Yesterday (April 23, 2022), Red Sox’ rookie  LF (and cleanup hitter) Masataka  Yoshida became the 60^th MLB player to connect for two home runs in a single inning.   He accomplished the feat in the eighth innings of the Red Sox’ 12-5 win over the Brewers in Milwaukee. He hit a solo home run to right on a 1-2 pitch from Matt Bush after DH Justin Turner led off the frame with a solo shot to left.  Yoshida came up again with two outs in the inning, facing Javy Guerra with the bases loaded. This time, he smacked a Grand Slam to right on an 0-2 pitch.  They were Yoshida’s second and third homers of the season.

Yoshida, by the way, was on Baseball Roundtable pre-/early-season watch list. For that post, noting key players to watch for each team, click here for the AL and here for the NL.

The Red Sox signed the Japanese outfielder  to a reportedly five-year $90 million deal last December. The 28-year-old is coming off a .335-21-88 season (119 games) in Japan and has shown a combination of power and plate discipline in Nippon Professional  Baseball.   In seven seasons there, Yoshida averaged .326, with 135 home runs.  Perhaps more important, he walked more times (427) than he struck out (307).   After his first seventeen games with the Red Sox, Yoshida’s  stat line is .231-3-15.

Side note:  Some recent articles have indicated only 58 players have hit two home runs in an inning.  Those lists do  not include early Players League and American Association players (those leagues were added to MLB records in a 1969 ruling). Also, this list may change as Negro Leagues records from 1920-48 are fully documented and incorporated into MLB records.

Now, more on two-homer innings, with a full list to follow.

Two Grand Slams in One Inning

The most historic two-homer inning belongs to the Cardinals’ Fernando Tatis who, on April 23, 1999, not only hit two homers in an inning – but hit two grand slams in one inning.  It was the 11-run third inning of the Cardinals’ 12-5 win over the Dodgers in LA.  Equally surprising to BBRT is the fact that Dodgers’ starter Chan Ho Park was on the mound for both grand slams (the second finally drove Park from the game).  Park’s inning went like this:  single – hit batsman – single – home run – ground out, first base to pitcher – home run – walk – walk – fielder’s choice – error by first baseman – single – fly out to right field – home run – relieved by Carlos Perez, who got the final out of the inning on a foul pop up.

Teaming Up for a Two-Homer Inning

On May 2, 2002, Brett Boone and Mike Cameron became the only two teammates to hit two home runs in one inning in the same game – and they did it in the same inning (a ten-run first in a 15-4 win over the White Sox) and they did it back-to-back.

Two Times Two = A Record

Only five  players have achieved two home runs an inning twice in their careers:

• Jeff King, Pirates (April 8, 1995 and April, 30, 1996);
• Willie McCovey, Giants (April 12, 1973 and June 27, 1977);
• Andre Dawson, Expos (June 30, 1978 and Sept. 24, 1985);
• Alex Rodriguez, Yankees (September 5, 2007 and October 4, 2009).
• Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays and Mariners (July 26, 2013 and April 8, 2019, respectively.

From Both Side Now

The Indians’ Carlos Baerga (August 8, 1993), the Cubs’ Mark Bellhorn (August 29, 2002) and the Angels’c Kendrys Morales (July 30, 2012) are the only players to homer from both sides of the plate in the same inning.

Two in One Frame … How About Two More?

The Braves’ (Boston) Bobby Lowe (May 30, 1894) and Mariners’ Mike Cameron (May 2, 2002) each achieved a two-homer inning in the midst of a record  four-homer game.

Team Totals

The Giants have had the most two-homer innings accomplished by individual players with seven.  The Yankees follow with six, the Red Sox and Expos/Nationals ranked third with five.  (All five Expos/Nationals two-homer player innings were accomplished in Expos’ uniforms.)  The Mets, White Sox, Royals, Diamondbacks and, surprisingly, high-altitude Rockies have never had a player with a two-home inning.

Lucky Seven

In 2002, a record seven MLB players produce a two-home inning.

Here is your two-homer inning list:

2023, April 23 …. Masataka Yoshida, Red Sox

2022, September 21 … Gleyber Torres, Yankees

2019, April 19 … Edwin Encarnacion, Mariners

2016, April 15 … Mark Trumbo, Orioles

2013, July 26 … Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays

2012, August 22 … Adrian Beltre, Rangers

2012, July 30 … Kendrys Morales, Angels

2011, Sept. 18 … Pablo Sandoval, Giants

2010, Sept. 23 … Juan Uribe, Giants

2009, October 4 … Alex Rodriguez, Yankees

2009, August 23 … Michael Cuddyer, Twins

2008, August 12 … David Ortiz, Red Sox

2008, June 21 … Jim Edmonds, Cubs

2007, Sept. 5 … Alex Rodriguez, Yankees

2007, August 12 …  Magglio Ordonez, Tigers

2007, May 7 … Benji Molina, Giants

2006, July 22 … Julio Lugo, Rays

2004, June 19 … Juan Rivera, Expos

2003, August 20 … Reggie Sanders, Pirates

2002, August 29 … Mark Bellhorn, Cubs

2002, August 9 … Aaron Boone, Reds

2002, July 26 … Carl Everett, Rangers

2002, July 23 … Nomar Garciaparra, Red Sox

2002, June 11 … Jared Sandberg, Rays

2002, May 2 … Mike Cameron, Mariners

2002, May 2 … Brett Boone, Mariners

2000, August 22 … Eric Karros, Dodgers

1999, April 23 … Fernando Tatis, Cardinals

1997, July 13 … Gary Sheffield, Marlins

1997, May 7 … Mike Lansing, Expos

1996, Sept. 22 … Mark McGwire, A’s

1996, May 17 … Dave Nilsson, Brewers

1996, May 16 … Sammy Sosa, Cubs

1996, April 30 … Jeff King, Pirates

1995, April 8 … Jeff King, Pirates

1994, June 24 … Jeff Bagwell, Astros

1993, Oct. 3 … Joe Carter, Blue Jays

1993, April 8 … Carlos Baerga, Indians

1990, August 27 … Ellis Burks, Red Sox

1989, July 27 … Dale Murphy, Braves

1985, Sept. 24 … Andre Dawson, Expos

1985, June 11 … Von Hayes, Phillies

1980, May 13 … Ray Knight, Reds

1978, July 30 …Andre Dawson, Expos

1977, June 30 … Cliff Johnson, Yankees

1977, June 27 … Willie McCovey, Giants

1974, April 29 … Lee May, Astros

1973, July 6 … John Boccabella, Expos

1973, April 12 … Willie McCovey, Giants

1966, April 30 … Rick Reichardt, Angels

1962, May 23 … Joe Pepitone, Yankees

1959, Sept. 4 … Jim Lemon, Senators

1955, April 17 … Al Kaline Tigers

1949, July 31 … Sid Gordon, Giants

1949, June 2 … Andy Seminick, Phillies

1936, June 24 … Joe DiMaggio, Yankees

1935, August 24 … Hank Leiber, Giants

1928, June 16 … Bill Regan, Red Sox

1925, July 1 … Hack Wilson, Giants

1922, August 7 … Kenny Williams, Browns

1894, June 6 … Jake Stenzel, Pirates

1894, June 30 … Bobby Lowe, Braves

1890, September 23 … Ed Cartwright, St. Louis Browns, American Association

1890, September 12 … Lou Bierbauer,  Brooklyn Ward’s Wonders, Player League

1880, June 10 … Charley Jones, Braves

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

 

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As MLB Opening Day approaches, Baseball Roundtable is  looking forward to another season in which – as usual – fans can expect to see something new, different or at least improbable every time they go to the ballpark.  After all, in 2002 alone, fans saw six triple plays (including the first-ever MLB CF-to-3B  triple play); four no-hitters; four games in which the winning team plated 20 or more runs; a player picking up his tenth win on the mound and his 25^th home run at the plate in the same game; a pitcher  with only three balks in an eight-season MLB career tying an MLB record by committing all three balks in the same inning … and I could go on and on.  With that in mind, and to get in the mood for another season of big-league ball, I would like to use this post to reflect on Baseball Roundtable’s Top Dozen  “Improbables” from the 2022 season.   I’ll also throw in a few bonus Improbables from seasons past.

Baseball Roundtable Top Dozen MLB Improbables From 2022

Number One … A Beer and a Burger, Please.

This one is kind of a two-fer.  April 7 was National Beer Day – and guess  what? Diamondbacks’ DH Seth Beer (gotta love that baseball name) hit a walk-off home run to push the Diamondbacks past the Padres 4-2.  It was just Beer’s second career homer and first career walk-off long ball – and the only home run he would hit in 2022.  Beer ended the 2022 season at .189-1-9 in 38 games.

Then, on May 28 (National Hamburger Day),  White Sox’ 3B Jake Burger homered in the Sox 5-1 win over the Cubs. It was Burger’s fourth homer of 2022 and fifth of his career. Burger finished with a .250-8-26 stat line for 20222 (51 games).

A Beer and a Burger.  That kind of coincidence in a single season is the kind of Improbable that catches The Roundtable’s eye.

Bonus Improbable from the Past

On September 23, 1969, fans in Cincinnati saw Dodgers’ pinch hitter John Miller hit his second (and final) MLB career home run.  They also witnessed Miller becoming just the second MLB player ever to homer in his very first MLB plate appearance (for the Yankees on  September 11, 1966) and very last MLB plate appearance. How improbable was that feat?  Remember, Miller hit only two home runs in his entire (32-game) MLB career – and, to this date, is still only one of two players to homer in his first and final plate MLB appearances. Miller’s final MLB stat line .164-2-3.

What further makes Miller’s homer an Improbable is how close he came to not homering in his final at bat.   Miller almost came to the plate one more time – on September 27, as the Dodgers and Giants faced off at Dodger Stadium.  That game was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the eleventh inning. Southpaw Ron Bryant was on the mound for the Giants and, after getting Dodgers’ SS Maury Wills to pop out, he gave up singles to LF Manny Mota and CF Willie Davis. Dodgers’ manager Walt Alston sent the right-handed hitting Miller up to hit for LA pitcher Jim Brewer.  Giants’ skipper Clyde King –playing the percentages – brought in veteran righty Don McMahon to pitch.  Alston countered by calling Miller back and sending up left-handed swinging Len Gabrielson (who singled in the winning tally.)  Without the switch, Miller’s final plate appearance home run could have become just an obscure next-to-last at bat dinger.

Number Two … The Rangers Didn’t have a Prayer.

Now, these days, “Immaculate Innings” (three up, three down, three strikeouts, nine [pitches) are not all that improbable – after all, there were seven  of them in 2022 alone. But how improbable is it to see two Immaculate Innings in one game? It’s only been done once – on June 15 of last season.  And, the “Improbability Factor” was raised even further by the fact that those two Immaculate frames were thrown by two pitchers on the same team and the same three opposing batters were the strikeout victims.

On June 15, Astros’ pitchers Luis Garcia and Phil Maton pitched their way into the record books. The two Houston hurlers each tossed an “Immaculate Inning.”  It was, as noted,  the first-ever MLB game in which two pitchers each tossed an Immaculate Inning and, of course, also made them the first and (currently) only teammates to toss an Immaculate Inning in the same game.

Garcia tossed his nine-pitch, three-whiff fame in the bottom of the second, while Maton achieved the feat in the bottom of the seventh. The Astros, by the way, won the game  (started by Garcia) 9-2 and four Houston pitchers notched a total of 14 strikeouts. Also of note is that the Rangers’ 1B Nathaniel Lowe, 2B Ezequiel Duran and 3B Brad Miller (the 6-7-8 hitters) were the victims in both Immaculate Innings – making them, of course, the first and currently only three players to be victims in two Immaculate frames in the same game.

Garcia finished the season at 15-8, 3.72 (28 starts)  – with 157 whiffs in 157 1/3 innings pitched. Maton was 0-2, 3.84 in 67 appearances – with 73 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings.

Bonus Improbable from the Past

On September 12, 1962, fans in Baltimore saw the Senators’ Tom Cheney throw a sixteen-inning complete game, as the Senators topped the Orioles 2-1.  Now, a sixteen-inning complete game was much more probable back then,  what was improbable was Cheney’s 21 strikeouts, the highest total ever for a pitcher in an MLB game. What makes it even more improbable is that, in 1962, Cheney averaged   7.6 whiffs per nine (for his career,  he averaged 6.7 whiffs per nine innings).  In 1962, Cheney went 7-9, 3.17 in 37 games (23 starts). His career mark (eight seasons) was 19-29,  3.77.  

Number Three … You Balkin’ to Me? 

On September 27 of last season, in the eighth inning of a Marlins/Mets game (in New York), Mets’ 1B Pete Alonso came to the plate with  two outs and Mets’ 2B Jeff McNeil on first base.  McNeil scored during Alonso’s at bat, but no RBI was awarded.  Had an RBI been assigned it could have gone to Mets’ pitcher Richard Bleier who – during Alonso’s plate appearance – was charged with three balks (sending McNeil, to second, third and, finally, home).  Hence a Baseball Roundtable RBI – Run Balked In. (Bleier and Marlins’ skipper Don Mattingly would argue –  and did – so, maybe, the RBI should go to the umpires.) The Marlins won the contest 6-4, but neither Bleier nor Mattingly were around to see it.  Both were ejected.

This one comes up high on the Improbables list since the three balks (which tied the MLB mark for balks in an inning) are the only balks Bleier has been charged with in seven MLB seasons (308 appearances – 299 2/3 innings pitched).  Bleier finished 2022 with a 2-2, 3.55 record (with one save) in 55 appearances.

Number Four … Twenty-One Equals Luck in more than Black Jack.

In 2002, MLB established  September 15 as Roberto Clemente Day. This past season, Roberto Clemente Day saw an expanded list of  players, coaches and manager wearing Clemente’s’ number 21 on Clemente Day – all the players, coaches and managers in the Pirates/Mets game; along with all Puerto Rican born players.  In addition, the 2022 Clemente Award Nominees, past Clemente Award Winners and players who wore number 21 during the 2021 recognition had the opportunity to wear 21.

Among the players donning number 21 in the September 15 Royals-Twins game (at Target Field), were Twins’ SS Carlos Correa (usually number four) and Royals’ C Salvador Perez (usually number 13).  I single these two players out because, on that day, each of these one-day number 21’s  went yard – and it was the 21^st home run of the season for each of them.  It’s the kind of cosmic numerical coincidence that catches The Roundtable’s attention. Oh, and the Twins prevailed 3-2.

Number Five …  Won’t Somebody Put the Ball in Play?

Okay, how’s this for improbable – an inning that featured six batters, three base runners, 28 pitches, no runs scored and not a single ball put in play? Yep, it happened (and without the aid of an extra-inning Ghost Runner).

On June 17, Evan Lee was on the mound for the Nationals, who were trailing the Phillies 5-3 in the top of the seventh innings. Here’s what happened:

• Nationals’ DH Bryce Harper walked on four pitches.
• RF Nick Castellanos walked on four pitches – two of which were wild pitches – sending Harper to third base.

Carl Edwards replaced Lee on the mound.

• SS Didi Gregorius walked on four pitches, loading the bases. (So far, no balls in play and not even one strike thrown).
• CF Odubel Herrera struck out looking at a 2-2 pitch.
• 3B Alec Bohm fanned looking at a 3-2 pitch.
• 2B Bryson Stott struck out on an 0-2 pitch.

The Phillies, by the way, own the game 5-3.

Number Six …. Lucky Seven? Maybe Not So Much.

Seeing a team bash seven or more  home runs in a game.  A bit improbable, but not overly so.  It’s been done 116 times in MLB history.  Seeing the home team accomplish the feat? 53 times.  All those home runs  being solo shots?  Just six times.  The team with seven or more long balls losing losing the game?  Just six times.  Having seven or more solo home runs account for all of the teams runs? Just once.    That was on August 4 of last season, when the Angels hammered seven solo home runs in an 8-7 loss to the A’s.  Here’s the count down:

First Inning – DH Shohei Ohtani

Second Inning – C Kurt Suzuki

Third Inning – RF Taylor Ward

Fourth Inning – LF Jo Adell

Sixth Inning – 1B Jared Walsh

Seventh Inning – Ohtani

Ninth Inning – CF Mickey Moniak

Number Seven … Three’s Company.

On July 4 of last season, the Twins celebrated with MLB first-ever 8-5 triple play. In the bottom of the seventh, the White Sox had runners on second (Adam Engel, pinch runner) and first (Yoan Moncada, single) and  in , with the score knotted at two apiece.   Twins’ CF Byron Buxton made an impressive (and improbable … Okay, perhaps not for Buxton) running catch in deep centerfield  on a fly ball by AJ Pollock. The runners were going (more evidence that the  catch was improbable) and when Buxton throw came in to 3B Gio Urshela (between second and third), Engel (who had started on second) had already rounded third and  was headed toward home, while, Moncada (who had started on first had rounded second. Urshela who chased down and  tagged Moncada (for out number two) as he reversed direction and retreat toward second base. Urshela then continued toward second, tagging the keystone sac to retired Engel for out number three  –  and  the first-ever 8-5 Triple Play in MLB history.  Improbable?   Well, Baseball Almanac show a total of 733 MLB Triple plays since 1876. This one was number 731 and the first started  by a centerfielder since 2010 – as well as the first-ever MLB triple killing involving only a centerfielder and third baseman.  The Twins, by the way, own the game 6-3 and triple play hero Buxton had contributed a two-run home run.

https://youtu.be/Dcyz3sqwD-M

Bonus Improbable from the past.

On July 17, 1990, 34,113 fans at Boston’s Fenway Park not only got to see a tense 1-0 Red Sox win.  They were witness to the Improbable – one team returning two triple plays in one game – an improbable feat that still has happened just once in MLB history. The triple killings  in the fourth and eighth innings were both were of what The Roundtable see as  the “purest” variety (ground ball leading to outs at third, second and first).   In the fourth, with the bases loaded, former Twin (then Boston right fielder) Tom Brunansky hit a ground ball to Twins’ third sacker Gary Gaetti, who stepped on the bag and threw to second baseman Al Newman (for out number-two), who relayed to first baseman Kent Hrbek to complete the triple play.  In the eighth, with runners on first and second, Red Sox second baseman Jody Reed grounded to Gaetti at third, and the around-the-horn triple play was duplicated.

Number Eight …  Swing and a Miss, Now, that’s Rare.

On April 13, Guardians’ rookie outfielder Steven Kwan did something he hadn’t done in his entire MLB career (to that point), he swung and missed a pitch. It came in his sixth MLB game, in his 25th MLB plate appearance, his sixteenth at bat, 117th pitch and 40th swing.  An eventual miss probably was probable (I apologize, couldn’t resit the word twist), going an entire career without a swing and miss seems unlikely.  Still, it caught my attention. (And actually, Kwan did make some contact, foul tipping the pitch into the catcher’s glove – which counts and a swing and miss.) For those who like to know such things, the first MLB pitcher to get a ball past Kwan was Nick Lodolo of the Reds, the pitch was a low-80s curveball and Kwan ended up striking out in a six-pitch at bat.  In those first six MLB games, Kwan collected ten hits (two doubles, one triple), eight walks and one hit-by-pitch  (a .526 batting average and  .655 on-base percentage). He finished his rookie campaign at .298-5-52, with 19 steals.

Kwan was a fifth round draft choice (2018) out of Oregon State University, where he hit .329 over three seasons (156 games). In three minor-league seasons (217 games), he stroked the ball at a .301 pace – including .328-12-44 in 77 games at Double- and Triple-A last season.

Number Nine … First All Latino Lineup.

On September 15 – MLB Roberto Clemente Day 2022 – Rays’ manager Kevin Cash made a bit of history sending  the first all-Latino lineup to the plate (against the Blue Jays in Toronto)

It went like this:

3B Yandy Diaz (born in Sagua le Grande, Cuba)

RF  Randy Arozarena (La Habana, Cuba)

SS Wander Franco (Bani, Dominican Republic)

1B Harold Ramirez (Cartagena, Colombia)

DH Manuel Margot (San Cristobal, Dominican Republic)

LF David Peralta (Valencia, Venezuela)

2B Isaac Parades (Hermosillo, Mexico)

C – Rene Pinto (Maracay, Venezuela)

CF Jose Siri (Sabana Grande de Boya, Dominican Republic)

The Rays, by the way, prevailed 11-0 over the Blue Jays.  For those who like to know such things, the Rays’ starting and winning pitcher was Shane McClanahan.

Baseball Roundtable Side Note:

After the close of the 1963 season, MLB had it first (and what proved to be only) All Hispanic All Star Game – featuring such stars as Tony Oliva, Minnie Minoso, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Clemente, Luis Aparicio, Juan Marichal and others. One of The Roundtable’s favorite trivia questions is “Who was the inning pitcher in the only MLB All Hispanic All Star Game? The answer: A Latino All Star with an improbable name …  Alvin O’Neal McBean. McBean was born in the Virgin Island to Inger Emanuel and O’Neal Alfredo McBean.

Bonus Improbable from the Past

On September 1, 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates fielded the first MLB lineup consisting of all  “players of color.”

Rennie Stennett 2B

CF Gene Clines

RF Roberto Clemente

LF Willie Stargell

C Manny Sanguillen

3B Dave Cash

1B Al Oliver

SS Jackie Hernandez

P Dock Ellis

The Pirates prevailed in the contest 10-7 – with six members of the starting lineup enjoying multi-hit games.

Number Ten  … Probably Will See This Again, but Don’t Want To.

This one was up close and personal. On April 13, 2022, I braved Minnesota’s uber-chilly spring to take in the Twins-Dodgers at Target Field.  Despite the fact that the Twins were down 3-0, there was plenty of drama on the field and plenty of excitement in the crowd, After seven frames,  many of us anticipated a chance to see Dodgers’ starter Clayton Kershaw try for MLB’s 24th-ever Perfect Game.  At the time, Kershaw had thrown just 80 pitches (53 strikes) and had fanned 13 batters. Only three balls had been hit out of the infield. He was cruising and it was a masterful performance to watch.

Kershaw, however, did not come out to pitch the eighth. Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts instead put in Alex Vesia. I might add the change was met with a chorus of boos, from Twins fans and a large contingent of Dodger Faithful seated behind the third base dugout.

Now, there’s never been a combined Perfect Game, so I had a bit of hope. One out and five pitches after Vesia took the mound, Twins’ catcher Gary Sanchez lined a single to right and the Perfect Game and even the no-hitter were gone. (The Twins, ultimately, lost 7-0 and Sanchez’ single was their only safety.)

Why did this disappointment rate to high on the Improbables list. Later, I learned, via the Elias Sports Bureau, that only twice since 1900 has an MLB pitcher been pulled after the seventh inning with a Perfect Game intact.  Both times, Roberts was the manager.  (The first was on September 10, 2016, when he pulled Rich Hill – a reported finger issue –  after seven innings with Perfect Game intact against the Marlins (and the Dodgers up 5-0). Hill had thrown 89 pitches (62 strikes) and fanned nine. Hill was replaced by Joe Blanton and ten pitches and two outs later, Marlins’ LF Jeff Francoeur collected the first of two Miami hits in the game.

Number Eleven … It’s Nice to be First.

In the April 7, 2022, Angels game, Shohei Ohtani became the first MLB player to throw his team’s first pitch of the season and also be in the batter’s  box to take his team’s first pitch of the season – as he started on the mound and lead off at DH.  He also recorded his team’s first strikeout of the season getting the first batter he faced  and made his team’s first out of the season, grounding our short-to-first on the first pitch he saw in the first inning (remember, he was batting first.)

Number Twelve  – Let’s Get This Party Started.

On August 24 of last season, Mariners’ 24-year-old rookie right-hander George Kirby started against the Nationals in Seattle.  And, he got off to  quite a “start.”  Kirby opened the game by throwing 24 straight strikes (before his first called ball). According to STATS, that represents a record number of strikes to start off a game (at least since the initiation of pitch tracking in 1988). Kirby did not throw a called ball until he was facing his eleventh batter – with two out in the bottom of the third.  Over that span, he fanned three batters, and gave up five singles and one run. While the Mariners eventually lost the game 3-1, Kirby had a solid outing – seven innings (eight hits, one run, no walks and nine strikeouts). He threw 85 pitches (69 for strikes).

Kirby, a first-round pick in the 2019 MLB draft (out of  Elon University), already had  well-earned reputation as a strike thrower. In 30 minor-league outings, he went 7-4, 2.26 and walked just 21 batters in 117 1/3 innings (139 strikeouts). Coming into the August 24 outing, he had walked just 13 in 90 2/3 MLB innings. He finished his rookie MLB season at 8-5, 3.39, with 22 walks and 133 whiffs in 130 innings.

Bonus Improbable from the Past

By the way, should inquiring minds want to know, the generally accepted record for consecutive strikes thrown in a game (at any time) is 38 – by the A’s Bartolo colon on April 18, 2012 (versus the Angels).  Overall, the streak lasted from the second pitch of the fifth inning until the seventh pitch of the eighth frame.  Surprisingly, Colon struck out just two batters during the streak.  He also gave up two hits during the streak of strikes. A few notes:

• 35 of the 38 pitches were fastballs (two change ups and one slider).
• There was only one swing and miss (17 strikes looking).
• There were ten foul fouls and ten balls put in play.

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

 

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

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In Baseball Roundtable’s last post, we took a look at MLB’s (batting) Triple Crown Winners – with an emphasis on those who earned that distinction in multiple seasons. (For that post, click here.)  This post will look at a less publicized Triple Crown category, focusing on those  hurlers who won MLB’s pitching Triple Crown (Wins-Earned Run Average, Strikeouts); again emphasizing those with multiple qualifying seasons.  The list reads like w “Who’s Who” of moundsmen. You might recognize some of them by their  nicknames The Left Arm of God, The Big Train, Rocket, Big Six and a couple of well-known Lefty’s.”  Of the 32 pitchers who have recorded at least one Triple Crown season, 19 are in the Hall of Fame  (three of those not in the Hall have yet to be eligible).

So, let’s get on with it.

Pitchers with Three Triple Crown Seasons

Asterisk = Hall of Famer

 

Sandy Koufax* … 1963, 1965, 1966

Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax (aka “The Left Arm of God”) earned three pitching Triple Crowns in the midst of one of the most dominant streaks in MLB pitching history. From 1962 through 1966, Koufax went 111-34, with a 1.95 earned run average and 1,444 strikeouts in 1377 innings. In that five-season stretch, Koufax led the NL in:

• Earned Run Average all five seasons;
• Wins in three campaigns;
• Shutouts three times;
• Strikeouts three times (all three with 300+ whiffs);
• Complete games twice;
• WHIP four times;
• Strikeouts per nine innings four times.

 

In that five-season span, he also won three Cy Young Awards earned one  NL MVP Award and threw four no-hitters (one a perfect game).

“I can see how he won 25 games. What I don’t understand is how he lost five.”

                      Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra on Sandy Koufax (1963)

If it were not for traumatic arthritis in his  pitching elbow – which forced his retirement at age 30 (after one his finest seasons) – Koufax probably would have eventually moved into first place on his own in the pitching Triple Crown list.  In his final MLB season, Koufax led all of MLB in wins (27); ERA (1.73); strikeouts (317); innings pitched (323); starts (4, tied); complete games (27); shutouts (tied, five).

For his career Koufax was 165-87, 2.76, with 2,396 whiffs in 2,324 innings.

_______________________________________________

A Tale of Two Pitchers

Sandy Koufax started as a hard thrower who, some observed, saw his control diminish as his velocity increased.  In Spring Training 1961, it has been reported, Dodgers’ catcher Norm Sherry, urged Koufax to loosen his group on the ball, take a little bit off his fastball and make more use of his curve and change-up.

As the chart below shows that advice apparently made an impression (or, perhaps, Koufax just matured – he was only 25 in 1961).

“I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss her ball and stated trying to make then hit it.”

                                                           Sandy Koufax

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Walter Johnson* … 1913, 1918, 1924

Hall of Famer Walter “The Big Train”  Johnson notched three Triple Crown seasons in a  21-season MLB career that saw him win 417 games with 12 seasons of 20 or more wins. In his first Triple Crown season, Johnson also led the AL in complete games (29), shutouts (11), innings pitched (346), WHIP (0.78). He also notched (among qualifiers) the fewest walks per nine innings and most strikeouts per nine innings. That performance earned him one of his two AL MVP Awards. His second MVP Award would come 11-seasons later (1924), when he as picked up his third pitching Triple Crown.

How good was Walter Johnson?  In his  career, he led the American League in:

• Strikeouts 12 times;
• Wins six times;
• ERA five times;
• Starts four times;
• Complete games six times;
• Shutouts seven times;
• Innings pitched five times.

Between 1910 and 1916, Johnson won 25 or more games in every season. You get the idea.

No Need to Dust Off  Plate … Nobody’s Coming Home

Walter Johnson’s 110 career shutouts are the all-time MLB high,  20 ahead of runner-up Grover Cleveland (Pete) Alexander.

Johnson finished his career with a 417-279 record (second in wins only to Cy Young); a 2.17 ERA; 531 complete games (fifth all-time) in 666 starts;  and 3,509 strikeouts (ninth all-time).

“His fastball looked about the size of a watermelon seed and it hissed at you as it passed.”

                                           Hall of Famer Ty Cobb on Walter Johnson

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Grover Cleveland Alexander* … 1915, 1916, 1920

Grover Cleveland (Pete) Alexander made his MLB debut with the Philllies in 1911 – at the age of 24 – and he wasted no time in showing his potential on the major-league stage.  In that rookie season, he led the National League  in wins (28 – versus 13 losses), complete games (31), shutouts (7) and innings pitched (367),  while finishing fifth in ERA and second in strikeouts.

Of note is the fact that Alexander Alexander’s professional baseball career almost ended before he ever made it to a major-league mound. In a July 1909 Missouri League game, Alexander, running between first and second, was hit in the head by the shortstop’s attempted double play relay. According to Jan Finkel’s Society for American Baseball Research Alexander biography “”Reports vary, but he was unconscious between 36 and 56 hours. He awoke suffering from double vision, which he endured during the fall and winter into the next spring.” It’s possible the injury contributed to epilepsy that would later take its toll on the future Hall of Famer.

In his first Triple Crown season (1915), Alexander led the NL not only in wins (31), ERA (1.22) and strikeouts (241), but also in complete games (36), shutouts (12), innings pitched (376 1/3) and  WHIP (0.842).

Lucky Number Seven

In his first seven MLB seasons (1915-17), Pete Alexander led the NL in wins and strikeouts five times each (three times reaching 30 or more victories).

Over his 20-season MLB career, Alexander led the NL in wins six times, ERA five times, complete games six times, shutouts seven times, innings pitched seven times and strikeouts six times.

Alexander’s baseball career was interrupted in 1917 by military service in World War. He reportedly suffered from shell shock (which we would now term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), as well as ear and arm injuries.  His injuries, coupled with epilepsy and ongoing issues with alcohol, likely had had an impact on Alexander’s mound achievements.  For example, in his first seven seasons (1911-1917), Alexander led the NL in strikeouts five times. In his final 13 seasons (post World War I service), he led the league in whiffs just once.  From 1911 through 1917, Alexander was 190-88, winning an average of 24 games  per season with a 2.12 ERA. From 1918 through his retirement in 1930, he went 183-120, winning an average of 14 games per season) and posting  a  2.96 Era.

Still, Alexander maintained the pinpoint control that was his trademark as a moundsman. Over his 20-season MLB career, he walked only 1.6 batters per nine frames and, from 1914 through 1929, walked just 1.4 batters per nine innings, never reaching 2 batters per nine frames in any season.

Put It There, right There, Pal

Over his MLB career, Pete Alexander recorded the fewest walks per nine innings in his league five times and finished in the top two a total of ten times.   

Over his 20-MLB seasons, Alexander went 373-208, 2.56 with 436 complete games and 90 shutouts  in 600 starts (696 appearances). His 373 MLB wins are third all-time and his 90 shutouts second, (first in the NL). He won 20 or more games nine times, with 30 or more wins in three of those seasons. He led the NL in ERA five times, complete games six times, shutouts seven times, innings pitched seven times and strikeouts six times. His 16 shutouts in 1916 remain tied for the most-ever in a single MLB season.

“He (Pete Alexander) could pitch into a Tin Can. His control was always remarkable – the finest I’ve ever seen.”

            Grantland Rice in “Winningest Pitchers: Baseball’s 300-Game Winners”

Another Roundtable” one thing leads to another” moment: ” Grover Cleveland Alexander is the only MLB player named after a past president, who later had a future president play him in a movie. (Ronald Reagan played Alexander in the 1952 movie The Winning Team.)

 

Players with Two Pitching Triple Crowns

Asterisk = Hall of Famer

Roger Clemens … 1997, 1998

Roger Clemens put together consecutive Triple Crown seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 and 1998. They were his age-34 and age-35 seasons, 14^th and 15^th MLB campaigns.  By the start of the 1997 season, he was already a five-time All Star with a 192 MLB wins on his resume.

Clemens played in 24 MLB seasons (1984-2002 … Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees,Astros) – taking the mound from age 21 to age 44.  He led his league in wins four times, ERA seven times, strikeouts five times, complete games three times and shutouts six times. Along the way, Clemens won a record  seven Cy Young Awards and was the 1986 American League MVP. His overall stats were: 354-184 (ninth in career  MLB wins), 3.12, with 4,672 strikeouts (third) in 4,916 2/3 innings pitched (16^th).

Twenty Times Two

Roger Clemens is the only MLB pitcher to record 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game twice. In those two games (April 29, 1986 and September 18, 1996)  – both for the Red Sox – he pitched 18 innings, gave up eight hits and one run, while walking zero and fanning 40. For those who liked to know such things, the one run came on a Gorman Thomas (Mariners) home run on a 1-2 pitch in the top of the seventh inning of the 1986 outing.

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Lefty Gomez* … 1934, 1937

Hall of Famer Vernon “Lefty” Gomez, captured the American League pitching Triple Crown in 1934 and 1937. Those were the only two seasons in which Gomez led  the AL in wins, the only two seasons he led in ERA and two of the only three seasons he led in strikeouts. He also led the AL in complete games once, shutouts three times and innings pitched once

Gomez finished with a career mark of 189-102 (including four seasons of 20+ wins), 3.34, with 1,468 strikeouts in 2,503 innings pitched, and 173 complete games in 320 starts.  He was 6-0, 2.86 in seven World Series starts.

Quick with the Quip

Lefty Gomez was known as one of baseball’s most engaging and entertaining characters, His plaque in the New York Yankees’ Monument Park reads “Noted for his excellent wit, as he was fast with a quip and a pitch.”

Gomez pitched in 14 MLB seasons (1930-42 for the Yankees and one game in  1943 for the Senators). He was an All Star in seven seasons.

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Lefty Grove* … 1930, 1931

Hall of Famer Robert “Lefty” Grove notched back-to-back Triple Crown seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1930 and 1931.  Those campaigns were part of a seven-season stretch (1927-33) in which he won 20 or more games each season (31 in 1931), leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts four times each.

 

Put Me In Coach

In his 1930 Triple Crown season, Gomez not only led the Al in wins, ERA and whiffs, he also topped the league in saves (noted retroactively) with nine. That season, he made 52 starts and 18 relief appearances. He was 23-2, 2.55 as a starter and 5-2, 2.03, with nine saves  as a reliever.

Grove pitched 17 MLB seasons (1925-41 … Athletics, Red Sox) going 300-142, 3.06, with 298 complete games in 457 starts.  He led the AL  strikeouts seven times – his first seven MLB seasons (1925-31). He also led the league in ERA nine times, complete games three times, shutouts three times,  He was the 1931 AL MVP.

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Christy Mathewson* … 1905, 1908

In Hall of  Famer Christy “Big Six” Mathewson’s second Triple Crown season (Giants 1908), he not only led the National League in wins (37) ERA (1.43) and strikeouts (259), but also in pitching appearances (56), saves (5), starts (44), complete games (34), shutouts (11), innings pitched 390 2/3 and WHIP (0.827).

Christy Mathewson was, in many ways, the All-American boy (one of his nicknames was “The Gentleman Hurler) – handsome, honest, well-educated, well-read and well-spoken. At Bucknell University, he played football, basketball and baseball and  was a bright student, a class president and a member of the band, glee club and a pair of literary societies.

“Christy (Mathewson was the greatest pitcher who ever lived. He had knowledge, judgment, perfect, control and form. It was wonderful to watch him pitch, when he wasn’t pitching against you.”

                                              Hall of Fame Manager Connie Mack

Mathewson played in 17 MLB seasons (1900-16 … Giants, except for one game with the Reds in 1916).  He won 20 or more games in 13 seasons (30 or more four times) and led NL in wins four times, ERA five times, complete games twice, strikeouts five times and shutouts four times. He led in strikeouts-to-walks ratio nine times, including eight consecutive seasons (1907-14).

Mathewson finished his career with a 373-188 record, a 2.13 ERA, 2,507 strikeouts (in 4,788 2/3 innings)  and 435 complete games in 552 starts.

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Pitchers with Single Triple Crown Seasons

Asterisk = Hall of Famer

2020 –  Shane Bieber, Indians. American League … 8-1, 1.63 ERA, 122K

2011 –  Justin Verlander,  Tigers, American League  … 24-5, 2.40 ERA, 250K

2011 – Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers, National League… 21-5, 2.28 ERA, 248K

2007 – Jake Peavey, Padres, National League … 19-6, 2.54 ERA, 240K

2007 was the only season in which Jake Peavey led the league in wins.  In fact, it was the only season in which he won more than 15 games.  He led the NL in strikeouts twice and ERA twice in his 15 MLB seasons.

2006 –  Johan Santana, Twins, American League … 19-6, 2.77 ERA, 245K

2002  – Randy Johnson*, D-backs, American League … 24-5, 2.32 ERA, 334K

Randy Johnson had five seasons of 300+ whiffs, including four consecutive (1999-2002).

1999  – Pedro Martinez*, Red Sox, American League…. 23-4, 2.07, 313K

In 1999, Pedro Martinez led the AL in wins by five, won the ERA title by 1.37 earned runs per nine frames and had 113 more strikeouts than the AL runner-up.

1985  – Dwight Gooden, Mets, National League … 24-4, 1.53 ERA, 268K

1972  – Steve Carlton*, Phillies … 27-10, 1.97, 310K

Steve Carlton won the 1972 pitcher Triple Crown for the last-place  Phillies (who finished 59-97).

1945  – Hal Newhouser*, Tigers, American League … 25-9, 1.81 ERA, 212K

1943 – Johnny Wright, Homestead Grays, Negro National League II … 18-3, 2,54 ERA,  94K

1940  – Bob Feller*, Indians, American League … 27-11, 2.61 ERA, 261K

1939  – Bucky Walters, Reds, National League … 27-11, 2.29, 137K

1938  – Ray Brown*, Homestead Grays, Negro National League II … 14-0, 1.88 ERA, 70K

Between 1935 and 1942 (eight seasons), Ray Brown led the Negro National League II in wins six times. 

1934 – Stuart “Slim” Jones, Philadelphia Stars, Negro National League II … 20-4, 1.24 ERA, 164K

1924  – Arthur “Dazzy” Vance*, Brooklyn Robins, National League … 28-6, 2.16 ERA, 262K

Dazzy Vance led the NL in strikeouts in seven straight seasons (1922-28).

1918 – James “Hippo” Vaughn, Cubs, National League … 22-10, 1.74 ERA, 148K

1913  – George “Rube” Waddell*, Athletics, American League 27-10, 1.48 ERA, 287K

In 1902, Rube Waddell started the season with the Los Angeles Angels of the California League. He joined the Philadelphia Athletics in mid-season (making his first appearance June 26). He went on (in that short span) to win 24 games (the league’s second-highest total), put up the league’s second-best ERA (2.05) and lead the league in strikeouts (205).  He would go on to lead the league in whiffs in each of the next five seasons.

1901 – Denton “Cy”  Young*, Boston Americans, American League … 33-10, 1.62 ERA, 158K

1894 – Amos Rusie*, New York Giants, National League … 36-13, 2.78 ERA, 195K

1889 –  John Clarkson*, Boston Beaneaters, National League … 49-19, 2.73 ERA, 284K

1888 – Tim Keefe*, New York Giants, National League … 35-12, 1.74 Era 335K

1884  – Guy Hecker, Louisville Eclipse, American Association … 52-20, 1.80 ERA, 385K

In 1886, Guy Hecker went 26-23, 2.87 on the mound  – and led the American Association in batting with a .341 average. He appeared in 49 games on the mound, 22 at first base and 17 in the outfield.

1884 – Charles “Old Hoss” Radbourn*, Providence Grays, National League  60-12, 1.38 ERA, 441K

In 1884, Old Hoss Radbourn started 73 games and completed 73 games. He also come on in relief in two games and appeared in seven games in the outfield, five at first base, two at shortstop and one at second base.

Side Note: Some sources credit Radbourn with “only” 59 wins in 1884, baseball-reference lists the total at 60.

1877 – Tommy Bond, Boston Red Stockings, National League … 40-17, 2.11 ERA, 170K

Primary Resources:  Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com, “The Baseball 100,” by Joe Posnanski, Avid Reader Press, 2021.

 

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Major League Baseball, in 2020, declared the Negro Leagues from 1920-1948 to be Major Leagues.  That change should prompt a new look at some old trivia – and some adjustments in how we view the record books. The inclusion of Negro  League statistics is possible to a great extent by the work of the creators of the Seamheads.com Negro League Data Base, as well as the finding of study by the Negro League Researchers and Author Group and the work of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.  Baseball-Reference.com also deserves kudos for its efforts to incorporate Negro League statistics into its data base.  Note: Keep in mind, MLB is counting only league records not barnstorming or exhibition exploits, there were not uniform record-keeping standards during the era and statistics and game records are not yet fully incorporated.

These efforts, as noted, are producing  some changes in the Major-League record books – many of particular interest to trivia buffs. For example, Mike Schmidt, with eight MLB home runs title, has long been considered number-two in that category – trailing only Babe Ruth’s 12 home run crowns.  Well, between 1930 and 1946 Josh Gibson won 11 Negro National League II home run titles. Then, there is Satchel Paige, long listed as one of a handful of pitchers with a losing record  to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. With the addition of his eligible Negro Leagues stats from 1927-47, he is now credited with a 121-81 major league won-lost mark. And there are other popular trivia question answers that have or may change.  For example, Leon Day of the Newark Eagles has joined Bob Feller as one of (now) only  two pitchers to have  thrown an Opening Day no-hitter.  And, Baseball-reference.com now shows a handful of Negro League players who fashioned a .400 batting average in the seasons after Ted Williams’ .406 in 1941. Most of those involved season in which the player appeared in less than 50 games.  However, in 1943, the Homestead Grays’ Josh Gibson hit .466 in 69 games.

With this situation in mind, Baseball Roundtable will present occasional post that reflects the inclusion of Negro League statistics into the MLB record books.  Let’s start with Triple Crown winners.

Q:  Name the four major-league players who have won multiple (batting) Triple Crowns.

 

Three Triple Crowns – Oscar Charleston – 1921, 1924, 1925

Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston (OF/1B) was one of the stars of the Negro Leagues. Among major leaguers, his .364 career average (over 18 seasons and 916 games …  1920-27, 1929, 1933-41– 916) trails only Ty Cobb’s .366 (among players with 3,000 career major-league plate appearances).   Charleston led his league in runs scored six times,  home runs five times, RBI four times, total bases four times, batting average three times (each time hitting over .400), hits three times, triples three times, doubles twice, stolen bases twice. In his prime seasons 1920-27  -ages 23-30), Charleston averaged .384,with 108 home runs and 623 RBI in 596 games.

In his book “The Baseball 100,” Joe Posnanski placed Oscar Charleston at number-five, behind only Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron.

Hall of Famer Honus Wagner on Oscar Charleston

“Oscar Charleston could have played on any big league team in history if he had been given the opportunity. He could hit, run and throw. He did everything a great outfielder is supposed to do. I’ve seen all the great players in the many years I’ve been around and have yet to see one greater than Charleston.

Pittsburgh Courier, August 21, 1954

Charleston spent much of his MLB career as a player-manager and led the Pittsburgh Crawford to Negro National League II pennants in 1933, 1935 and 1936.

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Two Triple Crowns – Ted Williams, Josh Gibson, Rogers Hornsby

Ted Williams … 1942, 1947

Hall of Fame outfielder Ted Williams might have won three or more triple Crowns if it wasn’t for World War II. He won his first Triple Crown in 1942 (at the age of 23) with a .356-36-137. Teddy Ballgame missed the 1943-45 seasons due to military service and came back to win a second Triple Crown in 1947 with a .343-32-114 line.   In 1949, William missed a third Triple Crown by just one base hit. He led the AL with 43 home runs, tied for the RBI lead with 159, but lost the batting title to the Tigers’ George Kell by .3427 to .3429. Side Note: In 1946, in his first year back on the big-league diamonds after a three-season absence, Williams hit .342-38-123 – finishing second in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories. 

Williams played in  19 MLB seasons (1939-42, 1946-60), all for the Red Sox. An All Star in 17 seasons, he led the AL in runs scored six times, batting average six times, total bases six times, home runs four times, RBI four times and doubles twice. He also led the AL  in on-bases percentage 12 times and  slugging percentage nine times. The two-time MVP also led the AL in walks eight times and  and intentional walks nine times.  Williams hit .316 or higher in 18 of his 19 MLB seasons. His only season under that figure was 1959, when – as a 40-year-old, he hit .254-10-43 in 103 games.

Ted Williams’ final stat line was .344-521-1,839, with 1,798 runs scored (2,292 games). Looking at his spots in MLB’s career top 20: He is eleventh all time in average (among players with 3,000 plate appearances); first in on-base percentage (.482); second in slugging percentage (.634); 20^th in runs scored; 20^th in home runs; 16^th in runs batted in; 20^th in extra-base hits; fourth in walks; and sixth in intentional walks.

Ted Williams had two .400+ batting average seasons. His iconic .406 in 1941 (.406-37-120 in 143 games) and 1953 – after returning from flying more than 30 combat missions  in Korea.  He was mustered out in time to get in 37  games over the final two months of the season. Over those contets, Williams went 37-for-91 (.407), with 13 home runs and 34 RBI. 

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Josh Gibson 1936, 1937

In 1936, Pittsburgh Crawfords’ catcher Josh Gibson won the Negro National League II Triple Crown with a .389-18-66 line in 50 games. He came back even stronger in 1937, with a second Triple Crown (with the Homestead Grays), improving on all three stats (.417-20-73).  Overall, Gibson played 14 (now) MLB seasons (1930. 1933-40, 1942-46). He led his league in home runs 11 times, RBI seven times, total bases six times, runs scored five times and average three times. He was a nine-time Negro Leagues All Star. In 1943, Gibson appeared in 69 games for the Homestead Grays hitting .466, scoring 93 runs, hitting 20 homers and driving in 109.   He led the league in home runs and RBI, but lost the batting title to Tetelo Vargas of the New York Cubans, who hit .471 in 30 games.

For his career (598 games), Gibson hit .374-165-730. Note: His 2,511 plate appearances fall short of the 3,000 necessary to make the career batting average list.

Gibson would most likely have moved well up the statistical rankings had he not suffered significant health problems. In 1943, he collapsed at home and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He passed away in 1947 at the age of 35. From 1943-46, despite health issues, Gibson hit .382-50-249 in 209 games – leading the Negro National League II in home runs all four seasons.

Josh Gibson led the Negro National League II in home runs for seven straight seasons (1933-39) and led the league in RBI in six of those campaigns.

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Rogers Hornsby – 1922 and 1925

Rogers Hornsby, in putting up a .358 carer batting average, hit .400+ in three season – winning the National League batting title all three times  (1922, 1924, 1925) and capturing the NL Triple Crown in 1922 and 1925. Both of Hornsby’s Triple Crowns were “no-doubters. In 1922, the powerful second baseman won the batting title by 47 points, had a 16-home run edge over the NL second finisher and topped the runner-up in RBI by 20.  In 1925, he won the NL batting crown by 36 points, the home run crown by 15 dingers and led in RBI by 13.

Hornsby played 23 MLB seasons (1915-37 … Cardinals, Giants, Braves, Cubs, Browns).  He hit .358, with 2,930 hits,  301 home runs 1,584 RBI and 1,579 runs scored in 2,259 games, He led his league in batting average seven times, total bases seven times,  runs scored five times, hits four times, doubles four times, RBI four times,  triples twice and  home runs twice.  Hornsby’s .358 career average is the highest in MLB-history for a right-handed batter (minimum 3,000 plate appearances.)

In the six seasons from 1920 through 1925, Rogers Hornsby averaged .397 – and won six consecutive batting titles.

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Here are your one-time Triple Crown winners:

2012 … Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers, American League  … .330-44-139

1967 … Carl Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox, American League … .326-44-121

1966 … Frank Robinson, Baltimore Orioles, American League … .316-49-122

1956 … Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees, American League … .353-52-130

1942 … Ted Strong, Kansas City Monarchs, Negro American League … .364-6-32

1942 … Lennie Pearson, Newark Eagles & Homestead Grays Negro National League II … .347-11-56

1937 … Joe (Ducky) Medwick, Cardinals, National League … .374-31-154

1934 … Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees, American League … .363-49-166

1933 … Jimmie Foxx, Philadelphia Athletics, American League … .356-48-163

1933 … Chuck Klein, Philadelphia Phillies, National League … .368-28-120

1930 … Willie Wells, St. Louis Stars, Negro National League … .411-17-114

1926 … George (Mule) Suttles, St. Louis Stars, Negro National League, … .425-32-130

1923 … Oscar (Heavy) Johnson, Kansas City Monarchs, Negro National League … .406-20-120

1912 … Henry (Heinie) Zimmerman, Chicago ?Cubs, National League … .372-14-104

1909 … Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers, American League … .377-9-107

1901 … Napoleon (Nap) Lajoie, Philadelphia Athletics, American League … .426-14-125

1887 …  James (Tip) O’Neill, St. Louis Browns, American Association … .435-14-123

1878 … Paul Hines, Providence Grays, National League … .358-4-50

Note: RBI were not an official MLB statistic until 1920. 

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

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

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As the off-season drags on, Baseball Roundtable continues to randomly peruse the MLB record books. My thoughts often turn to “unbreakable” records.  Readers know what I mean, career marks like Cy Young’s 511 wins, Walter Johnson’s 110 career shutouts Nolan Ryan’s 5,714 strikeouts, Rickey Henderson’s 1,406 stolen bases or Barry Bonds’ 688 intentional walks.

In this post, we’ll take a look at another of those seemingly unreachable career marks, Hall of Famer Eddie Collins 512 sacrifice hits (bunts). No one is even within 100 of that total and the current leaders among active players are Clayton Kershaw with 110 and Elvis Andrus with 103. Couple that with the fact that the bunt has fallen into disfavor (perhaps giving way to the three-run home run) as a strategic weapon and you can see why Collins’ mark should continue stand the test of time.

How the Game Has Changed

In 1915,  24 major-league teams (American, National and Federal Leagues) laid down a record 4,441 sacrifice bunts. In 2022, 30 major-league teams (playing a longer schedule) recorded only  390 sacrifice hits (bunts).  Looked at in another way, in 1915 fans could expect to see 2.4 sacrifice bunts per game, while in in 2022 those in the ballpark could anticipate seeing one sacrifice bunt ever 6.2 games.

For those who like to know such things, the 2022 leader in sacrifice bunts was the Arizona Diamondbacks with 31.  The Braves almost had a perfect (in a way) season, with only one sacrifice bunt. It came off the bat of rookie CF Micheal Harris in the final game of the season (October 4 at Miami). It was in the fourth inning and, after DH William Contreras and 2B Avisail Garcia opened the inning with singles (putting runners on first and second with no outs), Harris sacrificed them to second and third, respectively. The sacrifice, by the way, did not pay off. What followed was a strikeout, intentional walk and another strikeout, with no runs scoring. Roundtable Note: In that 1915 record season, no team had fewer than 120 sacrifice bunts and the White Sox led the way with 270. 

 

Despite his MLB-record 512 career sacrifice bunts, Eddie Collins never led his league in sacrifices.

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A Couple of Other Players Who Were Part of Sacrifice Royalty

Ray Chapman, an infielder with the Indians from 1912 to 1920 (when he was fatally injured by a pitch from Carl Mays), holds the record for sacrifice bunts in a single season with 67 in 1917. That season, Chapman hit .302-2-36, with 98 runs scored and 52 stolen bases. Chapman laid down forty or more sacrifices in five of his nine MLB seasons.

George “Mule” Haas – an outfielder/first baseman for the Athletics, White Sox and, very briefly, Pirates … 1925, 1928-38 – led the American League in sacrifice hits six times, including five consecutive seasons (1930-34).

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A little more about Collins.

Collins was a graduate of Columbia University, where he played quarterback on the football team and shortstop on the baseball squad.  He was considered one of the smartest players in the game – on and off the field.  He was also considered one of the most confident (or, as some reported, arrogant) and competitive players in the game (his nickname as “Cocky”); as well as a supportive (but also demanding) teammate and an individual of notable dedication and integrity. Roundtable Note: Collins was a member of the 1919 White Sox team that was involved in he 1919 World Series “Black Sox Scandal,” but reportedly, because of his solid reputation, was not approached by any of the suspected participants.

High Praise from the Georgia Peach and Others

In Joe Posnanski’s book “The Baseball 100,” Posnanski notes that Hall of Famer Ty Cobb once said of Collins, “Not only does he play the game, he thinks it. If anyone tells you he wasn’t the greatest second baseball of all time, you argue with him”.

Hall of Famer John McGraw on Eddie Collins … from  “Collins Revered as One of the Game’s Best Second Basemen,” by Bill Francis, included in the Baseball Hall of Fame “Hall of Famer Facts Series.”  “He (Collins) is a steady and brilliant fielder, getting balls that no other second baseman would try for. He is also one of the fastest thinkers I have ever watched, judging plays and executing them with great accuracy … Collins is not playing for individual glory, which is what I like about him. He is always ready to dump down the bunt when that looks like the play … He is a  finished ballplayer of the  thinking type, and, to my mind, the greatest the world. “

Also from the Hall of Famer Fact Series, Hall of Famer Connie Mack said of Collins, “I want to point out that  he was a great batsman, one of the best players  defensively  and a daring base runner. Then he topped all these  things by being the brainiest player that ever guarded the keystone.”

For those who like the such stats as Wins Above Replacement, Eddie Collins ranks 13^th All-time at 124.4. For some comparison, that puts him one spot on the list behind Rogers Hornsby and one ahead of Ted Williams.

Eddie Collins at the Plate

Collins  was not just a master at giving himself  up (sacrifices) for the team, he was also a master at getting on base. He put up a career .333 average and his 3,315 hits are twelfth all-time.  He also is in MLB‘s top-20 all-time in on-base percentage (.424, 14^th).  In today’s game, can you imagine regularly calling on a hitter with that record for reaching base to lay down even  an occasional sacrifice? (It seems even less likely when you consider what Collins could do once he was on base.  His 741 stolen bases are eighth all -time.)

A few other Collins all-time rankings: singles – 2,643 (third); triples – 187 (12^th); walks – 1,499 (19^th); runs scored – 1,821 (18^th).

Collins was also about a steady a producer on offense as you can be.  Within his .333 career average:

• He hit .333 at home and .332 on the road.
• He hit .334 versus righties and .326 versus southpaws.
• He hit .328 in 34 World Series games.

Collins was also solid in the clutch, hitting .355 with runners in scoring position and ramping up his game in the pressure-filled final months of the annual pennant race (.350 in August and .356 in September/October for his career). Career-wise, Mays was his  weakest month – but still over .300 (.314).

Eddie Collins hit .300 or better (actually .308 or higher) in 16 of the 18 seasons in which he played at least 100 games.

A few other tidbits from Collins’ career in the batter’s box.

• While he never won a batting title, he finished second three times and in the top four eight times.
• While he never led the league in hits, he finished in the top four four times;
• While he never led the league in on-base percentage, he finished second tree times and  in the top four 12 times.
• He led the league in walks once and finished second five times and in the top four ten times.
• He led the Al in runs scored three times and finished in the top four a total of eight times.

Power was not part of Collins’ game. He hit only 47 home runs in 25 seasons. Notably, he did play 13 of his 25 seasons in the “Dead Ball Era,” generally accepted as ending with Babe Ruth’s 29-homer season in 1919.  Collins’ final stat line was ,333-47-1,299, with 1,821 runs scored and 741 stolen bases.

In 1914, Eddie Collins won the Chalmers Award (forerunner to the Most Valuable Player Award).  That season, he hit .344-2-85, with 58 steals and a league-lading 122 runs scored. 

Eddie Collins on the Bases

Eddie Collins, while not the fastest runner of his time, was one of the game’s best base runners – studying pitchers (especially) and catches intensely.,

As noted, his 741 stolen bases are eighth all-time. He led the league in steals three times, finished  the AL’s top four 12 times  and swiped 40 or more bases in ten seasons. Note: Collins is also eighth all-time in caught stealing .

Collins is also one of just four players (since 1900) to steal six bases in a game – and the only MLB player to do it twice. And, he accomplished the feat twice in an 11-day span.

Eddie Collins in the Field

Despite leading American League second baseman in fielding percentage nine times and  finishing second seven times, Eddie Collins is not even in the top 200 among second basemen with at least 500 games at the keystone sack.  (He’s 211th).  Then again, take a look at the equipment available as he started his major league career.

Here’s a few stats that reflect his play in the field . Collins is:

• First in career game at second base (2,650), led American League second basemen in games played seven times and was in the top four 17 times;
• Second in career putouts at second base (6,526), led the AL seven times was second six times and in the top four 17 times;
• First in career assists at second base (7,630), led the AL five times and was in the top four 15 times;
• 15^th in double plays at second base (1,239), led the AL in five seasons, was second five times and in the top four 17 times.

In, 1938, Eddie Collins –  then General Manager of the Red Sox – scouted and signed a slender young outfielder named Ted Williams.  Commenting on the signing,  Collins is quoted to have said it was an easy  decision, “Your Aunt Susan could have picked Teddy out of 1,000 players.”

Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; The Baseball 100, Joe Posnanski, Avid Reader Press, 2021; “The Baseball Legend Who Wore ‘Clean Sox,’” Columbia College Today, Spring 2020, by Thomas Vinciguerra; “Collins Revered as One of Game’s Best Second Basemen,’  Baseball Hall of Fame “Hall of Famer Facts” series, by Bill Francis.

 

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