A Look at MLB Triple Crown Winners – Starting with “Three-for-Three” Oscar Charleston

February 7, 2023 by

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

Photo: Almendares baseball club (Cuba), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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

Photo: Baseball Digest, back cover, May 1949 issue. [1], Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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); 20th in runs scored; 20th in home runs; 16th in runs batted in; 20th 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

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

Brief Mound Appearances – A Portside Show

January 30, 2023 by

It’s the off-season and, as usual, while I await the start of Spring Training, I find myself musing about a variety of baseball topics and statistics.  This time, it’s brief – very brief – pitching appearances.  So, while this post my seem, at times, a bit like watching a series of unrelated slides (some or you do remember slides, I hope), there is a central theme.

One first observation, as  I looked at the leading pitchers when it comes to brief appearances (I chose one-batter and one-pitch mound appearances), it was clear the lists was dominated by left-handed sidearmers – with offerings ranging submariner Mike Myers’ angling fastball to Tony Fossas’ slow, sidearm curve.

How dominant were lefty sidearmers on these lists? When you look at the top five pitchers in terms of one-batter and one-pitch appearances, seven pitchers hold the top ten places (three appear on both lists).  All seven are southpaws and five of the seven are sidearmers or submariners.   This  portside dominance, by the way, has been recognized with an adaption of the term  “LOOGY”  to describe a “Left-handed One Out Guy.”  With recent rule changes, however, this terminology may be on the way to becoming extinct. (More on that a bit later).

Let’s get on to  the lists – starting with the one-batter appearances.    

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

The career leader in one-batter appearances is submariner Mike Myers – with 320 one-batter appearances in 13 MLB seasons (1995-2007 … Marlins, Tigers, Brewers, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Mariners, Red Sox, Yankees, White Sox).  Myers was signed by the Giants in the fourth round of the 1990 MLB Draft – out of Iowa State University, where he went 6-5, 2.65 over two seasons (14 games as a starter/18 as a reliever).

Myers credits Hall of Famer Al Kaline with encouraging him (in 1996, Myers’ seventh pro season and second in the major leagues) to “drop down” into the submarine motion. Myers went on to pitch in the majors through 2007 – going 25-24, 4.29 with 14 saves.  His status as one of the kings of the brief appearance is reflected in the fact that he threw a total of 541 2/3 innings in 883 MLB appearances (0.61 innings per appearance – all in relief) – walking 256 and fanning 429. He averaged just 41.6 innings per season over his MLB career and pitched 50 or more innings in only four campaigns (a high of 64 1/3 innings in 83 1996 appearances). Myers twice led the AL in appearances and made 60 or more appearances in 12 seasons. Over his MLB career, Myers held left-handed batters (1,263 plate appearances) to a .219 average, while righties (1,122 plate appearances) hit .301 against him. Myers’ best season was 2000, when he went 0-1, with a 1.99 earned run average and one save in 78 games (45 1/3 innings) for the Rockies. Notably, that season, Myers put up a 2.00 ERA at hitter-friendly Coors Field.

Mikey Myers led the American League in pitching appearances in 1996 and 1997 (83 and 85 games, respectively). In each of those seasons, his earned run average was north of 5.00 (.5.01 and 5.70).

Note: In the chart above, all are southpaws and all but Dan Plesac were submariners or sidearmers.

Now, the one-pitch appearances.

Javier Lopez is the King  of the One-Pitch Outing – and is likely to retain the crown.

 DISCLAIMER, KIND OF

MLB didn’t start tracking pitch counts until 1988, so the one-pitch inning records noted here – unless otherwise explained – are from 1988 forward. 

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

Javier Lopez was a left-handed, sidearming relief specialist who forged a 14-season MLB career (2003-2016 … Rockies, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Pirates, Giants). Lopez’  MLB tenure took place after MLB started tracking pitch counts and before the 2020 rule requiring a relief pitcher to face three batters or finish a half inning (except in cases of injury or illness.). In his career, Lopez made 839 appearances (no starts) and averaged about 2/3 of an inning (0.64 innings) and 2.7 batters faced per appearance.  He was the king of the one-pitch appearance. During his career, he came into a game, tossed one pitch a record 34 times and was done for the day (six times in 2015 alone).

In 281 (33.5 percent) of his MLB appearances, Javier Lopez faced just one batter.

Now, you might think that most of one-pitch those appearances ended an inning. Nope. In fact, only 14 of those 34  appearances involved Lopez recording the final out of the frame. Under current rules, Lopez would have had to  remain in the game in twenty of his one-pitch appearances – which is why I’m pretty sure he will remain king of the one-pitch inning.

In his 34 one-pitch outings, Lopez held hitters to a .206 average. He gave up f0ur singles. two doubles and one home run and induced 19 ground outs (three double plays), five fly outs and one pop out (two batters were safe on infield errors.)

Note: On the chart above, all are southpaws and all but Mike Stanton are sidearmers.

Lopez was signed by the Diamondbacks out of the fourth round of the 1998 MLB draft. He played his college ball at the University of Virginia, where he was primarily used as a staring pitcher. He began his professional career as a starter, but struggled in that role and was converted to a reliever in his fourth season (2001). He made his MLB debut with the Rockies in 2003 and went 4-1, 3.70, with one save in 75 appearances (58 1/3 innings), walking 12 and fanning 40. He went on to pitch in 14 MLB seasons (2003-16 … Rockies, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Pirates, Giants), going  30-17, 3.48 with 14 saves and  533 1/3 innings pitched (358 strikeouts) in 839 appearances (all in relief).  He did his best work with the Giants, going 17-8, 2.47, with ten saves over seven seasons (2010-16). Lopez  held lefties to a to a .202 average (1,242 plate appearances) versus .297 for right-handers (1,031 plate appearances).

One Thing Leads to Another …

Looking at the Impact of the Three-Batter Rule

If you are wondering, like the Roundtable was,  how much the 2020 rule requiring  relievers to pitch to “three-batters or end of an inning”  altered pitching strategies, here are some stats. In 2019, there were 1,100 instances in which a pitcher faced just one batter in an appearance and 110 in which that pitcher tossed just one pitch. (There were also nine instances in which a pitcher was not credited with a batter faced in an appearance, usually involving  a pick off or caught stealing).  In 2021, the  first full season with the new rule, there were 660 one-batter appearances (a 40 percent drop), 64 one-pitch appearances (a 42 percent drop) and 13 zero-batters-faced appearances

Special Mention …  Jesse Orosco

Jesse Orosco ranks fourth  on he list of one-batter appearances and second on the roster of one-pitch appearances (keep in mind that pitch count tracking did not really became a “thing” until Orosco’s ninth MLB season.)

Orosco was signed out of the second round of the 1978 MLB Draft by the Twins. He played college baseball for Santa Barbara City College (1978), where he won All-Western State Conference honors. In 1979, after one solid rookie-level seasons (4-4, 1.12, with six saves in 20 appearances), the Twins sent Orosco to the Mets in the trade that brought Jerry Koosman to Minnesota,

Orosco went on to a 24-season MLB career (1979, 1981-2003 … Mets, Dodgers, Indians, Brewers, Orioles, Cardinals, Padres, Yankees, Twins).

While he never led his league in appearances, Jesse Orosco holds the all-time MLB record for regular -season mound appearances with 1,252.

Orosco, a two-time All Star went 87-80, 3.16, with 144 save in 1,252 appearances (four starts). He pitched 1,295 1/3 MLB innings, walking 581 and fanning 1,179, He averaged 1.03 innings per appearance. Orosco’s best season was 1983 (Mets), when he went 13-7, 1,47, with 17 saves in 62 appearances (110 innings).

How About a Two-Fer … or Twelve Can Be A Lucky Number

On July 31, 1983, the Mets and Pirates faced off in a doubleheader (Remember those?) in New York. Both games went twelve innings and the Mets’ Jesse Orosco earned both victories. In the first game, Orosco pitched four scoreless frames (innings nine through twelve) and picked the win as the Mets triumphed 7-6. In Game Two, he came on in the top of the twelfth in a scoreless game, pitched a scoreless inning and picked up his second win of the day, as the Mets tallied a run in the bottom of the inning.

Orosco is somewhat unique on these lists of brief appearances in that: 1) his career began before the  LOOGY became a thing; and 2) he was pretty much a full-time closer until 1987.  From 1979 through 1987, Orosco went 47-47, 2.73 with 107 saves.  He pitched 595 2/3 innings in 372 games (1.60 innings per game).  Then, from 1991 through 2003, he went 40-33, 3.52 with 37 saves – logging 699 2/3 innings in 880 appearances (0.80 innings per game). In the eight seasons from 1979 through 1987, Orosco logged 25 one-batter appearances (6.6 percent of his total appearances), while in 16 campaigns from 1991 through 2003, he notched 212 one-batter appearances (25.7 percent of his total appearances).

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More of Baseball Roundtable “One Thing Leads to Another”

On July 22, 1986, southpaw Jesse Orosco was involved in an unusual set of pitching changes.

  • With the Mets and Reds tied 3-3 in Cincinnati, Mets’ manager Davey Johnson brought Orosco to the mound to open  the bottom of the tenth, replacing Rick Aguilera. Orosco was the Mets’ fifth pitcher to take the mound in the game.  Aguilera, however, was not one of them.  Aguilera had been used as a pinch hitter for pitcher Doug Sisk (batting sixth) in the top of the inning.  
  • In the bottom of the tenth, Orosco struck out Reds’ RF Dave Parker, gave up a single to PH Pete Rose and fanned CF Eddie Milner (while Eric Davis, who had come in to run for Rose, stole second and third).
  • With right-handed hitting SS Wade Rowdon coming up (and a runner on third), Johnson brought righty Roger McDowell to  the mound. He didn’t, however, pull Orosco from the game. Rather , Johnson made a number  moves and substitutions that ended up with Orosco playing right field – and new players at C and 3B. It all worked out, as McDowell got Rowdon to ground out to end the inning.
  • McDowell faced the first three batters in the bottom of the 11th and, with a runner on second and two out, Reds’ left-swinging outfielder Max Venable was due up. Johnson brought Orosco back to the mound, but didn’t take McDowell out of the game.  Instead, McDowell moved to RF – and Orosco fanned Venable.
  • Orosco pitched a scoreless twelfth frame and, when  the 13th inning opened, McDowell  (who by this time was playing left field) came back to the mound, with Orosco going back to RF and Mookie Wilson, by then playing RF, moved to LF. McDowell pitched the 13th and 14th frames (with Orosco in RF), before the Mets eventually won 6-3 by virtue of a 14th inning three-run home run by Howard Johnson. 

In the game, the Mets used 21 players, with five pitchers taking the mound – and  and five different players manning  RF, three playing LF and two different players each used at C, 3B, and SS.   

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Moving right along, how about a look at a couple of pitchers who got the maximum “Output” from a single pitch?

Three-for-One … With a Little Help from My Friends

While this occurred before MLB began tracking pitch counts, it is well documented enough to be included here. On July 27, 1930, the Reds’ righty Ken Ash – recorded three outs and picked up a victory, while throwing just one pitch.  Notably, Ash got a little help from the Cubs’ base-running foibles.

Ash came on in the bottom of the sixth with: the Cubs leading the Reds 3-2 (two runs had already scored in the inning); runners on  first and third (Cubs’ LF Danny Taylor on first, CF Hack Wilson on third); no outs; and 1B Charlie Grimm at the plate. Grimm hit  ground ball to Cubs’ 2B Clarence Blair, and Wilson made the mistake of breaking for home. Blair threw behind Wilson to 3B Tony Cuccinello, who threw to C Clyde Sukeforth, who tagged out Wilson for the first out.  Grimm, meanwhile, rounded first and decided to try for second on the play, but Taylor was still on the second base bag. So, Grimm reversed direction and headed back toward first, Sukeforth threw to 1B Joe Stripp, who tagged Grimm for out number two. As the play at first unfolded, Taylor took off for third and Stripp threw to Cuccinello for the third out. Ash was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the sixth, as the Reds scored four runs to take a  lead they would not relinquish – giving Ash the victory.,

Ash would finish the season 2-0, 3.43 (one save) in 16 appearances. Ash played in just four MLB seasons (1925, 1928-30 … White Sox, Reds), going 6-8, 4.96 with three saves in 55 games (13 starts).

Lucy Number 13

On July 13, 1995, the Mariners’ RHP Jeff Nelson also got the most out of a  one-pitch mound appearance, at least in terms of outs. Nelson came on in relief of Tim Belcher, with the Mariners trailing the Blue Jays 4-1, with two runners on base (Blue Jays’ RF Shawn Green at second and SS Alex Gonzalez at first).  On Nelson’s first pitch to Sandy Martinez, the Jays’ catcher popped a bunt toward the mound. Nelson let the ball drop, then picked it up and fired to SS Luis Sojo covering second. Sojo tagged Green (still on the bag, but forced to go to third) for the first out. Sojo then touched the second base bag forcing Gonzalez; and then fired to 1B Tino Martinez to retire Sandy Martinez.

Note: Some smart fielding on this play. 1) Nelson letting the popped up bunt drop; and 2) Sojo knowing to tag Green before touching the second base bag. Had he stepped on the bag first, Gonzalez would have been out and Green, no longer forced to go to third, would have been safe on second. .  

Nelson pitched in 15 MLB seasons (1992-2006 … Mariners, Yankees, Rangers, White Sox), going 48-45, 3.41, with 33 saves in 798 appearances (all in relief).

How About Zero-Pitch Appearances?

Well, as usual with Baseball Roundtable, one thing again led to another, and after looking into one-batter and one-pitch appearances, I began digging into zero-pitch appearances.

Since 1988, there have been two dozen official pitching appearances of zero pitches.  As the  chart below shows, southpaws again dominate this brief outing category, holding 19 0f 24 spots.  Note:  In this chart, these outings – unless otherwise noted – consisted of a pick-off (and in, some cases rundown) at first base.

A handful of these zero-pitch outings captured my attention.

Two of those zero-pitch outings actually resulted in a win for the hurler in question.

All in a Day’s Work

On May 1, 2003, Orioles’ southpaw reliever B.J. Ryan was called in from the bullpen, with the Orioles’ trailing the Tigers 2-1 (in Detroit). Tigers’ SS Omar Infante was on first, with two out and RF Bobby Higginson (batting third in the order) at the plate.  Before sending a pitch to the plate, Ryan sent a pick-off throw to 1B Jeff Conine. Infante was eventually retired on the play (pitcher – to first – to shortstop), ending the inning. The Orioles then came back to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth.  Buddy Groom relieved Ryan (now the pitcher of record) in the bottom of the inning, the Orioles held their lead and Ryan got a win … without ever throwing a pitch.

Ryan pitched in 11 MLB seasons (1999-2009) and went 21-28, 3.37, with 117 saves in 560 games.  The two-time all Star’s best season was 2006 (Blue Jays), when he went 2-2, 1.37, with 38 saves.

This Could be the Last Time

On July 7, 2009, Rockies’ southpaw Alan Embree notched a zero-pitch win. This  one caught the Roundtable’s attention because it was  the final win of the 39-year-old Embree’s 16-season MLB career. In the top of the eighth, with the Rockies and Nationals tied at four apiece, Embree was summoned to the mound with two outs and a runner on first (PH Austin Kearns). Before throwing a pitch, Embree picked off Kearns on a play that went Embree to 1B Todd Helton to SS Troy Tulowitzki back to Embree. The Rockies scored in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-4 lead, closer Huston Street replaced Embree (who had been pinch hit for) and saved the game – and the win – for Embree. So Embree, while not tossing a  pitch got a win, an assist and a putout.

Embree went 39-45, 4.59, with 25 saves in a 16-season MLB career (1992, 1995-2009 … Indians, Braves, Diamondbacks, Giants, White Sox, Padres, Red Sox, Yankees, A’s, Rockies). Notably., 17 of his 25 career saves came for the 2007 A’s.

Put A Bow on It

Let’s Wrap this Whole Thing up

On October 1, 2000, Rockies’ righty Jerry Dipoto was called to the mound for the final time in his eight-season MLB career. It was the bottom of the sixth and Dipoto’s Rockies were trailing the Braves 5-3 (three runs had scored in the inning). Braves’ LF Reggie Sanders was on first, there were two outs and RF Brian Jordan was at the plate.  Before tossing a pitch Dipoto picked Sanders off first, ending the inning.  So, in his last MLB appearance, Dipoto – while recording 1/3 of an inning pitched – did not actually pitch at all.

Save The Last Out for Me

Cubs’ southpaw Mitch Williams recorded the only zero-pitch save (since 1988). It happened at Wrigley Field on April 28, 1989. In that game, Williams was called in to relieve Cubs’ starter Paul Kilgus, with two outs in the ninth and the Cubs on top of the Padres 3-1.  At the time, the Padres had scored once in the inning and had runners on first (RF Luis Salazar) and second (LF Carmelo Martin). Before tossing a pitch to Padres’ SS Gary Templeton, Williams picked Salazar off second (Williams to SS Shawn Dunston), earning a zero-pitch save.

Williams, a one-time All Star, pitched in 11 MLB seasons – going 45-58, 3.65 with 192 saves in 619 games. He saved 30 or more games in three seasons. 1989, the year of his zero-pitch save, was Williams All-Star season.  He went 4-4, 2.76, with 36 saves and led the league in appearances with 76.

In 1980, Mitch Williams – as a 21-year-old rookie with the Rangers –  led the AL in appearances with 80 and went 8-6, 3.58 with eight saves. Despite that performance, he did not receive a single vote in the Rookie of the Year balloting(won by the Indians Joe Charboneau).

Not a Lucky Break

Not a Great Finish

On July 15, 2005, Mike Stanton of the Nationals was called into a game in a tough spot. It was the bottom of the tenth inning, the Nationals and Brewers were tied at 3-3 and the Brewers had runners on first and third with one out when Stanton came to the mound to take over from Luis Ayala.  Conventional wisdom? Intentionally walk 1B Lyle Overbay to load the bases and set up a possible double play. Unconventional outcome? The game resumed after Stanton’s warm-ups and, before tossing a pitch, Stanton balked in the winning run.  Game over, without Stanton throwing a single pitch.

Stanton pitched 19 years in the major leagues (1989-2007 … Braves, Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Nationals, Giants, Ranger, Reds), He appeared in 1,178 games, picking up 69 wins (63 losses), with 84 saves and a 3.92 ERA. In 1993, he saved 27 games for the NL West-leading Atlanta Braves.

Mike Stanton appeared in 53 post-season games, going 5-2, 1.54, with one save over 22 2/3 innings, with 21 walks (nine  intentional) and 47 strikeouts.

Now that Doesn’t Seem Fair

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

On June 29, 2018, Indians’ southpaw Oliver Perez became the first pitcher credited with allowing a baserunner, in a game in which he didn’t throw a single pitch. Perez was brought into the game in the  seventh inning, with two outs, runners on second and third and the Indians trailing the A’s 2-0. A’s leadoff hitter and CF, left-handed swinging Dustin Fowler, was scheduled to bat.  A’s Manager Bob Melvin sent in right-handed swinging Matt Canha to pinch hit for Fowler and Indians’ manager Terry Francona chose to intentionally walk him. No pitches thrown under the relatively new “wave ‘em to first” rule, but the walk and baserunner were charged to Perez. Right-handed hitting Chad Pinder came in to pinch hit for lefty-swinging Matt Joyce and Francona countered with right-hander Zack McAllister. Perez left the mound  after allowing a baserunner via a walk, without ever tossing a pitch in the contest. Fortunately, McAllister fanned Pinder on four pitchers and Perez was off the hook.

Perez, still active in 2022, has pitched in 20 MLB seasons (2002-2010, 2012-2022), going 74-94, 4.37, with five saves in 703 games (195 starts).

Roundtable Extra … A Brief Outing That Lasted an Entire Career

Larry Yount, brother of Hall of Famer Robin Yount, made his MLB debut on September 15, 1971 – coming on in the top of the ninth to replace Skip Guinn (who had been pinch hit for in the previous half inning).   The score was 4-1 and, if all worked out, Yount would face LF Ralph Garr, 1B Hank Aaron and C Earl Williams.  All did not work out. Yount had experienced some elbow pain in the bullpen warming up and, as he continued to warm up on the mound, it only got worse. He called the trainer to the mound and, after a bit of discussion, Yount walked off the field – officially registering an MLB appearance, but not tossing a single pitch. Yount pitched two more season in the minors, but never came to the major-league mound again.  Note:  This was before the pitch-tracking era began, but has between widely enough reported to earn its spot.

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

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Baseball Roundtable Book Review … Bronx Epitaph – How Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” Speech Defined the Yankee Legend

January 16, 2023 by

Bronx Epitaph – How Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” Speech Defined the Yankee Legend

By Steven K. Wagner

State University of New York Press (2023)

$27.95

 

 

 

Whether you are a fan of Lou Gehrig, a follower of the Yankees or just would  like to know the back story behind one  of baseball’s most iconic  moments, Steven Wagner’s “Bronx Epitaph – How Lou Gehrig’s ‘Luckiest Man’ Speech Defined the Yankee Legend” has something for you. It is a well-researched and well-written  tale that uses the words of Lou Gehrig’s Farewell Speech to lead us through the story of the Hall of Famer’s Life and the relationships that led him to his luckiest man conclusion.

The speech was  made (between games of a doubleheader) on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day (July 4, 1939) – an event honoring a Yankee legend, a true “Iron Man,” then facing a debilitating, career-ending and life-threatening disease (Gehrig would live only 698 more days).  It was a speech  the humble Gehrig was reluctant to deliver and one that did not  receive extensive coverage at the time.  Yet, Gehrig’s remarks, which opened with “For the past two weeks, you’ve been reading about a bad break. Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth”  and the  image of a tearful Gehrig at the microphone, are considered among the most iconic moments and images in baseball lore.

His (Gehrig’s) speech was a baseball moment that had nothing to do with playing.  It was baseball ‘s Gettysburg address.

                                                                    Marty Appel, Baseball Historian

In Bronx Epitaph, author Steven  Wagner presents what is clearly  the most deeply researched and best-documented version of Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech.  Only four sentences of the speech captured on film are known to be available  and there is no known complete audio recording of Gehrig’s remarks. In his research, Wagner used not only available film and audio, but news accounts from a wide range of publications – giving particular credence to quotes or paraphrases that appeared in multiple stories.  In fleshing out the story of the speech and Gehrig’s life, Wagner also interviewed a host of players – all former Yankees – and even a fan who was in the stands that day. In the process, Wagner developed not only the most in-depth accounting of Gehrig’s farewell speech, but an equally in-depth look at Gehrig’s life and character.

Using the Farewell Speech – and filling in the back story of each sentence – Wagner tells the tale of Gehrig the ballplayer and Gehrig the man. We see a fierce and talented competitor, a dedicated teammate, a humble and caring person, an individual of great integrity and a man who recognized and was thankful for all those who contributed to what he saw as a great and ”lucky” life.  In Yankee manager Joe McCarthy’s words, as quoted in Wagner’s book, Gehrig was “the finest example of a ball player, sportsman and citizen that baseball has ever known.”

The emotional nature of Gehrig’s speech (and the day itself) may be reflected  in the fact that the speech almost didn’t happen. Here’s how Wagner describes it,  “As Gehrig stood on the grass that day, struggling to hold back his tears,  Mercer (sportswriter Sid Mercer, emcee of the event) announced that the Yankee was too overcome with emotion and would not be speaking. He then thanked the crowd for coming out to honor the man. Unfortunately for their quiet hero, those in the crowd would not be dismissed lightly and they quickly and collectively took over, rising to their feet and chanting his name over and over. Finally, (Joe) McCarthy, a father figure to the slugger, put his hand on Gehrig’s back and gently ushered him over to the microphone, urging him to speak.” The rest, as they say, is history.

In the introduction to Bronx Epitaph, Wagner takes the reader through Gehrig’s childhood, when his family often faced economic challenges; through his high school years,  when he excelled at both baseball and football (and, as Wagner reports “At first declined to play on the baseball team because he was shy about appearing in front of crowds;” through his years at Columbia University (where he was a fullback on the football team and a pitcher/first baseman on the baseball squad;  and on to highlights of  his Hall of Fame career as a Yankee.

But the story really starts when Wagner begins to recreate and analyze Gehrig’s farewell speech – made at a time when Gehrig was facing the toughest  challenge of his life and still thought of himself as the luckiest man on the face of the earth. Gehrig went on to cite the reasons why he felt that way, and those reasons  had nothing to do with fame, fortune, Most Valuable Player Awards or championship rings, but rather were based on the  people and relationships that had built his character and shaped his life.

In his remarks Gehrig thanked the fans;  his teammates; Yankee owner Jake Ruppert; Yankee executive Ed Barrow; Yankee managers Miller Huggins and Joe McCarthy; his Yankee roommate Bill Dickey; the  rival New York Giants; stadium vendors, groundskeepers and office staff; sportswriters; his mother-in-law; his parents; and his wife.

“He (Gehrig) was a beloved player, because of who he was, not just because of how he played. What he spoke that day came from his heart. When the people who in your heart are your mother-in -law and ticket takers, that says a lot about your character.”

                                                 Former Yankee Mike Buddie

In his book, Wagner outlines Gehrig’s relationship with each of those he thanked in that speech – telling Gehrig’s  life story along the way. And – as the humble Gehrig would have preferred – also provides  insight into the lives, careers and accomplishments of each individual or group included in his list of thank you’s.

Wagner writes about Jacob Ruppert’s commitment to building the Yankee franchise; how and why Ed Barrow signed Gehrig to his first baseball contract; Gehrig’s relationship with his teammates, particularly roommate Bill Dickey (nicknamed The Man Nobody Knows); Gehrig’s family life and the positive impact that Gehrig’s parents, wife and mother-in-law had on building his “lucky life;” and much, much more. Readers even get a glimpse of Gehrig’s challenging life after he left baseball and some insight into the Gehrig-Ruth rift.

I found Bronx Epitaph to be a great read. As I’ve often said of Baseball Roundtable research “one thing always seems to lead to another.” That’s also true about Wagner’s Bronx Epitaph – one story from Gehrig’s life leads to another and, then, another  – and in the end, they lead to the tale of a great ballplayer and a great person.

Other books by Steven K. Wagner include:

  • The Four Home Runs Club: Sluggers Who Achieved Baseball’s Rarest Feat. Review here.
  • Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Game Wonder. Review here.
  • Game Won: How the Greatest Home Run Ever Hit Sparked the 1988 Dodgers to Game One Victory and an Unlikely World Series Title. Review here.
  • Seinsoth: The Rough and Tumble Life of a Dodger. Review here.

 

BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE TALKS WITH STEVEN WAGNER

Roundtable: What prompted your decision to tackle the Luckiest Man speech as a book topic?

Wagner: I’ve always been intrigued by Lou Gehrig, not only his greatness but his squeaky-clean persona. However, it’s The Speech that I found most intriguing – how a man near the peak of his athleticism could have everything taken away from him and still consider himself lucky. As I looked into the speech and read assumed transcripts, I decided to put together a more likely transcript and look into exactly why he said what he did on that warm summer day.

Roundtable: How long did the research take and what was the most challenging aspect?

Wagner: I probably spent six months researching for the book. I think the most difficult part was searching for quotations from publications that haven’t existed for decades. I then compared quotes from one news source to another to determine what Gehrig truly did say and what he didn’t say.

Roundtable: Were there any surprises along the way?  Things you didn’t expect to learn about Gehrig or any of the other principals in the book?

Wagner: I didn’t realize at the outset that Gehrig had no interest in speaking that day, that manager Joe McCarthy actually patted him on the back and encouraged him to talk, which he only reluctantly did. I really think McCarthy understood better than anyone the mark that Gehrig would have on history by speaking. I also didn’t realize that earlier in the day a little-known player named Johnny Welaj was honored at home plate in similar fashion. Before it was Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day it was actually Johnny Welaj Day.

Roundtable Note:  In true Baseball Roundtable fashion,“one things always leads to another” and you’ll find more about Welaj at the end of this post.

Roundtable:  If you had to sum up Lou Gehrig in a single sentence, how would you do it?

Wagner: No player in major-league history had the impact on baseball that Lou Gehrig did, and The Speech played a big role in the legacy he left.

Roundtable: You’ve written about one game careers (Paciorek): the Gibson World Series home run; Four-Homer Games; and Bill Seinsoth’s career.  How do you select what players, events or topics you are going to explore?

Wagner: I always choose topics that I know I’d enjoy writing about and that I believe others would enjoy reading about. If I can’t enjoy working on a book project, it’s unlikely I can put enough into it to make the reader enjoy it.

________________________________________________

One Thing Leads to Another  … J0hnny Welaj Shares Lou Gehrig’s Day

In traditional  Roundtable “one thing leads to another” fashion, one of author Steven Wagner’s answers led me to look deeper into Johnny Welaj – who also had  a “Day” on July 4.  Welaj, it runs out was a Washington Senators’  rookie outfielder, with 31 MLB games under his belt. The 25-year-old was in his fourth professional season.

As David E. Skelton reports in his Society for American Baseball Research Johnny Welaj biography, Welaj was born in Pennsylvania, but grew up  in Manville, New Jersey (40 miles from New York City) – and was “a standout athlete in football, basketball, and especially baseball,” at Bound Brooke High School (and later in semi-pro baseball in the area). Signed by the Senator in 1936, the speedy Welaj, as noted, made his way to the major leagues by 1939. With the senators visiting nearby New York City on Independence 1939, Skelton reports that hundreds of Welaj’s friends, relatives and neighbors traveled from Manville to Yankee Stadium to celebrate “Johnny Welaj Day” before the first game of the twin bill. Reportedly, Welaj was not aware that the Gehrig appreciation event would be taking place between games of the doubleheader.

Welaj played in just four MLB seasons (1939-41, 1943), hitting .250-4-74, with 36 steals in 293 games. (His MLB career was uninterrupted by military service.) He played in 15 minor-league campaigns – the final one in 1956  at age 42. A true baseball lifer, Welaj spent seven decades in the game as a player, coach, manager and front office executive (including a ten-year stint as the Texas Rangers’ Director of Stadium Operations).

______________________________________________

 

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Baseball Roundtable Fan Hall of Fame Ballots In – Readers Throw a Shutout – Scott Rolen Top Vote-Getter

January 14, 2023 by

Scott Rolen, top vote-getter in Baseball Roundtable Readers’ Hall of Fame Balloting. Photo: User Darwin’s Bulldog on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

The Baseball Roundtable (unofficial) Fan Hall of Fame Balloting is closed and the  votes are counted.  The end result? Roundtable readers threw a shutout – with no player reaching the 75 percent support needed for induction in the official balloting.

In this post, I’ll pass on the results of the reader voting, as well as share a few observations on the differences between the Roundtable fan ballots and the publicly announced (to date) Baseball Writers Association of America official balloting (as reported by the Baseball Hall of Fame Vote Tracker).

For those interested in a deeper dive into Hall of Fame voting, I would recommend the BBHOF Vote tracker (at bbhoftracker.com). The site offers an updated listing of public votes (total and individual ballots), as well as commentary on voting trends and implications.  All of the official ballot  totals used in this post are as of January 14, with 39.4% of ballots made public.

Roundtable Side Note

Roundtable reader (and voter) Ralph from North Carolina won the randomly drawn Fan Ballot prize package, which included: a complete 1993 Topps set (with Derek Jeter’s rookie card); a Bob Gibson replica Cardinals jersey; a Tony Oliva HOF bobblehead; a replica Ernie Banks Wrigley Field flag; and a Bert Blyleven HOF “How to Throw a Curve Ball” baseball. 

So, on to a few observations. No player received the necessary 75 percent support in the fan ballot, while Scott Rolen and Todd Helton have each drawn more than 75 percent support among the official ballots made public (again via bbhoftracker.com) as of January 14.

As you can see, the top five in the fan ballot mirrored the top five in the public official balloting (to date). The only exceptions being that fans placed Jeff Kent in the top five, while Gary Sheffield was  the top five in the BBWAA public ballots.

Voting percentages tend to fall in the official balloting when final results are reported.  At this point, it appears Rolen has the best chance of making it into the Hall in 2023, while Helton may end up very close.  Below are the full results of the Baseball Roundtable reader voting.

Overall, readers tended to spread out their ballots among more players (some home-team bias, perhaps). Reader voters cast votes for 6.23 players per ballot, as opposed to 6.42 among the writers. Thirteen players on each ballot did not receive enough votes to remain on the ballot for 2024.  However, only two players received  zero votes on the fan ballot, as opposed to 12 on the official ballot (again, that is on ballots made public to date).

Carlos Beltran, top vote-getter among first-timers.  Photo: Jeffrey Hayes, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The strongest newcomer to the ballot (among both groups) was Carlos Beltran – at 53.5 percent (sixth) among readers and 57.1 percent (sixth) in  the official balloting. Reader votes and the public official votes to date indicate only two ballot first-timers will carry over to next year (Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez) on the ballot (5 percent minimum support).

Among the  biggest differences (beyond Rolen’s and Helton’s totals) between the reader ballots and the public  official ballots to date are:

  • Gary Sheffield (29.3% among readers; 65.4% among writers);
  • Francisco Rodriguez (41.4% among readers; 9.0% among writers);
  • Torii Hunter (26.3% among readers; 1.9% among writers).

Again, thanks to all the readers who voted.  And, remember bbhoftracker.com is a great source for more in-depth information on the official balloting.

 

 

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Baseball Roundtable 2023 John Paciorek Award Honoree – Glenn Williams, Who Never Suffered an O-For

January 8, 2023 by

Each year, since 2014, Baseball Roundtable has announced a John Paciorek Award (JPA) honoree. The JPA recognizes players who have had short, sometimes very short, major-league careers, but whose accomplishments, nonetheless, deserve recognition.  Past winners have included:  a player whose every MLB hit (three in nine career at bats) was a home run;  a player who had only one MLB at bat, but earned  a World Series ring and a Purple Heart; a player who had just two home runs in 61 MLB at bats, but is also one of just two players in MLB history to homer in their first and final official appearances in a major-league batter’s box; a war hero who pitched in the majors on one leg; and more.  There are links to the bios of past honorees later in this post.  By the way, I usually announced the JPA Award in early April, but being cooped up by the recent winter weather gave me time (and the inclination) to consider this in January.

(Note: Information on John Paciorek’s career – the inspiration for the JPA – can be found at the end of this post. Paciorek’s day in the sun constitutes arguably the best one-game MLB career ever.)

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

This year’s John Paciorek Award honoree is Australian-born third baseman Glenn Williams, who had a 13-game major-league career – all in June of 2005 and all with the Minnesota Twins.  Over his 13-games in “The Show,” Williams hit a robust .425 and collected at least one hit in every game he played.

More Baseball Roundtable #InBaseballWeCountEverything

Glenn Williams holds the MLB record for the longest MLB career for a player who was never held hitless in any MLB game he appeared in.

Included in that 13-game hitting streak were three games in which Williams made just one plate appearance – twice as a pinch hitter and once after entering a game at third base in the tenth inning. That  extra-inning single-plate-appearance contest (June 17) is probably the highlight of William career (after his first-ever MLB appearance, of course).  On June 17, after entering a 4-4 game (at third bases) in the top of tenth inning (Padres versus Twins in Minnesota), Williams came to bat with no outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eleventh frame. He broke the tie with a game-winning, walk-off single to left field.

For those who like a little more detail, Williams  hit .360 (9-for-25) from the left side and .533 (8-for-15) from the right-handed batters’ box.  He hit .455 at home (10-for-22) and .389 on the road (7-for-18).  He batted in the second, sixth, eighth and ninth spots in the order and hit .364 or better in all four lineup spots.   While he only had three RBI, he hit .556 with runners in scoring position (5-for-9) and .500 with runners in scoring position and two out (2-for-4).

Now for a bit of background.

Williams was born in Gosford, Australia, to a family with a passion for baseball – Glenn’s father Gary had been deeply involved in the development of baseball in Australia and the switch-hitting Glenn followed in his footsteps, eventually playing for the Australian Junior National Team in 1992 and signing with the Braves as a 16-year-old in 1993 (for a reported $925,000 bonus).

Williams started his professional career (rookie-level) in the Braves’ system in 1994.  Between 1994 and 1999, he worked his way up Double-A, but struggled along the way. Over  six seasons in the Braves’ system, Williams hit .222-40-195 in 476 games. More troubling, perhaps, was the fact that he walked just 140 times versus 507 strikeouts. The Braves released Williams (who was coming off shoulder surgery) during 1994 Spring Training.  Three days later, Williams signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.  He fared better in four seasons (2000-2004 in the Toronto  system, hitting .260-65-292 over 507 games. In 2004, at 27-years-old and already in his 11th professional season, Williams had a solid year at Triple-A Syracuse, hitting .264-23-79 in 117 games – and showing improvement in his walk-to-strikeout ratio (34 walks/79 whiffs). Still, in October, he was granted free agency by the Blue Jays and, in December, signed with the Twins.

The Twins sent Williams to Triple-A Rochester, where he sparkled – hitting .303-5-22 in 48 games before being called up to Minnesota. In his MLB debut, on June 7,  he delivered a sixth-inning, two-out pinch-hit single on the first MLB pitch he ever saw.  That single helped continue what would eventually be a three-run inning, tying the game at five apiece. From there, Williams’ MLB career lasted 21 days – during which, as noted earlier, he got into 13 games, hit safely in all of them and put up a .425 average. Then, Williams suffered a shoulder injury diving back to first base on a pick-off play – ending  his season. The injury required surgery and Williams never returned to the major leagues.

Williams did play two more seasons in the Twins’ minor-league system  – both at Triple-A Rochester – hitting .245, with 19 home runs and 93 RBI in 229 games.

Glenn Williams was a member of the Australian team that won a Silver Medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics. He also was a member of the 2000 Australian Olympic baseball squad.

There is no doubt that baseball is in Williams’ blood.  His first job after retiring as a player was as a coach at the MLB academy in Australia. He has also worked a as General Manager of Australia’s entry in the World Baseball Classic and manager of the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League.  In 2021, Williams became the Chief Executive Officer of Baseball Australia.

Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball Australia; Glenn Williams Interview, TwinsTrivia.com.

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Here’s a look at – and links to – past JPA Award honorees:

2014 – Brian Scott Dallimore

In his first start (not his first game) for the 2004 Giants, Dallimore had two singles, a Grand Slam (his first MLB hit and only MLB home run), a walk and a hit by pitch.  For the full JPA take on Dallimore’s 27- game MLB career, click here.

2015 – Roy Gleason

Gleason played in just eight MLB games, had a double in his only MLB at bat – but also earned a World Series ring (1963) and a Purple Heart. Ultimately, he was the only ballplayer with MLB experience to serve on the front lines in Vietnam. For the full JPA take on Gleason, click here. Note: Gleason’s life is detailed in the book “Lost in the Sun – Roy Gleason’s Odyssey from the Outfield to the Battlefield.”

2016 – John Allen Miller

Miller played just 32 MLB games (during the 1966 and 1969 seasons), taking the field (at 1B/LF/3B/2B) for the Yankees and Dodgers. Miller collected ten hits in 61 MLB at bats (.164 average) and hit just two home runs – but he made those long balls count – becoming one of just two players in MLB history to homer in their first and final official appearances in a major-league batter’s box. For more on Miller, click here.

2017 – Chris Saenz

RHP Chris Saenz’ big day came on April 24, 2004 – when he was called up from Double-A Huntsville (where he was 1-1, 3.86) to make a spot start against the Saint Louis Cardinals, whose powerful lineup included the likes of Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds and Reggie Sanders.   The rookie went six innings, giving up just two hits, three walks and no runs, while fanning seven. Two days after this debut, he was on his way back to Huntsville, where he suffered an elbow injury and never returned to the majors. Statistics before 1900 can be sketchy, but baseball-reference.com shows that Saenz is the only pitcher to complete a one-game MLB career of at least five innings pitched, without giving up a single run (earned or unearned). For more details on this JPA honoree, click here.

2018 – Keith McDonald

McDonald’s MLB career (Cardinals 2000-2001) covered just eight games and 11 plate appearances (nine at bats) and three hits – but he made them count.  All of McDonald’s safeties were home runs – making him the only MLB player with more than one career hit who can look back on major league career in which his every hit was a home run. .For the full story, click here.

2019 – Harley Hisner

Hisner’s MLB tenure encompassed the day of September 30, 1951. That’s when the 24-year-old righty faced the New York Yankees – and a lineup that included five future Hall of Famers: Mickey Mantle in RF; Joe DiMaggio in CF; Phil Rizzuto at SS; Johnny Mize at 1B; and Yogi Berra behind the plate. In his very first MLB inning, Hisner faced five batters, four of them future Hall of Famers, and gave up two singles and no runs.  His place in history? One of those singles was Joe DiMaggio’s last MLB safety. For more on Hisner and his ongoing involvement in and love of the game (he went on to earn the Northeast Indiana Baseball Association Colin Lister Award for “dedication to the game of baseball and its historic legacy,” click here.

2020 – Bert Shepard

Shepard set aside his baseball mound dreams in 1943 – after four minor-league seasons – to enlist in the U.S. Army, where he became a P-38 Lightning fighter pilot. Shepard was shot down on his 34th combat mission and, while a prisoner of war, his wounds resulted in the amputation of his right leg below the knee.  Upon his release (a prisoner exchange), Shepard did not surrender his dreams and fought his way back to the major leagues. He made one major-league appearance (for the Washington Senators), pitching 5 1/3 innings of three-hit, one-run ball.  While Shepard’s MLB career consisted of that sole appearance, he did continue to pitch, coach and manage in minor leagues – and his story proved an inspiration for disabled veterans.  For more of Bert Shepard story, click here.

2021 – Henry Schmidt

Henry Martin Schmidt didn’t make it to the big leagues until eight seasons after his professional (minor-league) debut.  In fact, he was just two months shy of his 30th birthday when he first took the major-league mound.   Why did it take so long?  Simple answer – location.  He had considerable difficulty “locating” his pitches.  While it took a long time for Schmidt to make it to the major leagues, it didn’t take him long to leave MLB. He lasted just one season – and is the only pitcher in MLB history who was a 20-game winner in his only major league season. Why was his MLB career so short? Simple answer – location.  He did not care for the geographic “location” of major-league baseball. For more on Henry Schmidt’s unusual career, click here.

2022 – Karl Spooner

Southpaw Spooner holds a share of the record for strikeouts in an MLB debut (15) and also threw complete-game shutouts in each of his first two starts.  After earning a late September (1954) call-up (to the Dodgers), the 23-year-old rookie was thrown right into the fire – starting on September 26 against the league-leading and Dodger chief rival Giants. In the first frame, it looked like it might be a short game for Spooner.  It took him 32 pitches to get out of the inning (17 strikes – 15 balls). He gave up a single and two walks, but escaped unscored upon.  Settling down, Spooner went on to pitch a complete-game,  three-hit, three-walk, fifteen strikeout shutout, as the Dodgers won 3-0.  Four days later (September 26), Spooner made second MLB appearance – a start against the Pirates (in Brooklyn). In this one, he threw another complete-game shutout – giving up four hits and fanning 12 in a 1-0 win.  His  27 strikeouts in his first two appearances also remain an MLB record.   A shoulder injury suffered in 1955 Spring Training cut Spooner’s career short. He  didn’t get his first start of the 1955 season until May 15 and finished the season, his last in the major leagues, 8-6, 3.65 in 29 games (14 starts).   Spooner pitched for three more seasons in the minors, but never recaptured 1954 glory.  For the full Karl Spooner story, click here.

—–INSPIRATION FOR THE JPA—–

John Paciorek – signed out of Saint Ladislaus High School in Hamtramck, Michigan (where he had starred in football, basketball and baseball) – appeared in his first major-league game on the final day of the 1963 season (September 29) at the age of 18.  The 6’ 1”, 200-pound outfielder had spent the 1963 season with Class-A Modesto Colts. The Colts’ parent club, the Houston Colt .45s (that was the current Astros’ franchise name back then), was suffering through a difficult season. The team was 65-96 going into that final game.  Looking to the future, Houston had, in fact, fielded an all-rookie lineup (average age 19) on September 27. Youth was still being served two days later when John Paciorek started his first MLB game. The results were surprising – and worthy of recognition.

Playing right field and batting seventh in a 13-4 win over the NY Mets, Paciorek ended up with three hits and two walks in five plate appearances, with four runs scored and three runs batted in.  Perhaps equally surprising is that it was not only Paciorek’s first major-league appearance, it was to be his only MLB appearance.  Back pain the following spring, followed by surgery (he played 49 minor league games in 1964 and missed all of the 1965 season), put an end to his MLB playing days. (Paciorek did play in four more minor-league seasons.)  Still, you will find John Paciorek in the Baseball Encyclopedia and his is arguably the greatest one-game MLB career ever.  Among one-gamers, he holds the record for times on base and runs scored, and shares the record for batting average, on base percentage and RBIs.

Paciorek, by the way, went on to become a high school teacher and multi-sport coach and is the author of the books (Plato and Socrates – Baseball’s Wisest Fans;  The Principles of Baseball: And All There Is To Know About Hitting; and If I Knew Then What I Know Now. You also can enjoy Paciorek’s prose (and expertise) at his blog “Paciorek’s Principles of Perfect Practice” by clicking here. You can find out even more about Paciorek in Steven Wagner’s 2015 book Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Game Wonder.

A final note. John Paciorek’s insight into the national pastime should come as no surprise. Paciorek comes from a true “baseball family.”  He was the first born of eight siblings and was followed to the big leagues by younger brothers Jim and Tom Paciorek.  (Like John, Jim’s MLB career was short – 48 games for the Brewers in 1987. Brother Tom, however, achieved a .282 average over an 18-season MLB career.

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Eddie Collins … King of the Sacrifice and Much, Much More

January 4, 2023 by

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.

Photo: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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).

_________________________________

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 13th 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, 14th).  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 (12th); walks – 1,499 (19th); runs scored – 1,821 (18th).

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.

Photo: Author Unknown; Public Domain via WikiCommons

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;
  • 15th 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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Baseball Roundtable Talks with MLB Official Scorer Sarah Johnson

December 30, 2022 by

When it comes to communications, Sarah Johnson is a researcher, analyst and strategist, with the ability to tell a story in creative and compelling prose. With a Master’s Degree in Business Communications from the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota), attention to detail and a Renaissance-style curiosity, Johnson’s writing has covered topics ranging from Minnesota’s role in the Battle of Gettysburg to the renowned Gothic Cathedral of Cologne (Germany) to Lima, Peru’s growing status as a “foodie” destination to the career of MLB pitcher Charles “Chief” Bender. Her work has appeared in such varied publications as the Minneapolis Star Tribune; Food Wine Travel Magazine; Minnesota History Magazine; and the SABR Baseball Research Journal.  In addition to a successful freelance career, she has worked for such varied organizations as  the Hennepin Theatre Trust, Midwest Food Connection and YouthLink MN.

Johnson, however, is the subject of this Baseball Roundtable post for a different kind of story telling – one told in numbers (like 6-4-3) and acronyms (like HBP and RBI). Working at Target Field (home of the Minnesota Twins), Johnson is one of just five female official scorers (out of approximately 100 official scorers) in Major League Baseball. 

Baseball Roundtable was pleased to have the opportunity  to talk with Johnson about baseball and her work as an official scorer.

Johnson indicated she became interested in sports at an early age  – from the sidelines, rather than on the field.

“I did not play sports growing up, but I have always loved watching baseball and  spent considerable time watching my sisters play basketball and volleyball,” she explained.  “My dad calls me the world’s greatest spectator!”

Baseball Roundtable Note:  The choice of the phrase  the “world ‘s greatest spectator” – as opposed to – “world’s greatest fan,” may have foreshadowed Johnson’s later work as a scorer and statistician. Clearly, in sports, unbiased interpretation of the play on the field (rather than fan-influenced observations) is a positive asset.

Sarah Johnson’s father may have been the first to see her potential as a scorer.  As he tells the story, he took Sarah to her first professional game (Twins at the HHH Metrodome ) at a very young age.  Johnson saw a woman ( Roundtable emphasis) keeping a scorecard and was very curious about what she was doing.  At their very next game, Johnson’s father bought Sarah a scorecard and she taught herself how to score a baseball game.  (More foreshadowing?)

Johnson’s advancement to the major-league scorer’s table was a logical one. It included serving as an official scorer for a high school tournament, the first round of the 2018 NCAA Baseball Tournament (at the University of Minnesota’s Siebert Field) and the independent minor-league Saint Paul Saints,  as well as spending time shadowing veteran official scorers for the Twins and Saints.

Those shadowing sessions, particularly with long-time official scorer Stew Thornley (who Johnson met through the Halsey Hall Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research), were a notable influence in Johnson’s eventual selection as an MLB scorer.

“I met Stew through SABR and knew he was one of the official scorers at Target Field, so I started asking him questions about unique game situations,” Johnson said.  “They must have been the right questions, because he turned to me one day and said, ‘You should be an official scorer.’ Stew allowed me to shadow him during a game at Target Field and then I contacted the Saints and asked if I could shadow their official scorer.”

Baseball Roundtable Note:  Both Thornley and Johnson are board members of the Halsey Hall SABR Chapter.

Johnson said those shadowing sessions were extremely helpful in building her understanding of what it takes to be an official scorer and what she needed to “work on and study” if she wanted to earn a spot in the scorer’s booth.

Johnson said a key part of preparation for a role as an official scorer  (in addition to her practical experience with the Gopher and Saints) was an  MLB program called the “Official Scoring University.” That program offers the opportunity to discuss rules and game situations in detail with veteran MLB scorers and MLB personnel. Johnson added that scorers also review judgement plays during the season, as well as take rules quizzes (and discuss their answers and reasoning in detail). The learning curve, she added, is ongoing.

“As the old cliché goes, anytime you go to a baseball game you may see something you’ve never seen before,“ Johnson said. “That’s the most challenging thing about scoring, but also what keep it interesting. There is always more to learn.”

Johnson’s  first game as an official MLB scorer was on the Twins Opening Day in 2022, a day she recalls as a “whirlwind.”

“Amid all of the pageantry of the first day of a new season, I was busy figuring out how to get everything I would need during the game in place,” she said.  “I remember spending most of the game trying not to forget anything I was  responsible for.  Fortunately, it was a fairly easy game.  I didn’t have to make any tough judgment calls.”

Johnson, who scored 18 games at Target Field last season, described her game-day routine and responsibilities in detail for the Roundtable.

“Scorers have to be there an hour before the game, but I’m always early, because  I like to get everything set up and tested so I can go and eat dinner before the game,” she explained. “I have my rule book, binoculars and pencils with me at every game.  I know some official scorers keep score in pen and I don’t know how they do it. I’ve always kept score in pencil, but everyone’s system is a little different.

“We also have to have a laptop with us because we stream the game feed so we can watch a replay if we need to make a judgement call or have a crazy play,” Johnson continued. “We also have a program that provides clips of each play so that  we can easily go back and watch something again and don’t have to search through the TV broadcast to find what we need.”

Johnson noted that  weather conditions are one of the factors scorers are required to take into consideration for judgement calls,  so she checks out current and expected weather conditions before she arrives at the ballpark.

There is always a microphone nearby, she added.

“The official scorer is in the press box during the game and has a microphone to announce decisions and other game information to those in the press box and scoreboard booth,” she said.

Baseball Roundtable Note:  Note:  Johnson also scores University of Minnesota Gophers and Saint Paul Saints games and, last season, scored approximately 40 games among the Twins. Saints and Gophers.

Official scorers are selected by and are employees of Major League Baseball, not any specific team, and are paid by MLB. Scorers are paid approximately  $35/hour depending on qualifications and experience.

Johnson  added that there is just one official scorer for each game, but MLB  does provide some support for the decision-making process.

“The lone official scorer at each game is responsible for making every decision,” she explained. “However, we are assigned an official scoring support person for each game –  typically a veteran official scorer for another market whose team is on the road. We communicate with them via Slack (instant messaging software) and they can help provide a second opinion or help clarify a rule if something crazy happens. Ultimately, however, the final decision lies with the official scorer at the ballpark.”

Johnson told Baseball Roundtable that her role has an official scorer has changed the way she watches a game, but not how much she enjoys the national pastime.

“When you’re working the game, you’re definitely not just sitting there relaxing as you would be as a fan,  but it’s particularly enjoyable to be constantly involved in the game,” she said. “Scorers are responsible for paying attention to every pitch, no matter what the score, no matter who is on the field or what the situation is, and no matter how long the game lasts.  You definitely have to be a huge baseball fan to maintain that intense level of  attention for that long.”

I asked Johnson what the toughest calls  to make are – like a possible error on a ball that went untouched, giving an error on thrown ball to the fielder who made the throw or the player who was its target or calling a hit or error on a tough fielding chance.

“The short answer is … all of them! But the hardest part about doing official scoring for me is when you have a crazy inning where things just keep happening and you’re not only making judgement calls, but have to constantly keep track of everything so you can reconstruct the inning,“ she said. “I had a Gophers game where I had three errors and a passed ball in the same half inning. At the time, you just do the best you can to keep track of everything and keep going … and then you can go back and reconstruct the inning after the game is over.”

Johnson recalled a couple of particularly exciting games she scored in 2022.

“Being involved in a no-hitter or near no-hitter is always one of the most exciting, but also nerve-wracking, games to work as a scorer, “ she said. “I had two such experiences last year.  I was the official scorer for the first no-hitter in CHS Field history at a Saints game. Then,  in my third MLB game as an official scorer, Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Twins. I didn’t have to make any controversial judgement calls in either one, but constantly knowing that I might have to on the next pitch was stressful!”

Johnson added that an official scorer needs to have a thick skin.

“In addition to being detail-oriented and having a love of the game – so you can pay attention to every pitch as long as the game lasts – you have to have a thick skin and calm demeanor,” Johnson said. “You’re constantly making judgment calls and, no matter what the call, there’s a chance someone might be upset. You have to remain calm – and be able to articulate why you called a certain play the way you did.”

Asked for any advice she’s give to prospective scorer, Johnson suggested :

  • Get a copy of MLB’s official rules and read it, especially the section on official scoring; and
  • Get experience in scoring whenever and wherever you can – high school, town ball, college, the minor leagues.

Johnson strongly stressed the importance of knowing and relying on the rule book. “No matter what level you are scoring, use the rule book to work through situations as they come up during a game,” she said. “I frequently pull mine out – even when I’m at home watching a game.”

Johnson’s sports-related work, by the way, is not limited to baseball. She is also one of the scoreboard  operators for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and does scorekeeping for boys and girls basketball at the high school level; activities she says “keep my scorekeeping brain active while I’m waiting for the next baseball season to begin.”

If you want to learn more about MLB’s group of female official scorers, just click here.

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Baseball Roundtable Looks at MLB’s Multi-Homer Game Leaders – the Obvious and the Unexpected

December 24, 2022 by

As Baseball Roundtable (impatiently) awaits that fan-centric phrase “pitchers and catchers report,” I continue to somewhat randomly peruse (and present) hardball  statistics and stories. (Yes, even on Christmas Eve.)   In this post, I’ll take a look at the long ball, specifically players – both familiar and obscure –  who are at the top of the record books when it comes to multi-homer games.

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Now back, to our regularly scheduled programming. This first chart really has no surprises.   Appropriately, Babe Ruth is not just the “Sultan of Swat,” but also the “King of Clout” when it comes to multi-homer outings.

The top five active players in multi-homer runs games are Miguel Cabrera (39), Edwin Encarnacion (36); Giancarlo Stanton (32); Ryan Braun (32); and Nelson Cruz (31).

But let’s move beyond the obvious and look deeper into the roster of players who have gone yard multiple times in a single game.

Let the Kid(s) Do It

Ten MLB players have recorded multi-homer games while still teenagers. The youngest of those is Cubs’ outfielder Danny Murphy, who launched a pair of solo shots at the age of 19 years-35 days, as his Cubs topped the Cardinals 5-2 on September 27, 1961. Those long balls were two of only four MLB home runs Murphy would hit in his MLB career.

Murphy, who made his MLB debut on June 18, 1960 was a high school PHENOM (St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, MA). Why the capital letters in phenom?  Well, the 17-year-old’s signing (by the Cubs for $100,000) was significant enough that the June 27, 1960 issue of Sports Illustrated ran a story (by Roy Terrell) titled: THE SIGNING OF DANNY MURPHY … Hard Work and a $100,000 Bonus Landed the Year’s Prize Youngster for the Cubs. In the story, Terrell recounted Murphy’s signing day almost minute-by-minute – including visits and/or calls from the Cardinals, Athletics, Tigers, White Sox, Braves, Pirates, Red Sox, Cubs, Yankees, Orioles. To read that story, click here.

Murphy went directly to the Cubs and made his MLB debut in CF (and leading off) just three days after his signing.  Murphy went zero-for-four in that initial game. He played in 31 games that season, but was over-matched, hitting just .120. He did hit one home run becoming the second-youngest player to homer in an MLB game.  Murphy ended up splitting his 1960 season between the Cubs and Double-A San Antonio Missions (where he hit .294-8-31 in 47 games).

Only Tommy Brown of the Dodgers went deep in an MLB game at a younger age than Danny Murphy (Murphy hit his first MLB homer at age 18 years-21 days), Brown had two MLB home runs for the 1945 Dodgers before his 18th birthday.

Over the 1961-62 seasons, Murphy got in just 18 games for the Cubs (and 253 minor-league contests). He then didn’t appear in another MLB game until August 11, 1969 – when he reemerged as a pitcher (for the White Sox). In five MLB seasons, Murphy hit .177-4-13 in 117 games and put up a 4-4, 4.65 record in 39 reliefs appearances.

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Juan Soto –
SotoPhoto by pdeonarain

The Nationals’ Juan Soto holds the distinction of being the only MLB player to enjoy  three multi-homer games before his twentieth birthday (June 13, June 29 and September 11, 2018).  The only other players with multiple two-homer games before reaching age 20 are Mel Ott  Giants, 1928), Ken Griffey Jr. (Mariners, 1989) and Bryce Harper (Nationals, 2012).   Other teenagers (not already mentioned here) with multiple-homer games are: Harmon Killebrew, Senators, 1956); Brian McCall (White Sox, 1962); Tony Conigliaro (Red Sox, 1964); Ed Kranepool, (Mets, 1964); ; Andruw Jones (Braves, 1996).

The surprise on this list is McCall, who (as a 19-year-old) hit two home runs  in a September 30, 1962 game – as his White Sox topped the Yankees 8-4. It would be McCall’s only two MLB home runs in an MLB career that encompassed just seven games (in 1962-63). McCall hit 47 home runs over six minor-league seasons. Like Danny Murphy, McCall was moved to the mound, pitching  in the minors in 1965 and  1966, but never making an MLB mound appearance.

Old Guys Rule

Julio Franco – Old Guys rule and he is their king!

Julio Franco is the oldest player to have a multi-homer MLB game – at age 46 years-299 days. He did it while playing 1B for the Braves in a June 18, 2005 6-1 win over the Reds in Cincinnati. Franco played in 23 MLB seasons (1982-94, 1996-97, 2001-2007) from age 23 through age 48.

Franco also is the oldest player ever to hit an MLB home run (48 years-254 days) on May 4, 2007 – as his Mets  topped the Diamondback 5-3. In fact, in the ranking of oldest-player home runs, Franco holds 18 0f the top 19 places.

 

 

 

 

The 11 multi-home run games (in a season) of Hank Greenberg and Aaron Judge were all two-home run contests.  Sammy Sosa had ten two-homer games and one three-homer game in his 11 multi-homer games.

Now, that Makes for a Good Story

Rockies’ shortstop Trevor Story’s two-home run debut game is the most unique on the list above.  It is the only one the chart that took place on Opening Day. It came on April 4, 2016 as Story’s Rockies topped the Diamondbacks 10-5. Story went on to homer in his first  four games as a major leaguer – going 7-for-19 (.368) with six homers, six runs scored and 11 RBI.

Still Active, Story has put up a .268-174-516 line over seven seasons. He currently has 19 multi-home games in his career.

 

 

 

 

 

There have been more than 350 three-homer MLB regular-season games, so we’ll just touch on a few highlights here.

  • The youngest player ever to record a three-homer game is Tigers’ outfielder Al Kaline, who accomplished the feat on April 17, 1955 – as the Tigers topped the athletics 16-0. Kaline, already in his third MLB season, was 20 years-19 days old and on his way to a .340-27-102 season, leading the AL in average and base hits (200).
  • The oldest player with a three-homer game is Stan Musial (at 41 years-229 days).  Musial’s game came on July 8, 1962, as his Cardinals topped the Mets 5-1. Musial had two three-homer games in his  22-season MLB  career (35 two-homer games, 399 with one home run).
  • Only four players have recorded a three-homer game after their fortieth birthday: Stan Musial (Cardinals, 1962), Jason Giambi (Rockies, 2011), Reggie Jackson (Angels, 1986) and Babe Ruth (Braves,1935).

The most three homer games in a single season is three – and they came in a span of 46 days –  by Sammy Sosa in 2001. Ironically, Sosa’s Cubs lost two of the three contests.

_________________________________

A Baseball Roundtable Extra – a bit of  “one thing leads do another.”

While this post is all about regular-season multi-homer games, here’s a look at players with a three-homer game in the post-season.

  • Babe Ruth, Yankees … Game Four, 1926 World Series & Game Four, 1928 World Series
  • Reggie Jackson, Yankees … Game Six, 1977 World Series
  • Albert Pujols, Cardinals … Game Three, 2011 World Series
  • Pablo Sandoval, Giants … Game One, 2012 World Series
  • Bob Robertson, Pirates … Game Two, 1971 NLCS
  • George Brett, Royals … Game Three, 1978 ALCS
  • Adam Kennedy, Angels … Game Five, 2002 ALCS
  • Enrique Hernandez, Dodgers  … Game Five, 2017 NLCS
  • Chris Taylor, Dodgers … Game Five, 2012 NLCS
  • Adrian Beltre, Rangers … Game Four, 2011 ALDS.

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Ah, those great single-admission doubleheaders – which helped make the next story possible.

A Beautiful Coincidence

Stan Musial and Nate Colbert share the record for most home runs in a double header -with five – and they share more than that. On May 2, 1954, the New York Giants faced Musial’s Cardinals in a double header before 26,662 fans at Busch Stadium.  And, on that day, Musial became the first player to pole five home runs in a doubleheader – or, if you prefer, five home runs in a single day of the MLB schedule.

As the Cardinals won Game One 10-6, Musial was brilliant, recording four hits and a walk in five plate appearances – including a solo home run in the third inning, a two-run homer in the fifth and a three-run blast in the eighth. It was the first time Musial had hit three round trippers in a single game. He ended with contest with three runs scored and six RBI.

Musial faced knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm in Game Two. If Stan was going to continue his long-ball heroics, he would have to provide his own power – and he did. In Game Two, Musial collected two hits and a walk in five plate appearances – including a two-run homer in the fifth inning and a solo shot in the seventh, scoring three runs and driving in three in a 9-7 Cardinals loss.

So, for the doubleheader, Stan Musial was six-for-eight, with two walks, six runs scored, nine RBI and five home runs.

Now, that coincidence.

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Among the fans witnessing Musial’s 1954 feat was eight-year-old Nate Colbert – who, on August 1, 1972, would become the second player in MLB history (and there are still only two) to hit five round trippers in a double header.

_________________________

Colbert, whose San Diego Padres were facing the Atlanta Braves in a double header before a meager crowd of 5,784 (in Atlanta), got his day off to a quick start. The Padres’ clean-up hitter hit a three-run homer in the top of the first inning. Colbert went on to add a run-scoring single in the third, another single in the fourth, and a solo homer in the seventh before striking out to open the ninth. For the game, won by the Padres 9-0, Colbert was four-for-five, three runs scored, five RBI and two home runs.

Game two started out quietly enough, with Colbert drawing a first-inning walk. Things heated up fast, as Colbert added a grand slam in the second, a ground out to third base in the fourth, a two-run homer in the seventh and a day-topping two-run round tripper with two out in the ninth. In the process, he went three-for-four with three runs scored and eight RBI – becoming only the second player with five home runs in a double header. (The Padres, by the way, won game two 11-7.)  For the double header, Colbert was seven-for-nine, with a walk, seven runs scored, 13 RBI and five home runs. Stan Musial, however, was not in the stands.

Some four-homer game tidbits:

  • The youngest player to hit four homers in a game was White Sox’ outfielder Pat Seerey (25 years-123 days).
  • The oldest player to hit four homers in a game was Phillies’ outfielder Chuck Klein (31 years-277 days).
  • The Braves’ Bob Horner is the only player to hit four home runs in a game his team lost – (The Braves lost to the Expos 11-8 on July 6, 1986).
  • ‘The Cardinals’ Mark Whiten tied the MLB record for RBI in a game in his September 7, 1993 four-homer game versus the Reds, with 12 RBI. His day included a Grand Slam, two three-run homers; and one two-run shot.

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When Baseball Roundtable Looks into the Baseball Record Books – One Thing Always Seems to Lead to Another.

This post has focused thus far on multi-home run games.   How about players who logged a multi-homer inning?  Not as rare as you might think. A total  59 players have it two home runs in a single inning.  Too many too list, but how about a few tidbits.

  • Fernando Tatis (Cardinals) is the only player to hit two Grand Slams in one inning. He did it on April 23, 1999. – in the third inning of a Redbirds’ 12-5 win over the Dodgers (in LA). Surprisingly, both Grand Slams came off the same pitcher – Dodgers’ starter Chan Ho Park. Yep, they left Park in to take the thrashing. Park, by the way, finished the season 2-10, with a 7.43 ERA.
  • Alex Rodriguez (Yankees, 2007 & 2009), Edwin Encarnacion (Blue Jays, 2013 & Mariners, 2019), Andre Dawson (Expos, 1978 & 1985), Jeff King (Pirates , 1995 & 1996) and Willie McCovey (Giants (1973 & 1977) are the only players to hit two home runs in an inning twice in their career.
  • Carlos Baerga (Indians, 1993), Mark Bellhorn (Cubs, 2002) and Kendrys Morales (Angels , 2012) all hit home runs from both side of the plate in the same inning.

Baseball Roundtable Flash Back-to-Back … A Final Tale for this Post

In the top of the first inning of a game (May 2, 2002) between the Mariners and White Sox (in Chicago),  White Sox’ starter Jon Rauch hit Mariners’  RF Ichiro Suzuki with the first pitch of the game.  Second baseman Bret Boone followed with a home run on the very next pitch, and  CF  Mike Cameron followed with another dinger on a 1-2 pitch.  The Mariners batted around and, by the time Boone came up for a second time that inning, held a 7-0 lead.

In his second at bat of the frame, Boone homered again (another two-run shot), this time on a 1-2 pitch from Jim Parque. Next up was Cameron, who hit the first pitch he saw from Parque for another home run.  This remains the only time that two players have homered twice, back-to-back, in the same inning. The Mariners, by the way, won the contest 15-4.

Side Note: We could see some players added to these lists as Negro League statistics from 1920-1948 are further documented and add to the MLB record books. 

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

 

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

Update on Baseball Roundtable Hall of Fame Fame Fan Balloting

December 18, 2022 by

There is still time to cast your ballot in the Baseball Roundtable (unofficial) Hall of Fame Fan Ballot – and register for a chance to win the Baseball Card and Bobblehead prize.  Voting remains open until January 3.

To Cast Your Baseball Roundtable Hall of Fame Fan Ballot, click here.  For a post with bios and commentary on the players on the ballot click here. 

To this point, with 36 fan ballots cast, Todd Helton leads the pack at 70.6 percent, followed by first-timer Carlos Beltran at 55.9 percent and Scott Rolen and Billy Wagner at 52.9 percent each.  The chart below compares results (through this a.m.) with the public official American Baseball Writers Association vote (as reported by BBHOFtracker.com.)  You can visit BBHOFtracker.com throughout the balloting process for updates on public vote totals.  It’s a great site that includes Hall of Fame commentary, as well as voting results.

Happy Holidays from Baseball Roundtable.

 

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

100Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs.  To see the full list, click here.

I tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, News

Ranking Fifteen Tense 1-0 Games … and More

December 15, 2022 by

Walter Johnson. Photo by pingnews.com

It’s the dreaded baseball off-season and, as usual, Baseball Roundtable is drawn to random musings driven by the baseball record book.  And – also as usual – as I approached this task, one thing led to another.  In this case, a look at Hall of Famer Walter Johnson’s record in 1-0 games, led to a foray into unique 1-0 contests in MLB history.

Let’s start with Johnson, in his 21 MLB seasons, The Big Train took the mound in 65 1-0 contests – putting up a 38-26 (with  one no-decision) record.  His 65 appearances included 62 starts and three relief appearances and – an illustration of how times have changed – Johnson threw complete games in 60 of those 62 starts.

By comparison, in 24 seasons, Roger Clemens took the mound in 21 games that ended in a 1-1 score, going 8-5, with eight no-decisions.   He started all 21 games and completed four.  In 2005,  Roger Clemens started for the Astros in five games that ended in a 1-0 score. The Astros lost all five, with Clemens getting five no-decisions.  In those five no-decisions, Clemens pitched 35 innings, giving up 15 hits and no runs, while walking eight and fanning 37. In the 2005 season, the Astros were shutout in nine of Clemens’ 32 starts. I warned you that “one thing leads to another.”

NOTE:  THERE IS STILL TIME TO VOTE IN BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE’S FAN 2023 HALL OF FAME BALLOTING.  CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE POST THAT HAS A LINK TO THE BALLOT. 

Now, lets look at some notable 1-0 tilts, starting with one  by the layer who spurred this post.  I should add hat I have ranked these games subjectively, in terms of their interest to me – as opposed to their objective significance.

Number One – Probably Never See This  Again

Hall of Famer Walter Johnson is one of four players to share the record for the longest complete-game shutout in MLB history.  Three of the four ended in 1-0 scores.  Johnson  shutdown the Chicago White Sox 1-0 over 18 innings on May 15, 1918.  Johnson gave up ten bits and one walk, while fanning nine. His mound opponent, Lefty Williams, also went the distance, gave up just eight hits, with two walks and three strikeouts. Johnson – a good-hitting pitcher – played a role in the 18th inning score. Senators’ catcher Eddie Ainsmith rapped a one-out single, with Johnson singling him to third and Ainsmith scoring on a wild pitch. In this age of pitch counts and relief specialists, we’re not likely to see another 18-inning complete game.

The other complete-game, 18-inning 1-0 winners:

  • The Providence Grays’ John Montgomery Ward shut out the Detroit Wolverines 1-0 over 18 innings on August 17, 1882.  Ward started is career as a pitcher/outfielder  (leading the league in wins with 47 in 1878 and tossing a perfect game that season). An arm injury resulted in his switching to a full-time infielder after seven MLB seasons. Montgomery earned a Law Degree in the off-seasons and set up the first-ever players union in 1885.

Walk-Off Winner

John Ward’s 18 inning 1-0 win is reportedly the first 1-0 game won by a walk-off home run, The dinger was hit by Hall of Fame pitcher Charles “Old Hoss” Radbourn, who was playing outfield that day.

  • The Giants’ Carl Hubbell whitewashed the Cardinals 1-0 over 18 innings on July 2, 1933.

The other pitcher to toss 18 shutout innings in a game was the Tigers’ Ed Summers, who on July 16, 1909, held the Washington Senators to no runs on seven hits (two walks ten strikeouts) over 18 innings in a contest that ended in a 0-0 tie.  (Two Senators’ hurlers gave up just six hits, with seven walks and seven whiffs.) Summers pitched in five MLB season, going 68-45, 2.42. (He was 24-12, 1.64 as a rookie in 1908.) His career was cut short by arm issues.

Walter Johnson Tidbit

Walter Johnson’s MLB-record 110 complete-game shutouts and record (tied) for leading the league in shutouts (seven seasons) provide ample evidence that he is the “King of the Whitewashing.” On Labor Weekend 1908 – in just his second MLB season – the 20-year-old  future Hall of Famer gave notice of what lie ahead.

Johnson’s Senators were in New York for a weekend series against the Highlanders (Yankees).  Johnson started on Friday, September 4 and threw a six-hit, complete-game shutout. He came back on Saturday the fifth and was even better, tossing a four-hit shutout. Sunday, fortunately for Johnson’s arm, was an off day (no Sunday baseball).  On Monday, Johnson was back on the mound and he was even better, this time tossing a two-hit shutout. So, in four days, he threw three complete-game shutouts, pitching 27 innings, giving up just 12 hits (one walk, 12 strikeouts). No probably here – we will never see that again.

Number Two – 1-0 … Almost 3-0 … Almost Perfect

Subtitle – The Unlucky 13th

On May 26, 1959, Pirates’ southpaw Harvey Haddix took the mound against the power-laden Milwaukee Braves (who had won the National League pennant the previous two seasons and came into the game again leading the league).  Haddix retired the first 36 hitters in order – fanning eight over 12 perfect innings.  A 20-game winner in 1953, the 33-year-old Haddix had come into the game 4-2, with a 2.67 ERA in seven starts – and had thrown complete games in his two previous outings. (He would end up 12-12, 3.13 on the year.)

Unfortunately, the Braves’ Lew Burdette, despite giving up 12 hits and fanning only two, had held the Pirates scoreless. (Like Haddix, Burdette had not issued a single free pass.) Milwaukee 2B Felix Mantilla led off the 13th by reaching on error by Pirates’ third baseman Don Hoak. Slugging 3B Eddie Mathews bunted Mantilla over to second, which led to an intentional walk to RF Hank Aaron, bringing up 1B Joe Adcock.  Adcock rapped a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence for what appeared to be a three-run home run.  However, the Braves, in celebrating the tension-filled victory, forgot how to run the bases. Adcock passed Aaron between second and third and, after some deliberation, Adcock was called out – ultimately changing his three-run homer to a one-run double. So, despite 12 perfect innings, Haddix lost the no-hitter, the shutout and the game itself.  But he did etch his name forever into baseball lore; and countless trivia quizzes – and made this one memorable 1-0 ball game.  This game got extra points in my subjective ratings because, as an 11-year-old Braves fan at the time, I was listening to the game on the radio.

Haddix spent 14 seasons (1952-65) in the major leagues (Cardinals, Phillies, Reds, Pirates, Orioles), going 136-113, 3.48.  His best seasons were with the Cardinals in 1953-54. In those two campaigns, Haddix put up lines of 20-9, 3.06 and 18-13, 3.57.  The 5’9”, 170-pounder was a three-time All Star and led the NL in shutouts (six) in 1953.

Harvey Haddix Tidbit

Harvey Haddix 12 perfect innings on May 26, 1959, were particularly improbable. One, Haddix was suffering from the flu that day.  Two, it was later reported that the Braves were stealing the signs  laid down by Pirates; catcher Smoky Burgess (and they still couldn’t hit him.)  

Number Three – One Game … Two pitchers … One Hit … 1-0

Photo by cliff1066™

When Dodgers’  icon Sandy Koufax tossed a perfect game on September 9, 1965, he pretty much needed it. He was opposed by Cubs’ right-hander Bob Hendley (who went 48-52, 3.97 in a seven-year MLB career), who was on top of his game as well. After eight innings, Hendley had given up just one hit and one walk (versus three strikeouts). The only hit had been a harmless double by Dodgers’ LF Lou Johnson in the bottom of the seventh. Hendley had allowed just one run in eight frames – and even that wasn’t his fault.  The pesky Johnson had led off the fifth with a walk; moved to second on a sacrifice by RF Ron Fairly; stole third; and scored as Cubs’ C Chris Krug made a wild throw past third baseman Ron Santo.

Hendley’s efforts, however, weren’t nearly enough that day. Koufax, who came into the game already a 20-game winner (21-7 on the season), threw a perfect game – striking out 14 Cubs. A high-rating here, for the perfect game and  the fewest combined hits ever allowed in an M LB game.

Number Four – A Hard Day’s Night

On April 15, 1968, the Astros and Mets started a 1-0 contest that did not end until 1:37 a.m. April 26.  It tied for the fourth-longest game in MLB history – and the 24 innings represent the single-game record for the longest any game remained scoreless.  Points were given here for the length of game and how each team’s offensive futility mirrored the other. A few tidbits:

  • Each team collected eleven hits in 79 at bats during the game (won by the Astros with one out in the ninth) – a combined batting average for the game of .139.
  • Mets’ pitchers faced 87 batters; the Astros 88.
  • Each team had ten singles and one double;
  • Each team left 16 men on base.
  • Each team made one error.
  • Each team threw two wild pitches.
  • Each team turned one double play.
  • Each team used four pinch hitters
  • The two starting pitchers, Tom Seaver and Don Wilson, came in with ERAs of 3.24 and 3.00, respectively – and left with ERAs of 1.47 and 1.50, throwing ten and nine scoreless innings, respectively.

A few other overall facts:

  • A total of 39 players appeared.
  • 27 of the 48 half-innings were 1-2-3 frames.
  • There were 35 strikeouts in the game.
  • The Mets’ CF Tommie Agee and RF Ron Swoboda each went zero-for-ten in the game.
  • The game took six hours and six minutes.
  • The winning run scored on a groundball error.

Game Tidbit

After 23 1/2 scoreless frames, the deciding bottom of the 24th went like this:  With Les Rohr on the mound for the Mets, Astros’ RF Norm Miller (at the time 0-for-seven) singled to right; Rohr balked him to second; LF Jim Wynn was intentionally walked; Rusty Staub grounded out second-to-first, with the runners moving up to second and third base; PH John Bateman was intentionally walked; 3B Bob Aspromonte (at the time 0-for-8) reached on an error by Mets’ SS Al Weiss, with Miller scoring the game’s lone run.

Number Five – 61 in ‘61

Photo by rchdj10

One of my favorite trivia questions has always been: What was the score of the game in which Roger Maris hit his then record-breaking 61st homer?  Since this post is about 1-0 games, you can be sure that was the score. On October 1, 1961 – in the Yankees’ final game of the regular season – Roger Maris hit his 61st home run of the season.  The shot came off Tracy Stallard with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. Breaking an iconic record, on the final day of the season, in a tight 1-0 game, versus the  arch-rival Red Sox earns this spot in the Roundtable rankings

Roger Maris Tidbit

1961, the year Roger Maris hit 61 home runs, was the only season in his 12-year MLB career that he did not draw a single intentional walk.  

 Number Six – A Double No-No … Well, Almost

On May 2, 1917 the Reds faced the Cubs in Chicago, with righty Fred Toney starting for the Reds and southpaw  Jim “Hippo” Vaughn on the bump for the Cubs. Toney, who would win 24 games that season, came in with a 4-1, 1.88 record and five complete games in five starts.  Vaughn, on his way to a 23-win season, stood at 4-2. 2.25, with three complete games in four starts. The expected pitching duel materialized.

After nine innings, the game was knotted at 0-0 and neither Toney nor Vaughn had surrendered a hit (the only MLB game ever in which both pitchers held the opposition hitless for nine frames). Vaughn seemed to be getting the better of it. Each pitcher had walked just two batters, but Vaughn had fanned ten to Toney’s one.  In the top of the tenth, Vaughn faltered and a pair of singles and an outfield error led to an unearned run. Toney pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning (strikeout-fly out-strikeout) to leave the mound with a 1-0 no-hitter win.

Toney pitched 12 MLB seasons (1911-13, 1915-23), going 139-102, 2.69 and twice won 20 or more games. Vaughn pitched in 13 MLB seasons (1908, 1910-21), going 178-137, 2.49 – and won twenty or more games in five seasons. In 1918. Vaughn won the pitching Triple Crown, leading the NL in wins (22), ERA (1.74) and strikeouts (148).

Hippo Vaughn Tidbit

The last two MLB hitters Hippo Vaughn faced (Giants’ C Frank Snyder and the opposing pitcher Paul Douglas) both homered against him (a Grand Slam and a solo shot) with one out in the fourth inning of a Giants’ 6-5 win over Vaughn and the Cubs on July 9, 1921. Vaughn was pulled from the game and reportedly left the club – never to play in the major leagues again. Various explanations for Vaughn’s departure (and subsequent suspension) from the major leagues have surfaced, but none have been officially confirmed. According the Vaughn’s  Society for American Baseball Research biography (written by Jan Finkel) Vaughn did go on to pitch for several years in a number of semi-pro leagues.  In his final M LB season, he was 3-11, 6.01.

Number Seven – Let’s Get This Party Started

On Opening Day 1940 (April 16), the Indians’ Bob Feller no-hit the White Sox 1-0 in Chicago, walking five and fanning eight. The 21-year-old Feller would go on to post a 27-11, 2.61 record that season – leading the AL in wins, ERA, starts (37), complete games (31), shutouts (4), innings pitched (320 1/3) and strikeouts (261).

Six seasons later – on Opening Day 1946  – Leon Day of the Negro National League Newark Eagles no-hit  the Philadelphia Stars 2-0.  The only other no-hitter recorded on MLB Opening Day.  Feller’s 1-0 win remains the first Opening Day NO-NO and the only Opening Day 1-0 no-hitter – and worth of this spot on this list.

Number Eight- Another Johnson Shutout

On Opening Day 1926 (April 13), Walter Johnson went the distance in a 15-inning 1-0 win (Washington Senators over the Philadelphia Athletics). Johnson gave up  just six hits and three walks, while fanning nine.  His mound opponent, Eddie Rommel, was nearly as good. Going the distance and giving up just one run on nine hits (six walks/one whiff).  Three of those nine safeties – and the game’s lone run –  came in the bottom of the fifteenth (the longest MLB Opening Day, complete-game shutout).

Walter Johnson tidbit

Walter Johnson threw a record seven Opening Day shutouts (in 14 Opening Day starts).

Number Nine – Something Old … Something new … One Pitcher to Go Home Blue

On July 2, 1963, 42-year-old southpaw Warren Spahn (already an 11-time 20-game winner) faced off in San Francisco versus the Giants’ 25-year-old righty Juan Marichal, who was on his way to his first 20+ win season. Spahn came into the game at 11-3. 3.12, coming off a June 28 complete-game shutout of the Dodgers (besting Don Drysdale by 1-0 score). Marichal was at 12-3, 2.38.

The two high-kickers went on to an epic pitching duel – both going the distances in a 1-0, 16-inning Giants’ win. The game was scoreless through 15 innings. Marichal held the Braves at bay in the top of the 16th inning and with one out in the bottom of the 16th, Willie Mays hit a walk-off home run off Spahn to end he contest.

At the close of the game, Marichal had thrown 227 pitches, giving up just eight hits and four walks, while fanning ten.    Spahn has launched 201 pitches, giving up nine hits (and that one run), while walking one and fanning two.  Spahn finished the season at 23-7, 2.60, with a league-leading 22 complete games. Marichal went 25-8, 2.14 and lead the NL in wins as well as innings pitched (321 1/3).

1963 Tidbit

Neither Warren Spahn or Juan Marichal received a single vote in the Cy Young balloting, as the Dodgers’ Sandy Koufax was a unanimous choice at 25-5, with a league-low 1.88 ERA, a league-topping 306 strikeouts and a league-best 11 shutouts.

Points given here for the classic old and crafty master versus the hard-throwing youngster matchup.

Number Ten – Leave Me In, Coach

The 1991 World Series was one for the ages. It went seven games, five of which were decided by one run and three of which went extra innings. The seventh and final game was a ten-inning 1-0 affair, with Twins’ starter Jack Morris going the distance, giving up seven hits and two walks, while fanning eight. This one is here partially because I was at this tense contest – and by the fact that Morris fashioned ten scoreless innings in the winner-take-all game.

Number Eleven – Talk about Stealing a Game

As I prepared this post, I came across more than a dozen 1-0 (AL/NL) games in which the only run was a steal of home and nearly three dozen games that ended with a walk (run)-off steal of home. However, I found only one 1-0 game that ended with a walk-off steal of home.   That occurred on April 28, 1906, as the Cubs, with Cubs ‘first baseman Frank Chance (of Tinkers-to Evers-to Chance fame) swiping home in the bottom of the ninth to break a 0-0 tie. Chance, by the way, didn’t have to wait for the manager’s signal to take the risk – he was, at the time, the Cubs’ first baseman, cleanup hitter and manager (in fact, he managed the Cubs to a 116-36 record that season).  Chance played 17 MLB seasons (1898-1914), hitting .296-20-596, with 403 steals. He had a 768-389 record in eight seasons as a manager,  winning four pennants and two World Series Championships.

Number Twelve – Another Way to Get the Party Started

There have been 28 AL/NL 1-0 games in  which the only run came on a leadoff home run. Not rare enough to catch Baseball Roundtable’s eye.  However, there have been only two 1-0 games (that I could document) in which that leadoff home run came on the very first pitch.

On September 2, 1963, Pete Rose was playing second and leading off as the  Reds faced Mets’ righty Jay Hook in New York. Rose hit Hook’s first offering of the game for a home run to deep left – and the long ball proved to be the only run of the game. The Reds’ Jim Maloney picked up his 20th win of the season, tossing a three-hit, six-walk, 13-whiff shutout.  Hook – who ended the season 4-14, 5.48, pitched one f his best games of the season – going nine-innings and giving up just the one run (four hits, one walk and five strikeouts.)

Jay Hook Tidbit

Despite his 5.00+ ERA and 4-14 record in 1963, three of Hooks’ four wins were complete games in which he gave up two or fewer runs.

On May 18, 2013 the Diamondbacks faced the Marlins (and starting pitcher Tom Koehler) in Miami. Gerardo Parra was leading off and playing RF for the Diamondbacks and he hit Koehler’s first pitch of the game for a home run to right.  It proved to be the only run of the game, as Koehler and three Miami relievers  allowed just one walk and three singles the rest of the way,  Diamondbacks’ starter Brandon McCarthy – who came into the game 0-3, 5.63 in eight starts – was up to the challenge, holding the Marlins scoreless  for a three-hit, complete -game shutout and his first win of the season.  It was one of just four shutouts in McCarty’s 13-season (2005-09, 2011-18) MLB career.

A first pitch home run as the only scoring deserves recognition.

Number Thirteen – The All Star Game without an RBI

“Who had the game-winning RBI in three 1968 All Star Game? “ Answer: No One – Not a single RBI was awarded as the National League topped the American League 1-0 on July 9, 1968.

The only run in this game scored in the bottom of the first.  National League CF Willie Mays singled off Luis Tiant to open the inning and went second on a botched pick-off (error on Tiant). LF Curt Flood then walked and, on a wild pitch, Mays went to third. 1B Willie McCovey then grounded into a double play, scoring Mays, but with no RBI (an unearned run).  From that point on, no one scored. The game saw a total of only eight hits (three by the winning NL squad) – four doubles and four singles. The 12 pitchers walked six (all by the AL hurlers) and fanned 20 (11 by the NL moundsmen).

It was “The Year of the Pitcher,” but still you have to give a shout out to the moundsmen that held all those All Star bats at bay: Luis Tiant (who gave up the sole – unearned – run); Blue Moon Odom; Denny McLain; Sam McDowell; Mel Stottlemyre; Tommy John; Don Drysdale; Juan Marichal; Steve Carlton; Tom  Seaver; Ron Reed; Jerry Koosman.

Number Fourteen – Cy-anora

On September 22, 2011, Cy Young took the mound for the Boston Rustlers (versus the Pittsburgh Pirates). The future Hall of Famer – at the age of 44 – twirled a nine-hit (no-walk, three-whiff) shutout for a 1-0 victory.  It was his 511th – and final – regular-season win.  Young started three more games before retiring from the big-league mound at the end of the campaign and took the loss in all three.

You have to acknowledge the great Cy Young’s final victory.

Number fifteen – Number Short, But Sweet

Don Fisher was a 29-year-old rookie right-hander –  signed by the Giants (off the Cleveland sandlots) in 1945 –  getting his chance to pitch in the major leagues when the rosters were depleted by World War II.  He made his debut on in relief on August 25, 1945, giving up four runs in five innings of relief.   A month later (September 30), on the final day of the season,  he pitched in his second (and final) MLB game, starting for the Giants against the Braves in Boston. That proved to be a memorable 1-0 game, as Fisher pitched a 13-inning, ten-hit, complete-game shutout (three walks and two strikeouts). The lone run scored on a home run by Giants’ third baseman and number-eight hitter Nap Reyes. Notably, it was Fisher’s final MLB appearance and only MLB win, as well as  Reyes’ final major-league hit. Reyes got only one more MLB at bat (on April 27, 1950). Reyes played in four MLB seasons (1943-45, 1950) and hit .284-13-110 in 279 games. Fisher went to Spring training with the Giants in 1946, but was sent down to the minors where he went 3-85.02 in his only other professional seasons.

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

Note: Some of  he MLB records noted in this post have the potential to change as Major League Baseball recognizes and further incorporates Negro League records from 1920-48. 

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