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 21st all-time and fourth among lefthanders. His .600 wining percentage is 14th 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 1,390th 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 18th. 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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