Welcome to another edition Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday, a weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye. (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances or statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. For longer “Tidbits,” I’ll direct you to the Baseball Roundtable blog. This is one of those Tidbits, although you could easily stop at the end of this page and still have a full story or two. To check out previous Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesdays, type Trivia(l) in the search box on the right hand side of the page.
Man on the Run
Rickey Henderson, MLB’s all-time stolen base leader, stole his career-high (single-game) five bases in a game in which he did not record a single at bat.
On July 29, 1989, MLB’s running man – A’s LF Rickey Henderson – became the first and still only (I do love MLB “unicorns”) MLB player to steal five bases in a game in which he did not record a single at bat. The thefts came in an A’s 14-6 loss to the Mariners (in Oakland) and his day went like this:
First Inning – Drew a leadoff walk on a 3-2 pitch from Randy Johnson. While the next batter, 3B Carney Lansford, was at the plate, Henderson stole second and third bases. He then scored as Lansford reached first on an error.
Third Inning – Drew another leadoff walk versus Johnson, again on a 3-2 pitch. On the second pitch to Lansford, Henderson stole second. On the next pitch, he scored on a Lansford double.
Fifth Inning – Leading off the inning again, Henderson was again walked by Johnson, this time on four pitches. He stole second on the first pitch to Lansford and later scored as 1B Mark McGwire reached on an error.
Sixth Inning – This time, Henderson came to the plate – again against Johnson – with one on and two out. He walked on another 3-2 pitch. Then, on the first pitch to Lansford, Henderson swiped second as part of a double steal. On the next pitch he scored on a Lansford double.
So, four plate appearances, four walks (no at bats) and Henderson’s only five-steal MLB game.
Henderson, by the way, finished 1989 at .274-12-57, leading MLB with 77 steals and 113 runs scored (tied). He also led the AL in walks with 126. Over his 25-season MLB career (1979-2003b… A’s, Yankees, Blue Jays, Padres, Angels, Mets, Mariners, Red Sox, Dodgers), Henderson went .279-297-1,115, with an MLB-record 1,406 steals and an MLB-record 2,295 runs scored. His 2,190 career walks are second only to Barry Bonds. The ten-time All Star led the league in stolen bases 12 times (seven seasons consecutively … 1980-86). He also stole 100 or more bases in three seasons.
Of course, with Baseball Roundtable, one thing always leads to another. So, let’s look at a few more “no-at bat” records.
Most Plate Appearances in an MLB Game Without a Single At Bat (Seven)
On May 8, 2016, as the Nationals lost to the Cubs 4-3 in 13 innings in Chicago, Nationals’ Bryce Harper came to the plate seven times and reached base seven times without ever putting the ball in play (thus, recording zero at bats). Those seven plate appearances and seven times on base without an at bat are both MLB single-game records. Harper drew six walks (three intentional) and was hit by a pitch.
Three players share the record for plate appearances without an at bat in a nine-inning game at six.
- Cardinals’ 2B (and Hall of Famer) Miller Huggins … June 1, 1910 – In a 10-5 Cardinals’ win over the Phillies in Philadelphia, Huggins came to the plate six times and recorded four walks, two sacrifice bunts, one run scored and two RBI. Huggins played 13 MLB seasons (1904-16 … Reds, Cardinals) and hit .265-9-318, with 948 runs and 324 steals. He led the NL in walks four times.
- Braves’ SS Billy Urbanski … June 13, 1934 – Urbanski came to the plate six times and, like Huggins above, drew four walks and laid down a pair of sacrifices. He scored once in the Braves 9-0 win over the Cardinals in St. Louis. Urbanski played in seven MLB seasons (1931-37), all for the Braves. He hit .260-19-207 over 763 games. He drew only 198 career walks and had just that one four-walk game (also just one three-walk contest).
- Red Sox’ 1B (and Hall of Famer) Jimmie Foxx … June 16, 1938 – As the Red Sox topped the Browns 12-8 in St, Louis, Jimmie Foxx came to the plate six times and walked six times. He scored two runs in the game. That the Browns wanted nothing to do with Foxx should be no surprise, he was on his way to a .360-50-175 season (and his third MVP Award). Foxx played 20 MLB seasons (1925-42, 1944-45 … Athletics, Red Sox, Cubs, Phillies), hitting .325-534-1,922. The nine-time All Star won three MVP Awards and one Triple Crown and led the league in homers five times, RBI three times and average twice.
Most RBI for a Player in an MLB Game Without Single At Bat (Three)
Pirates’ RF Clyde Barnhart … September 13, 1923 – As the Pirates topped the Robins in Pittsburgh, Pirates’ RF and cleanup hitter Barnhart drove in half of the Pirates runs without recording an at bat. All three RBI came on sacrifice flies. In four plate appearances he had those three SF and a walk. That season, Barnhardt hit .324-9-72. He played in nine MLB seasons (1920-28), all for the Pirates, and hit .295-27-436.
Side note: Sacrifice fly rules were changed often over time, During the 1923 season, sacrifice flies and sacrifice hits (bunts) were not separated in MLB stats. So, you do not see Barnhart listed among those sharing the single-game sac fly record (at three). However, the baseball-reference.com play-by-play indicates that (by current rules) he did record three sac flies on September 13, 1923.
Twins DH (and Hall of Famer) David Ortiz … July 3, 2000 – Ortiz, at DH and in the number-seven spot in the lineup managed to drive in three runs without recording an at bat – against the team he would eventually earn his way into the Hall of Fame with (the Red Sox). It came in a Twins’ 11-8 loss in Minnesota and Ortiz:
- Drew a bases loaded walk off Ramon Martinez in the first inning;
- Lofted an RBI sacrifice fly off Martinez in the third;
- Recorded a second RBI sac fly (off Hipolito Pichardo) in the fourth;
- Was pinch hit for in the sixth (by Butch Huskey) ending his evening’s work, with three plate appearances, no at bats and three RBI.
Ortiz, of course, went on to a Hall of Fame career (after a being released by the Twins in December 2002 and signing with the Red Sox in January 2003). While he never hit more than 20 home runs in a season as a Twin, the ten-time All Star hit 30 or more long balls in ten of 14 seasons In Boston, with a high of 54 in 2006. He was a ten-time All Star (all with Boston) and hit .286-541-1,768 over 20 MLB seasons (1997-2016).
Going Out In Style
In his final (age-40) MLB season, David Ortiz hit .315-38-127 in 151 games – and led the AL in doubles, slugging percentage and on-base+slugging.
Most Runs Scored by a Player in an MLB Game Without Recording a Plate Appearance (Four)
Six players share the record for more runs scored in a game without a plate appearance at four.
- Blues RF (and Hall of Famer) Elmer Flick … July 18,1902 – As the Cleveland Blues topped the Boston Americans 14-4 in Boston, Flick (in RF batting fifth) came to bat five times, walked four times, was hit by a pitch, scored four times and drove in one run. Flick played 13 MLB seasons (1898-1910 … Phillies, Athletics, Blues/Naps), hitting .313-48-76. He led the league in runs once, triples three times, RBI once, steals twice and average once.
- Giants’ LF Sam Mertes … August 12, 1903 – Mertes, batting cleanup, drew five walks (and scored four runs) in five plate appearances. – as the Giants topped the Cardinals 14-4 in New York. Mertes played 10 MLB seasons (1896, 1898-1906 … Phillies, Orphans, White Sox, Giants, Cardinals), hitting .279-40-721 in 1,190 games. In 1903, he led the NL with 104 RBI, while hitting .280, with seven homers.
- Indians’ CF (and Hall of Famer) Lary Doby … September 19, 1951 – As the Indians routed the Red Sox 15-2 in Boston, Doby (batting third) came to the plate five times, walked five times and scored four runs. Doby played in 17 MLB seasons (1942-44, 1946-59 … Newark Eagles, Indians, White Sox, Tigers), hitting .288-273-1,099. The nine-time All Star was a Negro National League batting champion, and led the American League in runs once, home runs twice and RBI once.
- Reds’ 2B (and Hall of Famer) Joe Morgan … July 27, 1973 – Morgan – batting in the two-hole … came to bat four times, drew four walks and scored four runs, as the Reds bested the Braves 12-2 in Cincinnati. Morgan played in 22 MLB seasons (1963-84 … Astros, Reds, Giants, Phillies, A’s), hitting .271-268-1,133, with 1,650 runs scored and 689 steals in 2,649 games. He was a two-time MVP, 10-time All Star and five-time Gold Glover. He led the league in walks four times and eight times drew 100+ walks in a season.
- A’s LF (and Hall of Famer) Rickey Henderson … July 29, 1989 – In the same game in which he stole five bases without an at bat, Henderson drew four walks and scored four runs in four plate appearances.
- Nationals’ CF Bryce Harper … September 3, 2003 – Harper came to the plate four times in a Nationals’ 15-1 trouncing of the Braves (in Washington D.C.). He walked four times and scored four runs. One of those walks came with the sacks full, giving him an RBI. Still active, as this is written, Harper is in his 13the MLB seasons (Nationals Phillies). He is an eight-time All Star and two-time MVP.
Coming Soon – This post led me to look at Most Runs Surrendered by a Pitcher in a Game in which he Did Not Record a Single Out (credited with zero innings pitched).
Primary Resource: Baseball-Reference.com
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