The Reverse Unicorn

Since 1980, only two pitchers have “achieved” twenty or more losses in a single season. In that same span, there have been 131 pitcher seasons of twenty or more wins.

Regular readers of Baseball Roundtable know how my mind tends to wander during the off-season – leading to the exploration of a wide range of baseball topics (particularly rarities and oddities). Admittedly as “One thing seems to lead to another,” these posts can at times seem like watching a series of unrelated slides (I hope most of you remember slides).  Each post, however, can be traced to an overarching theme. Most recently, there were posts on 20-game winners (click here for that one), 100-RBI seasons (click here) and zero-home run seasons (click here).

This foundation of this post will a what I consider a reverse unicorn, the increasingly rare pitcher-seasons of 20 or more losses.

How rare have 20-loss seasons become?  As noted earlier, they have been only two 20-loss seasons since 1980.  The last 20-loss campaign belongs to the Tigers’ Mike Maroth, who went 9-21, 5.73 in 2003. (More on that later). As the chart below shows 295 of the 499 20-loss seasons (59.1%) occurred before 1900 … and the appearance of these reverse unicorns” has dwindled steadily since.

The 1884 season saw the most 20-loss campaigns, as 25 pitchers reached or exceeded twenty defeats. (The 1884 season featured 33 majo- league teams … National League, Union Association and American Association.) Notably, 12 of those pitchers also won 20 or more games and eight finished above .500.

There are some pretty obvious reasons for this, centered around pitcher usage.  Over the years, such factors expanding rotations (from two-to-five or more pitcher rotations), larger pitching staffs and relief specialists (middle men, set-up men, closers), pitch counts (and fewer complete games) all have helped make it harder for a pitcher to reach 20 losses (or twenty wins, for that matter). Consider, in 1890, 37 pitchers started 35 or more games (eight of those had 50-plus starts). In 2023, only one pitcher – Mike Mikolas of the Cardinals – accrued 35 starts. We’ll get to why I picked 35 starts as a focus point in a bit.

That chart below illustrates some the change MLB has seen – as complete games have plummeted and the number of pitchers used by teams each season had risen. In sheer raw numbers, 2003 saw 35 complete games in 4,869 starts; 1960 saw 665 complete games in 2,472 starts; and 1890 saw 2,879 complete games in 3,218 starts.

Now, as to my observation of the “sweet spot” for 20 losses (or twenty wins) – historically two of every three seasons of twenty or more losses (or twenty or more wins) belong to a pitcher with 35 or more starts.

Now, this post is about 20-game losers, so I thought I better start to steer this ship back in that direction. I went back to 1974, the last season MLB saw at least five 20-game losers: Steve Rogers (Expos, 15-22, 4.47), Bill Bonham (Cubs, 11-22, 3.86), Randy Jones (Padres, 8-22, 4.45), Mickey Lolich (Tigers, 16-21, 4.15) and Clyde Wright (Brewers, 9-20, 4.42).  A few comparisons:

• These five (the five losingest pitchers in MLB in 1974) had a cumulative 181 starts, with 67 complete games and 28 complete-game losses. MLB’s five winningest pitchers in 20023 (Spencer Strider, Zac Gallen, Chris Bassitt, Zach Elfin and Justin Steele) had 160 starts, two complete games and zero complete-game losses.
• 1974’s five 20-game losers had 67 complete games and 28 complete-game losses, while all of MLB saw just 35 complete games and seven complete-game losses in 2023.

A Unicorn

The Kansas City Royals’ Jordan Lyles tied for the major-league lead in complete games in 2023 (with three).  All three of his complete games were losses – and I can find no other instance of the MLB leader in complete games recording not a single complete-game victory. Lyles’ final line on the season, 6-17, 6.28.

Now, let’s look at some rarities and oddities among 20-game losers.

Pud Galvin – King of the 20-Game Losers

Photo: Goodwin & Company, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

If the corps of 20-game loser had a king, his name would be James Francis “Pud” Galvin – who holds the MLB record for 20-loss seasons at ten, and who rang them up consecutively 1879-1888. Galvin, however, was clearly no loser – pitching his way into the Baseball Hall of Fame with a 365-310, 2.85 record over 15 MLB seasons (1875, 1879-1892 … St. Louis Brown Stockings, Buffalo Bisons, Allegheny City, Pittsburgh Burgers, St. Louis Browns.)

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Pud Galvin recorded MLB seasons of twenty or more losses in the National League, American Association and Players League.

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In his ten-year streak of season with 20 or more losses, Galvin seven times won more games than he lost. Galvin was known for pinpoint control of his fastball, fine fielding and an exceptional pickoff move that spurred many protests from opposing players, coaches and managers.

Galvin’s best seasons were 1883 and 1884, with the National League Buffalo Bisons.  In 1883, Galvin went 46-29, with a 2.72 earned run average and led the league in games (76), starts (75), complete games (72), shutouts (five) and innings pitched 656 1/3.  He followed that up with an 1884 campaign that again included 46 wins (22 losses), 71 complete games in 72 starts, 636 1/3 innings pitched and a league-leading 12 shutouts.  It truly was a different game back then. Consider Buffalo had a 116-92-5 record over those two seasons and Galvin started 148 (80%) and completed 147 of those 183 games.

Those Were The Days, My Friends

During his streak of ten consecutive 20+loss season, Galvin went 301-253, 2.71 and threw 535 complete games in 573 starts.

During his career, Galvin had ten seasons of 20 or more wins and ten seasons of 20 or more losses.  He reached both figures in nine seasons. Surprisingly, he never led his league in wins or losses.

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The Most Recent 20-Game Loser – Mike Maroth

Photo: Wknight94, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

Southpaw Mike Maroth is the most recent 20-game loser.  Maroth went 9-21, 5.73 for the 2003 Tigers, a team that went 43-119 and finished in last place (47 games off the pace) in the AL Central Division. Maroth may have been the “ace” of the Tiger staff (he was the Opening Day starter). Maroth led the Tigers in wins, and starts – no other Tiger hurler won more than six games that season.

Consistency

After ten starts, Maroth was 0-9, 5.73 (right where his season-ending ERA stood).

Maroth had a six-season MLB career (2002-07 … Tigers, Cardinals), going 50-67, 5.05.

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Searching for a Won-Lost Rarity

Looking through records, I found that 126 of the 499 seasons (25.3%) of 20 or more losses saw the pitcher lead the league in losses. No rare air there.  Twenty of those 499 seasons (four percent) saw a pitcher with 20 or more losses lead the league in wins. Rarer, but hardly unicorn status.  Ah, but wait, how about 20-game losers who led their league in both wins and losses?  Bingo, just two!

Jim Whitney, 1881 Boston (National League)

Jim Whitney, as a hard-throwing 23-year-old rookie, went 31-33 for the 1881 Boston NL squad, leading the National League in both wins and losses. He put up a 2.48 earned run average (the league average was 3.13) and led the NL in games (66), starts (63) and complete games (57). Whitney went on to a 10-season MLB career (1881-1890 … Boston, Kansas City Cowboys, Washington Nationals, and Indianapolis Hoosiers and the American Association Philadelphia Athletics).  He had five seasons of 20 or more wins and seven seasons of 20+ losses – producing a career stat line of 191-204, 2.97.

Phil Niekro, 1979 Atlanta Braves

Photo: Texas Rangers via tradingcarddb.com, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1979, knuckleballer – and future Hall of famer – Phil Niekro became just the second pitcher to lose 20 or more games and lead his league in wins and losses in the same season. Pitching for a Braves’ squad that went 66-94, Niekro went 21-20, 3.39, leading the NL in starts (44), complete games (23), innings pitched (342) – as well as in home runs allowed (41), walks (113) and hit batsmen (11).  Adding to the oddity, Niekro tied for the NL lead in wins … with his brother Joe, who went 21-11 for the Astros. Phil Niekro hovered around .500 all season He was 3-4 as of May 1; 5-8 as of June 1; 10-10 as of July 1; 14-13 on August 1. He went into the season’s final month at 17-17 and went 4-3, 2.65 in September to close out a 21-20.

A Recent Rarity

Phil Niekro is the last MLB pitcher to lose 20 games in a season and still have a .500+ winning percentage.  Before Niekro, that distinction belonged to Walter Johnson, who went 25-20 for the 1916 Washington Nationals.   

Niekro pitched in 24 MLB seasons (1964-87 … Braves, Yankees, Indians, Blue Jays).  He went 318-274, 3.35 and recorded 245 complete games in 716 starts. He was a five-time All Star and three-time 20-game winner (leading the NL in wins twice).  He also led the NL in winning percentage once, starts four times, complete games four times, innings pitched four times and strikeouts once. On the flip side, he led the league in losses four times (twice losing 20 games in a season), home runs allowed four times, walks three times, hit batsmen three times and wild pitches three times.

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Fewest Starts in a 20-loss Season …. 20 – Les German

In 1896, Les German split his season between the NL New York Giants and Washington Senators – going 2-20, 6.43.  He started 20 games and relieved in eight. German pitched six MLB seasons (1890, 1893-97), going 34-63, 5.45.

Fewest Wins in a 20-loss Season … 1 – John Cassidy & Jack Nabors

John Cassidy went 1-21. 3.03 in 1875, for the National Association Brooklyn Atlantics. It was the 20-year-old’s rookie season. He forged an 11-season MLB career (1875-1885 … Brooklyn Atlantics, New Haven Elm Citys, Hartford Dark Blues, Chicago White Stockings, Troy Trojans, Providence Grays, Brooklyn), but only pitched in two seasons 1875 and 1877 (two games). As an outfielder/first baseman, he hit .246-5-191 over his career.,

John Cassidy’s .045 winning percentage in 1875 is the lowest ever for a pitcher who lost 20 or more games in a season.

Jack Nabors went 1-20, 3.47 for the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics. It was the righthander’s only full MLB season, (He pitched in ten games for the Athletics as a 27-year-old rookie in 1915 and in two games in 1917.)  In that 1916 season, he pitched in 40 games (30 starts) and had 11 complete games.

A Good Start – The Finish, Not So Much

Jack Nabors’ only win in 1816 came in his first start of the season (April 22), when he beat the Red Sox 6-2.  He threw a nine-inning complete game: eight hits, two runs (unearned), two walks and four whiffs. Little did he know it would be the only “W” he would see by his name in his MLB career.  Nabors’ career record was 1-25, 3.87 (52 games, 37 starts, 13 complete games). 

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Most Wins By A Pitcher ins a Season of Twenty or More Losses – 52, Guy Hecker, 1885 Louisville Colonels, American Association

Photo: Goodwin & Co., sponsor, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

First, a look into the search for a rarity that led to this portion of the post. (This is also a “one thing leads to another” example of Baseball Roundtable and the statistical rabbit hole.)   As I scoured through stats, I saw that, in 107 (21.4%) of MLB’s 499 20-loss seasons, the pitcher put up a winning percentage of .500 or better. I also noted that the 1884 season saw the most 20-loss campaigns, as 25 pitchers reached or exceeded twenty defeats and that nine of those pitchers (36 %) finished at .500 or better.   (The 1884 season featured 33 major-league teams … National League, Union Association and American Association.) No rarities here.  But 1884, did turn up some 20-game loser rarities.

The most wins by a pitcher in a season with 20 or more losses is 52 by the 1884 Louisville Colonels’ (American Association) Guy Hecker (52-20, with a 1.80 earned run average).  That season, Hecker led the AA in wins, earned run average, games (75), starts (73), complete games (72), innings pitched (670 2/3), hits allowed (526) and strikeouts (385). As you would expect, his  .722 winning percentage is the best ever in a season of 20 or more losses.

Hecker finished his nine-season MLB career at 175-46, 2.93, with a .282 batting average (he pitched in 336 games, played first base in 322 and outfield in 75).

A Bit of an Oddity

Guy Hecker won the American Association ERA title in 1884 (1.80) and the league’s batting title in 1886 (.341).

The most wins in a 20-loss season since 1900 belong to Joe McGinnity, who went 31-20, 2.43 for the 1903 Giants. He led the league in wins games (55), starts (48), complete games (44) and innings pitched (434).  His .608 winning percentage is also the best in a 20 or more-loss season since 1900. In 19 MLB seasons (1899-1908 … Orioles, Superbas, Giants), McGinnity went 246-142, 2.66. He won 20 or more games in eight seasons (leading the league five times) and lost 20 or more in two seasons.

An Oddity of the One Thing Leads to Another Variety

This one is from one of Hall of Famer Iron Joe McGinnity’s 20-loss seasons. In August of 1903, the Giants’ McGinnity started both games of a doubleheader three times (August 1, 8 and 31) and won all six games. That same month, he pitched just one game on six occasions – and went 1-5. On the season, he went 31-20, 2.43.

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Here’s the Ball, Go Get’ Em Rook

A total of 77 rookies have lost 20 or more games – 56 pre-1900, 21 since 1900 and just two since 1960.

The last rookie to rack up a 20-loss season was the Padres’ Clay Kirby – in 1969, when he went 7-20, 3.80.  He went on to an eight-season MLB career (1969-76 … Padres, Reds. Expos), going 75-104, 3.84.  His best season was 1971, when he went 15-13, 2.93, with 13 complete games in 36 starts for the Padres.

One and Out

Twenty-six pitchers have lost 20 or more games in their final MLB season. For ten of those players, it was their ONLY MLB season. Nine of those ten played before 1900.  The unicorn, in this case, was Henry Keupper, who went 8-20, 4.27 for the 1914 Federal League St. Louis Terriers.  The most losses for any of these one season-and-out pitchers goes to George Cobb of the 1892 National League Baltimore Orioles, who went 10-37, 4.86 in his lone MLB season. 

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The Win-Loss Yo-Yo

Photo: Chicago White Sox, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Since 1900, only one pitcher has TWICE put up a season of twenty losses immediately after a season of twenty wins.  That unicorn would be the White Sox’ Wilbur Wood, who accomplished the feat between 1972 and 1975.

Wood was an All Star in 1972, going 24-17 for the White Sox (leading the league in wins). In 1973, he lost 20 games (but again led the AL with 24 wins). Then, in 1974, he went 20-198, 3.60, before losing 20 games (16 wins) in 1975.

Wood – a southpaw knuckleball pitcher – started his MLB career primarily as a reliever, just 21 starts in 365 appearances between 1961 and 1970. He was converted to a starter by the White Sox in 1971 and won 20 or more games in each of the next four seasons.  He played in 17 MLB seasons, going 164-156, 3.13, with 57 saves. He made a total of 651 appearances (297 starts).  Wood was a three-time All Star and led his league in wins twice (losses once), games pitched three times, games started four times, and innings pitched twice.

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Here’s a look at pitchers, since 1900, who have either followed up a 20-win season with 20 losses in the next campaign, or followed a 20-loss season immediately with a 20-win season.

We’re closing in on the end. (Still with me?)

My Three favorite 20-game Losers — Two Youngs and a Larsen

1.  Don Larsen … In 1954, just two years before he would pitch a World Series Perfect Game for the Yankees, Larsen went 3021, 4.37 for the Orioles (The Orioles were 54-100 that season.) Larsen went 81-91, 3.78 in 14 MLB seasons.
2. Cy Young …  MLB’s winningest pitcher (511 victories) also lost the most career games (315). His record included three seasons of 20 or more losses (in two of those he had more wins than losses). In 1909, his age-39 seasons, Young went 13-21, 3.19 for the Boston Americans of the  AL. In is 22-season  MLB career, 16 seasons of 20 or more wins (five of those of 30 or more).
3. Irv Young … There have been only two MLB teams to “boast” four twenty-game loser in the same season and Irv Young was one of the 20-game losers on both of them.  The 1905 Boston Beaneaters featured a rotation that included Vic Willis (12-29), Chick Fraser (14-21), Irvin Wilhelm (3-23) and the “ace” of the staff, Irv Young (20-21). Boston finished 51-103-2. The very next season, Boston Young again led the Boston staff with a 16-25 record, followed up by Vive Lindaman (12-23), Jeff Pfeffer (13-22) and Gus Dorner (8-25).  That season, Boston finished 49-102-1.

Special thanks to Bill Nowlin and Emmet R. Nowlin, editors of “20-Game Losers” (Society for American Baseball Research Inc., 2017) for including a chapter on “A Staff With Four Twenty Game Losers” in that publication.

Baseball Balance: As noted above only two MLB teams have completed a season with four twenty-game losses.  On the other end of the scales, only two teams have finished a season with four twenty-game winners: the 1920 White sox, with Red Faber (23-13), Lefty Williams (22-14), Dickey Kerr (21-9) and Eddie Cicotte (21-10) & the 1971 Orioles, with Dave McNally (21-5), Pat Dobson (20-8), Jim Palmer (20-9) and Mike Cueller (20-9).

Deep breath, here’s the finish line.

The name game.  Some pitchers (whose names stuck out for me) with 20-loss seasons under their belts: Steve Carlton; Walter Johnson; Jerry Koosman; Mickey Lolich; Rube Marquard; Denny McLain; Old Hoss Radbourn; Eppa Rixey; Robin Roberts; Red Ruffing; Amos Rusie; Mel Stottlemyre; Luis Tiant.

Nicknames. Ah, those were the days.  Here are some 20-game losers with nicknames that grabbed me: Ice Box Chamberlain; Egyptian Healy; Phenomenal Smith; Tricky Nichols; The Only Nolan; Brickyard Kennedy; Bullet Joe Bush; Boom-Boom Beck; Pretzels Getzien; Cherokee Fisher; Pink Hawley; Sad Sam Jones; Bobo Newsom.

Primary Resource: Baseball Reference.com.

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P1019

Welcome to the 19th post in the Baseball Roundtable’s “Who’s Your Daddy?” series, where we take a look at Roundtable-selected lineups that performed exceptionally well against some of MLB’s greatest pitchers.

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.  We’ve looked at pitchers from a wide range of eras – from Carl Hubbell to Bob Feller to Nolan Ryan to Justin Verlander. Note:  For those unfamiliar with the series, its origins are explained at the end of this post.

This chapter of Who’s You Daddy? Focuses on Tom Glavine – one of just six left-handed pitchers to attain 300 or more major-league victories. In case it should come up in a trivia quiz, here they are (in order of total wins): Warren Spahn (363): Steve Carlton (329); Eddie Plank (326); Tom Glavine (305); Randy Johnson (303); and  Lefty Grove (300).  

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Before we get started on this edition, here are links to the previous editions of this series.

Please note: For still active pitchers, the stats are as they stood on the date of the post.

• 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.
• Tom Seaver, click here.
• Mariano Rivera, click here.
• Warren Spahn, click here.
• Lefty Grove, click here.
• Steve Carlton, click here.
• Robin Roberts, click here.
• Carl Hubbell, click here. 
• For Hoyt Wilhelm, click here.

If you go back through past editions of “Who’s Your Daddy?”, you may find a few surprises – like how Will Clark owned Nolan Ryan; Jerry Lynch‘s .714 average versus Sandy Koufax; pitcher Hal Jeffcoat’s .545 average versus Hoyt Wilhelm; the fact that Brian Harper faced Roger Clemens 23 times and never struck out; or how Ival Goodman (who averaged one home run each 47 at bats over his 10-season MLB career) poked six home runs in just 64 at bats against Carl Hubbell.

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Photo: jimmyack205, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Before we get into the lineup of players who fared especially well against Tom Glavine, let’s take a look at the southpaw’s Hall of Fame career.  Glavine pitched in 22 MLB seasons (1987-2008, his age-21 through age-42 seasons). He spent 17 seasons with the Braves and five with the Mets.  Glavine’s 305 wins (versus 203 losses) are 21^st all-time and fourth among lefthanders. His .600 wining percentage is 14^th among the 24 MLB 300-game winners.

One-Two Punch … Left Jab-Right Hook

The leaders in pitching victories for the decade of the 1990s spent seven of the ten years of the decade together  in the Braves’ rotation. Righty Greg Maddux, whose decade saw him spend 1990-92 with the Cubs and 1993-99 with the Braves, led all MLB pitchers with 176 wins in the decade.  Southpaw Tom Glavine, who spend the entire decade with the Braves, was second with 164.  Maddux and Glavine both won 300+ games in their MLB careers and were both 2014 first-ballot electees to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Glavine – a ten-time All Star and two-time Cy Young Award winner – was primarily a fastball-changeup pitcher for most of his career (although he could mix in an effective curve, slider and cutter). He was known for pinpoint control, avoiding the middle of the plate and expanding the strike zone, particularly low-and-away. He won 20 or more games in five seasons (four in the 1990s) – leading the NL in wins each time. He led the National League in starts six times, complete games once and shutouts once.  A workhorse, Glavine started 32 or more games in 17 seasons, including every season from 1996 through 2007.

Baseball Roundtable Likes a Good Coincidence

In his first MLB season (at age 21), Tom Glavine went 2-4, with a 5.54 earned run average for the Braves.  In his final MLB season (age 42), Glavine went 2-4, with a 5.54 earned run average for the Braves.  Maybe a good trivia question:  What 300-game winner went 2-4, 5.54 in both his first and last seasons in the major leagues?

In his prime 12-season stretch from 1991 through 2002, Glavine averaged 17 wins, eight losses, a 3.15 ERA, 225 innings pitched, 77 walks and 144 strikeouts per campaign.

A Brief Break From Our Regularly Scheduled Topic

Mike Glavine (Tom Glavine’s younger brother) had a brief MLB career:   six games (PH/1B), seven plate appearances with the Mets in September of 2003. So, why is he here?  Mike made his MLB debut on September 14, 2003 in a pinch-hitting role.  Who did he hit for?  His big brother Tom. (He grounded out second-to-first).  Another fact that caught my eye.  Mike got his only MLB hit in his final MLB plate appearances (September 28, 2003 versus the Marlin’ Braden Looper.) 

 

Now, let’s look at a lineup of players, who performed pretty well against Glavine.

Keep in mind, while these selections are statistically based, there is plenty of room for debate. (Isn’t that part of what is great about the national pastime?) For example, they are weighted in favor of larger sample sizes. I also considered whether the numbers were generated in Glavine’s prime years and balanced the stats against the player’s career statistics (for example, if I was looking at two players who each hit .305 versus Glavine, I would be more impressed by the player with a .266 overall career average than one with a .308 career average).   I’ll provide some examples of how these criteria were applied as you go through the lineup

Catcher – Mike Redmond … .438 average, unexpected power

Mike Redmond, a career .287 hitter over 13 seasons (1998-2010 … Marlins, Twins, Indians) hit Tom Glavine for a .438 average over 20  games. Glavine was also one of only two pitchers that Redmond (who hit a total of 13 career homers) reached for two career home runs.  As an unexpected side note: Redmond hit .500 (21-for-42 versus Glavine from 1998-2002), then went zero-for-nine in the final two seasons in which he faced him (2003-04).

In 1999, when Glavine went 14-8, 3.68, Redmond faced him seven times and collected five hits and a walk (.833 average).

A Nice Little Run

From July 12, 1998 through his second at bat against Glavine on July 6. 1999, Mike Redmond faced Glavine nine times and collected seven singles, one double and a walk. Over those two seasons, Glavine went 34-17, 3.30.

Honorable Mention at Catcher: I fully expected this spot to go to someone like Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, who went .343-6-13 in 27 games against Glavine. Piazza’s six home runs tie for the most against Glavine and his 13 RBI tie for fifth.  Piazza did have 84 plate appearances versus Glavine, compared to Redmond’s 51 – but I could not resist Redmond’s .400+ average. Either would be a fine choice at catcher in this lineup.

Worth the Wait

Mike Piazza, who played his way into the Baseball Hall of Fame (with a  career .308-427, 1,335 stat line and ten All Star selections) was the 1,390^th pick in the 1988 MLB draft.   

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First Base – Jeff Bagwell … .339, with three home runs

Photo: Michael Glasgow, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell hit .339, with three homers and ten RBI in 23 games against Glavine. His 21 career hits against the lefty tie for the 18^th.  Bagwell also drew 18 walks versus Glavine (11 strikeouts) and put up a .488 on-base percentage. Those 18 walks were the most Glavine issued to any player. Four of those were intentional, tying for the most IBB Glavine issued to any player.  (Others to receive four career IBB from Glavine were Gary Sheffield and Barry Bonds.) Bagwell was a career .297 hitter over 15 seasons (1991-2005, all Astros). He was a four-time All Star, 1991 NL Rookie of the year and 1994 NL MVP (.368-39-116, with 104 runs scored and 15 steals. ).  His career stat line was .297-449-1,529, with 1.517 run scored and 202 stolen bases.

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An Even Dozen

In his first dozen games facing Tom Glavine, Jeff Bagwell got on base versus Glavine via hit or walk in all twelve, hitting safety in 11.

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Deserves a Shoutout at 1B: First baseman Mo Vaughn doesn’t make this lineup due to a small sample size (just 10 at bats in four games versus Glavine), but he deserves a shoutout. In those three games, he delivered five hits (two doubles and three home runs) for a 1.600 slugging percentage.

Now, it’s always nice when selecting these lineups to come across a player you are not familiar with. Expos’  1B Fernando Seguignol faced Tom Glavine in five games (1999-2001) and went seven-for-fourteen (.500), with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI. It was Seguignol’s most at bats, most hits, most doubles (tie), most home runs and most RBI against any pitcher. In five MLB seasons (1998-2001, 2003 … Expos, Yankees), Seguignol hit .249-17-40 (178 games).

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Second Base – Tie:  Robby Thompson and Bill Doran

I could find good arguments for both Robby Thompson and Bill Doran in this spot.

If I had to pick one, I’d lean toward Thompson for his larger sample size.  However, since this is my post, I can declare a tie.

Robby Thompson – .393 and four long balls

Robby Thompson hit .393 (22-for-56) in 20 games against Tom Glavine. Perhaps as important is the fact that 13 of his 22 hits went for extra bases (eight doubles, one triple and four home runs). This gives him a .786 slugging percentage versus Glavine – second highest among players with at least 25 at bat versus Glavine. Thompson hit .500 or better versus Glavine in five of the nine seasons in which he faced him.

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Catching Him in His Prime

In 1992 & 1993, when Tom Glavine went a combined 42-15 (and led the NL in wins both times), Robby Thompson 11-for-18 (.611) against him, with two homers and three RBI in six games.

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Thompson played 11 MLB seasons (1986-96), all for the Giants.  He was a two-time All Star and one-time Gold Glover, who put up a .257-119-458 stat line. His four home runs off Glavine` tied for the most he hit against any MLB pitcher (he also had four versus Jose Rijo) and his 22 hits versus Glavine were the second most he had against any MLB pitcher (he hit .424 with 23 hits versus Fernando Valenzuela).  By contrast, Thompson hit .118, with nine hits in 48 at bats versus Greg Maddux, with three walks and 15 whiffs.

Bill Doran – .480 average, .606 on-base percentage.

Photo: Indiana Blue Sox, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Bill Doran was a .266 career MLB hitter (1982-93 … Astros, Reds, Brewers). He did, however, tag Tom Glavine for a .480 average (12-for-25) and drew eight walks versus Glavine, fanning just once (.606 on-base percentage – highest among batters with at least 25 at bats versus Glavine).  Side note: If you use 25 plate appearances instead of at bats, Doran’s OBP versus Glavine is second to Carlos Delgado’s  .640.

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Bookends

In his first seven career plate appearances versus Tom Glavine (August 17 & September 30, 1987), Bill Doran was on base six times (three singles and three walks). In his final eight plate appearance versus Glavine (October 2, 1991 and August 4 & September 9, 1992), Doran collected four walks and a pair of singles.

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Doran’s career stat line was .266-84-497, with 727 runs scored and 209 steals in 1,453 games. His best season was 1987, when he hit .283-16-79, with 82 runs scored and 31 steals for the Astros (and played in all 162 games).

Possible Trivia Question: Which member of the Astros’ Hall of Fame matriculated in Oxford? (No, not that Oxford.)  Bill Doran studied and played base ball for Miami University in Oxford, Ohio – where he hit .407-4-27 (45 games) in his final college season (1979). He was selected in sixth round of the 1979 MLB Draft.

Honorable Mention: Luis Castillo hit .382-2-5 in 24 games versus Glavine (1996, 1999-2005, 2008). His 29 hits tied for the most career safeties against Glavine and he recorded them in the fewest at bats among the five players with 29 hits against Glavine. There was just a lot of competition at second base – and a three-way tie was too much to ask.

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Third Base: Tim Wallach … .367, five homers, 12 RBI

Tim Wallach hit .367, with five home runs and 12 RBI against Glavine – and he gets extra credit because those numbers came between 1988-94 and included three of the five seasons in which Glavine led the league in wins. (1991-93). Over those three seasons, Wallach went 12-for-29 (.414) against Glavine, with three doubles, a triple, one home run and five RBI.

Going Deep Can Be Habit-Forming

Between May 30, 1990 and June 9, 1991, Tim Wallach faced Tom Glavine in four games and homered in each of them:

May 30, 1990 … one-for-two, solo homer;

June 29, 1990 … one-for-three, solo home run, walk;

July 12, 1990 … one-for-three, three-run homer;

June 9, 1991 … two-for-two, single, three-run homer, single, walk.

As an aside, those three 1990 homers were the only hits Wallach had in 11 at bats versus Glavine that season.

Wallach played in 17 MLB seasons (1980-96 … Expos, Dodgers, Angels), going .257-260-1,125, with 908 runs scored. He was a five-time All Star and three-time Gold Glover. His best season was 1987, when he hit .298-26-123 – reaching career highs in all three categories, as well as in doubles (a league-leading 42), runs scored (89), stolen bases (9) and total bases (305).

Honorable Mentions. Aramis Ramirez.  It’s hard to limit Ramirez to an honorable mention here.  After all, he hit .500 (13-for-26), with four home runs and ten RBI in just 12 games versus Glavine.  However, five of his hits, two of his homers and eight of his RBI came in Glavine’s final three (age 40-42) seasons. Digging deeper, Ramirez had a .421 on-base percentage versus Glavine from 2001-2005 and a .721 OBP in 2006-08. Still, there are some nice numbers here.  Ramirez drew eight walks and fanned just once (in 35 plate appearances) versus Glavine (six of the walks in those final three seasons). He also hit .400 or better in six of the seven seasons he faced Glavine.  Ramirez played 18 MLB seasons (1998-2015 … Pirates, Cubs, Brewers), going .283-386-1,417, with 1,098 runs scored.  He was a three-time All Star, hit 25 or more home runs in ten seasons, drove in 100+ runs in seven and hit .300 or better in seven.

During his 16-season MLB career, Todd Zeile started more than 100 games each at 3B (1,468), 1B (417) and catcher (121).  As a hitter, over 2,158 games, he went .265-253-1,110.  Zeile faced Glavine in 34 games and collected 29 hits (.326 average), with four  home runs, 12 RBI (13 walks  and 13 strikeouts). Competition was tough at the hot corner.

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Shortstop:  Tie- Jimmy Rollins & Barry Larkin

I know, another cop out (tie), but Barry Larkin and Jimmy Rollins each offer a notable body of work against Glavine – and were both were among the players tied for the most hits against Glavine at 29. Rollins showed a bit more power, Larkin a bit more patience.  And, more of Larkin’s numbers were delivered when Glavine was in his prime.

Jimmy Rollins – .372 average, 29 hits, ten doubles, 14 RBI.

Photo: Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Jimmy Rollins holds or is tied for the career lead in hits (29), home runs (6), doubles (10) and RBI (14) against Glavine. Overall, 17 of Rollins 29 hits went for extra bases.  Admittedly, a significant portion this damage was done toward the end of Glavine’s career, but those leadership positions are impossible to ignore.  (As a bit of explanation, eight of Rollins’ hits, two of his homers and three of his RBI against Glavine came in 2007 (Glavine’s age-41 season).

Rollins was a three-time All Star, four-time Gold Glover and the 2007 NL Most Valuable player. He played 17 seasons (2000-2016 … Phillies. Dodgers White Sox) and hit .264-231-936, with 1,421 runs scored and 470 stolen bases. He led the NL in triples four times, runs scored once  (topping 100 runs scored in six seasons) and stolen bases once (topping 40 steals in four seasons).

Barry Larkin … .309, 29 hits, three homers, 12 RBI, 14 walks

Photo: Rdikeman at the English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

Hall of famer Barry Larkin faced Glavine in 34 games (1987-96, 1998-99, 2002,2004). He hit .309 (29 hits), with eight doubles, one triple, three homers and 12 RBI. He also walked 14 times versus Glavine versus just three whiffs.

Larkin’s numbers against Glavine were closer to his career norm than Rollins’ were to his. Larkin played 19 MLB seasons (1986-2004), all for the Reds.  He hit .295-198-960, with 1,329 runs scored and 379 steals. He was a 12-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glover and the 1995 NL Most Valuable Player. Larkin hit over .350 against Glavine in seven of the 14 seasons in which he faced the southpaw Hall of Famer.

Small Sample Shoutout at Short:  Luis Rivera faced Tom Glavine in just three games (1988 & 1994) and went six-for-eight, with a double, two home runs and four RBI.

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Left Field – Kevin Mitchell … .356, with five home runs and 12 RBI

Kevin Mitchell faced Glavine in 16 games (1987-91, 1993-94, 1996), putting up a .356-5-12 line.  Half of Mitchell’s hits against Glavine went for extra bases (three doubles and five home runs) – giving him a .756 career slugging percentage the lefty.

Closing Strong

In his first three games against Glavine, Mitchel went two-for-seven (.286), with zero extra-base hits, just one walk and four strikeouts.  Over his final 13 games against Glavine, he went 14-for-68 (.368), with eight extra-base hits, nine walks and three strikeouts.

In the same vein, in his first career plate appearance against Glavine (September 25. 1987), Mitchell struck out.  In his last plate appearance against Glavine September 4, 1996, he homered.

Kevin Mitchell played in 13 MLB seasons (1984, 1986-94, 1996-98 … Mets, Padres, Giants, Reds, Red Sox, Indians, Athletics), going .284-234-760 in 1,223 games. He was a two-time All Star and the NL MVP in 1989, when he hit .291-47-125 for the Giants – leading the league in HRs, RBI, slugging percentage and total bases.

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Center Field – Andruw Jones … .372 average, four home runs

Photo: User Chrisjnelson on en.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Needed a leather and lumber guy in CF and Andruw Jones fit the bill.  In 18 games versus Glavine (2003-07), Jones hit .372, with four home runs and 11 RBI, Eight of his 16 hits versus Glavine went for extra bases (four doubles, four home runs) and he drew 11 walks to just four strikeouts, putting up a nice even .500 on-base percentage.

First Time’s the Charm

Andruw Jones homered on the second pitch he ever saw from Tom Glavine (May 24, 2003). The Braves defeated Glavine’s Mets 10-3 in that game.

Andruw Jones played in 17 MLB seasons (1996-2012 … Braves, Dodgers, Rangers, White Sox, Yankees), going .254-434-1,289, with 1,204 runs scored and 152 stolen bases.  He hit 30 or more home runs in seven seasons (a league-leading and career-high 51 in 2005). He was a five time All Star and ten-time Gold Glover in center field.

Andruw Jones and Tom Glavine were teammates on the Braves from 1996 through 2002.

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Right Field, Gary Sheffield – .293, five home runs, 13 RBI, 17 walks versus three whiffs, .461 OBP

Oh, I’d like to have seen those Gary Sheffield versus Tom Glavine at bats. Glavine working to expand the strike zone, Sheffield refusing to bite on the low-and -away pitch (17 walks versus three whiffs). Sheffield faced Glavine in 1992, 1994-2001, 2003, 2005 & 2007). He tied for the most career home runs off Glavine with six and had the fifth most RBI (13 – one off the lead). But what really put him in the LF spot (against some tough competition), was those 17 walks versus only three strikeouts.

In 1996, Gary Sheffield faced Tom Glavine 12 times in four games and got on base nine – seven walks and two home runs.  He did not strikeout against Glavine that season. Over his career, Sheffield never fanned more than once versus Glavine in any season and had just three whiffs in 76 plate appearances.

Some Bookends

On April 18, 1996, the Marlins’ Gary Sheffield rapped a home run off Tom Glavine in the first inning of a 5-3 Florida win over Atlanta. In his next seven plate appearances versus Glavine, Sheffield walked seven times (three intentional). He ended the streak of walks with another home run off Glavine on July 12 of that season.

Outfield Honorable Mentions: Barry Bonds went .329-4-14 in 33 games versus Glavine. Moises Alou also did well against Glavine at .351-3-14 in 25 games.

Apologies

Tony Gwynn tied for the most career hits versus Glavine, but did not make this lineup. One main reason, his .312 average versus Glavine was 26 points below his career average.

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Pitcher – Livan Hernandez … .412 average

Livan Hernandez faced Tom Glavine 20 times in eight games (1999, 2002-06) and delivered seven hits in 17 at bats (.412 average). Those hits included two triples (tied for the most against Glavine by any batter), one home run and three RBI.

On The Money

 In his very first game against Glavine (April 23, 1999), the Marlin’s Livan Hernandez got his money’s worth on the mound and at the plate. On the mound, he got the win (over the Braves) with a nine-hit, one-run, two-walk, nine-strikeout complete game.  At the plate, he flied out to deep right on the first pitch he saw from Tom Glavine (second inning); had an RBI sacrifice fly on an 0-2 pitch from Glavine in the fourth; hit a two-run homer on the first pitch he saw from Glavine in the sixth; and had an RBI single off reliever John Hudek in the seventh.

In their eight head-to-head pitching matchups, Glavine went 5-3, 2.56, while Hernandez went 3-5, 2.88. Hernandez was a solid hitter as a pitcher – .221-10-85 over 973 at bats over 17 seasons.

Honorable Mention: Gil Heredia faced Tom Glavine just three times (1994-95), but he delivered three hits. (all singles).  Heredia, by the way, was a good hitting pitcher. Over 10 MLB seasons, he put up a .213 average (19-0for-104), struck out just 11 times in 131 plate appearances.  The right hander went 57-51, 4.46 on the mound (1991-96, 1998-2001 … Athletics, Expos, Giants, Rangers.)

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Who’s Your Daddy?  The Inspiration.

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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Primary Resource: Baseball-References.com.

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P1018

Readers of Baseball Roundtable are aware of how I am drawn to baseball rarities in the off-season.  In this post, we’ll look at some of the unique statistics surrounding zero-home run seasons. If you enjoy this you may want to check out my posts on 20-game winners (click here) and 100-RBI seasons (click here).

Rarities and Oddities – MLB Batting Champions with Zero Home Runs

There have been only two MLB batting champions to log zero home runs in a season in which they won the crown … and they came 75 years apart. 

Wee Willie Keeler, 1897 Orioles

Photo: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1897, 5’-4”/140-pound Baltimore Orioles’ outfielder Willie Keeler won the NL batting title with a .424 average, stroking out a league-leading 239 hits. In the process, he set a still unmatched record for base hits in a season in which the player hit zero home runs.  Of those 239 hits, 193 (81 percent) were singles. Keeler opened the 1897 season with a 44-game hitting streak (still MLB’s longest streak from Opening Day).  Keeler was an accomplished bunter and a renowned contact/slap hitter. Over his career, Keeler struck out just 136 times in 9,619 plate appearances.

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“I keep my eyes clear and I hit ‘em where they ain’t.”

                   Willie Keeler (Baseball’s Greatest Quotations, Paul Dickson, 1991)

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Hall of Famer Keeler played 19 MLB seasons (1892-1910 … in the NL, the Giants, Brooklyn Statistics, Orioles, Brooklyn Superbas and, in the AL, New York Highlanders).   He was a two-time batting champion and collected 200 or more hits in eight seasons.  Of his 2,932 hits, 86 percent were singles. Keeler finished with a .341-33-810 career stat line, with 1,719 runs scored and 495 steals.

Willie Keeler had 33 career home runs – of which only two cleared the fences.  Of the others, thirty were inside-the-park and one left the field on the bounce (it was a different time).

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Rod Carew, 1972 Twins

Photo: Hostess via tradingcarddb.com, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1972, Hall of Famer Rod Carew won his second (of seven) AL batting titles.  He hit .318-0-51, with 51 RBI and 61 runs scored in 142 games – 143 of his 170 hits (84 percent) were singles. 1972 was his only season without a home run.

Carew, like Keeler, was an accomplished bunter (in 1974, he had 29 bunt singles) and contact hitter. Carew played 19 MLB seasons (1967-85 … Twins, Angels). The 18-time All Star won seven batting titles, the 1967 AL Rookie of the Year Award and the 1977 AL MVP Award.  He hit over .300 in 15 of his 19 seasons and finished with .328-92-1,015 stat line, with 1,424 runs scored and 353 steals.

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“He (Rod Carew) has an uncanny ability to move the ball around as if the bat were some kind of magic wand.”

                                                              Pitcher Ken Holtzman

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Most Hits in a Zero-Home Run Season

As usual, one thing led to another and I began digging a little deeper into the rarity of zero-homer seasons. As you might expect, they have become rarer over time.  Starting with a base of players with seasons of at least 100 hits and zero home runs, there were 873 such seasons in MLB history. Not rare at all, although about two-of-every three (593 or 67.9 percent) occurred before 1930.

So, I looked for something a little rarer and ramped up to 150 hits and no home runs.  Now. we were down to 177 such campaigns – still not rare air.  But, using 200 or more hits turned the trick.  There have been only seven seasons of 200 or more hits and zero home runs. Let’s take a look at them – and the players were delivered them.

Willie Keeler, 1897 Orioles (NL) – 239 hits

Willie Keeler has the most hits in a zero-homer season at 239. You’ve already read about him in the opening of this post, so we can move on to number-two.

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Napoleon Lajoie, 1906 Cleveland Naps – 214 hits

In 1906, second baseman Nap Lajoie hit .355 for Cleveland, with a league-leading 214 hits and a league-topping 48 doubles, but zero home runs.  He drove in 91 runs and scored 88 in 152 games.

In a 21-season MLB career (1896-1916 … Phillies, Athletics, Naps), he hit .338-82-1,599, with 1,504 runs scored and 380 steals. Looking for a trivia question? Lajoie is the only player with a 200-hit, zero-home run MLB season, with more career RBI than runs scored.

The Hall of Famer led the league in batting average five times, hits four times (topping 200 hit each time), doubles five times (a high of 51 in 1910), home runs once, total bases four times, RBI three times and runs once. He hit over .300 in 17 seasons, but reached double-digits in home runs just once.

The Triple Crown … and Then Some

In 1901, while with the Philadelphia Athletics, Nap Lajoie, won the Triple Crown with a .426 average, 14 home runs and 125 RBI.  He also led the AL in runs scored (145), hits (232), doubles (48) and total bases (350).

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Jesse Burkett, 1898 Cleveland Spiders, (NL) – 213 hits

In 1898, Cleveland LF Jesse Burkett hit .341 for the Spiders, with 213 hits, 114 runs scored, 42 RBI, 19 steals and zero home runs.  In fact, that season just 27 of Burkett’s hits (12.7 percent) went for extra bases.

Hall of Famer Burkett played 16 MLB seasons (1890-1905 … Giants, Spiders, Cardinals, Browns). He won three batting titles (twice hitting over .400), led the league in hits three times (topping 200 hits in six seasons) and twice led the league in runs scored (topping 100 in nine seasons).

1898 was the only full season in which Burkett failed to hit at least two home runs, Over his career, Burkett hit .338, with 75 home runs, 952 RBI, 1,720 runs scored and 389 steals.

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Hughie Jennings, 1896 Orioles NL – 209 hits

In 1896, Hughie Jennings banged out 209 hits (.401 average) and drove in 121 runs, despite not going yard a single time (87 percent of his hits were singles).

Jennings played 18 MLB seasons (1891-1903, 1907, 1909-10, 1912, 1918 … Louisville Colonels of the American Association and NL Orioles, Brooklyn Superbas and Phillies, and AL Tigers).  Over 1,284 games, he hit .312-18-840, with 992 runs scored and 359 steals. Jennings scored 100 or more runs in five seasons, had two seasons of 200+ hits and stole 50+ bases three times.

Hughie Jennings recorded 121 RBI in 1896, the MLB record for a zero-home run season.

Jennings holds the MLB record for career “hit by pitch” at 287 and the MLB single-season record at 51 (1896 Orioles). He led the NL in HBP six consecutive seasons (1894-1898.) Once again, for Baseball Roundtable,  one thing led to another – and to this chart.

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Johnny Pesky, 1947 Red Sox – 207 hits

In 1947, Red Sox’ 23-year-old rookie SS Johnny Pesky hit .324-0-39, with 106 runs scored and 12 stolen bases (83 percent of his 207 hits were singles).

Pesky played in ten MLB seasons (1942, 1946-54 … Red Sox, Tigers, Nationals). He hit .307-17-404, with 867 runs scored and 53 steals.  Over his career, he topped 100 runs scored in six seasons, exceeded 200 hits three times and hit .300+ six times.

What Might Those Numbers Have Been?

As a 23-year-old rookie in 1942, Johnny Pesky hit .331-2-51, with 105 runs scored and a league-topping 205 hits.  Pesky then missed three years of baseball action due to military service. He returned to the Red Sox as a 27-year-old and picked up right where he left off,  again leading the AL in base hits with 208 – going .335-2-55, with 115 runs scored in 153 games. In 1947, his third MLB season, he led the AL in hits for a third time (207), going .324-0-39, with 106 runs scored.  What might his career numbers have been if he had not missed those three prime years wile in the Navy?

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Milt Stock, 1920 Cardinals – 204 hits

Cardinals’ third baseman Milt Stock went .319-0-76, with 85 runs scored in 1920 (83 percent to his hits were singles). Stock played 14 MLB seasons (1913-26 … Giants, Phillies, Cardinals, Robins). He went .289-22-696, with 839 runs scored and 155 steals.  Stock hit .300+ in five seasons (a high of .328 in 1925) and twice recorded 200+ hits in a season. From 1919 through 1922, he hit over .300 in four consecutive seasons.

Another One Thing Leads to Another 

From his fourth plate appearance on June 21, 1918 until his fifth plate appearance on August 22, 1921, Milt Stock went 1,690 plate appearances without a home run, Stock falls far short of the MLB record, held by Thomas Thevenow, who hit his second career regular-season MLB home run (both were inside-the-parkers) in his final at bat of a game played on  on September 22, 1926 and then played 12 more major-league seasons – going another 1,003 games and 3,607 consecutive plate appearances without a four-bagger. In a 15-season MLB career Thevenow (primarily a SS) hit .247 (1,030 its in 1,229 games). Notably, Thevenow hit a third MLB home run in 1926.  This one was also an inside-the-parker and came in Game Two of the Cardinals-Yankees World Series. St. Louis won the Series four games-to-three and Thevenow hit .417 (10-for-24), with five runs scored, one double, one homer and four RBI.

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One Final Chart:

Doc Cramer, at the top of this list, played 20 MLB seasons (1929-48 … Athletics, Red Sox, Nationals Tigers). He hit .296-37-842, with 1,357 runs scored. He was a five-time All Star, had 200 or more hits in three seasons, 100+ runs in three seasons, and hit .300 or better in seven seasons. He had 2,705 career hits (80 percent of them singles).

Okay, maybe one more chart:

Most Seasons with Zero Home Runs and 500 or More Plate Appearances – Seven

Donie  Bush had zero home runs and 500 or more plate appearances for he Tigers in 1909,  1914, 1916-19,  and for the Tigers and Nationals in 1921. He played 16 MLB seasons (1908-23 … Tigers, Nationals) and went .250-9-445, with 1,281 runs scored.

Jim Slagle … Slagle put up seasons of 500 or more plate appearances and zero home runs for the Cubs in 1900,  1902-03 and 1905-07. In a ten-season MLB career (Senators, Phillies, Boston Nationals, Cubs), he hit .268-2-344, with 781 runs scored and 274 steals in 1,300 games.

Primary Resource:  Baseball-Reference.com.

A REMINDER … .

There is still time to cast your vote(s) in the Baseball Roundtable (unofficial) 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame Fan Balloting (and qualify for the prize drawing).  Click here to go directly to the ballot.  Click here for a post taking a look at the careers of the players on the ballot.

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P1017

As I take in the  2023 MLB post-season – live at an energized Target Field (kind of sad that’s over) and on TV in my man cave – I  have found time to reflect on some past post-season pitching performances (especially since there are no games for a couple of days).

I was transported back to three World Series I was privileged to attend (at least one game);

• 1957 – I was ten-years-old and my home town Milwaukee Braves beat the Yankees four games-to-three behind the right arm of  Lew Burdette, who earned three complete-game victories against the vaunted Yankees. His performance included two shutouts and, at one point, he threw 24 straight scoreless inning against a highly favored New York squad.
• 1965 – My then (and still) hometown Twins lost to the Dodgers four games-to-three, with Sandy Koufax pitching a complete-game,  three-hit shutout in Game Seven (on just two day rest). In that one, the winning pitcher in each game went the distance.
• 1991  – When I was lucky enough to be in the ballpark to witness Jack Morris‘ ten-inning shutout in the winner-take-all Game Seven.

Anyway, those thoughts led me to embark on a post ranking the top single-game, post-season pitching performances.  My old-school bias is probably reflected by the fact that I chose to rank the top five for the World Series, top four for the League Championship Series, top three for the Division Series and top two for the Wild Card Game/Series. I looked at such factors as how dominant the performance was and the strength of the opposition – also giving weight to the final score (a 1-0 win getting the edge over, say, a 6-0 win) and the impact on the series (a winner-take-all final game earning extra credit). I also, admittedly, leaned toward complete-game victories.

As I’ve noted before, when I start research “one thing always seems to lead to another.”  This time, I noticed most (not all) of the truly heroic pitching performances seem to have happened at least a couple of decades ago.  This distracted me briefly into a look at post-season (specifically World Series) pitcher usage.  I saw that:

• In the 1905 World Series, just six pitchers were used and there was only one relief appearance.
• In 1957 (that first World Series I attended), 17 pitchers were used and there were 21 relief appearances.
• In the most recent World Series (2022), 24 pitchers were used and there were 46 relief appearances.

Clearly, the chance for a truly remarkable single-game, post-season pitching performance has waned as pitching changes have risen.

The ratings are coming right up, but to honor my distractions, I’ll present a couple of charts on World Series pitcher usage.

Now on to the ratings.

Baseball Roundtable Top Five World Series Pitching Performances

A “PERFECT” CHOICE FOR NUMBER ONE

ONE – WITH A BULLET – Don Larsen, Yankees, Game 5, 1956 World Series … October 8, 1956

A no-brainer here.  How could you not put the only World Series perfect game at the top of this list?

When Don Larsen took the mound to start Game Five of the 1956 World Series for the Yankees (against the rival Brooklyn Dodgers at Yankee stadium) expectations may not have been very high.  Larsen (11-5, 3.26 on the season) was coming off a Game Two start (in Brooklyn, three days earlier) when he lasted just 1 2/3 innings and gave up four runs (none earned) on one hit and four walks.

Larsen, however, was in complete control in Game Five – fanning seven in a 97-pitch, perfect game – a 2-0 Yankee win. In the game, Larsen went to a three-ball count on only one batter, started 14 hitters off 0-1 and – if you count the four batters who hit the first pitch for an out –  threw a first-pitch strike to 18 of 27 hitters.  The lineup Larsen held hitless, by the way, included five  Hall of Famers: SS Pee Wee Reese; CF Duke Snider; 2B Jackie Robinson; 1B Gil Hodges; and C Roy Campanella.

Bookends

Don Larsen opened his World Series Perfect Game with a five-pitch strikeout (looking) of Dodgers’ 2B Jim Gilliam and closed it out with a five-pitch strike out (looking) of pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell.

Larsen seems an unlikely hurler to head this list. His career record (1953-65, 1967 … Browns, Orioles, Yankees, Athletics, Giants, Astros, Cubs) was 81-91, 3.78. He had just six MLB seasons – out of 14 – in which he won more games than he lost.  Four of those came during his five seasons as a Yankee, when he went 45-24, 3.50.  Larsen was 4-2, 2.75 in ten World Series appearances.

Don Larsen was a good-hitting pitcher. In 596 career regular-season at bats, he hit .242-15-72.  

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TWO – Bob Gibson, Cardinals … Game One, 1968 World Series … October 2, 1961

1968 was the Year of the Pitcher and, in the National League, Bob Gibson was the Pitcher of the Year.  Gibson went 22-9 that season, with a microscopic, MLB-best 1.12 earned run average. In addition, 13 of his wins were complete-game shutouts (another 1968 MLB-best).  He also led the NL in strikeouts with 268 in 304 2/3 innings pitched.  Gibson’s 1968 earned run average of 1.12 was the third-lowest, post-1900, qualifying MLB ERA – and his 13 complete-game shutouts are the second-most in a single season since 1900.

It’s no surprise that the Redbirds selected Gibson to start Game One (against the Tigers’ 31-game winner Denny McLain) – and Gibson did not disappoint. He threw a five-hit shutout, walking just one and fanning a World Series-record 17 batters. Gibson fanned everyone in the Tigers’ starting lineup at least once, struck out at least one batter in every inning and fanned three batters in two frames. Only two runners got past first base over the nine frames. Gibson finished  the game with a flourish, fanning the Tigers’ 3-4-5 hitters (Al Kaline, Norm Cash and Willie Horton) in order in the ninth inning. Despite Gibson’s heroics, the Cardinals lost the Series four games-to-three behind three complete-game wins from Mickey Lolich. Gibson also started and completed three games, going 2-1, 1.67. He took the loss in Game Seven giving up four runs on eight hits and one walk, while Lolich gave up just one tally on five hits and three walks.

They Call Him the Streak

Over June, July and August of 1968, Bob Gibson started 18 games, completed 17, won 16 (one loss/one no-decision), threw 11 shutouts, and put up a 0.77 ERA.

Hall of Famer Gibson pitched in 17 MLB seasons (all for the Cardinals). He won two Cy Young awards and, in 1968, won both the NL Cy Young and MVP Awards. Gibson was a five-time 20-game winner, leading the NL in wins once, ERA once, complete games once, strikeouts once and shutouts four times. His career mound record was 251-174, 2.91, with 3,117 strikeouts in 3,884 1/3 innings. He also won nine Gold Gloves and hit .206 with 24 career homers.  In nine World Series starts, Gibson won seven and lost two, pitching eight complete games, posting a 1.89 earned run average and fanning 92 batters in 81 innings.

THREE – Christy Mathewson, Giants … Game 5, 1905 World Series … October 14, 1905

Photo by trialsanderrors

Christy Mathewson threw a nifty six-hit shutout (no walks, four strikeouts) in beating the Philadelphia Athletics 2-0 in Game Five of the 1905 World Series – giving the Giants the Series four games-to-one.  It was not just future Hall of Famer Mathewson’s excellence in this game that earned him spot number-two on this ranking  or even the fact that it was the clinching game (although that did factor in to my selection). It’s that this was Mathewson’s’ third-consecutive, complete-game shutout in the 1905 series – and he threw those three whitewashings over a period of just six days.  On October 9, Mathewson shutout the Athletics 3-0, giving up just four hits.  Then, on October 12, he threw another four-hitter, this time shutting down the Athletics 9-0. Then in Game Seven, it was the five-hit. 2-0 win.  For the Series, Mathewson gave up just 13 hits (and, of course no runs) and one walk in 27 innings, fanning 18.

Trivia Tidbits from the 1905 World Series

• The Giants’ four wins all came via the shutout – three by Christy Mathewson and one by Joe McGinnity.
• The Athletics’ only win also came via the shutout – a four-hitter tossed by Chief Bender in a 3-0, Game Two victory. 
• The Giants gave up just three runs in the Series – all unearned, giving them an unbeatable single-World Series’ record 0.00 earned run average.
• The Giants used only three pitchers in the entire series – Christy Mathewson (27 innings pitched); Joe McGinnity (17 innings pitched); and Red Ames one inning pitched. Yep, and entire World Series and only one “call to the pen.”

Mathewson was coming off a 31-9, 1.28 1905 season in which he led MLB in wins, ERA and shutouts (tied with eight), and led the NL in strikeouts (206). In his career, he led his league in ERA five times, strikeouts five times, wins four times and shutouts four times. He finished with a 373-188, 2.13 record.

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FOUR – Jack Morris, Game Seven, 1991 World Series … October 27, 1991

There have only been three extra-inning World Series complete-game shutouts, ten Game Seven complete-game shutouts and 18 World Series complete-game wins ending in a 1-0 score.  And, there has been only one game that met all three criteria – Jack Morris’ performance in the finale of the 1991 World Series – a ten-inning, seven-hit, two-walk, eight-whiff gem that gave the Twins a 1-0 Game Seven win over the Atlanta Braves.

In the game, Morris reached ball three on only six of the 38 batters he faced.  This performance earned extra credit for Morris, since it came at a time when complete games were at a premium.  As was widely reported, Twins’ Manager Tom Kelly was ready to pull Morris after nine innings and 118 pitches – but Morris was having none of it (and voiced his objection in no uncertain terms).   And, the rest, as they say, is history.

Hall of Farmer Morris pitched in 18 MLB seasons, going 254-186, 3.90. He was a five-time All Star and led his league in wins twice (winning twenty or more games in three seasons) and in complete games, shutouts and strikeouts once each. (He also led the league in wild pitches six times.) Morris was 4-2, 2.96 in seven World Series starts and was MVP of the 1991 World Series.

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FIVE – Babe Ruth, Red Sox … Game 2 …. October 9, 1916

Photo: Frances P. Burke, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Hard to pass on a chance to include Babe Ruth.  On October 9, 1916, as his Red Sox faced the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers), Ruth twirled a gem – notching the longest outing in a World Series game.

Ruth pitched  a 14-inning, complete-game, six-hitter as the Red Sox prevailed 2-1. The only run off Ruth came  in the first inning (an inside-the-park home run by Robins’ CF and number-three hitter Hi Myers). Ruth tossed 145 pitches that day, 91 for strikes.  From the ninth through the 14th innings, Ruth allowed only two base runners (no hits, one  walk, one safe on an error.)  During the 1916 season, Ruth had gone 23-12, leading the Al with a 1.75 earned run average and nine shutouts.  His final career pitching line was 94-46, 2.28.  From 1916 through 1918 (Red Sox), Ruth was 60-32, 1.95 on the mound, with 76 complete games (97 starts) and 16 shutouts. In World Series play, he was 3-0, 0.87 in three starts – giving up just two runs in 31 innings.

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H0norble Mentions:

Moe Drabowsky, Orioles, 1966 … In 1966, Moe Drabowsky was a key member of the Orioles’ bullpen. He appeared in 45 games (just one start)  and went 6-0, 2.81, with six saves.  In his relief appearances, he never went more than 4 2/3 innings and averaged two innings per outing. In Game One of the 1966 World Series (October 5 – Orioles versus Dodgers), Drabowsky was called on to relieve starter Dave McNally with one out and the bases l0aded in the bottom of the third. (The Orioles were up 4-1 at the time.) Drabowsky got out of the jam allowing just one run and then went on to finish the game – going  6 2/3 innings, giving up just one hit and two walks and fanning 11.  In the process, he set the World Series’ single-game record for strikeouts by a relief pitcher.   (The Orioles, by the way, went on to sweep the Series four games-to-zero.)

Ed Walsh, White Sox, 1906 … Lots of reason to like this one; particularly (for The Roundtable) the fact that it was part of the White Sox/Cubs crosstown rivalry. In Game Three of the 1906 World Series, Ed Walsh started for the visiting White Sox. He tossed a nifty two-hit shutout, walking one and fanning 12, as the White Sox prevailed 3-0.   Baseball Roundtable sees a reason for extra credit, since since Walsh notched those 12 whiffs and fanned at least one batter in every inning at a time when the MLB regular-season average for strikeouts per nine inning was just 3.8.  Only two Cubs got past first base in the game, Walsh did not give up a hit after the first inning and, at one point, he retired 13 straight Cubs. It was very tough to keep this one out of the top five.

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Baseball Roundtable’s Top Four League Championship Series Pitching Performances

ONE – Dave McNally, Orioles …. ALCS, October 5, 1969

Dave McNally started for the Orioles (versus the Twins) in Game Two of the 1969 AL Championship Series. He was masterful – and he had to be. McNally was facing a tough Twins  lineup that featured future Hall of Famers Rod Carew (2B), Tony Oliva (RF) and Harmon Killebrew (3B). McNally was up to the task, tossing an 11-inning, complete-game, three-hit, shutout (five walks and 11 strikeouts) to  earn a tight 1-0 win.

McNally allowed only two runners to get beyond first base during the game. His mound opponent, Dave Boswell took a seven-hit shutout into the bottom of the eleventh  frame. In that final inning, he gave up a walk to 1B Boog Powell, who was sacrificed to second by 3B Brooks Robinson. Then, 2B Davey Johnson was intentionally walked, putting runners on first and second with one out. Boswell got SS Mark Belanger on a foul pop up and then was lifted – with the Twins bringing in closer Ron Perranoski to face pinch hitter Curt Motton.  Motton singled home Powell to end one of the League Championship Series’ tightest-ever pitching duels.

Dave McNally’s 11-inning shutout in Game Two of the 1969 ALCS is MLB’s longest post-season, complete-game shutout.

McNally pitched in 14 MLB seasons (1962-75 … all but his final season for the Orioles). He went 184-119, 3.24, was a four-time All Star and three-time 20-game winner (a career-high and league-leading 24 wins in 1970). In 14 post-season appearances (12 starts), he was 7-4, 2.49 with six complete games.

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TWO … Roger Clemens, Yankees … ALCS , October 14, 2000

Photo: Keith Allison on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Roger Clemens took the mound against the Mariners (In Seattle)  in Game Four of the 2000 ALCS and went right to work – striking out the first two batters he faced (RF Stan Javier and LF Al Martin). It set the tone for the day, as Clemens went the distance in a 5-0 win, giving up just one hit (a seventh inning double to Martin) and two walks, while fanning 15 batters (11 swinging/four looking).  Clemens, who fanned at least one hitter every inning, seemed to get stronger as the game went on – fanning nine over the final four innings. Overall, he threw 138 pitches, 87 strikes. Clemens retired the Mariners in order in seven of the nine innings and, at one point, retired 16 straight.

Roger Clemens’ October 14, 2000 ALCS shutout was his only complete game in 34 post-season starts.

Clemens pitched 24 MLB seasons (1984-2007 … Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros).  He went 354-184, 3.12, with 4,672 strikeouts in 4,196 2/3 innings. He was a 11-time All Star, seven-time Cy Young Award winner and led his league in wins four times; ERA seven times; CG three times; IP twice; and strikeouts five times. He was 12-8, 3.75 in 35 post season appearances (34 starts).

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THREE – Livan Hernandez, Marlins … NLCS, October 12, 1997

In Game Five of the 1997 NLCS,  with the series tied two-games apiece, Marlins’ 22-year-old rookie righty Livan Hernandez (who had gone 9-3, 3.18 in seven starts during the season) was matched up against future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux.  Hernandez came away with a sparkling  2-1 win in front of the home crowd. Hernandez pitched a complete game three-hitter, walking two and fanning 15 ( tied for third-highest total ever in a post-season game and tied for  the highest in a League Championship Series contest). The only run off Hernandez came on a second inning homer by Braves’ RF Michael Tucker.

It didn’t start well for Hernandez. Braves’ CF Kenny Lofton hit his second pitch of the game for a triple to lead off the top of the first and Hernandez then walked 2B Keith Lockhart on five pitches. Sixteen pitches later, he had fanned Braves 3-4-5 hitters  – 3B Chipper Jones, 1B Fred McGriff, LF Ryan Klesko – and escaped unscathed.  Over the course of the game, Hernandez fanned at least one batter every inning and two batters in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth. Overall, he threw 148 pitches (88 strikes).  After the second inning, no Brave reached second base and Hernandez retired 21 of 23 batters,  (The Marlins, by the  way, went on to win the NLCS four games-to-two.)

Hernandez played in 17 MLB seasons (1998-2012 … Marlins, Giants, Expos, Nationals, Diamondbacks, Twins, Rockies, Mets, Braves, Brewers). He went 178-177, 4.44 in 519 games (474 starts). He was a two-time All Star. He was 7-3, 3.97 in 12 post-season appearances (10 starts).

MVP! MVP!

In 1997, Livan Hernandez – who finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting – was the MVP of the National League Championship Series and MVP of the World Series. His World Series MVP selection has  produced some debate (debate is such a great part of baseball). Hernandez was 2-0 in the Series, but had a 5.27 earned run average and walked ten batters in 13 2/3 innings.  (Side note:  There were 81 runs scored in the seven games).   Some argued the Marlins’ Moises Alou should have been MVP after hitting .321, with three homers, nine RBI and six runs scored in the high-scoring Series.

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FOUR –  Mike Scott, Astros … October 8, 1986

Photo: Mother’s Cookies, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Game One of the 1986 NLCS featured  Dwight Gooden of the Mets (17-6, 2.84 in the regular season) versus the Astros’ Mike Scott (18-10, 2.22) in a matchup of aces. The game lived up to its billing, as Scott and the Astros prevailed 1-0.  Scott pitched a gem, giving up five hits, walking just one and fanning 14 in his nine-inning shutout. He fanned the Mets 3-4-5 hitters (1B Keith Hernandez, C Gary Carter and RF Darryl Strawberry) eight times in 12 plate appearances.  Overall, Scott threw 125 itches (88 strikes). Gooden also pitched well.  The only run he allowed was on a home run by Astros’ 1B Glenn Davis leading off the second inning. Scott went to a three-ball count on only three batters and allowed just three runners to reach second base.

Scott was the MVP in the 1986 NLCS.  He went 2-0, 0.50 in two starts, pitching two complete games and giving up just one run on eight hits in 18 innings. In those 18 frames, he walked just one and fanned 19.

In 1986, Mike Scott led the NL in strikeouts with 306 (in 275 1/3 innings).

Mike Scott pitched in 13 MLB seasons (1979-91 … Mets, Astros), going 124-108, 3.54. He was a three-time All-Star and led the NL in wins with 20 (10 losses) in 1989.

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Honorable Mentions:

• Josh Beckett, Marlins, 2003 Game 5 … Two-hit shutout, with no walks and 11 whiffs as  Beckett’s Marlins topped the Cub 4-0.
• Randy Johnson, Diamondbacks, 2001, Game 1 … Three-hit shutout with no walks and 11 whiffs as Arizona topped Atlanta 2-1
• Mike Boddicker, Orioles, 1983, Game 2 … fFve hit, three-walk, 14-strikeout game in a 4-0 win over the White Sox .

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Baseball Roundtable’s Top  Three Division Series Pitching Performances

ONE –  Roy Halladay, Phillies … NLDS, October 6, 2010

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

In Game One of the 2010 NL Division Series (Reds at Phillies), Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay missed a  perfect game by one pitch – a seventh inning walk (on a 3-2 pitch) to Reds’ RF Jay Bruce.  Halladay fanned eight and only four balls were hit out of the infield.  In the 4-0, Phillies’ win, Halladay also had an RBI single (and later came around to score) in the bottom of the second.  It was more offense than he would need in the 4-0 win.

Let’s Get This Party Started

Roy Halladay’s no-hitter came in his first-ever post-season appearance.

In his no-hitter, Halladay threw 104 pitches (79 strikes) and went to a three-ball count on only three batters.

Hall of Famer Halladay pitched in 16 MLB seasons (1998-13 … Blue Jays, Phillies), going 203-105, 3.38. He was an eight-time All Star a two-time Cy Young Award winner and led his league in wins twice, complete games seven times and innings pitched four times.

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TWO … Kevin Brown, Padres … September 29, 1998

In Game One of the 1998 NL Division Series, Padres’ righty Kevin Brown set the tone for a series in which Padres’ pitchers would give up only eight runs in four games (five of those in Game Two). Playing in Houston, Brown threw eight scoreless frames against the Astros – giving up just two hits and two walks, while fanning 16 batters.

Number Two Ain’t Bad

Kevin Brown’s 16 strikeouts in Game One of the 1998 NLDS is the second-highest total ever in an MLB post-season contest.  He fanned at least one batter in each of his eight innings, two batters in four and three batters in two.

Brown’s stuff that day was not only unhittable, it was (apparently) at times uncatchable. In the third inning, he opened by fanning SS Ricky Gutierrez on a 3-2 pitch, before giving up an infield single to C Brad Ausmus. Next up was opposing hurler Randy Johnson.  Johnson’s at bat included not only a strikeout (looking on a 2-2 pitch), but a pair of passed balls that sent Ausmus to third. Brown topped off the inning, stranding Ausmus at third, by fanning 2B Craig Biggio on three pitches.

With the Padres up 2-0 in the top of the ninth, Brown was lifted for pinch hitter John Vander Wal (who struck out looking). Trevor Hoffman came in for the ninth inning save and gave up one run on two hits. In his outing, Brown threw 119 pitches (77 strikes).

Brown pitched in 19 MLB seasons (1986, 1988-2005 … Rangers, Orioles, Marlins, Padres, Dodgers). He was an All Star in six seasons and for four different teams (Rangers, Marlins, Padres, Dodgers). He led the AL with 21 wins in 1992 and led his league in earned run average in 1996 (Marlins – 1.89) and 2000 (Dodgers 2.58). He won 15 or more games in six seasons.

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THREE – Tim Lincecum, Giants,… October 7, 2010

Photo: BrokenSphere, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Tim Lincecum started Game One of the 2010 NL Division Series for the Giants (at home) against Derek Lowe and the Braves and he set the tone for a three games-to-one Giants’ Series victory. He pitched a two-hitter, walking one and fanning 14, while besting five Braves’ hurlers in a 1-0 pitching duel.  All this after giving up a booming double to CF  the first batter he faced (Braves’ SS Omar Infante). He settled down quickly  and – after retiring RF Jayson Heyward on a flyball to left – struck out 1B Derrek Lee and C Brian McCann to get out of the inning. He then struck out the side in order on 14 pitches in the second frame. Lincecum put an exclamation point on his outing, fanning  Heyward and Lee for the final two outs of the contest.

Lincecum pitched in ten MLB seasons, nine for the Giants before finishing with the Angels. He was a four-time All Star  and two-time Cy Young Award winner (2008-09). He finished with a 110-89, 3.74 career record.  From 2008 through 2010, he was 49-22, 2.83 and average 252 strikeouts per season. He was 5-2, 2.40 in 13 post-season appearances (six starts).

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Honorable Mention:

Gerrit Cole, Astros, 2019 Game 2 …  In Game Two of the 2019 AL Division Series, Gerrit Cole of the Astros  was matched up against Blake Snell of the Rays (in Houston).  Cole was dealing that day, He went  7 2/3 innings, giving up just four hits and one walk (no runs), while fanning 15. In the second inning of that contest, Cole fanned  the side on just ten pitches. He also had a three-strikeout inning in the fifth – this time on 12 pitches (there was a single thrown in).  Cole’s strikeouts went like this:

First inning – two;

Second Inning – three;

Third Inning – one;

Fourth Inning – one;

Fifth Inning – three;

Sixth inning – zero;

Seventh inning – two;

Eighth inning – two.

Cole, still active, has pitched in 11 MLB seasons (2013-23 … Pirates, Astros, Yankees). He is a six-time All Star and led the AL in wins once, earned run average twice and strikeouts twice (a high of 326 in 2019). He is 10-6. 2.93. with 134 strikeouts in 104 1/3 post-season innings (17 starts).

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Baseball Roundtable’s Top Two  Wild Card Game/Series Pitching Performances

ONE – Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers … October 1, 2020

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

In Game Two of the 2020 Wild Card Series, the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw shutdown the Brewers in a 3-0 win in Los Angeles.  Kershaw went eight innings, and gave up just three hits and one walk, while fanning 13.  In his eight innings, only two Brewers reached second base.  In the top of the sixth, Kershaw fanned  the Brewers 1-2-3 hitters (CF Avisail  Garcia, LF Christian Yelich, 1B Jedd Gyorko) on 12 pitches. Dodgers closer Brusdar Graterol came on to pitch a scoreless ninth for the save.

Kershaw, still active, has pitched in 16 MLB seasons (2008-2023), all for the Dodgers.  He is a ten-time All Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner.  He has led the NL in wins three times, ERA five times, complete games twice, shutouts three times and strikeouts three times.

In 2014, Clayton Kershaw went 21-3, 1.77 and won both the NL Cy Yong and Most Valuable Player Awards.

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TWO – Madison Bumgarner. Giants … October 1, 2014

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

In this 2014 Wild Card Game, Madison Bumgarner of the Giants tossed a complete-game shutout – giving up just four hits and one walk, while fanning ten. His Giants topped the Pirates 8-0 in Pittsburgh. He threw 109 pitches (79 strikes). Only three Pirates got past first base (one of those with the help of two Giants’ errors).

Bumgarner (active in 2023) has pitched in 15 MLB seasons (2009-2023).  The four-time All Star has a career 134-124, 3.47 record and has won 15 or more games in four seasons (all before 2017). He has been a post-season star, gaining 8-2, 2.11 in 16 appearances (14 starts) – and, even more impressive – 4-0, 0.25 in five World Series appearances (four starts).

Madison Bumgarner was the MVP of the 2014 NLCS and the 2014 World Series.

Primary Resources:  Baseball-Reference.com; “The World Series,,” Richard Cohen, David Neft, Roland Johnson, Jordan Deutsch,  Dial Press, New York (1976)

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P1006

It’s October 1, and that means it’s time for the Baseball Roundtable monthly Wrap Up for September – a look at the stories and statistics that caught The Roundtable’s attention over the past month, as well as the standings, Roundtable Players and Pitchers of the Month, the Trot Index and more. Keep in mind, the stats presented are for September only and do not include games of October 1.

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

• The first rookie with a 25-50 season and the first-ever 40-70 campaign (HR/SB);
• A 200th career win and a 400th career home run;
• New records set for home runs and RBI out of the leadoff spot;
• A rookie getting on base via hit or walk in each of his first 29 games (streak still active);
• A team holding their opponents hitless for 10+ innings and still losing the contest;
• A player (an infielder no less) connecting for a home run in four consecutive innings ; and
• 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

September 2023

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Player of the Month … Xander Bogaerts, SS, Padres

Photo: Casey Aguinaldo, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Padres’ SS Xander Bogaerts delivered that “shiny thing” that gets Baseball Roundtable’s attention – a .400+ average. Bogaerts hit .416 in September, leading all MLBers with at least 50 at bats.  His 42 base hits also led MLB and he delivered ten doubles (also leading MLB), two triples, four home runs, 13 RBI and 25 runs scored (third in MLB). In addition, he swiped six bases in six attempts. Bogaerts collected hits in all but three of his 24 September games and had 12 multi-hit games. From September 15-20, he had six consecutive multi-hit games, going 14-for-27 (.519).  Bogaerts finished September with a .285-19-58 line on the season (19 steals). (Side note: Marlins’ SS Jon Berti hit .417 in September, but his 48 at bats fell just short of The Roundtable’s 50 at bat cutoff.)

Honorable Mentions:  Lot of deserving players here. Another Padre, LF Juan Soto hit .340 and led MLB with 29 September RBI (26 games). His ten home runs were third in MLB and his 26 runs scored were second. In addition, he swiped six bags. He gets extra credit for walking more times (18) than he fanned (15). Soto had five three-hit games in September.

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Juan Soto had a 36-plate appearance streak – from September 13 to his fifth at bat September 23 – when he did not strikeout.

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The Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. averaged .343 for the month, scored 29 runs (leading MLB) and delivered 23 RBI.  His 11 September homers tied teammate Matt Olson for the MLB high. He also stole 11 bags in 14 tries.   A shout out also goes to to Reds’ CF TJ Freidl, who had a .333-7-18 month, and had three September triples as well.

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Pitcher of the Month: Blake Snell, LHP, Padres

An easy choice. Blake Snell was masterful in September, putting up an MLB-best (among pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched during the month) 0.58 earned run average in 31 innings (and topping the NL in strikeouts with 41). That earned him a 3-0 record in five starts. Snell gave up just 13 hits in his 31 innings (a .123 opponents’ batting average), although he did walk 14.  He gave up a run (two actually) in just one of his five September starts. Snell closed out September at 14-9, 2.25 on the season.

Honorable Mentions:  Braves’ southpaw Max Fried went 3-0, 1.88 in four starts, fanning 27 batters in 24 innings; Marlins’ lefty closer Tanner Scott went 3-1, 1,65, with nine saves in 13 appearances and struck out 20 batters, with just one walk, over 16 1/3 innings.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

Player of the Month – Tie: Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros & Marcus Semien, 2B, Rangers

Photo: Jeffrey Hayes, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Jose Altuve’s 32 September hits were just one off the American League lead – as  he put up a .308-7-17 stat line, with 18 runs scored, in 25 September games. Altuve had ten multi-hit games in September. As September came to a close, Altuve was .312-17-51, with 14 steals in 89 games this season.

On September 5, Altuve went three-for-five, with three home runs (out of the leadoff spot), as his Astros topped Texas 14-1.

Rangers’ 2B Marcus Semien was an offensive force with  .292 average with a league-topping (tied) nine homers, 19 RBI and an AL-highest (tied) September 23 runs scored. Semien had a pair of two-homer games in September. He finished September at .278-29-100, with 14 steals on the season.

Honorable Mention:  Twins’ rookie infielder Royce Lewis went .313-6-23 in an injury-shortened month.

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Pitcher of the Month – Tarik Skubal, LHP, Tigers

Tarik Skubal went 4-0, 0.90 in five September starts (and, remember, he was pitching for the Tigers). His ERA was second only to Blake Snell among pitchers with at least 20 September innings. He also fanned 43 batters (second only to the Rays’ Tyler Glasnow‘s 48) and walked just four in 30 innings. His 0.60 WHIP was the lowest among pitchers with at least 20 September innings, and he held hitter to a .135 average. In his lone September no-decision, Skubal went four innings, giving up just two hits (no runs), while walking none and fanning eight.  He finished September at 7-3, 2.80 (with 15 starts this season).

Honorable Mentions:  Yankees’ RHP Gerrit Cole went 3-0, 1.03 in five September starts , including a two-hit, complete-game shutout (versus the Blue Jays) in his last start.

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Surprise Player of the Month – Reese Olson, RHP, Tigers

A 24-year-old righty, Reese Olson made his MLB debut on June 2 – called up from Triple-A Toledo (where he was 2-3, 6.38 in ten starts). The 13^th Round draft pick (out of North Hall High School in Gainesville, GA,) came into September with a 2-6, 5.10 record, but he turned on the after burners in the season’s final full month – going 3-1, 1.44 in five starts, including a six-inning one-run outing versus the powerful Dodgers.  In September, Olson putting up a 0.77 WHIP and held hitters to a .147 average.

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THE TROT INDEX … A REGULAR BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE FEATURE

Through September,  35.7 percent of the MLB season’s 182,977 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 (22.7%); walks (8.6%); home runs (3.2%); HBP (1.1%); catcher’s interference (less than 1%). Strikeouts, by the way, outnumbered base hits 41,560 – 40,618.

The 35.7 percent figure is up from 2022’s full season 34.6 percent.  Other recent seasons: 2021 – 36.3 percent; 2020 –  37.3 percent;  2019 – 36.2 percent; and 2018 – 34.8 percent.  By further comparison, in 1990, the Trot Index was 26.1 percent.  

____________________________________

Observations:  There were only a handful  surprises in September.

First, the AL Central – that nobody seemed to want to win – suddenly came alive.  The Twins took charge with an 18-9 month and seemed to be hitting on all four-, six- or eight-cylinders (depending on what kind of car you have).  Offensively, they led MLB in runs scored for the month; were third in home runs (second in the AL); first in MLB in on-base percentage and walks drawn; third in total bases (first in the AL). On the mound, they were third in the AL in earned run average (seventh in MLB); second overall (and in the AL) in strikeouts; and gave up the fewest walks in the AL (second in MLB). They had MLB’s (and the AL’s) second-best September strikeouts-to-walks ratio and strikeouts per nine innings.  Key contributors were: 3B Royce Lewis (.313-6-23 in just 18 games); RF Max Kepler (.287-3-16); OF/3B Willi Castro (.312, with 18 runs scored) – and the list goes on.  In fact, seven Twins had 10+ September RBI and nine scored 10+ runs. On the hill, nine Twins’ pitchers put up ERA’s under 3.00 and seven held hitters to an under .200 average.  Don’t count them out in October.

The Tigers surprised a lot of people with their 17-10 month – led by some sterling young pitching: Tarik Skubal  (4-0, 0.90 in five starts) and Reese Olson (3-1, 1.44 in five starts) – and an offense driven in part by  24-year-old  1B Spencer Torkelson (.255-7-25 in September) and 40-year-old DH Miguel Cabrera (.324-1-10 during the month).  The Bengals also got a .297-5-11 month from C Jake Rogers and twenty runs scored from RF Matt Vierling.

The AL West was a surprise in that only the Rangers were above .500 for the month (15-13) – moving past the Mariners and Astros in a tight race.  The Orioles, notching their 100th win are no longer a surprise.

Over in the NL, the Padres had a solid 19-7 September, but their move was too late . Meanwhile the Braves, Brewers and Dodgers played well enough to hold off the competiti0n.

–——Team  Statistical Leaders for September  2023 ———-

RUNS SCORED

National League –  Braves (160); Cubs (151); Dodgers (147); Padres (146)

American League – Twins (173); Orioles (143); Rangers (143)

The fewest runs in September were scored by the White Sox (82). In the National League, it was the Giants at 92.  Also under 100 runs were the Angels (94) and  A’s (99).

AVERAGE

National League – Braves (.275); Marlins (.271); Padres (.269)

American League – Astros (.265); Royals (.263); Guardians (.261)

The lowest team average for September belonged to the Angels at .220. The lowest in the NL was the Cardinals (.221). 

HOME RUNS

National League – Braves (52); Phillies (46); Reds (43)

American League –  Rangers (49); Twins (46); Astros (43)

The Guardians had the fewest home runs in September at 20.  The Diamondbacks were at the bottom of the NL at 21.

The Braves led MLB in slugging percentage for at .502.  The Astros led the AL at .475. 

STOLEN BASES

National League – Phillies (39); Reds (32); Padres (32)

American League – Guardians (38); Royals (31); A’s (25)

The White Sox stole the fewest sacks in Septembers  – six  in eleven  attempts.   The Giants were at the bottom of the NL, with 10  in 13  attempts. 

WALKS DRAWN

National League –   Cardinals (113); Brewers (109); Phillies (107)

American League  Twins (125); Rangers (124); Blue Jays (109)

The Twins  led MLB in on-base percentage for September at .355. The Reds led the NL  at .349.  The White Sox  had MLB’s lowest  OBP for September at .269.  The Nationals were at the bottom of the NL at .294. Six of the bottom seven in OBP were from the American League: White Sox; Angels; A’s; Red Sox; Mariners; Yankees.

BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS

National League – Phillies (281); Rockies (264); Pirates (264)

American League – Mariners (274); Yankees (273); Red Sox (272)

Astros’ batters fanned the fewest times in September (181). The Nationals fanned the fewest times in the NL at 195. While the Phillies led MLB in September whiffs, the next five teams were from the AL: Mariners; Yankees; Red Sox; A’s; Angels. 

 Bonus Stats:

• Braves’ batters racked up the most total bases in July at 499.  The White Sox were at the bottom of MLB at 310. 
• The Marlins were successful on all 20 of their September steal attempts. The only team with a 100% success rate.

_______________________________________

EARNED RUN AVERAGE

National League – Brewers (2.77); Padres (3.36); Mets (.347)

American League –  Tigers (3.00); Orioles (3.30); Twins (3.64)

The Rockies had the highest September ERA at 6.52.  Nine  teams were at 5.00+ including the Rockies and the Nationals (5.51); Reds (5.49); Braves (5.45); Rangers (5.31); Cardinals (5.23); Pirates (5.14); White Sox (5.08); Royals (5.00).

STRIKEOUTS

National League – Braves (266); Phillies (264); Dodgers (260)

American League –  Rays (304); Twins (279); Blue Jays (267)

The Rays averaged an MLB-best 11.15 strikeouts per nine innings in September. The Braves averaged an NL-best 9.54.  Fourteen teams averaged nine whiffs per nine or better. 

FEWEST WALKS SURRENDERED

National League  – Giants (56); Dodgers (71); Diamondbacks (82)

American League – Rays (66); Twins (66); Orioles (67)

The Giants walked an MLB-lowest 2.16 batters per nine innings in September.  The A’s walked an MLB-worst 4.73 batters per nine frames.

SAVES

National League – Pirates (10); Braves (10); Marlins (10)

American League – Yankees (11); Guardians (8); Tigers (8); Royals (8); Rays (8)

The Cubs blew the most saves in August  – recoding just six saves in 16 opportunities.

Bonus Stats:

• The Braves gave up an MLB-high 47 home runs in September. (Interestingly, the Braves gave up an MLB-low 25 in August).   The Mets gave up an MLB-low 42 home runs in September.
• The Brewers held opponents to an MLB-low .202 average in September – after holding opponents to an MLB-low .206 average in August. The Rockies’ staff was touched for an MLB-high .306 average in September.
• The Rays strikeouts-to-walks ratio for September topped MLB at 4.61. The A’s had MLB’s worse ratio at 1.65.

–—-SEPTEMBER 2023 HIGHLIGHTS —–

A First (homer) on the First (swing) of the First (at bat) . which happened to be on the  on the First (of the month)

Twenty-year-old switch-hitting Jasson Dominguez made his MLB debut on September 1, playing CF and batting fifth for the Yankees (playing in Houston). His first MLB at bat came against none other than three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander.  After letting a  first pitch curve go by for a strike, he took is first MLB swing at Verlander’s next offering – a 94 mph fastball – and smacked his first MLB home run.

Dominguez, by the way, was heralded as a five-tool player  ranked as the Yankees’ second-best prospect.  In his first eight games with the Yankees he hit .258, with four home runs and seven RBI. However, a scan on September 10 revealed an arm injury that required Tommy John surgery and he is now out for nine-to-ten months.

It Took Two Days, but it Was Worth It

Photo by Keith Allison

This highlight started in the ninth inning of the Astros’ September fifth 13-6 win over the Rangers in Texas.  Astros’ 2B Jose Altuve, who had already gone deep in the sixth inning, finished off the Astros’ scoring with a solo home run off Martin Perez in the top of the ninth.

Fast forward to the very next day – Astros at Rangers again. Altuve led off the first inning with a home run off Nathan Eovaldi. He homered again the second inning (a solo shot with one out) off Eovaldi. Then, he added a homer in the third inning, this time a two-run shot off Dane Dunning.  According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that made Altuve the first player in the “Expansion Era” (since 1961) to homer in four consecutive innings.  More “InBaseballWeCountEverything.”  Altuve also tied the MLB record with five homers in a two-game span.

A Nice Round Number

Photo: Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

On September 5, as the Yankees topped the Tigers 5-1, in New York, Yankee DH Giancarlo Stanton broke up 1-1 tie with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth.  It was the 22nd long ball of the season for Stanton and the 400^th of his  14-season MLB career. Stanton is a five-time All Star, the 2017 National League MVP (Marlins).  He has hit 30+ homers in seven seasons (a high of 59 in 2017), led the league in homers twice and drove in 100 or more runs in three campaigns.

Let’s Get This Party Started

Angels 1b/1B Nolan Schanuel was the 11^th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft (after putting up a .386-46-176 stat line in three college seasons at Florida Atlantic). Forty days and 22 minor-league games later, he was in the big leagues – and he’s not slowing down a bit.  He made his debut August 18 and quickly ran off a ten-game hitting streak to start his MLB career. His first hitless game came on September 1, but he got on base via a walk in that contest,  In fact, as of September 29, he had appeared in 29 MLB gams and been on base via hit or walk in every one.  His 2023 stat line as of September 30 – 29 games,  .275-1-6, with 19 runs, 20 walks and 19 strikeouts.

Happy Birthday, Joey!

On Sunday, September 10, Reds 1B Joey Votto celebrated his fortieth birthday in style – leading off the eighth inning with a home run off the Cardinals’ Andrew Suarez (part of a 7-1 Reds Win in in St. Louis).  It was Votto’s 14^th long ball of the season and the 356^th homer of his 17-season MLB career. Votto is a six-time All Star and was the 2010 National League MVP.

A Tough Way To Lose

On September 10, three Brewers hurlers (Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams, Abner Uribe) held the Yankees not just scoreless – but hitless – over the first ten innings at Yankee Stadium. The Brewers, however, had managed just three hits and no runs.

The Brewers scored in the top of the eleventh – a single plating that “placed” runner. (Don’t even get me started on that.) The Yankees also plated their gift runner in the bottom of the inning.

Each team scored twice in the twelfth, before the Yankees finally won it 4-3 in the thirteenth – with five of the seven total runs scored being  ‘gifted” baserunners.” (Okay, that got me started.)

And a Happy Birthday to you, too, Freddie!

Dodgers’ 1B Freddie Freeman turned 34 on September 12th, but he didn’t show his age. In an 11-2 Dodgers win against the Padres (in LA), Freeman went four-for-five, with a homer, a double, four runs scored and two RBI. It was the fourth time Freeman has gone yard on his birthday – one shy of the MB record (more #InBaseballWeCountEverything).

It’s A Grand Old Game

On September 15, Twins’ 24-year-oold rookie infielder Royce Lewis laced a second-inning Grand Slam off of The White Sox’ Jesse Scholtens – breaking a 0-0 tie and starting the Twins toward a 10-2 victory in Chicago. And the Grand Slam was one of the record books.

• It was Lewis fourth grand slam in 18 games – shortest span of games for four Grand Slams in MLB history;
• It gave Lewis a share of the record for most Grand Slams by a rookie in a season;
• It gave Lewis the Twins’ franchise record for Grand Slams in a season.

Here a list of Lewis 2023 Grand Slams:

August 27, sixth inning  – off the Rangers’ Chris Stratton;

August 28, second inning – off the Guardians’ Xzavion Curry (gotta be the only MLBer whose first name starts XZ);

September 4, second inning – off the Guardians’ Lucas Giolito;

September 15, second inning – off the White Sox’ Jesse Scholtens.

Side Note; Lewis also had a Grand slam in 2022, when he played only 12 games (keeping his rookie status intact), giving him five Grand Slams in his first 66 MLB games,

Lewis, hampered by injury concerns, finished the 2023 season with a .309-15-52 stat line in just 58 games.

Sometimes It’s Not So Grand 

When Twins’ C Ryan Jeffers watched a called third strike from Angels’ righthander Andrew Wantz – in the second inning of a Twins 9-3 win over the Angels on September 24, it marked a not so grand MLB moment.  It was the Twins hitters’ 1,597th strikeout of the season – setting a new MLB single-season record. Notably, the Twins winning record this season is the exception, rather than the rule, among MLB’s top swing-and-miss teams.

A Braves New World

On September 16, as the Braves lost to the Marlins 11-5 in Miami, Braves’1B Matt Olson  went two-for-three with a home run .  It was his 52nd long ball of the season and gave him the Braves franchise single-season record for home runs (topping Andruw Jones … 51 in 2005). Olson, finished September with a .282-54-137 stat line (all career highs).  In fact, with one game left to play, Olson had reached career highs in hits, runs scored, triples, homers, total bases, RBI and average.  Note: On September 28, Olson drove in his 135^th and 136^th runs of the season, setting a modern-era (post 1900) franchise record for RBI (topping Eddie Mathews 135 in 1953).

The Time is WainwRIGHT

On September 18, Cardinals’ righthander Adam Wainwright – in his 18^th MLB season – came into his start against the Brewers with a sore right shoulder and a back impacted by the wear and tear of more than 2,500 MLB innings.  He had 199 MLB wins and a career 3.54 earned run average on his resume – but a 4-11, 7.95 record on the 2023 season.  On this day, Wainwright captured some of the old magic. He pitched seven strong innings (his longest start of the season), gave up just four hits (two walks) and held the Brewers scoreless (his first scoreless outing of the season) – as his Cardinals won 1-0.

The win, Wainwright’s 200^th MLB victory – proved to be his final MLB win. A few days later, Wainwright, who had already given notice that this would be his last season in uniform – confirmed that his back and shoulder issues would prevent him from taking the mound again begore retirement. (For trivia buffs, his last pitch was a 2-2 curveball to Brewers’ 3B Josh Donaldson (that Donaldson it for a flyout to center).

In the five seasons from 2009-214, Adam Wainwright went 92-50, 2.83 in 165 starts.

Wainwright will retire with a 200-128, 3.53 record. A three-time All Star, he twice led the NL in victories, owns a pair of Gold Gloves and three times finished in the top three in Cy Young Award voting. As a hitter, he homered on the very first pitch he ever saw (from the batter’s box) off the Giants’ Noah Lowry on May 24, 2006).  He went on to hit  .193, with ten homers and 75 RBI in 742 career at bats. For trivia buffs, what appears to be Adam Wainwright’s last MLB appearance was as a pinch hitter (in front of a Cardinals home crowd) in the sixth inning of a September 29 game against the Reds.  He hit for DH Luken Baker (in the cleanup spot) and grounded out against Brandon Williamson. (At the time, the Cardinals trailed 14-2.)

The Zero Heroes

September saw three complete-game shutouts.

September 8 – Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks, in a 1-0 win over the Cubs in Chicago. Gallen used 107 pitches, giving up three hits, walking one and fanning nine.

September 11 – Brian Woodruff, Brewers, in a 12-0 win over the Marlins in Milwaukee. Woodruff used 106 pitches to toss a seven-hitter, with one walk and seven whiffs.

September 27 – Gerrit Cole, Yankees, in a 6-0 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto.  Cole used 105 pitches, gave up two hits, walked none and fanned five.

Through September there were 21 single-pitcher shutouts in MLB. In 2022, there were 16.

Taking This Twins Thing Seriously

On September 17^th Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and his wife Allie added to their family with the birth of – of course – twins (both boys).

A Rookie First

On September 20, as the Diamondbacks topped the Giants  7-1 in Arizona, D-back’s rookie Corbin Carroll – starting in RF and leading off – had a big day. He went four-for-five, with a home run, three runs scored and two stolen baes. Not only did he lead the D-backs to a win, but he also hit his 25^th homer  of the season and stole his 49^th and 50^th bases – making him the first AL/NL rookie ever with a 25-50 season.

Another National Leaguer Goes “Clubbing”

Photo: Thomson200, CC0, via Wikimedia Comm

On September 22, as the Braves topped the Nationals 9-6 in Washington D.C., Braves’ RF Ronald Acuna Jr. clubbed his 40th home run of the 2023 season. (He went two-for four, with a homer, double, hit-by-pitch, three runs scored and one RBI in the game). At the time, Acuna also had 68 stolen bases (in 81 attempts).  In the process, he became just the fifth member of the unique 40-40 club (forty homers and at least forty steals in the same season – joining Joe Canseco, A’s (42/40 in  1988); Barry Bonds, Giants (42/40 1996); Alex Rodriguez, Mariners (42/46 in 1998); Alfonso Soriano, Nationals (46/41 in  2006).

With that homer, Acuna also established a new exclusive club – the 40- homer/sixty-steal club. As September closed, they had to rename Acuna’s club the 40-70  Club (41 homers and 73 steals to go with a .338 average).

A Good Year to Lead Off

Ronald Acuna, Jr.’s September 22, home run gave him the record for home runs hit out of the leadoff spot in the  lineup in a single season at 40. In September 26, he extended that record to 41. As September closed, the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts had 39 home runs out of the leadoff spot this season, tying for second on the list.

Ditto the Above Headline

On September 23, Dodgers; 2B/OF Mookie Betts smacked a pair of doubles and drove in two runs, as the Dodgers topped the Giants 7-0 in LA.  Betts’ two RBI were his 104^th and 105^th of the season, giving him the single-season MLB record for RBI out of the leadoff spot. Charlie Blackman had held the record at 103 (2017). By September’s end Betts had extended his record to 107 RBI (.306-39-107).

Well, That’s Kind Of Surprising

On September 23, Aaron Judge had a big day versus the Diamondbacks (in New York).  Batting second and starting in RF for the Yankees, Judge:

• Doubled off Brandon Pfaadt in the bottom of the first inning;
• Hit a three-run homer to right-center off Pfaadt in the third;
• Hit a two-run homer off Pfaadt in the fifth;
• Hit a solo shot off Slade Cecconi in the seventh.

It was Judge’s second three-homer game of the 2023 season – which is why it is mentioned here.  Given a history that includes such sluggers as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle, it is surprising that Judge is the first Yankee with two three-homer games in a season. The Yankees, by the way, prevailed 7-1, with Judge collecting six RBI

More #InBaseballWeCountEverything

On September 24, with the Phillies leading the Mets 5-2 (in Philadelphia), the Phils called Mike Lorenzen in from the bullpen in the top of the ninth inning. Two groundouts and a strikeout later, Lorenzen had his first save of 2023. It came in just his second 2023 relief appearance – following 25 starts.  Why is it a highlight?  On August ninth, Lorenzen pitched a complete-game, no-hitter.  The save made him just the tenth  pitcher (since saves became an official stat in 1969) to toss a no-hitter and pick up a save in the same season.  Other names on the list Bob Moose (1969). Jim Bibby (1973); Nolan Ryan (1973); John Candelario (1973); Jerry Reuss (1976); Chris Bosio (1980); Matt Garza (1993); Tim Lincecum (2010).

They call Him the Streak

Photo: Soto:  Ryan Casey Aguinaldo, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia

Between August 26 and September 27, the Padres’ Juan Soto ran off a streak of 30-games getting on base. During that streak her hit .349 (38-for-109), with 11 home runs, 32 RBI and 27 runs scored.,  He also drew 23 walks and was hit by a pitch (.463 on-base percentage).

–——Individual Statistical Leaders for September 2023——––

AVERAGE (minimum 75 September at  bats)

National League – Xander Bogaerts, Padres (.416); Noelvi Marte, Reds (.387); Seiya Suzuki, Cubs (.370)

American League –  Yandy Diaz, Rays (.345); Andres Gimenez, Guardians (.333); Josh Lowe, Rays (.318)

The lowest September average (among players with at least 50 at bats in the month)  belonged to Giants’ C Patrick Bailey  at .121 (7-for-58).

HOME RUNS

National League – Ronald Acuna, Jr., Braves (11); Matt Olson, Braves (11); Juan Soto, Padres (10); Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (10)

American League – Marcus Semien, Rangers (9); Nelson Valazquez, Royals (9); Logan O’Hoppe, Angels (9)

The Dodgers J.D. Martinez had the highest September slugging percentage (at least 75 at bats) at .724.  The AL leader was the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez at .629.

HITS

National League – Xander Bogaerts, Padres (42); Seiya Suzuki, Cubs (40); Ozzie Albies, Braves (38)

American League –  Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (33); Marcus Semien, Rangers (33); Jose Ramirez, Guardians (33)

The top seven hitters – in terms of base hits – for September were from the National League.

RUNS BATTED IN

National League – Juan Soto, Padres (29); Seiya Suzuki, Cubs (26); J.D. Martinez, Dodgers (25); Matt Olson, Braves (25)

American League –  Jose Abreu, Astros (26); Spencer Torkelson, Tigers (25); Royce Lewis, Twins (23)

The Rockies Nolan Jones led MLB (at least 75 September at bats) players in on-base percentage at .460. The AL  leader was the Yankees Aaron Judge at .452.  

DOUBLES

National League –   Willy Adames, Brewers (10); Xander Bogaerts, Padres (10); Michael Harris II, Braves (10); Marcell Ozuna, Braves (10)

American League –  Adley Rutschman, Orioles (9); Anthony Santander, Orioles (9); six with eight

TRIPLES

National League – Brenton Doyle, Rockies (4); TJ Freidl, Reds (3); Nolan Jones, Rockies (3)

American League –  Kyle Tucker, Astros (4); Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (3); five with two

The Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki  and Braves’ Marcel Ozuna led MLB in September extra-base hits with 18. The  Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson and Rangers’’  Marcus Semien led the AL with 17.

STOLEN BASES

National League –  Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks (13); Elly De La Cruz, Reds (12); three with 11

American League – Esteury Ruiz, A’s (13); Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (11); Andres Gimenez, Guardians (8)

The Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll  stole his MLB-leading 13 bases in September  without ever getting caught.

WALKS

National League –  Bryce Harper, Phillies (24); Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (24); Nolan Jones, Rockies (20)

American League –  Aaron Judge, Yankees (27); Edouard Julien, Twins (24); Andy Rutschman, Orioles (19)

The Astros’ Alex Bregman  led in walks/strikeouts ratio (among batters with at least 75 September plate appearances)  at 2.00 … 16 walks versus 8 whiffs in 26 games.

BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS

National League – Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (43); Ryan McMahon, Rockies (33); Nick Castellanos, Phillies (33)

American League – Ryan Noda, A’s (45); Teoscar Hernandez, Mariners (40); Eugenio Suarez, Mariners (40)

PITCHING VICTORIES

National League – Spencer Strider, Braves (4-1); Michael Wacha, Padres (4-2); 13 with three

American League –  Tarik Skubal, Tigers (4-0); Brito, Yankees (4-1); 20 with three

Leading MLB with four September losses were: John Brebbia, Giants (1-4, 4.82); Hunter Brown, Astros (1-4, 9.14); Griffin Canning, Angels (0-4, 4.13); Carlos Rodon, Yankees (2-4, 8.10)

Right Place Right Time & Vice Versa

The Rangers’ Dane Dunning went 3-0, in five September games (four starts) with a 5.02 ERA. The Yankees Michael King went 1-2 in five starts, with a 1.30 ERA.

EARNED RUN AVERAGE (minimum 25 September innings pitched)

National League –  Blake Snell, Padres (0.58); Brandon Woodruff, Brewers (1.67); Logan Webb, Giants (2.02)

American League – Tarik Skubal, Tigers (0.90); Michael King, Yankees (1.30): Reese Olson, Tigers (1.44)

The Royals’ James McArthur  threw the most September  innings without giving  up an earned run (14 1/3). In 11 September  appearances, he gave up just  hits and no runs, while fanning 15 and not walking a single batter.

 INNINGS PITCHED

National League: Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks (36 2/3); Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks (36 1/3); Logan Webb, Giants (35 2/3)

American League:  Justin Verlander (39); Jordan Montgomery, Rangers (36 1/3); Logan Gilbert (35 2/3)

 STRIKEOUTS

National League – Blake Snell, Padres (41K / 31 IP); Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks (40K / 36 1/3 IP); Zac Gallen (38K / 36 2/3 IP)

American League – Tyler Glasnow, Rays (48K / 33 1/3 IP); Nick Pivetta, Red Sox (43K / 33 1/3 IP); Tarik Skubal, Tigers (43K / 30 IP)

SAVES

National League – David Bednar, Pirates (9); Tanner Scott, Marlins (8); three with six

American League – Emmanuel Clase, Guardians (8); Clay Holmes, Yankees (8); Pete Fairbanks, Rays (7)

The Pirates’  David  had the most saves without a blown saves in September at nine.

WHIP (Walks +  Hits per Inning Pitched – minimum 25 August innings)

National League – Ryan Pepiot, Dodgers (0.76); Brandon Woodruff, Brewers (0.81); Freddy Peralta, Brewers (0.83)

American League – Tarik Skubal, Tigers (0.60); Gerrit Cole, Yankees (0.69);  Reese Olson, Tigers (0.77)

The Padres’ Blake Snell (among pitchers with at least 25 September inning) held hitter to the lowest average (.123). In the AL, that honor went to Tarik Skubal of the Tigers at .135.

 Random  Bonus Stats:

• Lucas Giolito of the White Sox gave up the most September homers (10 in 25 2/3 IP), He went 1-3, 6.66.
• The Yankees’ Gerrit Cole pitched the most September innings without giving up home run – 35.
• The Pirate’s Johan Oviedo walked the most batters in September (19 in 23 1/3 innings).

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

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P1005

In today’s post, Baseball Roundtable takes a look at (possibly) the streakiest team in MLB history. As is the Baseball Roundtable tradition, when I look into baseball events (past and current) “one thing always leads to another.” This journey began with my interest in the remarkable 1916 season of New York Giants’ pitcher Ferdie Schupp (more on that in a bit.) However, I soon became distracted by the remarkably streaky season of the 1916 Giants as a whole.

On this date (September 7) in 1916, the aforementioned Schupp started for the Giants against Nap Rucker and the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers) at the Polo Grounds. Southpaw Schupp went the distance for the Giants, tossing a two-hitter. Lefty Rucker also went the distance (a six-hitter) and all four runs scored against him were unearned. The win brought the fourth-place Giants record to 60-62 and dropped the second-place Robins to 74-51.

More important, the win was the first of an MLB-record 26-game winning streak for the Giants.  (Side note: the streak was interrupted after 12 games by a 1-1 tie.  However, ties were not counted in MLB standings and, at the time, games were replayed not resumed. Therefore, MLB recognizes the Giants’ streak as the record.)

That the Giants would go on a streak is no surprise.  During the 1916 season, looking at streaks of five or more games, the Giants:

• Had winning streaks of 26 and 17 games;
• Suffered losing streaks of eight games (part of 13 losses in 15 games), five games and six games (the latter two part of a streak of 11 losses in 12 games).

The 1916 Giants are the only team with a 20 (or more)-game, in-season winning streak that did not finish in first place. In fact, the Giants started their record winning streak in fourth place, ended the streak in fourth place and finished the season in fourth place. 

The Giants’ two winning streaks provided a record-book bonanza.

• The 26-game winning streak (September 7 through September 30) involved all home games (part of a 31-game homestand). That gave the Giants the record for the overall MLB winning streak and home winning streak.
• The 17-game winning streak involved all road games (part of a 21-game road trip). That streak gave the Giants the record for consecutive road wins.  While the Tigers broke the overall record for consecutive road wins in 1983-84, the Giants still share the single-season record of 17 consecutive road wins (with the 1984 Tigers).

A Tiger by the Tail

The 1983 Tigers won their final four road games. Detroit then opened the 1984 season by winning their first 17 road games (on their way to a 35-5 start).  The 17 road wins tied the single-season record for consecutive road wins and (with the four final road wins of 1983) helped set a new multi-season mark for consecutive road wins.

Now, let’s get back to those 1916 Giants.  In their 26-game winning streak, they outscored their opponents 121-32 (not counting the 1-1 tie). The streak included ten shutouts and four one-run victories.

During the streak, southpaw, Ferdie Schupp, the original topic of the research behind this post, started six games and went 6-0, with a 0.33 earned run average.  He tossed six compete games and gave up just three runs (two earned) and just 17 hits in 54 innings.

Schupp (who made his first 1916 MLB appearance on June 13) finished the 1916 season with a 9-3, record and a 0.90 earned run average in 140 1/3 innings. Notably, Schupp’s 0.90 earned run average was – at the time – recognized as the MLB single-season earned run average record. If you look at today’s record books, the single-season lowest ERA record (post-1900) is assigned to the Red Sox’ Dutch Leonard (0.96 in 1914), with statisticians applying the current qualifying standard of at least one inning pitched per team’s game played. But as Daniel Levitt pointed out in his superb article in the 1996 Society of American Baseball Research “Baseball Research Journal (“Lowest Season ERA? Ferdie Schupp.  He meets the Criteria”), the standard for qualifying at the time was a season of with at least ten complete games. Levitt makes a strong case that Schupp should still have the record on the basis of the criteria at the time,  longevity of that recognition and the  lack of new evidence to the contrary. Baseball Roundtable agrees (that was the original focus of this post).

Schupp followed up his 1916 season with a 21-7, 1.95 record for the 1917 Giants (with 25 complete games in 32 starts). His career MLB mark (10 seasons) was  61-39, 3.32.

Here are a few other factoids about 20+ game MLB winning streaks:

• In their 2017 22-game wining streak, the Cleveland Indians outscored their opponents 142-37, threw seven shutouts and won four one-run games. The streak covered 11 home games and 11 away games. The Indians’ big four starters of Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevenger, Carlos Carrasco and Corey Kluber picked up wins in 17 of the 22 games (they also got the wins in 65 of the team’s 102 2017 victories).
• The 1935 Cubs outscored their opponents 137-50 in their 1935 21-game winning streak. It included four shutouts and five one-run games – and 18 home games (versus three road games). Eighteen of the Cubs’ 21 wins involved complete games by the Cubs’ starting pitcher (#HowTheGameHasChanged).
• The 2002 A’s outscored their opponents 141-65 in their 20-game winning streak, which included four shutouts, four one-run games, ten home wins and ten road wins. The final three wins in the A’s streak were walk-off wins at home.

Primary Resources:  Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; “Best Season ERA? Try Freddie Schupp,” by Daniel R. Levitt, The Baseball Research Journal, Society for American Baseball Research, 1996.

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