Rick Monday … Figured It Out
Cubs’ CF Rick Monday’s first game against the Mets’ Tom Seaver (August 12, 1972) did not hold out much promise for the future. Monday struck out in his first three at bats against Seaver (second, fourth and sixth innings). Apparently having given up laying good wood on Seaver’s stuff, Monday attempted to bunt for a hit in the bottom of the ninth (with the game tied at one), but was thrown out third-to-first.
Surprisingly, after that slow (to put it kindly) start, Monday hit .366 versus Seaver over the remainder of his career – and his 11 home runs off Tom Terrific are the most Seaver gave up to any batter, as well as the most Monday hit against any pitcher.
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Who’s Your Daddy? What’s it all about?
That’s right, it’s time for the next edition of Baseball Roundtable’s “Who’s Your Daddy?” series … focusing on some of MLB’s premier pitchers – like Bob Feller, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan, as well as contemporary hurlers like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.
In this series, BBRT presents lineups of players who performed unexpectedly well against baseball’s top pitchers. (An explanation of the inspiration behind the Who’s Your Daddy? series can be found the end of this post.) As always, I would stress that the pitchers included in the Who’s Your Daddy? series are among the “best in the business.” They are selected not because of the players who performed well against them, but rather because success among hitters when they were on the mound was the exception rather than the rule.
Before we get started on this edition – focusing on Hall of Famer Tom “Tom Terrific” Seaver, here are links to the previous editions of this series:
- Nolan Ryan, click here.
- Sandy Koufax, click here.
- Pedro Martinez, click here.
- Bob Gibson, click here.
- Randy Johnson, click here.
- Greg Maddux, click here.
- Justin Verlander, click here.
- Bob Feller, click here.
- Roger Clemens, click here.
- Max Scherzer, click here.
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Now, let’s take a look at Tom Seaver and the players who seem to have his number (that would be “41,” by the way).
Hall of Famer right-hander Tom Seaver’s recognitions include three Cy Young Awards (1969, 1973, 1975) and the 1967 Rookie of the Year Award. During his 20-season MLB career (1967-86 …. ages 22 through 41 … Mets, Reds, White Sox, Red Sox), Seaver was a 12-time All Star. He won 20 or more games in five seasons and 15 or more in 13 campaigns. He retired with a 311-205, 2.86 record – and his 311 wins are 18th all-time. Seaver ranks in MLB’s all-time top ten in strikeouts (3,640 for sixth) and shutouts (61 for seventh). Seaver held hitters to a .226 batting average over his career.
Seaver led his league in wins three time, strikeouts five times (ten seasons with 200 or more whiffs), earned run average three times, shutouts twice, complete games once, strikeouts per nine innings six times and strikeouts-to-walks ratio three times. His best season was 1969, when he went 25-7, 2.21.
That’s a No-No
On June 16, 1978, Tom Seaver pitched a no-hitter in a 4-0 Reds’ win over the Cardinals. He walked three and fanned three and allowed only six fair balls out of the infield.
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On April 27, 1970, Tom Seaver was particularly dominant. Not only did he fan 19 batters in a complete-game, two-hit, 2-1 win over the Padres, he got stronger as the game went on. Seaver set an MLB single-game record for consecutive strikeouts with ten – and they were the last ten Padres’ hitters of the game.
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So, who could hit Tom Terrific?
Catcher – Ted Simmons … 33 hits, 14 walks
Ted Simmons had the sixth-most career, regular-season hits (33) against Tom Seaver and the seventh-most walks (14). That gave the Hall of Fame catcher a .297 career average and .373 on-base percentage in 37 games versus Seaver. Simmons’ best year against the righty was 1972 (when Seaver went 21-12, 2.92). That season, Simmons collected seven hits and two walks in 13 plate appearances over four games (.636 average/.692 OBP). The first two games in which Simmons faced Seaver that campaign, he got on base seven times in seven plate appearances: walk; single; single; two-run home run; RBI single; single; double.
The switch-hitting Simmons was an eight-time All Star, who finished his 21-season MLB career (1968-88 … Cardinals, Brewers, Braves) with a .285 average (2,472 hits), 248 home runs and 1,389 RBI. He hit 20 or more homes runs in six seasons, had 100 or more RBI three times and hit .300+ in seven full seasons. He also led the league in intentional walks twice. Among players who played primarily at catcher, Simmons is second all-time in in hits and doubles (Ivan Rodriguez is first) and second only to Yogi Berra in RBI. His best season was 1975, when he appeared in 157 games for the Cardinals (starting 148 at catcher) and hit .332, with 18 home runs and 100 RBI. Behind the plate, Simmons led the league in games played at catcher three times, and his 1,7771 games crouching behind the plate are 16th all-time.
Might as Well Be First
Ted Simmons was the first catcher to start in All Star games for both National League and the American League.
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Catcher John Tamargo (1976-80 … Cardinal, Giants, Expos) had the most plate appearances against Seaver without ever being retired. In four plate appearances over two games, he had two singles, a double and a walk. Tamargo was a .242 career hitter.
On the other side of the coin, among non-pitchers, Rance Mulliniks had the most plate appearances against Seaver without ever getting on base – zero-for-sixteen, with seven whiffs, over five games. (Among all players, pitcher Don Sutton holds this dubious mark against Seaver at zero-for twenty-two.)
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First Base – Tom Hutton … .320 average, 15 RBI, 11 walks versus five strikeouts
Tom Hutton drove in 15 runs versus Tom Seaver in 24 games – and, while Hutton was a career .248 hitter, Hutton hit .320 versus Tom Terrific and hit .333 or better in six of the nine seasons in which he faced him.
Hutton had a 12-season MLB career (1966, 1969, 1972-81 … Dodgers, Phillies, Blue Jays, Expos). Known more his glove than his bat, Hutton hit for a .248 career average, with 22 home runs and 186 RBI in 952 games.
Picking on Tom Terrific
Tim Hutton had more hits (16), home runs (3), RBI (15) and walks (11) against Tom Seaver than he had against any other pitcher.
Honorable mention at first base: Ten-time All Star Steve Garvey put up strong numbers versus Tom Seaver – .318-5-19 in 35 games. Hutton gets an edge on two counts. He did nearly as much damage (15 RBI to Garvey’s 19) in 11 fewer games – and Hutton has 11 walks and just five strikeouts versus Seaver, compared to Garvey’s six walks and 17 whiffs. (Hutton’s on-base percentage versus Seaver was .435 to Garvey’s .354.
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Second Base – Joe Morgan … .304 average, 22 walks, .425 OBP
Hall of Famer Joe Morgan’s 22 walks are the most Tom Seaver surrendered to any batter and Morgan’s five round trippers are the sixth-most against Seaver. In 36 games versus Seaver, Morgan went .304-5-11 (he also had seven doubles). That Morgan ended up getting those 22 free passes versus Seaver is no surprise. He walked in his first plate appearance versus Seaver (May 5, 1967) and, in his first two games against him, had three walks (and a single) in nine plate appearances.
Joe Morgan enjoyed a 22-season MLB career (1963-1984 … Astros, Reds, Giants, Phillies, A’s). He had a career average of .271 (2,517 hits), with 268 home runs, 1,153 RBI, 1,650 runs scores and 689 stolen bases (eleventh all-time). Morgan was a ten-time All Star, five-time Gold Glover and two-time MVP.
He led his league in runs scored once (scoring 100 or more runs in eight seasons); triples once (with ten or more three times); walks four times; and on-base percentage four times. While he never led the league in stolen bases, he stole 40 or more bags in nine seasons, with a high of 67 in 1973 and 1975. In the field, Morgan led NL second basement in putouts three times, assists once, double plays once and fielding percentage three time. He is third all-time at second base in assists (6,937), fourth in putouts (5,742) and sixth in double plays (1,505). He is fiftieth in errors (244).
Lucky 13
Joe Morgan is one of only 13 players to win back-to-back league MVP Awards (Reds – 1975 & 1976). For a look at BBRT’s lineup of players who belong to the Back-to Back MVP club, click here.
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Third Base – Bob Horner … .370, with four home runs in ten games
Bob Horner put up a .370 average (10-for-27) in ten games against Tom Seaver. Further, seven of his ten hits went for extra bases (three doubles and four home runs), for a .926 slugging percentage. On October 3, 1981, as the Braves downed Seaver and the Reds 4-3, Horner went two-for-two (sacrifice fly, solo home run, solo home run). He had a third at bat in the game, singling off reliever Tom Hume and eventually scoring the winning run.
Four Dingers … For the Loss
Bob Horner is one of just 18 players to hit four home runs in a single MLB game – and one of only two to do it in a game his team lost.
Horner had his four-homer day on July 6, 1986. As his Braves faced the Expos in Atlanta, Horner homered leading off the bottom of the second (off starter Andy McGaffigan) to give Atlanta a 1-0 lead. After the Expos scored one run in the third and three in the fourth, Horner homered again (off McGaffigan) with two out in the bottom of the fourth inning, cutting the deficit to 4-2. Montreal put up a six-spot in the top of the fifth, with Atlanta coming back with five in the bottom of the inning – with Horner again taking McGaffigan deep, this time a three-run shot. Still the Braves trailed 10-7. Horner popped out to first in the seventh (Braves trailing 11-7 at the time) and then added a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth (off Jeff Reardon), as the Braves lost 11-8 despite Horner’s four homers and six RBI.
Horner had a ten-season MLB career (with the Braves from 1978 through 1986 and Cardinals in 1988). He was a one-time All Star and finished with a career line of .277-218-685. He hit 30+ home runs in three seasons and drove in a high of 98 runs in 1979 (arguably his best season at .314-33-98).
Honorable mention at third base: Steve Ontiveros hit .500 (9-for-18) against Seaver in ten games, with two home runs and two RBI. Ontiveros also drew ten walks versus Seaver (for a .679 on-base percentage). In a nine-plate appearance streak against Seaver – over three games from May 7, 1974 to August 22, 1975 – Ontiveros got on base nine straight times (six walks, two singles, one home run). So why does Horner get the nod? Horner hit four home runs and drove in nine tallies in his ten games against Seaver, while Ontiveros has two home runs and just two RBI. BBRT will go with damage done.
Mikey Doesn’t Like It
Hall of Fame 3B Mike Schmidt did not have much luck against Seaver. He had just 16 hits in 30 games against him (.188 average) and fanned 35 times in 85 at bats.
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Shortstop – Dave Concepcion … .391 average
Dave Concepcion hit a healthy .391 (18-for-46) versus Seaver over 18 games. He also drew nine works versus the Hall of Fame right-hander – for a .491 on-base percentage. In his last eight trips to the plate (during the 1983 season), Concepcion had four walks, three singles and a ground out.
Concepcion had a 19-season MLB career (1970-88), all with the Reds. He was a career .267 hitter (2,326 hits, poked 101 home runs, drove in 950, scored 993 and stole 321 bases. A more than solid defender, Concepcion was a nine-time All Star and five-time Gold Glover. He twice hit .300+ and had seven seasons with 20+ steals. He hit career highs in home runs (16) and RBI (84) in 1979. In the field, Concepcion led NL shortstops in assists twice (and his 6,591 assists at the position are eleventh all-time); led NL shortstops in putouts once (and his 3,670 are 21st); and led the NL in double plays turned at shortstop once (his 1.,290 are ninth all-time). Concepcion hit .297-2-13 with 30 runs scored and seven steals in 34 post-season games.
All Star MVP
Dave Concepcion was selected MVP of the 1982 All Star Game, in which he went one-for-three, with a two=run home run off American League starter Dennis Eckersley. Yes, “Eck” started for the AL. That season, Eckersley was 13-13 in 33 starts for the Red Sox (11 complete games). At the All Star break, Eckersley was 9-7, 3.20, with nine complete games in 18 starts.
Honorable mention at SS: Cal Ripken, Jr. hit a nice round .400 (8-for-20), with three home runs and six RBI in seven games versus Seaver. That would seem to put him in this lineup (added power) over Concepcion. BBRT, however, factors in that Ripken’s at bats against Seaver came from 1984 through 1986 (Seaver’s last three MLB seasons), when Seaver was 38-35, 3.83. Concepcion faced Seaver from 1971 through 1983, when Tom was more Terrific, 198-126, 2.82.
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Outfield – Ricky Monday … .349 with 11 round trippers
Rick Monday’s 11 home runs versus Tom Seaver are the most Seaver gave up to any hitter and Monday’s 17 RBI are sixth-most. Couple those numbers with Monday’s .349 average against Seaver and you can see why Monday is in this line up.
Ricky Monday played 19 MLB seasons (1966-84 … A’s, Cubs, Dodgers). He was a two-time All Star (once in each league). Monday was a career .264 hitter (1,619 hits), and finished with 241 home runs, 775 RBI, 950 runs scored and 98 steals. He hit 20 or more home runs in three seasons. His best campaign was 1976, when he went .272, with a career high in home runs (32), RBI (77) and runs scored (107) for the Cubs. After the season (January 1, 1977), he was traded by the Cubs (along with Mike Garman) to the Dodgers (for Bill Buckner, Ivan de Jesus and minor-leaguer Jeff Albert).
First of the First
Rick Monday was the first player selected in the first-ever MLB draft (1965 – by the Kansas City Athletics). Note: In 1965, Monday was the Sporting News National (College) Player of the Year – after hitting .359 with 11 home runs for Arizona State University (1965 College World Series Champions) in his sophomore season. Monday also was selected for the 1965 NCAA University Division Baseball Tournament All-Tournament Team.
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Outfield – Willie Davis … 42 hits, .389 average
Willie Davis’ 42 hits (in 30 games) against Tom Seaver are the most safeties Sever gave up to any hitter. Davis faced Seaver in ten seasons (1967-76), hitting over .350 against him in six of them. Davishit safely in 27 of his thirty games against Seaver – with 11 mufti-hit games.
Willie Davis played 18 MLB seasons (1960-76, 1979 …. Dodgers, Expos, Rangers, Cardinals, Padres, Angels), 14 with the Dodgers. The two-time All Star hit .279 for his career (2,561 hits), topping .300 in three full seasons. He hit 182 home runs (a high of 21 in 1962), drove in 1,053 tallies (a high of 93 in 1970), scored 1,217 runs (a high of 103 in 1962) and swiped 398 bases (20 or more in 13 campaigns). He also led the league in triples twice and hit double-digits in three baggers four times. Davis was also a three-time Gold Glover.
On the Big Stage
Willie Davis can lay claim to a couple of World Series records – one on each side of the ledger.
In Game Five of the 1965 World Series (against the Twins), Davis earned a share of the World Series’ single-game record for stolen bases with three – stealing second base in the third, fourth and eighth innings. Others with three steals in a WS Game – Lou Brock (1967 & 1968), Honus Wagner (1908).
The following season, in Game Two of the Series against the Orioles, Davis (who would go on to become a three-time Gold Glover) set a World Series record by committing three errors in a single inning. The errors came on consecutive plays in the fifth inning. Coming into the top of the fame, the game was a scoreless tie (not unexpected, with Sandy Koufax versus Jim Palmer). Boog Powell led off with a single to left, followed by a Davey Johnson pop out on a fouled bunt attempt. Then, Davis lost a Paul Blair fly in the sun for an error – ending up with Powell on third and Blair on second. The sun got to Davis on the very next batter (Andy Etchebarren) resulting in a dropped fly ball, followed by Davis’ errant throw to third. Both Powell and Blair scored and Etchebarren ended up on third. Sadly, this was to be the last game ever pitched by Koufax, who retired before the following season. In a 7-0 loss, the Dodgers made a total of six errors, five during the six innings Koufax was in the game. Koufax gave up four runs (one earned) on six hits (two walks – two strikeouts) and took the loss in his last MLB mound appearance.
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Outfield – Dusty Baker … .347, 20 runs batted in
Dusty Baker’s 20 RBI versus Tom Seaver ties Willie Stargell for the most career RBI against the Hall of Fame righty. Baker’s 33 hits (in 34 games) are the sixth-most against Seaver, as are his five home runs.
Baker played 19 MLB seasons (1968-86 … Braves, Dodgers, Giants, A’s), hitting .278 (1,981 hits, with 242 home runs, 1,103 RBI, 964 runs scored and 137 stolen bases). He was a two-time All Star and one-time Gold Glover. Baker hit 20 or more home runs in five seasons, topped 100 runs scored one, reached a career-high 99 RBI in 1973 and hit .300 or better three times. Baker’s best season was 1980, when he hit .297-29-97 and stole 12 bases. In 40 post-season games, Baker went .282-5-21.
High Five History
On the last day of the 1977 season (October 2), Baker and the Dodgers were playing the Houston Astros in Los Angeles. At that point, three Dodgers had reached the thirty-home run mark, 1B Steve Garvey with 33, RF Reggie Smith with 32 and 3B Ron Cey with 30. LF Dusty Baker stood just one long ball away from 30 dingers – which would make the Dodgers the very first MLB club with four 30-HR players in a single season. Baker gave the Dodgers the record by taking J.R. Richard deep in the bottom of the sixth.
Legend has it that, as Baker crossed the plate, his rookie teammate Glenn Burke was waiting, right arm high in the air in celebration. Baker reportedly didn’t know exactly what to do, so he reached up and slapped Burke’s hand. That, they say, is when the “high five” was born (and it quickly became a symbol of Dodger pride). Burke, by the way, batted next and hit his first MLB home run. Note: There are other stories regarding the origin of the high five, the most notable involving the University of Louisville basketball team. But being a baseball fan, I’m sticking with the Baker-Burke tale. Also The Burke-Davis high five preceded, in time, the other most credible story (Louisville).
While the four 30-HR player mark would be tied over the years, it wasn’t topped until 2019, when the Twins broke the record with five 30-HR players(Nelson Cruz, Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario, Mitch Garver, Miguel Sano).
Honorable mention, outfield: Terry Puhl probably should have been a fourth outfielder – or at least a DH in this lineup. It’s just that this outfield lineup was tough to crack. In 17 games against Seaver, Puhl hit .444 (20-for-45), with two home runs and eight RBI. Puhl, by the way, hit .280 over a 15-season MLB career (1977-91) with the Astros. He had 62 career home runs, 435 RBI, 676 runs scored and 217 steals.
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Pitcher – Ray Sadecki … three-for-six
Ray Sadecki faced Tom Seaver nine times (in three games) and came a away with three singles, two walks, a sacrifice bunt, two ground outs and a fly out (no strikeouts) for a .500 average and a .625 on-base percentage.
In his three games versus Tom Seaver, southpaw Ray Sadecki went 2-1, pitching 21 2/3 innings, giving up five earned runs (2.08 ERA), on 13 hits and four walks, while fanning 26. Seaver went 1-2, going 20 2/3 innings, giving up five earned runs (2.18), on 20 hits, 11 walks, with 16 strikeouts,.
Sadecki had a 18-season MLB career (1960-77 … Cardinals, Giants, Mets, Braves, Royals, Brewers). He went 135-131, 3.78 in 563 appearances (328 starts). He threw 20 shutouts and fanned 1,614 batters in 2,500 1/3 innings. His best season was 1964, when he went 20-11, 3.68. As a hitter, Sadecki averaged .191 (151-for-789) and had five home runs and 56 RBI.
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Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Stathead.com; MLB.com
Who’s Your Daddy? What It’s All About.
On September 24, 2004, in the middle of a tight pennant race, the Yankees handed future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez and the Boston Red Sox a tough 6-4 loss. Martinez went 7 1/3 innings giving up nine hits and five earned runs. The game came just five days after (in his previous start) Martinez had lasted just five frames against the Bronx Bombers (eight hits, eight earned runs) in a 16-7 loss.
After that second loss, Martinez candidly commented, “What can I say? I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy.” Little did he know that his comment – and a Yankee fans’ chant of “Who’s your daddy?” would follow him into future starts in New York (all the way to his final MLB start – against the Yankees for the Phillies – in Game Six of the 2009 World Series.)
The concept of “Who’s your daddy?” became the inspiration for Baseball Roundtable to take a look at the players who “had the number” of some of MLB’s premier pitchers. Again, you can find links to the previous “editions” of “Who’s Your Daddy?” near the top of this post.
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