Guardians trailing the White Sox 6-5, Josh drove in the tying run with an RBI double and Bo later rapped a walk-off single to win the contest.

30-30 Vision

On April 10, as the Yankees lost to the Marlins 2-5 in New York, Giancarlo Stanton contributed a solo home run (sixth inning) off Bryan Hoeing. It was Stanton’s fourth home run of the season and a bit of a history maker. It was Stanton’s first-ever home run off against the Marlins and made him the 78th MLB player to homer against all 30 MLB franchises. (Stanton played his first eight seasons … 2010-17 …  for the Marlins.)

Now, this used to be more of a “feat” before the advent of interleague play in 1997 – and we can expect more players to join this list given MLB’s 2022 decision to have each team play all 29 other teams during the season beginning in 2023.

For Those Who Like to Know Such Things

Orlando Hudson has the fewest career home runs of any player to homer against all 30 MLB franchises – with just 93.  (He notched the 30^th franchise with a homer versus the Toronto Blue Jays on July 7, 2010 – just his 83^rd career homer, coming in his 1,083rd MLB game.  Hudson hit just one career homer each against the Twins, Cardinals, Yankees, Phillies and Blue Jays.   By contrast, Giancarlo Stanton marked going deep against all thirty teams with his 406^th homer, in his 1,543rd game and, by that time, he had multiple home runs against each the other 29 franchises.

Over his career, Hudson hit .273-93-542 in 1,345 games.  He played for the Blue Jays (2002-05); Diamondbacks (2006-08); Dodgers (2009); Twins (2010); Padres (2011-12); and White Sox (2012).

 Milestone Homer for Perez

On April 13, Royals’ catcher Salvador Perez hit his fourth home run of the 2024 season, as the Royals swamped the Mets 11-7.  The long ball came in the fourth inning, a two-run shot off Sean Manaea.  It was the 250^th career home for the eight-time All Star and five-time Gold Glover.

 Gift of the Maddi?

What is the plural of Maddux?  Madduxes? Maddi?

Subhead:  Houck Hobbles Guardians – Fried Fries Marlins

On April 17, Red Sox righty Tanner Houck took the mound against the Guardians (n Boston) at 7:10 p.m. Just one hour-and-49 minutes later, he had a shutout 2-0 win under his belt – producing what has become popularly known as a Maddux, a nine-inning shutout of fewer than 100 pitches (named after Hall of Famer Greg “The Professor” Maddux).

Houck gave up just three hits in the gem, walked none and fanned nine. He threw 94 pitches over nine innings – 69 (73.4 percent) strikes. Houck faced a total of 29 batters in the game, and only eight saw more than one pitch out of the strike zone. It was Houck’s first MLB complete game (coming in his fifth MLB season).  He ended April with a 3-2, 1.60 record on the season.

Less than one week later, on April 23, the Braves’ Max Fried used just 92 pitches to complete a 5-0 shutout versus the Marlins in Atlanta. Fried gave up three hits and no walks, while fanning six in the one-hour and 54-minute contest. In Fried’s outing – his third career “Maddux” – only one runner got as far as second base.  Fried ended April with a 2-0,  4.02  stat line.

Rare, But Not a Unicorn

Since 2020, there have been just ten MLB ”Madduxes” – nine-inning, one-pitcher shutouts of less than 100 pitches.   Max Fried has three of them. The others belong to Domingo German, Tanner Houck; German Marquez; Jordan Montgomery; Patrick Sandoval; Ranger Suarez; and Framber Valdez.

A Handful of Three-Homer contents

From April 13-17, the Baltimore Orioles enjoyed five consecutive three-homer games.  During the streak, the Orioles outscored their opponents 33-24, and won four of the five games. The home runs were hit by:

Cedric Mullins – 3

Gunnar Henderson – 3

Ryan O’Hearn – 3

Colton Cowser -2

Jordan Westburg – 2

Adley Rutschman – 1

Ryan Mountcastle – 1

For those who like to know such things, the record for consecutive games with three or more home runs is six – Baltimore Orioles, May 8-13, 1987. The Orioles outscored their opponents 49-41 during the streak and actually lost two of those six contests.

The homers went to:

Eddie Murray – 7

Larry Sheets – 4

Fred Lynn – 3

Jim Dwyer – 2

Lee Lacy – 1

Terry Kennedy – 1

Cal Ripken, Jr. – 1

Dave Van Gorder – 1

 Moving On Up

On April 20, as Boston topped Pittsburgh 4-2, closer Kenley Jansen picked up his fifth save of the season – and he did it in prime fashion, fanning SS Oneil Cruz, CF Michael A. Taylor and DH Edward Olivares in order on 14 pitches. It was an important moment, as its marked Jansen’s 425th career save, moving him past John Franco into sole position of fifth place on the All-time list behind Mariano Rivera (652), Trevor Hoffman (601), Lee Smith (478) and Francisco Rodriguez (437). Jansen is a four-time All Star, twice led his league in saves and, over 15 seasons, has put up a 2.52 ERA with 1,171 strikeouts in 821 1/3 innings.

Worth The Wait

On April 22, the Orioles’ Albert Suarez picked up his first MLB victory since June 23, 2016.  The 34-year-old Suarez, in fact, came into the 2024 season having not made an MLB appearance since September 26, 2017 and having not made an MLB start since September 23, 2016.  Suarez, a 6’3”, 235-pound righty, has had an interesting career. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in July of 2006 and between 2006 and 2017 was granted free agency by the Rays, Angels, Giants and Diamondbacks. During that time, He appeared in 40 MLB games (12 starts) for the Giants (2016-17) and went 3-8, 4.51, with one save.

Between 2008 and 2018, he went 28-37, 3.65 in the minor leagues (150 appearances, 117 starts). Then from 2018-23, he played in Japan and Korea, before signing with the Orioles in September 2023. After pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League, Suarez started the 2024 season with the Triple-A Norfolk Tide.  He was called up to the Orioles (who had three starters on the injured list) and started against the Twins on April 17.

At the time of his call up, Suarez was 1-1. 5.87 at Norfolk. He quickly, however, exceeded expectations. On April 17, he got a n0-decision, but held the Twins scoreless for 5 2/3 innings, as the Orioles won 4-2.  Then on April 22, he got his first MLB win since 2017 (a span of seven years, nine months and 30 days), holding the Angels scoreless for 5 2/3 innings in another 4-2 Orioles’ win.  Looks like he may be around for a while.

Shohei Ohtani … Move Over Matsui

On April 21^st, Dodgers’ DH Shohei Ohtani hit his fifth home run of the 2024 season, as the Dodgers topped the Mets 10-0 in Los Angeles. It was a two-run, third-inning shot off Adrian Houser.  It also happened to be Ohtani’s 176^th MLB round tripper, enabling him to pass Hideki Matsui for the most MLB career home runs by a Japanese-born player.  Matsui hit his 275 MLB round trippers over 10 seasons (2003-12 … Yankees, Rays, Angels, A’s), putting up a .282-175-760 line in 1,236 games. Ohtani reached 276 early in his seventh MLB season – in his 725th game.  Ohtani finished April at .336-7-19 on the season.

Baseball Roundtable Extra – Move Over Ohtani … Another Two-Way Star

Photos: Courtesy University of Florida Athletic Association

On Friday, April 19, University of Florida two-way star (1B-P) Jac Caglianone smacked his 23rd home run of the season – at the same time, tying an NCAA record by going yard in his ninth consecutive game.  (The home run came in a 5-2 loss to Vanderbilt.)

Caglianone’s home run streak stopped on April 20, when he went one-for-three, with two walks in a 6-2 Florida win over Vanderbilt. Caglianone started on the mound in that game, picking up the win – going five innings and giving up six hits and two runs, while walking three and fanning six.  The mound appearance ran his 2024 record to at 5-0, 3.86, with 54 whiffs in 44 1/3 innings.

Caglianone closed out April 5-0, 4.10 the mound and .402-26-53 in 44 games at the plate. In 2023, his sophomore season, Caglianone went .323-33-90 in 71 games and 7-4, 4.34 in 18 starts on the mound.   

For those who like to know such things. The NCAA record for home runs in a season belongs to Pete Incaviglia, who went .464-48-143 for Oklahoma State in 1985. Incaviglia went on to a 12-season MLB career, hitting .246-206-655 in 1,284 games.

 Streak Stopped

On April 24, the Phillies’ Trea Turner was retired on a rundown between third base and home plate – ending a string of 41 consecutive successful steal attempts that stretched back to September 6, 2022.  The MLB record of 50 consecutive successful steal attempts (at least since 1951, when CS records were first being kept by both the NL and AL) belongs to the Cardinals’ Vince Coleman (September 18, 1988-July 26, 1989).

 Baseball Roundtable Extra

 I wouldn’t’ want to be the broadcaster introducing Jurrangelo Cijntje (pronounced SAIN-ja) as he took the mound.  Then there’s the issue of which arm he’s likely to throw with. As reported by Matt Monagan, Cijntje, a Mississippi State sophomore, pitches from both sides – topping out at 99 mph as a righty and 95 mph as a southpaw. As of April 24, Cijntje’s record on the year was 6-1, 3.50, with 69 strikeouts in 54 innings (ten starts).  

Another “Grand Day” at the Ballyard

On April 25, Astros’ 3B Alex Bregman popped a bloop single to right field in the sixth inning of a 3-1 loss to the Cubs – for his 1,000^th MLB it. It came in the two-time All Star’s 989^th career game, in his ninth MB season (all with the Astros).

Pete Alonso Rushed to 200

On April 27, Mets’ 1B Pete Alonso went one-for-four in a 7-4 Mets loss to the Cardinals.  His lone hit was a fifth-inning, two-run home run off Sonny Gray. It was Alonso’s eighth home run of 2024 and the 200th round tripper of his career. It came in Alonso’s 710^th MLB game, making him the fourth-fastest player to reach that milestone in MLB history (Ryan Howard – 658 games); Aaron Judge – 671 games; Ralph Kiner – 706 games).

Now that Could Be Embarrassing

The White Sox came into Tampa Bay on April 26, sporting a dismal 3-22 record. (The Rays were [playing .500 ball at 13-13). The ChiSox proceeded to sweep the Rays (three games) outscoring them 21-13.

A Big Day (bright future) for Rookies in Boston

On April 27, as the Red Sox trounced the Cubs 17-0 in Boston, a couple of rookies captured the limelight. Rookie defensive whiz Ceddanne Rafaela, (who has played CF, SS and 2B this season) went four-for-four with a home run, two doubles, a stolen base, three runs scored and seven RBI.  Rafaela, who hit .241-2-5 in 28 games with the Red Sox in 2023, came into this contest with a .156-1-10 stat line in 27 2024 games.  The Red Sox have expressed confidence in the future of the 23-year-old – who hit .302-20-69, with 36 steals at Double- and Triple-A in 2023. The Red Sox, in fact, signed Rafaela to an eight-year extension, at a rumored $50 million, early this season. Rafaela finished April at .186-2-17.

Almost lost in the excitement over Rafaela’s seven-RBI game was the fact that rookie RF Wilyer Abreu became the first Red Sox rookie to record an RBI in eight straight games. (Note: Abreu’s rookie status was intact for 2024 after going .316-2-14 in 28 games for the BoSox lasts season.) In the April 27 game, he went two-for-six, with two runs scored and one RBI.  In the eight-game RBI streak, Abreu went ,441-2-9.  A zero-for-four against the Cubs on April 28 ended the streak. He finished April at .316-2-12.

He’s Part of the “In” Crowd

Rangers’ 22-year-old rookie LF Wyatt Langford smacked his first MLB home run in a Ranges 4-3 win over the Reds. It came in the first inning (of his 27^th MLB game) and it was an Inside-the-Parker off the center field wall. IN another ode to #InBaseballWeCountEverything. The Elias Sports Bureau noted that Wyatt’s first MLB hit, which came on March 28, in a 4-3 win over the Cubs also invoked a display of speed. It was an INfield single to short.  Elias reported that the ITP homer made Langford the first MLB player in 30 years to have his first career hit be an infield single and his first career home run an inside-the-parker, Langford was signed out of the University of Florida, where he went .363-47-120, with 16 steals (over 134 games in three seasons). He made his MLB debut after just 44 minor-league games – playing at Rookie, High-A, Double-A and Triple-A in 2023 – going .360-10-30, with 12 steals. The Rangers expect him to bring speed and power to the lineup. Langford closed April at .238-1-11.

Mexico City Series

On April 27-28. The Astros and Rockies played a two-game set at Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium in Mexico City (7,349 feet above season level, as compared to Denver’s 5.280 fee.  At this new all-time “High” for MLB, we expected to see the ball flying equally high. No surprise – a total of 26 runs were plated and seven home runs hit in the two games (Astros winning 12-4 and 8-2).  The highlight came in Game One, when Astros DH Yordan Alvarez poked a pair of 461-foor home runs (per Statcast projections).

Had to Bee There to Bee-lieve it

On April 30, as the Dodgers and Diamondbacks prepared to face off in Phoenix, a huge swarm (reportedly thousands) of bees commandeered a vantage point at the top of netting behind home plate (they did not have tickets).  For fan and player safety, the Diamondbacks delayed the start of the game, and a call was placed to Blue Sky Pest Control.  Eventually, the request was relayed to bee-removal extraordinaire Matt Hilton, who was (appropriately) attending his son’s tee-ball game some 23 miles from Chase Field.  Hilton hopped into his truck and headed for Chase Field,  where he donned his protective gear and safely (and humanely) removed the bees (for later release). All in all, it was about a two-hour delay (or bee-lay); fans took up an” MVP-MVP” chant as Hilton removed the bees; and when the game was ready to begin, Hilton was asked to throw out the first pitch. (I am sure he “buzzed” it in there.) The Diamondbacks, prevailed, four-to-bee (er, three) in ten innings.

Lucky Number Seven

On April 30, Tigers starter Jack Flaherty tied an AL record by striking out out the first seven batters of the game (the first of a doubleheader against the Cardinals) in order. He accomplished the feat on 31 pitches, reaching a tw0-ball count on only one batter.  It should not have been a great surprise, Flaherty has been a strike-throwing machine this season – through April, fanning 50 batter with just five walks. In this game, he went 6 2/3 scoreless  innings, giving up two hits,  fanning 14 and walking one.  For his efforts, he go a no-decision. as the Tigers lost 2-1.  That no-decision should also not be a surprise.  In six starts this season, he is 0-1 (five no-decisions), 4.00.

From Both Sides Now

On April 30, in the second game of a doubleheader (versus the Cardinals), Tigers’ rookie OF Wenceel Perez went three-for-four with two homers, three runs scored and three RBI (the Tigers won 11-6). Perez makes it here because:  he hit his second-inning home run (off Steven Matz), right-handed and hit his fifth-inning tater (off Ryan Fernandez) left-handed.  They were Perez’ second and third MLB homers – and he finished April at .302-3-8. Perez, who signed out of the Dominican as a teenage, hit .273-34-245 in seven minor-league seasons (573 games).  For those who like to know sch things: Mark Teixeira and  Nick Swisher share the record for most games with homers from both side of the plate at 14.

Okay, I’m a Homer

Being from Minnesota, I have to get this one in. The Twins went into May with an active nine-game winnings streak – the longest in MLB this season.  During the streak, they have outscored opponents 60-28.  Being a realist, I also must note, the wins came against the Angels and White Sox – with a combined won-lost record of 17-43 through April.

–INDIVIDUAL LEADERS FOR MARCH/APRIL—

BATTING AVERAGE (at least 75 at bats)

American League:  Salvador Perez, Royals (.355); Steven Kwan, Guardians (.350); Jose Altuve, Astros (345)

National League: Mookie Betts, Dodgers (.368); Alec Bohm, Phillies (.366); Will smith, Dodgers (.362)

The lowest average among players with at least 75 March/April at bats belonged to the A’s Ryan Noda  at .133 (11-for-83.) 

HITS

American League: Steven Kwan, Guardians (42); Jose Altuve, Astros (41); Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (39)

National League: Mookie Betts, Dodgers (46); Trea Turner, Phillies (45); Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (44)

When it came to extra-base hits, your March/April  leader was the Dodgers; Shohei Ohtani with 22.

HOME RUNS

American League: Mike Trout, Angels (10); Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (10); Tyler O’Neill, Red sox (9)

National League:  Marcell Ozuna, Braves (9); Pete Alonso, Mets (8); Elly De La Cruz, Reds (8); Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (8)

Luis Arreaz of he Marines has the most at bats this season without a home run (127), but the two-time batting champions does carry a  .299 average.

RUNS BATTED IN

American League: Salvador Perez, Royals (26); Adolis Garcia, Rangers (25); Juan Soto, Yankees (25)

National League: Marcell Ozuna, Braves (31); Alec Bohm, Phillies (30); Mookie Betts, Dodgers (23)

RUNS SCORED

American League:  Steven Kwan, Guardians (27);  Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (25); Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (25;)

National League: Mookie Betts, Dodgers (29); Ronald Acuna, Jr., Braves (27); William Contreras, Brewers, (27); Elly De La Cruz (27); Trea Turner, Phillies (27)

DOUBLES

American League:  Jose Altuve, Astros (9); Anthony Santander, Orioles (9); Josh Smith;, Rangers (9); Spencer Torkelson, Tigers (9); Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (8)

National League: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (14); Alec Bohm, Phillies (12); four with 10

TRIPLES

American League: Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (4); Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (3); Alex Kirilloff, Twins (3); Jarren Duran, Red Sox (3)

National League: CJ Abrams, Nationals (4); six with two

The leader in slugging percentage, among players with at least 75 March April at bats, was the Guardians’ Tyler O’Neill at .693.

STOLEN BASES

American League: José Caballero, Rays (9); Jarren Duran, Red Sox (9); Luis Rengifo, Angels (9)

National League: Elly De La Cruz, Reds (18); Brice Turang, Brewers (14); Ronald Acuna, Jr., Braves (13)

The Brewers’ Brice Turang stole the most March/April bases without getting caught (14).

BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS

American League:   Jose Siri, Rays (41); Julio Rodriguez, Mariners (40); Aaron Judge, Yankees (38)

National League:  Kyle Schwarber, Phillies, (46); Will Benson, Reds (45); Oneill Cruz, Pirates (45)

Joey Gallo fanned 43 times in just 74 March/April at bats.

WALKS

American League:  Juan Soto, Yankees (25); Riley Greene, Tigers (23); Aaron Judge, Yankees (23)

National League: Mookie Betts, Dodges (26); Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (23);  Brandon Nimmo, Mets (21); Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (21)

Only five batters with at least 75 at bats had more walks than strikeouts in March/April –  led by the Dodgers Mookie Betts with 26 walks and 16 whiffs (1.63 BB/K.) 

PITCHING VICTORIES

American League:   Tarik Skubal, Tigers (4-0); Seth Lugo, Royals (4-1); Grayson Rodriguez, Orioles (4-1); Jose Berrios, Blue Jays (4-2);

National League:  Reed Garrett, Mets (5-0); Ranger Suarez, Phillies (5-0); Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers (5-1); A.J. Minter, Braves (5-2)

Ross Stripling of the A’s lost the most games in March/April (0-5, 4.98)

EARNED RUN AVERAGE (minimum 20 March/April innings)

American League:  Kutter Crawford, Red sox (1.35 in 33 1/3 innings); Jose Berrios, Blue Jays (1.44 in 43 2/3 P); Cristian Javier, Astros (1.54 in 23 1/3 IP)

National League: Shota Imanaga, Cubs (0.98 in 27 2/3 IP); Sonny Gray, Cardinals (1.16 in 23 1/3 IP) Ranger Suarez, Phillies (1.32 in 41 IP)

The highest ERA among pitchers with at least 20 March/April innings was 12.00 by the Cubs Kyle Hendriks (0-3, 12.00 in five starts, 21 innings.

STRIKEOUTS

American League:  Jack Flaherty, Tigers (50 in 36 IP); Luis Castillo, Mariners (49 in 41 2/3 IP); Garrett Crochet, White Sox (47 in 34 2/3 IP)

National League:  Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers (53 in 43 IP); Zack Wheeler, Phillies (46 in 37 1/3 IP);  Freddy Peralta, Brewers (45 in 33 2/3 IP)

Among pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched in March/April, the highest strikeouts-per nine innings ratio belonged to the Yankees Luis Gil at 12.8 (35 whiffs in 24 2/3 IP)and the highest strikeouts-to-walks ratio belonged to Jack  Flaherty at 10.0 (50K/5BB)

WALKS + HITS/INNINGS PITCHED (at least 20 March/April innings)

American League: Tarik Skubal, Tigers (0.74); Logan Gilbert, Mariners (0.80); Ryan Pepiot, Rays (0.87)

National League: Ranger Suarez, Phillies (0.62); Ryan Yarbrough, Dodgers (0.74); Shota Imanaga, Cubs (0.80)

SAVES

American League: Jason Foley, Tigers (9) Clay Holmes, Yankees (9); Emmanuel Clase, Guardians (8); Mason Miller (8)

National League:  Ryan Helsley (Cardinals (10); Robert Suarez, Padres (10); Kyle Finnegan, Nationals (9)

Robert Suarez of the Padres saved the most games without a blown save with nine.

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

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The post Baseball Roundtable March/April Wrap Up – A No-hitter, A National Siblings Day Celebration, A “Save” for a Beekeeper & More appeared first on Baseball Roundtable.

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

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I’ll take a look at my choices from this year’s ballot in a bit, but first – for those not familiar with The Baseball Reliquary – a little background.

The Baseball Reliquary is an organization of fans dedicated to the free-spirited celebration of the human side of baseball’s history and heritage. The Reliquary defines itself as “an educational organization dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history and to exploring the national pastimes’ unparalleled creative possibilities.”

Reliquary (rel′ə kwer′ē)

Noun- a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept and displayed for veneration.

While its “home” is at Whittier College (also home to the Institute for Baseball Studies), the Reliquary is more than just a place.  The Reliquary really resides in the hearts of its founders, members, contributors and honorees – who all are important parts of the organization’s joyful (often irreverent, but always well-informed and fan-centric) celebration of all things baseball.  This celebration is fueled through The Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals, collection of historic artifacts, exhibitions and extensive baseball-related research collection – books, periodicals and papers from distinguished authors, historians and journalists.

The Whittier (CA) College Institute for Baseball Studies is the first humanities-based baseball research center associated with a U.S. college or university,

The Shrine of the Eternals

The Shrine of the Eternals is the Reliquary’s best-known element and its honorees include (among others) a one-armed major league outfielder, a pitcher who once threw a no-hitter while high on LSD, a team owner who sent a midget to the plate, a man in a chicken suit, a member of Major League Baseball’s 3,000-hit club, a manager who won eight World Championships, a cartoon character who pitched his team to more than 1,000 losses, more than one best-selling author, a statistical wizard and even the sports editor of the Daily Worker (American Communist Party newspaper). The honorees are each unique in their roles in – and contributions to – the national pastime, but they all share the distinction of having made a significant impact on the game.

It’s a shrine to “our” great game that connects:

• Mark “The Bird” Fidrych and the San Diego Chicken;
• Dr. Frank Jobe and Dr. Mike Marshall (not to mention Dock Ellis);
• Bob Uecker and Yogi Berra;
• Luis Tiant and Charlie Brown;
• Roberto Clemente and Pete Gray;
• Rube Waddell and Bill “Spaceman” Lee.

This year’s candidates range from players like Rube Waddell, Felipe Alou, Mike Marshall and Julio Franco to such  luminaries as renowned baseball photographer Charles M. Conlon, Wiffle Ball inventor David Nelson Mallany, umpire Joe West, “Kissing Bandit” Morganna Roberts, broadcaster Ernie Harwell and baseball executive Kim Ng.

You get the idea.

Note: The Reliquary also recognizes distinguished service to baseball by a fan (The Hilda Award) and contributions to the preservation of baseball history (The Tony Salin Award).

Artifacts

The Baseball Reliquary’s Collection of what The Roundtable would term “art-ifacts” is as diverse as its roster of Shrine honorees.  The collection includes (but is “oh-so not limited” to) the Walter O’Malley Tortilla, the Roger Bresnahan Potato, the Eddie Gaedel Jock Strap, a Babe Ruth cigar, a Mother Teresa autographed baseball (a whole case actually), a heat-twisted 45-rpm record from the White Sox’ ill-fated Disco Demolition Night; and a San Diego Chicken game-worn costume.

Exhibits

The Baseball Reliquary’s Exhibits have covered such varied topics as Latino and Black baseball history, baseball in foreign policy, baseball literature and art, a celebration of baseball cards, and even the self-defining “Lasordapalooza.”

Join Now and Vote

New members joining The Baseball Reliquary through its website ( www.BaseballReliquary.org  ) by April 22, will receive a copy of the 2024 Shrine of the Eternals biographies and ballot and the opportunity to vote, by April 30, for this year’s nominees. 

 

—–THE SHRINE OF THE ETERNALS 2024 BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE BALLOT—–

Now, on to the Shrine of the Eternals. Before I share my ballot, here’s what the Reliquary has to say about this honor.

“Similar in concept to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Shrine of the Eternals differs philosophically in that statistical accomplishment is not the principal criterion for election. The Baseball Reliquary believes that the election of individuals on merits other than statistics and playing ability will offer the opportunity for a deeper understanding and appreciation of baseball than has heretofore been provided by “Halls of Fame” in the more traditional and conservative institutions. 

“Criteria for election shall be: the distinctiveness of play (good or bad); the uniqueness of character and personality; and the imprint that the individual has made on the baseball landscape. Electees, both on and off the diamond, shall have been responsible for developing baseball in one or more of the following ways: through athletic and/or business achievements; in terms of its larger cultural and sociological impact as a mass entertainment; and as an arena for the human imagination.”

Each year, the Baseball Reliquary submits a list of candidates to its members and the top three vote-getters are honored.  Reliquaries can vote for up to nine nominees.

Here’s a look at those who are getting my votes for this year.

CHARLES M. CONLON (1868-1945) … Picture Perfect

Charles M. Conlon is responsible for some of the most iconic images from baseball history.  From 1904 to 1942, he documented the course of the national pastime (as a hobby), while working as a proofreader for the New York Evening Telegram (later the World-Telegram). Carrying a large Graflex camera and cumbersome glass plate negatives to the ballpark, Conlon produced at least 30,000 portraits and action photos, capturing history in black and white.

Although his photos appeared regularly in the Spalding and Reach Base Ball Guides, The Sporting News, and Baseball Magazine, Conlon’s contribution to the images and history of the game really came to the fore with the publication of Neal and Constance McCabe’s books: Baseball’s Golden Age: The Photographs of Charles M. Conlon (1993); and The Big Show: Charles M. Conlon’s Golden Age Baseball Photographs (2011).

The McCabe’s, making the case that Conlon ranks among the masters of documentary photography, assert: “The ballpark was Conlon’s universe, an inexhaustible source of unforgettable images: a catcher’s mangled hand, a madman kicking up his heels, an umpire lost in thought. He documented baseball obsessively at a time when critics of photography—had they known of his existence—would have questioned his sanity for taking thousands of photographs of so trivial and ephemeral a subject.”

Conlon gets my vote for contributing so significantly to the visual history of the game.

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SEAN DOOLITTLE (1986- ) … A Stand-Up Guy

Sports Illustrated called reliever Sean Doolittle, “the conscience of baseball.”  He was a VOCAL and ACTIVE advocate for the rights of workers, women, immigrants, the LGBTQ community and veterans, as well as against racism and gun violence.

In his own words “As a kid, I remember my parents would say, “Baseball is what you do, but that’s not who you are’ – like that might be my job, but not the end-all, be-all.  I feel like I might even be able to use it to help other people. Sports are like the award for a functioning society.”

Among the two-time All Star’s many activities of conscience were: organizing a 2015 Thanksgiving dinner for Syrian refuges; writing a 2019 Washington Post op-ed piece in support of union workers; boycotting the 2019 World Series Champion Nationals’ visit to the White House; penning a Sports Illustrated column urging the Veterans Administration to expand mental health services for veterans; using social media to address the topics of racial injustice and gun violence; and much, much more.

Doolittle, who retired from the field in 2023, played in 11 MLB seasons (2012-2022 … Athletics, Nationals, Reds, Mariners).  He appeared in 463 games and put up a record of 26-24, 3.20, with 112 saves and 522 strikeouts in 450 2/3 innings. He had five seasons of 20 or more saves.

Doolittle’s willingness to stand up and speak out for what he believes is right make him a solid Shrine of the Eternal’s candidate. Whether you agree with Doolittle’s opinions or not, as Pete Dreier wrote in the opening of Doolittle’s Shrine of the Eternals Ballot Bio, “Sean Doolittle embodies the Reliquary’s rebellious, iconoclastic and irreverent spirit.”

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LUKE EASTER (1915-79) – Scrambling Some Eggs

“Luscious” Luke Easter was one of the most prodigious home run hitters of all time. His titanic blasts were known as “Easter Eggs.” Among his notables, Easter:

• Was the first player to a homer into the farthest reaches of center field in the Polo Grounds;
• Hit the longest home run in the history of old Cleveland Municipal Stadium – clearing the distant right field scoreboard; and
• Was the first player to hit a drive over the CF scoreboard in Buffalo’s Offerman Stadium (at age 42), proving it was no fluke by hitting the second drive to ever to clear the scoreboard just a month later.

Easter began his baseball career in 1937, as an OF/1B and cleanup hitter for the St. Louis Titanium Giants (a company team) – and didn’t play his final game until 27 years later.  Everything about the 6’4”, 240-pound Easter was big – his stature, his bat, his love of the game, his love of life, his relationship with teammates and the fans and, later, even his Buick.

While he began showing his prowess at the plate in the late 1930’s, he really began carving his name into baseball history after getting out of the military in 1943. In 1945, he starred with the barnstorming Cincinnati Crescents (for whom he hit the Polo Grounds home run noted above).

In 1947, he joined the Homestead Grays, where he hit .311, with 10 home runs in 219 at bats.  Research by Society for American Baseball Research Member Justin Murphy indicates Easter followed that up by hitting .363 for the Grays and tying teammate Buck Leonard for the Negro National League (NNL) lead in home runs (13) – helping the Grays to the NNL World Series Championship.

In 1949, Easter signed with the Cleveland Indians and made (what was then considered) his major league debut on August 1 of that season – at age 34 – just the eleventh black player in the major leagues. (MLB has since declared the Negro Leagues from 1920-48 to be major leagues.) While he hit only .222 in 54 games for the Indians, due in part to an injured knee, Easter showed his (already long-proven) power by going .363-25-92 in 80 games at Triple-A San Diego.

Then, in 1950, he hit .280-28-107 in 141 games for the Indians – earning recognition from the Sporting News as the AL’s Most Outstanding Player.  In 1951, he went .270-27-103 for the Tribe and, in 1952, .263-31-97. Age and injuries were already taking their toll, however, and on May 4, 1954, the 38-year-old Easter played his final MLB game.

Ah, but Luscious Luke was not done. He played on in the minor leagues until 1964 – putting up four seasons of 30 or more home runs and 100+ RBI – earning his way into the International League Hall of Fame.

Over his career, Easter also played winter ball in Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico and Hawaii. A Winter-League star, Easter hit .402 for Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican League in 1948-49 (winning league MVP honors); led the Mexican Pacific Coast League (for Hermosillo) in homers in 1954-55; and lead the Puerto Rican Winter League in homers in 1955-56 and 1956-57.

Why does Luke Easter get my vote? Consider that non-other than Bill James rated him the second-best Negro Leagues’ first baseman of all time (behind only Buck Leonard) and Al Rosen (a teammate of Easter on the Indians, as well as a four-time All Star, two-time AL home run leader, 1953 American League MVP and 1989 National Executive of the Year) maintained, “Had Luke come up to the big leagues as a young man, there’s no telling what numbers he would have had.”

____________________________

JULIO FRANCO (1958 –) … One For The Ages (Aged?)

If you believe “Old Guys Rule” – Julio Franco should be your king.

Franco is the oldest player to homer in an MLB game. Franco went deep at age 48 years, 254 days, hitting a two-run shot off Arizona’s Randy Johnson as Franco’s Mets topped the Diamondbacks 5-3 on April 26, 2006. In that same game, Franco also became the second-oldest MLB player to steal base – and, thus, the oldest player to homer and steal a base in the same game.

Franco is also the:

• Oldest player to hit a grand slam (46 years, 308 days) – connecting as a pinch hitter for the Atlanta Braves in a 7-2 win over the Marlins on June 27, 2005;
• Oldest player to record a multi-homer game, belting a pair of homers on June 18, 2005 (age 46 years, 299 days), as his Atlanta Braves topped the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Franco started at first base and went two-for-four with two homers and three RBI;
• Oldest player to hit a pinch-hit home run, in the eighth inning of a Mets’ 7-2 win over the Padres at San Diego (April 20, 2006 – 47 years, 240 days);
• Oldest player to steal two bases in a game (and in an inning) – (June 16, 3005 – 46 years, 297 days); and
• Oldest player to be put into a game as a pinch runner (July 29, 2006 – 47 years, 340 days) … he delivered, promptly stealing second base, going to third on an errant throw.

From 1982 to 1994, Franco played primarily as a middle infielder and DH for the Phillies, Indians, Rangers and White Sox – making three All Star teams (MVP of the 1990 All Star Game), earning five Silver Slugger Awards and leading the American League in hitting at .341 for the Rangers in 1991. In that 1991 campaign, Franco collected 201 hits, 15 homers, 78 RBI, 108 runs scored and 36 steals in 45 attempts. At season’s end, he had hit .300+ in five of the previous six seasons – the lone exception being .296 in 1990.

In 1994, when the remainder of the MLB season was lost to a strike, Franco was in the midst of possibly his best campaign.  After 112 games, he was hitting .319, with 138 hits, 20 home runs, 98 RBI, 72 runs scored, and eight steals.  Franco was determined to keep swinging the bat and signed to play in Japan with the Pacific League Chiba Lotte Marines.  In the 1995 Japanese season, Franco hit .306 and won the Pacific League’s equivalent of the Gold Glove at first base.

Franco returned to MLB in 1996, joining the Cleveland Indians, hitting .322-14-76 in 112 games. In August of the following season, the Indians released Franco – who was hitting .284-3-25 at the time. He finished the 1997 campaign with the Brewers, hitting .241 in 14 games with Milwaukee.

In 1998, at age 39, Franco was back in Japan playing for Chiba Lotte; where he hit .290, with 18 home runs and 77 RBI in 131 games. Then, in 1999, he celebrated turning 40 (when most ballplayers are retired or coaching) by hitting for a .423 average in the Mexican League and getting one late-season MLB at bat with Tampa Bay.

As he moved into his forties, Franco was far from finished as a player. He played in South Korea in 2000 (age 41), hitting .327-22-110.  In 2001, the well-traveled batsman was back in the Mexican League (Mexico City Tigers), where stellar play (a .437 average in 110 games) earned him a spot on the Atlanta Braves’ roster in September. Franco hit .300, with three home runs and 11 RBI over the final 5 ½ weeks of the MLB season.

From 2001 to 2007, the ageless wonder – professional hitter and pretty darn good first sacker – played for the Braves and Mets.  From 2001 through 2006 – ages 42 to 47 – Franco averaged .290 over 581 games.  He hit .222 in 55 games in his final MLB season – 2007 with the Mets and Braves.

Even at 49, Franco was not done battering baseballs. In 2008, he could be found at first base with the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League (where he hit .250 in 36 games). That season, Franco – after 23 Major League seasons and 30 years after his first professional baseball game – announced his retirement as a player.

Oops? Not so fast. In 2014, at the age of 55, he appeared in seven games for the Fort Worth Cats of the independent United League – going six for 27.   Then in 2015, Franco was signed as player-manager of the Ishikawa Million Stars of the Japanese independent Baseball Challenge League (identified as a semi-pro league).

In 23 MLB seasons, Franco hit .298, with 2,586 hits, 173 homers, 1,285 runs, 1,194 RBI and 281 stolen bases. He also collected 618 minor league (U.S) hits, 316 in the Mexican League, 286 in Japan, 267 in the Dominican Winter League and 156 in South Korea and six in independent ball (U.S.).

Forever young, Mr. Franco – baseball’s Energizer Bunny – got my vote.

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MAMIE “Peanut” JOHNSON (1935 – 2017) … Playing Big

Mamie Johnson was one of three females to play for the Indianapolis Clowns during the declining days of the Negro Leagues (and the only woman ever to pitch in the Negro Leagues). At 5’3” Johnson looked a little small for the baseball diamond, but she played above her height. Johnson took the mound to the Clowns for three seasons (1953-55), running up a 33-8 record – utilizing a deceptive fastball, curve, change, screwball and knuckleball.   Her exploits are chronicled in the children’s book “A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie ‘Peanut’ Johnson,” by Michelle Y. Green.

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MIKE MARSHALL (1943 – ) … Is There A Doctor in The House?

This former major-league reliever (14 seasons … 1967, 1969-81) earned three college degrees, including a Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Michigan State University. Kinesiology is the study of muscle movement and Marshall used his knowledge to develop his own exercise program focused on minimizing stress, reducing injury and accelerating recovery time.  While his unorthodox methods, advanced education and outspoken approach often had him at odds with baseball’s traditionalists (and may be part of the reason he pitched for nine teams in 14 seasons), they did get the job done.

The fact is, we never saw a closer quite like Mike Marshall before he came along – and we’re not likely to see one like him again. In 1974, as a Dodger, he put up the grand-daddy of all relief seasons – setting the single-season MLB records for appearances with 106 and innings pitched in relief at 208 1/3. He finished the campaign 15-12, with a league-topping 21 saves and a 2.42 ERA.  That season, Marshall was called on to go more than one inning in 74 games (68.5 percent of the time) and he toiled three or more innings 22 times. He also relieved in 13 consecutive regular-season games – an MLB record later tied (1986) by the Rangers’ Dale Mohoric. Marshall’s efforts won him the 1974 Cy Young Award and recognition as The Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year.

Marshall led his league in games pitched four times and saves three times – finishing 97-112, 3.14 with 188 saves.

A true “fireman” from an era when closers came in to put out fires and stayed on the mound to ensure they were no flare ups, Marshall gets my vote for the Shrine.

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DAVID NELSON MULLANY (1908-1990) … A New Meaning To Going Yard

Everyone who has ever swung a plastic bat at a whistling WIFFLE® Ball owes a debt of gratitude to David Mullany.

It all started in 1953, when Mullany saw his 12-year-old son trying to use a plastic golf ball for a game of baseball in their Connecticut backyard. Mullany saw the possibilities (and need) for a ball that could be put in play in a confined area without the risk of damage. He set about developing a light, hollow, plastic ball with eight oblong slots cut into one side (which allowed pitchers to fashion a curve, slider, or knuckleball that could produce a great many a good number of swings and misses or “whiffs.”

Mullany, (by the way played baseball for the University of Connecticut) went on to form WIFFLE® Ball, Inc. in 1954 and was granted a patent for the innovative sphere in 1957.

Has the Wiffle Ball impacted the game and those who play it (particularly in their backyards)?  Well, there has been no change in the basic product over time and more than 60 million wiffle balls have been sold since it came to the market. There are now even Wiffle Ball tournaments and leagues around the country.  More than 60 million Wiffle Balls sold. How many millions of hours of baseball pleasure does that equate to?  Enough for my vote.

In 2017, the WIFFLE® Ball was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.

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KIM NG (1968- ) … Breaking New Ground

Kim Ng’s interest in baseball started when, as a young Yankees fan, she played stickball on the street in Queens, New York.  Ng went on to play tennis and softball in high school and four years of softball at The University of Chicago.

After graduating from the University, Ng began her career in baseball in 1990, as an intern with the Chicago White Sox. Her first project was to conduct research on Rule Five draftees, building on her love for and skill in analyzing and interpreting statistics and scouting reports.

From that point, her trajectory showed plenty of velo and launch angle. She became:

• The youngest person and the first woman to present a salary arbitration case as the Assistant Director of Baseball Operations with the White Sox;
• An Assistant General Manager with the Yankees (at age 29);
• MLB Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations, becoming the highest-ranking woman working in the Commissioner’s Office.

Then, in November 1920, Ng was hired as the Miami Marlins’ General Manager – the first woman to serve as GM of a major North American men’s sports team. When the Marlins clinched a playoff berth on September 30, 2023, Ng became the first woman GM in MLB history to lead a playoff team.

In 2022, the University of Chicago awarded Kim Ng the Professional Achievement Award and Forbes ranked Ng #5 on its list of the most powerful women in sports.

When it comes to breaking barriers, this power-hitter get my vote.

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Rube Waddell (1876-1914) … Walk On The Wild Side

Rube Waddell is almost universally recognized as the zaniest player in MLB history (that alone should earn him a spot in the Shrine).  Add the fact that he also was one of the best pitchers (at least when he was focused) in the game and Waddell seems a perfect fit for Reliquary honors.

Waddell was known to:

• Leave a ball game to chase fire engines;
• Miss a game he was scheduled to start because he was fishing or playing marbles with neighborhood kids;
• Bring his outfielders in to sit on the grass and then proceed to fan the side;
• Wrestle alligators in the off-season; and
• Much too frequently do battle with owners and managers.

Waddell simply was more interested in the freedom to enjoy life and do things his way than in money or professional stability.  But, when Waddell was on his game, he was arguably the best pitcher of his time. The 6’1”, 195-lb. lefty led the AL in strikeouts six consecutive seasons (1902-1907) – by a wide margin.

In 1902, Waddell joined the Philadelphia Athletics in June – making his first start on June 26 (with just 86 games left in the season). Waddell proceeded to win 24 games (the league’s second-highest total) against seven losses, with a 2.05 ERA.  Despite his shortened season, he led the AL with 210 strikeouts, fifty more than the runner-up (none other than Cy Young).

In 1904, Waddell set a modern (post-1900) MLB record with 349 strikeouts that stood until 1965.  Waddell, elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946, finished with a 193-143, 2.16 stat line – leading the AL in strikeouts six times, ERA twice, wins once and complete games once. For more on Waddell, BBRT suggests: “Rube Waddell: The Zany, Brilliant Life of a Strikeout Artist,” by Allan Howard Levy.

Honoring the zaniest player in history – a title it appears Waddell will hold into eternity – just seems right for the Shrine of the Eternals. Rube gets my vote.

Primary Resources: Baseball Reliquary 2024 Shrine of the Eternals Ballot; Baseball-Reference.com

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The Twins Keep Raising the Bar

As I’ve noted here before, when I first began attending MLB games, standard fare consisted of (not always piping-hot) hot dogs and (not always ice-cold) beer (usually just two or three choices) and soda.  For those wanting to step outside the box, there were peanuts, Cracker Jack®, licorice ropes and popcorn (sometimes served in a megaphone-shaped container, popular at the ballpark, not so much at home).  For the really adventurous, there were frozen malt cups (with a wooden spoon after taste).  When pizza and burgers arrived on the scene, we all thought baseball’s culinary landscape was complete.

The 2024 Twins Food and Beverage Preview (like those that went before it) brought home once again how wrong we were about reaching the ultimate in ballpark fare – and how committed the Twins are to continually raising the ballpark food and beverage bar, while also building an ever-stronger Minnesota connections.

Here are a few of Baseball Roundtable’s favorite new Target Field offerings for 2024 – as judged by super-taster Bob King – AKA Bob The Grill Guy – and me.   I’ve noted which are from Minnesota firms.  Note:  Many, not all, of the photos show the sample size from the Food and Beverage Preview, rather than full size offering (generally, if the descriptive sign is in the photo, it’s a full -size offering).  I’ve also noted which new offerings are “Minnesota-made.”  Prices were not available at the event.

—-Baseball Roundtable New Food Favorites—-

Number One – East Coast BBQ Mac N’ Meat (Minnesota Made) … Creamy mac and cheese topped with your choice of barbequed chicken, rib tips or pulled pork. Bob and I both rated this as the number-one new food – and we both recommend going with the rib tips (although all three offerings are tasty).   Just the right amount of “smoke” in the sauce, without overpowering the flavor of meet.  The ribs tips (our favorite) were the moistest and meatiest.   Bob called it some of the best he’s had – and went back for seconds, despite the volume of food we had yet to taste.  High praise from “The Grill Guy.”  If we were to pick a new concession “Grand Slam” this year, this would be it. Section 131.

Number Two – Official Fried Chicken Might Buffalo Dry Rub Wings (Minnesota Made) …. A new addition to the Official Fried Chicken line – wings marinated, breaded and pressure-fried. Crisp on the outside, moist on the inside, dry-rubbed with a tasty and proprietary (a secret worth protecting) blend.  We officially declare that Official Fried Chicken knows its chicken. You can’t go wrong with any of their offerings. Section 134.

Number Three – Bussin Birria Tacos (Minnesota Made) … Tender, well-seasoned braised beef, topped with melted cheese and served in a just-crisp-enough griddled corn tortilla – with cilantro, chopped onions and a tasty consommé dipping sauce.  Hrbek’s, Section 114.

Number Four – Tie

Red Cow Ultimate Burger (Minnesota Made) … Certified Angus Beef done just right, topped with Wisconsin-aged cheddar, lettuce tomato, onion and Red Cow Sauce.  If a traditional burger is what you crave after a 6-4-3 double play, this is the one for you.  Red Cow knows its burgers. (This one is as traditional as starting the tenth inning with no one on base.) Section 233.

Burger Fries (Minnesota Made) …  A new take on French fries, turning them into potato nachos. Crisp fries topped with juicy Philly Cheesesteak, American cheese, caramelized onions, jalapenos and Two Mixed Up house sauce. The fries make a Minnesota-nice bed for the juicy cheesesteak mixture and the jalapenos add a little “bite.”  Perhaps not for everyone, but we liked them.  Hint: Take and extra napkin or two.  Thrivent Club.

—–Baseball Roundtable New Dessert Favorites—–

 

Number One – S’mores Boozy Ice Cream …. One of several new desserts that represent a new spin on old favorites. Soft-serve chocolate ice cream mixed with vodka and toasted marshmallow syrup – topped with a marshmallow and graham cracker.  Finally, a dessert designed for ice cream-loving  adults (of which I am one).  This will replace soft serve I usually enjoy on game day.  Hint:  Get the kids their own vodka-free ice cream treat before you order this. You won’t want to share. Gate 34.

Numbed Two – Papa Pete’s Mini Donuts (Minnesota Made) … Traditional fried donuts (think County or State Fair) tossed in cinnamon and sugar, but with new taste possibilities offered by dipping choices like hot honey, salted caramel or chocolate. This is a sweet and tasty deal, great for sharing. Section 136.

Number Three – STEPCHLD Sweet Potato Fritters (Minnesota Made) …   Are sweet potatoes a ballpark dessert?  They are now. Especially when transform those yams into tasty fritters topped with maple syrup, cayenne pepper and whipped goat cheese.   The whipped goat cheese cuts the sweetness a bit and the pepper adds a touch of warmth.  Look out sweet potato pie, fritters are coming!  Truly a dessert,  Truly on Deck, Right Field.

—–Baseball Roundtable’s Favorite New Adult Beverages—–

 

The Cutwater Crew

Number One – Cutwater Mango Margarita …  The Cutwater Cocktail Bar at Minnie and Paul’s offers a range of premium Cutwater premade cocktails. The Mango Margarita was a big winner with both Bob and me. Minnie & Paul’s, underneath the centerfield neon.

Number Two – Vanilla Creamed Whiskey (Minnesota Made) …  Mixing Keeper’s Heart Rye, with Monin Vanilla Creme Syrup and soda. Taste likes old-fashioned Cream Soda, only with a kick.  Bob noted that he could “get into a lot of trouble with that one.”  You might also consider the Cherry Smashed Whiskey or Irish Mojito. Sophisticated ballpark imbibing. Keeper’s Heart Town Ball Tavern, Section 229.

Spicy Watermelon Margarita – Should be a summer favorite.  Refreshingly light. Hrbek’, Section 114  & Keeper’s Heart Town ball Tavern, Section 229.

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—–Other New Offerings—-

Union Hmong Kitchen Banh Mi Brat (Minnesota Made) … Nicely seasoned sausage with pickled vegetables and caramelized garlic aioli.  This puts the James Beard-nominated Union Hmong Kitchen’s twist on the traditional bratwurst. Section 127.

Smashed Baked Potato … Design your own comfort food baked potato, with such toppings as bacon bits, brisket, chili, butter, sour cream, beer cheese and onions. Section 117.

Lord Fletcher’s Walleye Burger (Minnesota Made) … Seared Walleye Burger with smoked tarter sauce. Gate 34 – 10,000 Lakes Bar.

Just A Burger (Minnesota Made) … Double smash burger, topped with lettuce, onion, American Cheese and Two Mixed Up house sauce, served on a brioche bun.  Big enough to share.  Keeper’s Heart Town Ball Tavern, Section 229.

Q’BO Latin Food Chicken Tinga Arepas (Minnesota Made) … First of all, an arepa is a South American dish consisting of ground maize dough stuffed with a variety of fillings. At Target Field, you will find crispy arepa stuffed with Chicken Tinga, cheese, sour cream, Pico de Gallo and pickled onions. Truly on Deck Market – Right Field.

Parcelle C.R.E.A.M & BluePrint Smoothies (Minnesota Made) … Parcelle specializes in tasty organic, nutritious food offerings.  The BluePrint Smoothie features: blueberry, avocado, banana, blue spirulina, vanilla protein, coconut milk and agave, while the C.R.E.A.M. Smoothie has strawberry, banana, coconut milk, dates, agave syrup, collagen, peptide and aloe. Section 126.

A Double Header – Curds and Cakes – Section 232

A picture is worth a thousand words.  Here’s 2,000 words worth of images – and one additional word.  Yumm!

—–An Old Standby—–

Target Field has always taken pride in its Bloody Mary’s.  The Ultimate Bloody Mary.  Hrbek’s, Section 114.

—–And Don’t Forget—-

The all-inclusive Legends Landing (Sections S,T,UV) …  Al- inclusive game tickets starting at $42 each, with all-you-can eat hots dogs, burgers, chicken tenders, chips, peanuts, assorted Pepsi products , bottled water and frozen desserts.

The Family Value Stands (Located in Sections 120, 133, 311) … A menu of traditional ballpark staples, all priced under $5..

There you have it.  Go Twins – and happy eating.

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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?)

We Ferrell: Photo – Acme Newspictures via Yi Auctions, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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

Photo: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Phil Collins Photo: Philippe Roos from Strasbourg, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

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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The post Pitchers with Multi-Homer Games as Hitters … Down the Rabbit Hole appeared first on Baseball Roundtable.

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.

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Nellie Fox drew two bases-loaded walks in the seventh inning of the White Sox 20-6 win. For the game. Fox was four-for-five, with a double, two walks ,a run scored and five RBI.

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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The post A Couple of Wild Innings – Without the Benefit of the Long Ball appeared first on Baseball Roundtable.

Two disclaimers here. Given statistical accuracy and game formats, I am limiting myself to the Modern Era (post 1900) and not all Negro League game stats have been fully documented and incorporated into the MLB record book. (In 2020, the Negro Leagues from 1920-48 were designated major leagues.)

“You always get a special kick on Opening Day, no matter how many you go through. You look forward to it like a birthday party when you’re a kid.  You think something wonderful is going to happen.’

                                                                                                           Joe DiMaggio

So, let’s look at some Opening Day stats and stories.

 THESE PLAYERS WERE A ‘HANDFUL” ON OPENING DAY

In the Modern Era (since 1901) only 14 MLB players have collected five hits (five is a handful, isn’t it?) in an Opening Day game.  Looking for unicorns within this list, on March 30, 2023, we saw the first (still only) Opening Day in which two players collected five hits (it happened in two different games). The players were Andy Rutschman of the Orioles and George Springer of the Blue Jays. Rutschman also became the first (only) catcher to record a five-hit Opening Day.

Now, there are some potential trivia tidbits (that you can turn into trivia questions) in this list, but here’s one that intrigues The Roundtable.

In a statistical anomaly, seven of the 14 players to enjoy a five-hit Opening Day played the same position.  What position was it?

Your answer: Second base and the players were Craig Biggio; Jeff Kent; Nellie Fox; Billy Herman; Aaron Miles; Larry Doyle; and Eddie Collins. For those who like to know such things, the list also includes three left fielders, two third baseman, one right fielder and one catcher.  As you might guess, most of these players were batting high in the order:  Five leading off, five batting second, two in the three-hole, one at cleanup and one sixth,

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THREE’S A CROWD – OR A CROWD OF THREES

The Opening Day, single-game record of three home runs is shared by four players.  The quarter includes: the Blue Jays’ George Bell, Cubs’ Tuffy Rhodes, Tigers’ Dmitri Young and White Sox’ Matt Davidson.  Here’s another anomaly that would make a good trivia question. Three of the four three-homer Opening Day games were logged against the same franchise.  Who were the unlucky opponent so those three triple-round tripper openers?

Your answer.  The Kansas City Royals.  Here’s the full list.

George Bell … On April 4, 1988, Bell – batting clean-up and serving as the DH – became the first major leaguer to hit three home runs in an Opening Day game, as his Blue Jays topped the Royals 5-3 in Kansas City. Bell’s power outburst was no surprise. He was coming off a 1987 season in which he hit 47 homers, drove in 134 runs and was the AL MVP. Bell went three-for-four with three runs scored and four RBI, hitting all three home runs off Royals’ starter Brett Saberhagen.

Tuffy Rhodes … On a windy April 4, 1994, Rhodes (leading off and playing CF for the Cubs in Chicago) hit three solo shots off Mets’ starter Dwight Gooden. Rhodes also had a single and a walk in five plate appearances. Despite Rhodes’ record-tying performance, the Cubs lost to the visiting Mets 12-8. At the time, Rhodes had played 107 MLB games in four seasons – hitting a total of five home runs. His MLB career consisted of 225 games in six seasons, with a .224 average and just 13 round trippers (with a high of eight in 1994). Rhodes did go on to hit 474 home runs in eleven seasons in Japan.

Dmitri Young … On April 4, 2005 the Tigers’ Young joined Bell and Rhodes on the list of batters with three home runs in an Opening Day game – as the Tigers topped the Royals 11-2 in Detroit. Young started at DH and went four-for-four with four runs and five RBI.  Young, an All Star in 2003 and 2007, hit a total of 21 home runs in 2005 – and 171 in 13 MLB seasons. He hit a career-high 29 round trippers in 2003.

Matt Davidson … On March 29, 2018, as the White Sox topped the Royals 14-7 in Kansas City, DH and (appropriately) cleanup hitter Davidson opened the season with a three-homer, five-RBI game. He went three-for-four with a walk, four runs scored and five RBI. Davidson went deep off three different pitchers: solo shots in the fourth and fifth off Danny Duffy and Blaine Boyer and a three-run blast in the eighth off Brian Flynn. Davidson, in his fourth MLB season, went on to a .228-20-62 campaign.  In his 306 MLB games (2013, 2015-18, 2020, 2022), Davidson has  ja .220-54-157 stat line.

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A UNICORN OF A WIN

In 1980, Mike Parrot was the Opening Day starter (at home) for the Seattle Mariners – an honor he earned with a 14-12, 3.77 season for the 67-95 Mariners in 1979.   He picked up the win, going 6 1/3 innings in an 8-6 Seattle victory over Toronto. Why then unicorn designation? Parrot would pitch in 26 more games that season (15 more starts) and not record another victory – ending the campaign at 1-16, 7.28. Parrot pitched in five MLB seasons (1977-81, all for the Mariners) – going in 19-39, 4.87.

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WHO’S ON FIRST? NONE OF YOU. 

Who was the first MLB pitcher to throw nine no-hit innings in an Opening Day start? I’ll toss in a little hint here.  It’s not the Feller you may be thinking of – and it’s not a good Day to guess.

MLB has seen a pair of Opening Day no-hitters, Bob Feller of the Indians on April 16, 1940 and Leon Day of the of the Newark Eagles (Negro National League II) on May 5, 1946.

Still, neither of these gentlemen can lay claim to be the first MLB pitcher to throw nine no-hit innings in an Opening Day start. Back on April 15, 1909 – as the Giants opened against the Superbas (Dodgers) in Brooklyn – Giants’ righty Leon “Red” Ames started and, with just the minimum of support, could have made history. Ames held Brooklyn hitless for nine innings, but got nary a run of support from his batsmen.  Ames finally gave up a hit with one out in the tenth and, while he kept the shutout going through the 12th inning, eventually lost 3-0 in 13 innings.  How the game has changed:  Both Ames and Brooklyn starter Irvin “Kaiser” Wilhelm went the distance.

Ames, by the way, had a 17-season MLB career (1903-10), going 183-167, 2.63. His best season was 1905 (Giants), when he went 22-8, 2.74.

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A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE

Which player became a “victim of circumstance” and set an Opening Day single-game record by fanning five times? That would be Ron Karkovice.

On March 31, 1996, White Sox’ catcher Karkovice set an MLB Opening Day record by striking out five times as Chicago lost 3-2 in Seattle.  Karkovice, however, may have been a victim of circumstance.

First Circumstance: Future Hall of Famer (and whiff artist) Randy Johnson started on the mound for the Mariners – striking out 14 in seven innings (including Karkovice three times). Johnson holds the record for Opening Day career strikeouts with 107.

Second Circumstance:  The White Sox could muster only two runs on four hits over the first nine innings – taking a slim 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth (at that point, Karkovice had fanned just three times).

Third Circumstance: The Mariners tied the contest in the ninth, and the game went to 12 innings before the Mariners prevailed 3-2.  In those three extra innings, Karkovice struck out against Norm Charlton (tenth inning) and Edwin Hurtado (twelfth inning) to set the Opening Day record.

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PLEASE, (DON’T) GIVE ME A BREAK

Robin Roberts holds the MLB record for consecutive Opening Day starts for the same team – 12 for the Phillies from 1950 through 1961. The record for overall consecutive Opening Day starts belong to Jack Morris at 14 (1980-93 – Tigers,  Twins, Blue Jays.)

More: How the Game has Changed

In the 1950’s (1950-59), Robin Roberts won 199 games and threw 3,011 2/3 innings – an average of 301 innings pitched per season.

I’d like to go a little deeper for a tidbit/question in this category. Hall of Famer Steve Carlton started 14 of the 15 Phillies’ Opening Day games from 1972 through 1986. The one year he missed cost him the record for both overall consecutive Opening Day starts and consecutive Opening Day starts for the same team. Who was the pitcher who interrupted Carlton’s streak? 

In 1976, Jim Kaat (like Carlton, a lefty and future Hall of Famer) got the Opening Day nod from the Phillies. Kaat, at the time, was a three-time 20-game winner, and an All Star for the White Sox the year before (he had been traded to the Phillies in December of 1975).   For those who may be wondering whether Carlton’s health played an issue in Kaat’s Opening Day start, Carlton started the second game of the season and went on to a 20-7 record in 35 starts.

Oh, one other tidbit, Tom Seaver holds the record for total opening day starts with sixteen – 11 for the Mets, three for the Reds and two for the White Sox. Seaver recorded seven wins, two losses and seven no decisions on Opening Day,

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Just A chart for your entertainment.

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TOSSING YOU A CURVE ON THIS ONE

What pitcher holds the mark for the most strikeouts in an Opening Day game? Answer: Camilo Pascual.

This is a bit of a unicorn, as Pascual’s 15 strikeouts on Opening Day 1960 have never been matched. (Three players have fallen just one short of the total: Randy Johnson (twice – 1963 & 1996, Mariners); Don Drysdale (1960 Dodgers); and Shane Bieber 2020 Indians).

On April 18, 1960, Pascual (known for his sweeping curve ball) took the mound at Griffith Stadium for the Washington Senators (against the Boston Red Sox). In 1959, the Senators had finished in last place in the AL, but Pascual had gone 17-10, 2.64, leading the league with 17 complete games and six shutouts. As the Senators’ Opening Day starter in 1960, Pascual picked up right where he left off – tossing a complete game three-hitter, walking three and striking out a still Opening Day record 15 batters in a 10-1 win over the Red Sox. It was one of two 15-whiff games in his career.

Pascual pitched 18 MLB seasons (1954-71), winning 174 and losing 170, with a 3.63 earned run average. He was a five-time All Star, two-time twenty-game winner and led the league in complete games, shutouts and strikeouts three times each.

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WALK DON’T RUN

Can you name the pitcher who holds the record for the most walks surrendered in an Opening day game (11)?  Hint, despite the 11 free passes, the opposition only scored three runs (two earned) off him in 11 innings. Answer: Herb Score.

On April 16, 1957, Cleveland southpaw Herb Score set the Opening Day record for pitcher’s walks, delivering eleven free passes to the visiting White Sox.  Despite Score’s wildness, it was a close contest, with Score going the distance in a 3-2, 11-inning loss.  Score struck out ten and gave up just seven hits and two earned runs – stranding 14 Chicago base runners.

Score was the 1955 AL Rookie of the Year, when the 22-year-old lefty went 16-10. 2.85 and led the league in strikeouts with 245.  In 1956, he was even better, going 20-9, 2.53 and again topping the league in whiffs (263). His 1957 season ended on May 7, when he was it in the face by a line drive off the bat of Yankee Gil McDougald.  Score suffered a broken nose, as well as damage to is right cheek bone and right eye.  He was hospitalized for about three weeks and did not return to the mound that season.

Score came back in 1958, but suffered an elbow injury early in the season (some wondered if he had changed his delivery after the McDougald incident, but Score denied that – and had been pitching well to that point). At any rate,  from 1958 until he retired in 1962, Score was 17-26, 4.43.

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A PAINFUL WAY TO START THE SEASON

On April 9, 1990, Astros’ first baseman and cleanup hitter Glenn Davis was hit by a pitch an Opening Day record three times. Davis came to the plate six times and never put the ball in play – but still made only one out.  Davis (who led the league in HBP that season with eight) was hit by a pitch three times, walked twice and struck out once as the Astros lost to the visiting Reds 8-4.  Davis finished Opening Day with a batting average of .000, but an on-base percentage of .833.

Second Inning – Davis, leading off, HBP (on 1-0 count) from Tom Browning;

Third Inning – Davis (one out, none on) hit by a 2-2 pitch from Browning;

Fifth Inning – Five-pitch walk off Tim Layana;

Seventh Inning – Davis fans on three pitches from Norm Charlton;

Ninth Inning: Runner on second two out, Davis intentionally walked by Rob Dibble (score tied at four);

Eleventh Inning: Davis hit by pitch (one out, one on) on a 2-2 pitch from Randy Myers.

Davis played 10 MLB seasons (1984-93), hitting .259, with 190 home runs and 603 RBI.  He was hit by a pitch 55 times.

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OPENING DAY STARTS – GIMME FIVE!

Gaylord Perry ten scoreless innings in relief (seven hits. one walk, nine whiffs).

Gaylord Perry was honored by the most teams with Opening Day starts. He started on Opening Day for an MLB-record five different teams:

• Giants (1970)
• Indians (1972 through 1975)
• Rangers (1976)
• Padres (1978-79)
• Mariners (1983)

Perry pitched in 22 MLB seasons (1962-83 … Giants, Indians, Rangers, Padres, Yankees, Braves, Mariners, Royals. He went 314-265, 3.11, with won two Cy Young Awards, led his league in wins three times, wining 20+ games in five seasons.

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THE LONGEST DAY– 15 SHUTOUT INNINGS

On April 13, 1926, the Senators’ Walter Johnson pitched a 15-inning, complete-game shutout (six hits, three walks, nine strikeouts) as Washington topped the Philadelphia Athletics 1-0 in Washington.  The opposing starter, Eddie Rommel tossed the second-most innings in an Opening Day appearance – going 14 1/3, as Washington scored the winning run with one out in the 15th.  Johnson, by the way, was 38-years-old at the time.

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YOU CAN’T TOUCH THIS

Jimmy Key holds the record for Opening Day wins without a loss at seven – and he did in the minimum seven starts (Blue Jays, Yankees and Orioles). In those seven wins, he threw 44 1/3 innings, with a 3.05 ERA.

Key played in 15 MLB seasons (1984-98 … Blue Jays, Yankees, Orioles), going 186-117, 3.51. He was a five-time All Star and won 15 or more games in five seasons.

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BRINGING THE BOYS HOME SWEET HOME

The Opening Day single-game record for RBI (seven) is shared by the Twins’ Brant Alyea and the Cubs’ Corey Patterson.

On April 7, 1970 – in his very first game as a Twin – LF Brant Alyea drove in an Opening Day record seven runs as Minnesota topped the White Sox 12-0 in Chicago. Batting fifth, Alyea went four-for-four, with two home runs, two singles and two runs scored.  The game, it turned out, would foreshadow a strong April for Alyea.  In 17 April games, he hit .415, with seven runs, 23 RBI, four doubles and five home runs.

On March 31, 2003, the Cubs’ CF Corey Patterson tied Alyea’s record. In a 15-2 win over the Mets in New York, Patterson, batting seventh, drove in seven runs, going four-for-six with two home runs and two runs scored.  Patterson, a career .252 hitter (12 seasons), was a true Opening Day All Star. In seven Opening Day appearances, Patterson hit .440, with seven runs, 12 RBI and three home runs.

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EIGHT IS ENOUGH

Eight is a career magic number for Opening Day. Frank Robinson, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Adam Dunn share the career record for Opening Day home runs with eight each.  Robinsons were all hit in one-homer games, giving him the record for the most Opening Days with a home run.

—-BBRT KINGS OF OPENING DAY – IN THE BATTER’S BOX AND ON THE MOUND—- 

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Perhaps no one looked forward to Opening Day more than Ted Williams – the king of the Opening Day batter’s box.  A career .344 hitter, Williams was even better on Opening Day.  Teddy Ballgame played in fourteen “Openers” and was never held without a hit.  He compiled a .449 Opening Day average (22 hits in 49 at bats), with three home runs, eight doubles, one triple, nine runs scored, 14 RBI and eleven walks.  His Opening Day on-base percentage was .550 and his season-opener slugging percentage was .837.

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The Washington Senators’ Walter Johnson can be crowned king of the Opening Day hill.  On his first-ever Opening Day start (April 14, 1910), the 22-year-old Johnson tossed a 3-0 one-hit shutout against the Philadelphia Athletics.  Sixteen years (and 13 Opening Day starts) later, a 38-year-old Johnson fulfilled his last Opening Day assignment with a 15-inning, complete-game, 1-0 win (6 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts) over the A’s.  Johnson holds the record for Opening Day pitching victories with nine and shutouts with seven.

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

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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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Opening Day … A Gift Waiting to be Opened!

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.

Scorecards piling up.

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.

Today’s box score – a thing of beauty.

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.

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