Baseball Roundtable

Once again, it’s time for Baseball Roundtable’s Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” one-of-a-kind MLB accomplishments or statistics.

This week started with some reflection on one of my boyhood heroes – southpaw Warren Spahn, who notably led the National League in wins in an MLB-record five consecutive seasons. And, perhaps even more notably, did it in his age-36 to age-40 seasons.  Spahn, by the way, holds the distinction of being of being the oldest pitcher to record a 20-win season.

But I digress, this blog post looks at MLB pitchers with the most consecutive seasons leading their league in wins, as well as those with the most consecutive seasons leading the league in losses.  It touches on the likes of Spahn, Walter Johnson, Grover Alexander and Robin Roberts, as well as Pedro Ramos, Phil Niekro, Murry Dickson and Patrick Corbin.

So, let’s get to it, with a couple of charts, each followed by brief bio material on each pitcher included.

 

Warren Spahn – Five

Spahn is the only MLB pitcher to lead the league in wins for five consecutive seasons (unicorn status) – and he did it in his age-36 to age-40 seasons, compiling a 106-60, 3.04 record over those five campaigns (with 101 complete games in 195 starts). Spahn led the league in wins an MLB record eight times and his 363 MLB career wins are the most by a southpaw all time.

By The Numbers

Warren Spahn had 363 career victories and 363 career base hits.

He had 356 pitching wins and 356 base hits with the Braves.

He had four pitching wins and four base hits with the Mets.

He had three pitching wins and three base hits with the Giants. 

Spahn racked up 13 seasons of 20 or more wins, second only to Cy Young’s 15. He notched his first 20-win season in 1947 (21 wins) and his final 20-win season (23 wins) in 1963. I’ll do the math; that’s 13 seasons of at least twenty wins in a 17-season span.

Spahn pitched in 21 MLB seasons (1942, 1946-65 … Braves, Mets, Giants – Braves all but 1965). He went 363-245, 3.09, in 750 games (665 starts, 382 complete games).  Had he not lost the 1943-45 seasons to military service, he would most likely have surpassed 400 career wins. He led the league in wins eight times; earned run average three times; strikeouts four times; was an All-star in 14 seasons; and won the NL Cy Young Award in 1957. He probably would have been great at Blackjack; he won 21 games in eight different seasons.

Walter Johnson – Four

Johnson pitched in 21 MLB seasons (1907-27 … Nationals), putting up a 412-279, 2.17 stat line in 802 appearances (666 starts, 531 complete games).

I’ll Have a Triple, Please

Walter Johnson won the pitching Triple Crown (Wins-Earned Run Average-Strikeouts) a record three times (tied with Grover Alexander and Sandy Koufax) in 1913, 1918 and 1924. He also holds the MLB career record for shutouts (110).

Johnson led the league in wins six times; Earned Run Average five times; strikeouts a record 12 times; and shutouts seven times (tied for the MLB record). The two-time MVP won 20 or more games in 12 seasons.

Grover (Pete) Alexander – Four

Alexander pitched in 20 MLB seasons (1911-30 … Phillies, Cubs, Cardinals), putting up a 373-208, 2.56 record. Like Walter Johnson (above), he won the pitching Triple Crown a record three times.

Zeroes Are The Roundest of Round Numbers

In 1916, Grover Alexander tossed 16 shutouts in 45 starts. That season gives him a share of the record for shutouts in a season (tied with George Bradley of the 1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings – 64 starts).

Alexander led the league in wins six times; ERA five times; and strikeouts six times. He won twenty or more games in nine seasons, with three of those 30 or more wins.

How Low Can You go?

In the six seasons from 1915 through 1920, Grover Alexander pitched to an earned run average of 1.64 over 1,777 2/3 innings.

Robin Roberts – Four

Roberts pitched in 19 MLB seasons (1948-66 … Phillies, Orioles, Astros, Cubs), going 286-245, 3.41 in 676 games (609 starts, 305 complete games).  The seven-time All-star led the league in wins four times; strikeouts twice: and shutouts once. He had six seasons of 20 or more wins – consecutively, from 1950 through 1955.

Is Workhorse One Word Or Two?

In the decade of the ‘50s (1950-59), Robin Roberts averaged 19.9 wins, 23.7 complete games and 301 1/3 innings pitched per season.

Ironically, immediately after leading the league in wins in four consecutive seasons (1952-56), Roberts led the league in losses in two consecutive campaigns (19-18, 4.45 in 1956 and 10-22, 4.07 in 1957).

Pedro Ramos – Four

Ramos pitched in 15 MLB seasons (1955-67, 1969-70 … Senators/Twins, Indians, Yankees, Phillies, Pirates, Reds, Senators). He went 117-160, 4.08 in 582 games (268 starts, 73 complete games).

A couple of Ramos tidbits:

• On April 11, 1961, Ramos started the first-ever game in Minnesota Twins’ history and tossed a three-hit (one walk/five strikeouts) shutout in a Twins’ 6-0 win over a Yankees lineup that included the likes of Bobby Richardson, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Bill Skowron and Roger Maris,
• On July 23, 1960, Ramos was on the mound in the top of the third inning, with the Senators up 3-1 over the Athletics and runners on first (2B Jerry Lumpe) and second (CF Bill Tuttle) with no outs. Kansas City batter RF Whitey Herzog lined a ball to Ramos (for an out), who tossed to Julio Becquer at first to double up Lumpe; with Becquer relaying the ball to SS Jose Valdivieso covering second to retire a retreating Tuttle. It was MLB’s first-ever all-Cuban triple play (#InBaseballWeTrackEveything).

Phil Niekro – Four

Niekro, a knuckleballer, pitched in 24 MLB seasons (1964-87 … Braves, Yankees, Indians, Blue Jays), going 318-274, 3.35 (864 games, 716 starts, 245 complete games). He led the league in wins twice and earned run average and strikeouts once each.  The Hall of Famer was a five-time All Star.

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother

In 1979, when Phil Niekro went 21-20, 3.39, he tied his brother Joe for the NL lead in wins (Joe Niekro was 21-11, 3.00 for the Astros) – the only time in MLB history two brothers have tied for the league lead in wins (unicorn status)  Side note: That season Phil Niekro led the NL in wins and losses.  The Niekro brothers also hold the MLB record for combined pitching wins by brothers  at 539 –  318 by Phil and  221 by Joe.

Murry Dickson – Three

Dickson pitched in 18 MLB seasons (1939-40, 1942-43, 1946-59 … Cardinals, Pirates, Phillies, Athletics, Yankees). He went 172-181, 3.66 in 625 appearances (338 starts, 149 complete games).

Ups And Downs

Murry Dickson won twenty games in a season once (20-16, 4.02 for the 1951 Pirates) and lost twenty or more twice (1952 and 1954, see chart for totals).

Patrick Corbin – Three

Corbin, still active in 2025, has pitched in 13 MLB seasons (2012-13, 2015-25 … Diamondbacks, Nationals, Rangers). As I write this, his career record is 110-141, 4.50 in 371 appearances (352 starts, seven complete games).  In 2018, Corbin was an All Star, putting up an 11-7, 3.15 record for the Diamondbacks (he was 6-4, 3.24 at the break).

On The Big Stage

In 2019, Patrick Corbin got the win in the seventh game of the World Series, as his Nationals topped the Astros 6-2. Corbin came on in relief o Max Scherzer to open the bottom of the sixth with the Nationals down 2-0. He pitched three scoreless innings, giving up two hits and fanning three. The Astros took the lead in the eighth, giving Corbin the win.

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

 

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

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Follow Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook Page here.  

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

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Once again, it’s time for Baseball Roundtable’s Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” one-of-a-kind MLB accomplishments or statistics.

It just so happens that on this date (September 16) in 1940, St. Louis Browns’ 2B Johnny Lucadello, playing in his 24th MLB game, hit his first two MLB home runs and, in the process, became just the fourth MLB player to homer from both sides of the plate in a game. Notably, the two long balls would be his only home runs of the season (he played in just 17 games) and would be two of just five home runs he would hit over his six MLB seasons (239 games).   Well, that got me to thinking about players to homer from both sides of the plate in a game, which is not exactly a rare feat.  After all, as Baseball-Almanac.com reports, there have been 385 instances in which a player has homered from both sides of the plate in a game.  (This season alone, the feat has been accomplished by the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh; Yankees’ Jasson Dominguez; Angels’ Luis Rengifo; Twins’ Brooks Lee; Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte; Mets’ Francisco Lindor; Braves’ Ozzie Albies; and Nationals’ Josh Bell.   Disclaimer:  Negro League game-by-game records for the 1920-48 seasons have not been fully incorporated into MLB records.  

So, how do you achieve unicorn status within this group?  The Red Sox’ Bill Mueller is the only MLB player to hit a Grand Slam home run from both sides of the plate in a game.  It happened on July 29, 2003, as the Red Sox topped the Rangers 14-7 in Texas. It was quite a day for Mueller, who was also on his way to his best MLB season. Mueller came into the game with a .326-10-45 line on the season – having reached double-digits in home runs for just the second time in his eight MLB campaigns.

Mueller, batting eighth, got his first at bat leading off the top of the third inning, with the Red Sox down 2-0.  Batting left-handed, he laced the first pitch he saw from righty R.A. Dickey for a solo home run to right.  It was a sign of things to come.

Mueller grounded out to second (off Dickey) in the fourth inning and lined out to third in the sixth (off Erasmo Ramirez).

Then in the seventh inning, Mueller came to the plate (batting right-handed) with the bases loaded and Boston now up 5-4 (they had already scored three times in the inning).  He took a 2-2 pitch from southpaw Aaron Fultz to deep left for a Grand Slam.   Then fate stepped in, the Red Sox kept hitting and Mueller came to the plate the very next inning with Boston now up 10-4, two out and the bases again loaded.  This time against righthander Jay Powell – switching Mueller to the left-hander’s batter’s box.  On the second pitch from Powell, BOOM, Mueller’s second Grand Slam of the game.

The 2003 season, Mueller’s first with the Red Sox (he signed as a free agent in January 2003), was Mueller’s best in MLB. His .326 average earned him the AL batting title and he set personal career highs for average, home runs (19); RBI (85); doubles (45); triples (5); and hits (171). Over 11 MLB seasons (1996-2006 … Giants, Cubs, Red Sox, Dodgers), Mueller hit .291-85-493 in 1,216 games.

Mueller, by the way, is a bit of a surprise in terms of a power-focused unicorn status. A fifteenth-round draft pick (Giants, 1993) out of the Missouri State University, Mueller was known more for his plate discipline and ability to make solid contact than for pure power. (When he graduated, he held the school’s single-season record for hits, runs, singles and the career marks for runs, hits, walks, total bases and stolen bases.   Over his four years at Missouri State, he averaged .376.  All of this earned him spots in the Missouri State Athletics and Missouri Valley Conference Halls of Fame.

In four minor-league seasons before an injury to Giants’ power-hitting third baseman Matt Williams earned Mueller an opportunity for extended MLB playing time over the last half of 1996, Mueller hit.308 over 413 games (but with just 13 home runs). In 55 games for the Giants that season, Mueller hit .330-0-19. (In the off-season, Williams was traded (to the Indians), with Trent Hubbard, for Jose Vizcaino, Julian Tavarez, Joe Roa and Jeff Kent.

ANOTHER SWITCH-HITTING UNICORN

Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garland_Buckeye_newspaper.png

On September 10, 1925 – in Game Two of an Indians/Tigers doubleheader in Detroit – southpaw Garland Buckeye started for the Indians and pitched a nifty four-hit, two-run (one earned) complete game in a 7-2 win, picking up his twelfth victory of the season (seven losses). More important for this Tidbit, he went two-for-four at the plate, with five RBI. A switch hitter, Buckey homered from the right side off lefty Ed Wells in the seventh inning and from the left-handed batter’s box off righty Jess Doyle in the ninth.  He remains the only pitcher to homer from both sides of the plate in a game – making him a true unicorn.  

Buckey went 30-39, 3.91 as a pitcher over five MLB seasons (1918, 1925-28 … Nationals, Indians, Giants). As a hitter, he went .230-5-23.

 

A few other tidbits about batters with home runs from both sides of the plate in one game:

• No players accomplished the feat more often than Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher (14 times each);
• Nick Swisher also shares the record for homering from both sides of the plate in a game for the most franchises at five (Athletics, Yankees, White Sox, Indians, Braves) – Carlos Beltran also accomplished the feat with five different teams (Mets, Cardinals, Royals, Astros, Yankees);
• The most games with homers from both sides of the plate in a season is four, achieved by Ken Caminiti (1996) and Anthony Santander (2022);
• Three players have homered from both sides of the plate in the same inning: Carlos Baerga (April 8, 1993); Mark Bellhorn (April 29, 2002); Kendrys Morales (July 30, 2012);
• The season with the most player-games with home runs from both sides of the plate was 1996, with 15: four by Ken Caminiti; two each by Melvin Nieves, Roberto Alomar and Todd Hundley; one each by Raul Casanova,  J.T. Snow; Ruben Sierra; Chris Davis; and Bernie Williams;
• Three players have homered from both sides of the plate in a post-season game: Bernie Williams (1995 AL Division Series & 1996 AL Division Series); Chipper Jones (2003 NL Divisions Series); and Milton Bradley (2006 AL Championship Series).

Primary Resources:  Baseball-Almanac.com; Stathead.com; Bill Mueller, Society for American Baseball Research Bio, by Kevin Bley

 

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs. For the full list click here. 

I tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT

Follow Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook Page here.  

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

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Once again, it’s time for Baseball Roundtable’s Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” one-of-a-kind MLB accomplishments or statistics.  Today, we’re celebrating the MLB game with the fewest combined hits ever.

It happened sixty years ago today – on September 9, 1965 – in Los Angeles.  Dodgers’ icon Sandy Koufax (21-7, 2.20 in 35 starts at the time) was on the mound for the Dodgers, while Bob Hendley (2-2, 8.22) was starting for Chicago.  (Hendley was making his eighth start – and 22^nd appearance of the season).

At the end of four frames, nary a batter had reached base against either Koufax or Hendley. In bottom of the fifth, the Dodgers broke the stalemate. Dodgers’ Left fielder and cleanup hitter Lou Johnson led off the inning 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 on Johnson’s steal.

By the bottom of the seventh, pretty much everyone in the crowd was on the edge of their seat. Koufax was yet to allow a base runner and Hendley had yet to give up a base hit. In fact, Johnson was the only Dodger to have reached base.  Double no-hitters were in progress.  The Dodgers, however, broke the base-hit ice in the bottom of the seventh – a two out double to short right field by the pesky Johnson.

Long story short, Koufax went on to complete his perfecto. Hendley gave up just the one unearned run, allowing just two base runners (Johnson’s double and walk).  The two teams combined to go 1-for-51 (the Dodgers did not bat in the bottom of the ninth). Koufax went on to finish the season 26-8, 2.04, leading the league in: wins; winning percentage (.765; complete games (27); innings pitched (335 2/3); strikeouts (382); and earning his second Cy Young Award. Hendley finished the year at 4-4, 5.96 in 26 appearances, with two complete games in 12 starts.

A bit of irony, the Roundtable does love irony.  Just five days later (September 14), Hendley got a rematch – starting against the Dodgers and Koufax in Chicago. This time, Hendley got the win in a 2-1 game. Hendley gave up just one run on four hits (three walks, seven strikeouts), while Koufax gave up two runs (one earned) over six innings (five hits, no walks, three strikeouts).   The consecutive complete games with Koufax as his mound opponent were Hendley’s only complete games of the season.

For those who like to know such things, Hendley’s career record (1961-67 … Braves, Giants, Cubs, Mets) was 48-52, 3.97, with 216 appearances, 44 starts, 25 complete games, six shutouts. Sandy Koufax? Oh, you already know.

Close, But No Cigar

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 23-13, 2.01 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.  The two hits kept this from tieing as the MLB game with the fewest combined safeties). 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).

Bonus Tidbits

Sandy Koufax is the only MLB pitcher to throw a no-hitter in four consecutive seasons (1962-65). Pitchers to throw two no-hitters in a season include: Nolan Ryan (1973); Max Scherzer (2015); Roy Halladay (2010 – one in the post season); Virgil Trucks (1952); Allie Reynolds (1951); Johnny Vander Meer (1938).  

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

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs. For the full list click here. 

I tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT

Follow Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook Page here.  

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

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September is upon us, and that means it’s time for Baseball Roundtable’s August Wrap up – a look at the stats and stories that caught The Roundtable’s attention over the past month, as well as The Roundtable’s Players and Pitchers of the Month, Trot Index and more.  Note:  This Wrap Up is a day later than usual due some ongoing family medical issue that had to be dealt with.  Just a few of August’s highlights that you will find in this post:

• The 250th career homers of Pete Alonso and Jose Altuve;
• The Angels‘ triple-play;
• A catcher (Shea Langeliers) hitting three home runs and recording 15 total bases in a game – batting leadoff;
• Andrew Kittredge’s Immaculate Inning;
• Another Yankee nine-homer game;
• The Brewers‘ 14-game winning streak;
• Kyle Schwarber‘s four-homer game;
• Jacob deGrom‘s speedy path to his 1,800th strikeout;
• Cal Raleigh‘s assault on the home run records for catchers;
• and much more.

For all of the “stories,” see the “Highlights” section.

–—Players and Pitchers of the Month – August 2025—-

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Player of the Month – Shea Langeliers, C, Athletics

There were plenty of solid candidates and I ended up giving Shea Langeliers a slight edge because of the demands of his position behind the plate and the fact that he was one of just two American Leaguers to reach both 20 RBI (22) and 20 runs scored in August. (The other was Junior Caminero). Langelier’s stat line was .284-11-22. His 11 home runs were second only to Caminero in the AL; his 22 RBI tied for fourth; his 20 runs scored tied for ninth, his eight doubles tied for third; and his 31 base hits tied for fifth. Langeliers led MLB in extra-base hits in August with 19. He  had seven multi-hit games during the month – including a five-for-six contest (August 5) in which he had he had three homers, a double and a single out of the leadoff spot.

Honorable Mentions: Rays’ 22-year-old 3B Junior Caminero tied for the MLB lead in August homers with 12 and his 23 RBI tied for second in the AL. His .262 average put him just a bit behind Langeliers.  Yankees’ DH Giancarlo Stanton had a solid .339-9-23 month (with 20 runs scored). A little position bias may have played a role here. Blue Jays’ SS Bo Bichette had a league-leading 40 August hits, producing a .367-3-19 line (with 20 runs scored). I also took a long look at Royals’ SS Bobby Witt, Jr., who went .330-5-16, with 22 runs scored and six steals for the month.

Pitcher of the Month – Trevor Rogers, LHP, Orioles

Trevor Rogers went 4-1, 1.29 in six August starts – and his 1.29 ERA was the lowest among AL pitchers with at least 25 August innings. He also fanned 42 batters (second in the AL), put a 0.86 WHIP and .199 average against. He was a workhorse, his 42 innings pitched led MLB (averaging seven innings per start).  He never gave up more than one run in any of his August starts – and his lone loss came on August 1, when he threw a complete-game, four-hitter in a 1-0 loss to the Cubs. Rogers, who came into 2025 with an MLB career (five-seasons) record of 15-34, 4.36, closed August at 8-2, 1.39 on the season.

Honorable Mentions: The Red Sox’ 37-year-old Aroldis Chapman came in from the pen 12 times in August.  He went 8-for-8 in save opportunities and, in 11 innings of work, did not give up a single hit – allowing just one walk versus 14 strikeouts. As I write this, Chapman has a streak of 16 games and 13 2/3 innings without allowing a base hit (stretching back to July 26). The Tigers’ Tarik Skubal only went 2-1, but deserved better. He put up a 2.52 ERA in six starts and led MLB with 45 strikeouts (in 39 1/3 innings), while walking just eight. Further, his innings pitched for August trailed only Rogers. Skubal came on strong at the end of the month. Over his first three starts, he gave up ten earned runs over 18 2/3 innings.  In his final three starts of the month, he gave up just one earned run over 20 2/3 innings. Finally, you have to mention the Rangers’ Nathan Eovaldi. While he only won two games (2-0, 2.67), he fanned 24 batters in 27 innings and walked just one – and recorded a stingy 0.70 WHIP.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Player of the Month – Brice Turang, 2B, Brewers

Brice Turang put up a .343-10-24 line in August. The .343 average was third among NLers with at least 75 August at bats; his ten homers tied for second; and his 24 RBI tied for sixth. He also scored 23 runs (tied for seventh in the NL) and swiped three bases in three attempts. Turang had at least one hit in 24 of his 28 August games – and he had ten multi-hit games.

Honorable Mentions: Mets’ RF Juan Soto delivered power and speed, going .277, with ten home runs and 11 stolen bases (in 11 attempts). He tied for the MLB lead in steals and tied for second in the NL in home runs. His 27 runs scored also tied for second in the NL. In addition, Soto accumulated more walks than strikeouts (27-to-26) and his on-base percentage (.435) was third in the NL among hitters with at least 75 at bats.  Kyle Schwarber has to get a nod for his four-homer game.  And, while his .223 average worked against him, he did tie for the MLB August lead with 12 homers and led the majors with 33 August RBI. Marlins’ CF Jakob Marsee deserves a shoutout for his .352-4-25 month (more on Marsee in the Surprise Player of the Month Section).

Pitcher of the Month – Freddy Peralta, RHP, Brewers

Wow!  Freddy Peralta went 4-0 in five August starts. Even more impressive, he gave up just one run in 28 August innings – a 0.32 ERA, lowest among pitchers with at least 25 August frames.  Peralta also had a nifty 0.82 WHIP and held batters to a .117 average. In his 29 August innings, he gave up just 11 hits (although 12 walks) and fanned 34. In his single no-decision, he went five, two-hit, scoreless innings.

Honorable Mentions: Rookie Cade Horton started six games for the Cubs in August. Went 5-1, 1.20, had a 0.90 WHIP and a .168 batting average against. He fanned 31 and walked just nine in 30 innings.  At just 23-years-old, his future looks bright. (He ended August at 9-4, 2.92 on the season.) Hurston Waldrep, another 23-year-old, went 4-0, 1.01 for the Braves in six appearances (five starts). He tossed 35 2/3 innings and gave up just four runs, while fanning 33 and walking 11. He did not give up more than one run in any of his August outings.  Veteran Clayton Kershaw showed the value of knowing how to pitch. He went 5-0, 1.88 for the Dodgers in five starts. In 28 2/3 innings, he only struck out 19 batters (just three walks), but also gave up only six runs. .

Surprise Player of the Month – Jakob Marsee, CF, Marlins

Marlins’ 24-year-old rookie Jakob Marsee made his MLB debut August 1 and put up some strong first-month rookie numbers: .352-4-25, with 11 doubles, three triples, four home runs, nine steals and 18 runs scored in 30 games.  Marsee collected 37 hits in 30 August games (tied for fourth-most in MLB this August). Marsee was a sixth-round draft choice (2022) out of Central Michigan University – where he it .310-12-101, with 26 steals in three seasons (134 games). The surprise comes from the fact that he was hitting just .246-14-37 at Triple-A when he was called up and hit just .239-42-141 over four minor-league seasons.  The stolen bases are no surprise, Marsee swiped 159 bags in 395 minor-league games.

Honorable Mentions: As noted earlier, Braves’ 23-year-old rookie righty Hurston Waldrep went 4-0, 1.01 in six August appearances, fanning 33 batters in 35 2/3 innings. Waldrep was a first-round draft choice in 2023, after going 17-5, 3.68 in three college seasons. This season, he was 7-8, 4.42 in 19 Triple-A starts before his call up. His overall minor-league record is 12-16, 3.61 in 46 starts (three seasons). He did get a look-see from the Braves in 2024, going 0-1, 16.71 in two starts (13 earned runs in seven MLB innings).

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THE TROT INDEX … A REGULAR BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE FEATURE

Through August 31,  34.6% of the MLB season’s 154,920  plate appearances ended in a trot (back to the dugout, around the bases, to first base). We’re talking about strikeouts, home runs, walks, hit by pitch and catcher’s interference – all outcomes that are, basically, devoid of action on the base paths or in the field. Here’s the breakout: strikeouts (22.0%); walks (8.4%); home runs (3.1%); HBP (1.1%); catcher’s interference (less than 1%).  These numbers, notably, have been relatively stable over the past few seasons.

I also looked into full-year Trot Index figures for the years I have been a fan: 34.9% in 2024; 30.3% in 2010; 29.9% in 2000; 31.7% in 1990; 23.1% in 1980; 27.0% in 1970; 25.1% in 1960; and 22.8% in 1950.

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The Brewers were the only team to play .700 ball in August and they really leaned on the offense.  The Brewers led MLB in August runs scored (186); base hits (306); batting average (.286); doubles (64); and total bases (513). They were third in MLB in home runs (45), second in NL.

Milwaukee’s offense was led by 2B Brice Turang (.343-10-24, with 23 runs scored); LF Christian Yelich (.324-7-23, with 26 runs scored); and C William Contreras (.279-9-24, with 22 runs scored). Overall, they had five players with 19 or more August RBI and six with 15 or more runs scored.

Power and Speed

In August , the Yankees led MLB in home runs (59) and SB (35).  

 

——-Team Statistical Leaders for August 2025 ———-

RUNS SCORED

National League – Brewers (186); Mets (177); Diamondbacks (152)

American League – Yankees (155); Blue Jays (155); Rangers (144)

The fewest runs in August were scored by the Guardians (95). In the National League, it was the Reds at 100.  The Astros were also under 100 runs (99).

AVERAGE

National League – Brewers (.286); Mets (.285); Phillies (.265)

American League – Blue Jays (.281); Rangers (.262); A’s (.262)

The lowest team average for August belonged to the Guardians at .201 – the Cubs were at the bottom of the NL at .227.

HOME RUNS

National League – Mets (53); Brewers (45); Phillies (43)

American League – Yankees (59); Blue Jays (44); Mariners (41)

The fewest home runs in August were hit by the Reds and Nationals (22). In the American League, it was the Guardians at 23. 

TOTAL BASES

National League – Brewers (513); Mets (496); Phillies (457)

American League – Blue Jays (448); Yankees (446); Rangers (427)

The Mets led MLB in August Slugging Percentage at .505.  The Blue Jays led the AL (.480)

DOUBLES

National League – Brewers (64); Pirates (56); Padres (56)

American League – A’s (63); Rangers (55); Royals (50); Blue Jays (50)

TRIPLES

National League – Marlins (8); Diamondbacks (7); Rockies (7)

American League – Tigers (10); Orioles (5); Twins (4); Rays (4)

The White Sox and Rangers had zero triples in August.

STOLEN BASES

National League – Marlins (31); Mets (31); Diamondbacks (29)

American League – Yankees (35); Rays (29); Mariners (29)

The A’s stole the fewest sacks in August at five – in 12 attempts.  The Reds stole the fewest August bags in the NL – 12 in 15 attempts.  The A’s were the only team with fewer than ten August steals.

 

WALKS DRAWN

National League – Pirates (111); Brewers (110); Dodgers (109)

American League – Yankees (125); Red Sox (96); Angels (95)

The Mets led MLB in August on-base percentage at .361. The Blue Jays led the AL at .342. The Guardians had MLB’s lowest August OBP at (.265).  The Cardinals anchored the NL at .297.

BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS

National League – Diamondbacks (259); Cardinals (259); Giants (252); Nationals (252)

American League – Angels (284); Orioles (258); Yankees (253)

Royals’ batters fanned the fewest times in August (186). The Padres fanned the fewest times in the NL at 195.

__________________________________________________

EARNED RUN AVERAGE

National League –Dodgers (3.45); Cubs (3.48); Brewers (3.52)

American League – Red Sox (3.37); Yankees (3.71); Rays (3.90)

The Rockies had the highest August ERA at a whopping 7.13.  The Angels had the highest ERA in the AL at 5.22. Joining the Rockies above 6.00 were the Nationals (6.31).  North of 5.00 were the: Marlins (5.83); Angels (5.22); and Twins (5.09).  The five teams with August ERAs over 5.00 were a combined 55-87.

STRIKEOUTS

National League – Brewers (267); Dodgers (264); Phillies (263)

American League – Yankees (264); Rays (262); White Sox (253)

The Rays averaged an MLB-best 10.31 strikeouts per nine innings in August. The Dodgers averaged an NL-best 9.68.  Eleven teams averaged nine whiffs per nine or better.

FEWEST WALKS SURRENDERED

National League –   Phillies (60); Cubs (70); Dodgers (76)

American League – Mariners (71); Royals (72); Rays (73)

The Phillies walked an MLB-lowest 2.12 batters per nine innings in August.  The Nationals walked an MLB-worst 3.87 batters per nine frames.

SAVES

National League – Cubs (11); Braves (11); Phillies (10)

American League – Royals (10); Mariners (10); Guardians (9); Red Sox (9)

The Yankees and Diamondbacks blew the most saves in August– seven (in 12 opportunities for New York and 16 opportunities for Arizona). The A’s were the only team to not blow a save in August – five saves in five opportunities.

Walks + Hits/Innings Pitched (WHIP)

National League – Cubs (1.10); Padres (1.14); Dodgers (1.16)

American League:  Tigers (1.19); Rays (1.19); Rangers (1.20)

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Bonus Stats:

• The Rockies gave up an MLB-high 54 home runs in August. Diamondbacks gave up an MLB-low 26 home runs.
• Padres’ pitchers held opponents to an MLB-low .211 average in August. The Rockies’ staff was touched for an MLB-high .308 average.
• The Phillies’ strikeouts-to-walks ratio for August topped MLB at 4.38. The Rockies had MLB’s worst ratio at 1.96.——-

—-August 2025 Highlights — 

Two Dozen – Plus One

The Brewers started August off with a bang – 25 0f them to be more exact.  On August 1, the Brew Crew banged out 25 hits in a 16-9 road win over the Nationals. Every player in the starting lineup had at least one safety and eight had multiple hits, led by and DH William Contreras with a five-for-seven day.  (It was, notably, the eighth game this season in which every Brewer in the starting lineup recorded a hit.)

Now, That’s A Comeback

On August 1, Pittsburgh rocked the Rockies in the first inning – scoring nine runs on 10 hits (including two home runs).  The Rox were down 9-0 before a single Rockie had come to the plate. But baseball is played down to the very last out and the Rockies clawed their way back into this one.  They began putting runs on the board, but so did the Pirates.  After 4 ½ innings, it was Pittsburgh 15, Colorado 6.  And, by the bottom of the ninth, it was Pirates 16, Rockies 12. But, remember, we play until the last out.  In the bottom of the ninth, the Rox scored five runs on a single, a walk, a triple and two home runs – culminating with a one-out, two-run, walk-off homer by CF Benton Doyle.  Final: Rockies 17 – Pirates 16.

More Good Timing

August 2 was Jose Ramirez Jersey Give-away Day in Cleveland and the Guardians third baseman did not disappoint.  He hit a two-run homer to tie the game in the fifth inning (his 22^nd HR of the season) and then scored the go-ahead run after leading off the eighth frame with a single.

250 – and then some – for Pete’s Sake

On Augusts 2, as the Mets pounded the Giants 12-6 in New York, Mets’ 1B Pete Alonso went two-for-four, with a walk, two runs scored and three RBI. Among his hits was a first-inning three-run home run that set the tone for the day.  It was Alonso’s 24^th roundtripper of the season and the 250^th home run of his seven-season MLB career. Just ten days later, on August 12, Alonso enjoyed a two-homer day in a 12-5 win over the Braves.  The two long balls were numbers 253 and 254 of his Mets’ career, moving him pas past Darryl Strawberry (252) as the franchise’s all-time home run leader.

Do 20-20, Rinse, Repeat

On August 3, as the Mariners edged the Rangers 5-4 in Seattle, Seattle CF Julio Rodriguez rapped his 20^th home run of the season. Coupled with the 21 steals he had already banked this season, it made him the first MLB player to record a 20-20 season in each of his first four MLB campaigns. He was 28 HR / 25 SB in 2022; 32 / 37  in 2023; and 20 / 24 in 2024.

1,800 for deGrom

 

Okay, it wasn’t a great night for the Mets’ Jacob deGrom. He picked up his fourth loss of the seasons (versus ten wins) and gave up five runs on four hits and three walks over five innings (The Mets lost to the Mariners 5-4). Still, he did fan five batters and the fourth of those strikeouts – J.P. Crawford in the bottom of the second inning, was strikeout number 1,800 of deGrom’s MLB career.  It made him the quickest pitcher to reach 1800 career strikeouts in both games (240) and innings 1,492 1/3. (Yes, #InBaseballWeCountEverything.) He edged Randy Johnson by three games and Chris Sale by 5 1/3 innings.

We’ve Only Just Begun

On August 4, the Blue Jays opened a three-game series against the Rockies (in Colorado) with a 15-1 victory.  In the game, they punched out 25 hits and three home runs. Ah, but that was just the beginning of a record-setting offensive onslaught. The Blue Jays swept the series by scores of 15-1, 10-4 and 20-1. In the process, they banged out 63 hits – a Modern Era record for base hits in a three-game set. The record was previously held by the Red Sox, who recorded 62 hits against the Browns (in Fenway) in a three-game set June 7-9, 1950. In that one the Red Sox won Games One and Two by scores of 29-4 and 20-4, but lost the final game 12-7.

In the Blue Jays/Rox series, the Blue Jays hit .457 (63-for-38), with 13 home runs.

A First Time For Everything

On August 5, Athletics’ C Shea Langeliers found himself batting in the leadoff position for this first time in his MLB career – and he delivered – notching his second career three-homer game. As the A’s blasted past the Nationals 16-7, Langeliers went five-for-six with four runs, three RBI, three homers, a double and a single.  In the process, he became just the second catcher with a three-homer game while batting leadoff (Travis d’Arnaud in 2019) – and yes, this is another example of #InBaseballWeCountEverything.  Langeliers also tied the Modern Era record for the most total bases in a game by a catcher (15), joining Walker Cooper (1949) and Wes Westrom (195O). The three long balls gave Langeliers 20 on the season.

Reaching 1,000 in Grand Style

On August 6, Dodgers’ DH, P and leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani collected his 1,000^th base hit and he did in style, knocking a two-run homer to left center (his 39^th HR of the season) off the Cardinals’ Matthew Liberatore in the bottom of the third.  Oh, and Ohtani also pitched four strong innings (two hits, one run, no walks, eight strikeouts).

Immaculate Inning

On August 6, the Cubs called in righty Andrew Kittredge to face the Reds in the top of the seventh (and protect a 2-0 lead). Kittredge got the job done, tossing an Immaculate Inning – fanning DH Austin Hays, 2B Gavin Lux and C Tyler Stephenson (the 4-5-6 hitters) on nine pitches. (The Cubs went on to win the game 6-1.)  It was the third Immaculate Inning of the 2025 season (Brandon Young, Orioles and Cal Quantrill, Marlins have also tossed Immaculate frames this season.)

Can I get a Do-over

The Cleveland MLB franchise “boasts” the longest time since their last no-hitter (44 seasons) of any MLB franchise. Cleveland righty Gavin Williams came oh, so close to ending that drought on August 6. Williams had a no-hitter and a 4-0 lead over the Mets with one out in the bottom of the ninth, when Mets’ RF Juan Soto smacked a 1-0 pitch for a home run to center.  Goodbye no-no, goodbye shutout. Williams then retired 1B Pete Alonso on a flyout to short right field, before walking LF Brandon Nimmo. After the walk, manager Steve Vogt sent Hunter Gaddis to the mound to replace Williams (goodbye first MLB complete game). Williams did get the win and, to be fair, he was pulled after 126 pitches, the most by any MLB pitcher this season.

Not My Cup of Tea

Okay, I may be an old stick-in-the-mud, but I’m not a fan of MLB games held in what I consider “stunt” locations. (I do make an exception for the Little League Classic.  That event warms my hardball heart.)  Still, these games are a highlight for many. So here goes.  On Saturday August 2, a record crowd for an MLB game of 91,032 fans showed up for the first regular-season MLB game in Tennessee – The MLB Speedway Classic at the Bristol Motor Speedway.  Long story short, after a rain delay of about 2 ½ hours, the game got underway, but was rained out in the bottom of the first. Play resumed the following day and resulted in a 4-2 Braves win. If you need some trivia fodder. The first MLB regular-season hit recorded in Tennessee was a single by Reds’ 2B Matt McLain. The first regular-season home run in Tennessee was hit by Braves’ RF Eli White (a second-inning, three-run shot). The first regular-season win in Tennessee was recorded by the Braves’ Hurston Waldrep; the first save by Raisel Iglesias.

Barrier Breaker

On August 9, Jan Powal – a professional umpire for ten seasons – became the first woman to umpire in a regular-season MLB game (Marlins – Braves at Truist Park).  The very next day she became the first female umpire to work behind the plate in an MLB game,

Nine-to-Five … Or Nine-in-Five

The Arizona Diamondbacks came to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning of their August 10 game against the Rockies with a slim 4-3 lead.  That was about to change. The inning started quietly enough with a flyout by 2B Ketel Marte and a pop out to short by SS Geraldo Perdomo. But then the Diamondbacks scored eight runs on nine consecutive two-out hits.  It went like this.

• LF Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., single to center off Tanner Gordon;
• DH Adrian Del Castillo, single to RF, Gurriel to second:
• 1B Tyler Locklear, single to RF loading the bases;
• CF Alek Thomas, RBI groundball-single, scoring one and leaving the sacks full;
• C James McCann, two-run single to RF, leaving runners on first and third;
• 3B Blaze Alexander, RBI-single to CF, runners again on first and third;

Ryan Rolston replaces Gordon on the mound.

• RF Corbin Carroll, RBI single (deep 2B), runners again on first and third;
• Marte, two- run double to LF;
• Perdomo, RBI-single to RF;
• Gurriel, groundout to SS.

The Diamondbacks won 13-6.

Surprisingly, the Diamondback scored all 13 runs in the game with two outs.  Wait, there’s more. Just two days later, the Mets trounced the Braves 13-5 – and they scored all thirteen runs with two outs.

250 for Altuve

On August 10, as the Astros beat the Yankees 7-1, Jose Altuve went two-for-three, with two walks, and a home run.  The long ball was his 21^st of the 2025 season and 250^th of his 15-season MLB career.  The future Hall of Famer has hit 20 or more home runs in seven seasons (a high of 31 in 2019 & 2021), stole 30 or more bases in seven seasons (a high of 56 in 2014) and had 200 or more hits in four campaigns. He’s also a three-time batting champion, and a one-time league MVP.

Ramirez Sets Guardians’ Mark

On August 12 – as the Guardians topped Miam 4-3 in Cleveland – Guardians’ 3B Jose Ramirez had a big day at the plate.  He went three-for-four with two homers, a double, two runs scored and two RBI. The two dingers were Ramirez 24^th and 25^th homers of the season and the numbers 279 and 280 in his 13-season (2013-25) MLB career (all with Cleveland). In addition, the pair of long balls marked his 27^th multi-homer game, giving him sole possession of the Cleveland franchise record for multi-homer contests (he had been tied with Jim Thome and Albert Belle – some pretty powerful company).  At just 32-years-old, I have hunch Ramirez will be expanding his lead in the category.

A Triple Play – An Unlikely Batter

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is known for his power and speed (He can, after all, claim MLB’s only 50-50 season). But on August 12, as the Dodger faced the Angels in Anaheim, neither could help him,

It was the top of the sixth, the game was tied 5-5 and the Dodgers were looking to take the lead.  Dodger pinch-hitter Miguel Rojas opened the frame with a single, followed by a single from C (number-nine hitter) Dalton Rushing – putting runners on first and second, with no outs for Dodgers’ star DH Ohtani. Ohtani smacked a hard line drive over the mound – which found its way quickly into SS Zach Neto’s glove (Neto was positioned perfectly for the catch). Neto stepped on second to double off Rojas and then threw first baseman Nolan Schanuel, who tagged the returning Rushing – completing the third triple play of the 2025 season.   It proved a critical play, as the Angels won 7-6 in ten innings.

Lucky 13 For Jakob Marsee

On August 13, playing in his 13th MLB game, Marlins’ rookie outfielder Jakob Marsee tied the Marlins’ franchise record for RBI in a game, driving home seven runs in a Marlins’ 13-4 win over the Guardians in Cleveland. Marsee went four-for-five with two home runs and a double – and he threw in a stolen base for good measure. In his first 12 MLB games, Marsee had gone 13-for-43 (.382), with one homer and six RBI. He closed the month of August with a career line of .352-4-25 (he made his MLB debut August 1).

So Close …. And Yet, So Far

On August 15, Orioles’ rookie righthander Brandon Young, in just his 11^th MLB appearance (all starts), retired the first 23 Houston batters he faced – staring at a Perfect Game with two out in the eighth.  He lost the Perfecto on a slow dribbler (Astros’ 2B Ramon Urias) that Young himself fielded just to the third base side of the mound. Young fanned the next hitter (CF Taylor Trammel) and was relieved to open the ninth. Still, he earned his first MLB win (Orioles 7 – Astros 0) and lowered his ERA from 6.70 to 5.68. Young’s next start (August 21) was also against the Astros, who (this time) touched him up for seven runs in 5 1/3 innings. Strange game, this baseball.

Some Sad Sunday

On Sunday, August 17, the Brewers lost a tough one – 3-2, in ten innings – to the Reds in Cincinnati.  And, it was a real nailbiter. The game was tied at zero through six innings, the Reds scored one in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead.  That 1-0 lead held until the top of the ninth, when the Brewers scored a pair to take a 2-1 edge. The Reds bounced back in the bottom of the ninth to tie it at two- – and then scored in the bottom of the tenth for the one-run, walk-off win.

Now, that might not have been highlight, except for the fact that it was the Brewers’ first loss in August – ending a 14-game winning streak that began on August 1.

During the streak, the Brewers outscored their opponents 119 to 52 They scored ten or more runs in five games and seven or more in ten.  The streak included eight road wins and six at home and four one-run victories. The 14-game win streak also put the Brew Crew in some elite company. It followed a ten-game winning streak in July (July 6-21) and made the Brewers the tenth team in the Expansion Era (which began in 1969) to deliver two double-digit winning steaks in the same season – 1960 Astros; 1969 Mets; 1977 Royals; 1978 Pirates; 2001 Cardinals; 2013 Braves; 2015 Blue Jays; 2017 Dodgers; 2019 Astros; 2025 Brewers. The Brewers total of 24 wins in the two streaks is tied for the second-most wins in two same-season streaks.  The 1977 Royals had streaks of 10 and 16 wins and the 2013 Braves matched the Brewers’ streaks of 10 and 14 victories.

Well, There’s a First For Everything

On August 19, Cubs’ 23-year-old rookie RF Owen Caissie – in just his fourth MLB game – led Chicago to a 6-4 win over the first-place Brewers. It was a day of firsts for Caissie. He collected his first MLB RBI, driving in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the first inning. He also hit his first MLB home run, scored his first MLB run and had his first MB multi-hit game – all courtesy of his sixth-inning solo home run.  It also marked the first time that Caissie played in two MLB games in a single day (Yes, it was a doubleheader. Remember those?).  Cassie was two-for-four, with one run, three RBI (and that homer) in the Cubs 6-4 win in Game One and one-for-two with one run and one RBI in the Cubs’ 4-1 Game Two victory

For those who like to know such things: Cassie was a second-round pick (Padres) in the 2020 MLB Draft (out of Notre Dame Secondary School in Burlington, Ontario). When he was called up, he was hitting .289-22-52 (in 93 games) for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.

We Do Like Round Numbers

On August 19, Royals’ SS Bobby Witt, Jr.  – as Kansas City topped Texas 5-2 in KC – hit a two-run eighth-inning homer.  It was Witt’s 18^th of the season and 100^th of his four-season MLB career.  Coupled with his 142 stolen bases, it also made him one of just four players to record at least 100 long balls and 100 stolen bases in their first four MLB seasons. The others were Bobby Bonds (1968-71 … 100 HR/135 SB); Darryl Strawberry (1983-86… 108 HR/100 SB); and Julio Rodriguez (2022-25 … 104 HR/109 SB as of August 19).

Ka-Boom

On August 19, as the Yankees blasted the Rays 13-3 in Tampa, the Bronx Bombers launched nine bombs (home runs) – two each by Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Caballero and one each by Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm, Jr. and Ben Rice. The outburst made the Yankees the first MLB team ever to have two games with at least nine home runs – and they did it twice this season (also on May 29 in a 20-5 win over the Brewers in New York).  Side note: Judge, Bellinger and Stanton went yard back-to-back-to-back in the first inning of the August 19 game, while Paul Goldschmidt, Bellinger and Judge went back-to back-to back in the opening frame of the March 29 game.

For those who like to know such things: The record for home runs by a team in a game is ten, by the Blue Jays in a September 14, 1987 18-3 win over the Orioles.

Nifty At Fifty

On August 24, Pirate’s 23-year-old righty Paul Skenes made his fiftieth MLB start – and it was a good one. Skenes went seven innings and gave up no runs on just three hits (no walks), while fanning seven. He got the victory as the Pirates topped the Rockies 4-0 – running his 2025 record to 8-9 (despite a 2.07 ERA).  The outing also dropped his ERA over his first 50 career starts to 2.02, which (in the tradition of #InBaseballWeCountEverything, gave him the second-lowest career ERA over a pitcher’s first 50 MLB starts (in the Live Ball ERA) – trailing only Vida Blue at 2.01.

Catch Me If Catch Me If You Can

On August 24, as the Mariners bounced the A’s 11-4 in Seattle, Mariners’ catcher Cal Raleigh went three-for-four, with two runs scored and five RBI. From a Highlights perspective, two of his three hits were home runs – his 48^th and 49^th of the season, enabling him to pass Salvador Perez for the most home runs n a season by a player who primarily served as catcher. Raleigh, by the way, smacked his fiftieth dinger of the season the very next day.  Of those fifty long balls, 40 came when Raleigh in the lineup as a catcher (10 while in the lineup as DH).  The record for home runs while in the lineup as a catcher is 42 (Braves’ Javy Lopez in 2003). That is sure to fall soon. While Raleigh’s production comes as a bit of surprise, keep in mind, he did hit 30 or more homers in each of the past two seasons.

A Perfect Ten

On August 25, Tigers’ southpaw Tarik Skubal went 6 2/3 innings versus the Athletics (in Sacramento), giving up just six hits and six runs (one earned).  For the purposes of the Highlights Section, he fanned 12 batters and walked none. In the outing, Skubal threw 99 pitches (72 strikes). Despite the 8-3 Detroit loss, Skubal’s performance tied him with Gerrit Cole for the most outings in a season (Modern Era) with at least ten strikeouts and zero walks.

Climbing The Ladder

On August 26, as the Giants beat the Cubs 5-2, veteran Justin Verlander went seven innings, giving up just two runs on seven hits and two walks.  He also fanned five batters. The first of those strikeouts (RF Kyle Tucker in the first inning) gave Verlander 3,516 over this over his 20-season MLB career (2005-20, 2022-25 … Tigers, Astros, Mets, Giants) and moved him past Walter Johnson for ninth all-time.  It seems likely he will also over take Gaylord Perry (3,534) and Don Sutton (3,574) this season.

Bombers Gotta Bomb

In the third inning of an 11-2 win over the Nationals on August 27, the Yankees plated nine runs on eight hits and three walks. Four of those hits were home runs:  DH Aaron Judge (two-run); RF Cody Bellinger (solo); 3B Ryan McMahon (three-run); 1B Ben Rice (solo).  The outburst marked the third time they Yankees have hit four home runs in an inning this season – an MLB record.

It’s About Time

August 22-25, the Women’s Professional Baseball League held tryouts at the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy and (Washington) Nationals Park to fill six professional women’s baseball teams for the 2026 season. About 600 initial hopefuls were pared down to 100 who will be eligible for the league’s first player draft (October 25).  The first season will consist of four weeks of regular season play, an All Star game, and two weeks of post-season playoffs.

He’s Ba-a-a-ck

Dodgers’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who did not pitch in 2024 (Tommy John surgery in 2023) had a sterling mound outing on August 27, earning the win as the Dodgers topped the Reds 5-1 In the game, Ohtani (still working nis way back into full mound shape) went five innings (his longest outing of the season) giving up just two hits and one run, while walking two and fanning nine. Keep in mind, this is from a player who has topped forty home runs in four of the past five season.

Four for Schwarber

On August 28, Phillies’ Designated Hitter Kyle Schwarber took the role of “hitter’ pretty darn seriously. As the Phillies topped the Braves 19-4, Schwarber went four-for-six, with nine RBI – each of his four hits was a home run, tying the MLB record for home runs in a single game. Schwarber hit:

• A solo home run with one out in the first (off Cal Quantrill);
• A two-run shot in the fourth off Austin Cox;
• A three-run blast in the fifth (Cox);
• A second three-run homer in the seventh (off Wander Suero)

He also flied out to deep center in the second and flied out to left in the eighth.

The four homers gave Schwarber 49 on the season.

Schwarber, by the way, was the 21^st MLB player with a four-homer game, as well as the fourth Phillie in the 4-HR Club:  Ed Delahanty (1896); Chuck Klein (1936); and Mike Schmidt (1976).  The Phillis have more four-homer games than any other MLB franchise.

Schwarber was also the third player with a four-homer game this season, joining the Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suarez and the A’s Nick Kurtz. The only other seasons with more than one four homer game were 2002 (two) and 2017 (two).

Finishing August with a Bang … and in Good Company

On August 31, as his Yankees lost to the White Sox 3-2, DH Aaron Judge rapped his 43rd homer of the 2025 season – a first-inning solo shot to left center off an 0-2 pitch from Martin Perez. It was the 358th homer of Judge’s 10-season MLB career and moved in him into a tie (with Yogi Berra) for the fifth-most home runs as a Yankee.  Ahead of Judge are Babe Ruth (659); Mickey Mantle (536); Lou Gehrig (493); and Joe DiMaggio (361).

—INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS FOR AUGUST—

BATTING AVERAGE (at least 75 at bats)

American League: Bo Bichette, Blue Jays (.367); Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (.330); Tyler Soderstrom, A’s (.329)

National League: Jakob Marsee, Marlins (.352); Francisco Lindor, Mets (.350); Brenton Doyle, Rockies (.351)

The lowest August average among players with at least 75 at bats belonged to Orioles’ 1B Coby Mayo at .136 (12-for-88).

HITS

American League: Bo Bichette, Blue Jays (40); Julio Rodriguez, Mariners (35); Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (35)

National League: Trea Turner, Phillies (42); Francisco Lindor, Mets (41); three with 37

The Athletics’ Shea Langeliers led MLB in extra-base hits in August with 19 – eight  doubles and 11 home runs. The Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll and Marlins’ Jakob Marsee led National Leaguers in August extra-base hits with 18. Carroll had eight doubles, two triples and eight home runs. Marsee had eleven doubles, three triples and four home runs.   

HOME RUNS

American League: Junior Caminero, Rays (12); Shea Langeliers, A’s (11); three with ten

National League:  Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (12); Juan Soto, Mets (10); Brice Turang, Brewers (10)

The Brewers’ Brice Turang led all hitters with at least 75 at bats in August slugging percentage at .694. The Athletics’ Shea Langeliers led the AL at .661.

RUNS SCORED

American League: Nick Kurtz, A’s (23); Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (22); six with  21

National League: Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks (28); Jurickson Profar, Braves (27); Juan Soto, Mets (27)

RUNS BATTED IN

American League:  Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals (29); Junior Caminero, Rays (23); Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees (23)

National League: Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (33); Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., Diamondbacks (32); Pete Alonso, Mets (29)

DOUBLES

American League: Brent Rooker, Athletics (10); Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics (9); eight with eight

National League: Bryan Reynolds, Pirates (12); Jakob Marsee, Marlins (11); Matt Olson, Braves (10); James Wood, Nationals (10)

TRIPLES

American League:  Jeremiah Jackson, Orioles (2); Zach McKinstry, Tigers (2); Luis Rengifo. Angels (2); Chandler Simpson, Rays (2)

National League:  Elly De La Cruz, Reds (3); Jakob Marsee, Marlins (3); Trea Turner, Phillies (3)

STOLEN BASES

American League:  Jazz Chisholm, Jr., Yankees (11); Josh Lowe, Rays (8); three with seven

National League: Juan Soto, Mets (11); Trea Turner, Phillies (10); three with nine

Two New Yorkers, Jazz Chisholm, Jr. of the Yankees and Juan Soto of the Mets, tied for the MLB lead in August stolen bases and August stolen bases without getting caught (11).

BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS

American League:  Cal Raleigh, Mariners (39); Ramon Anthony, Red Sox (38); Mike Trout, Angels (38)

National League: James Wood, Nationals (43); Matt Olson, Braves (40); Ely De La Cruz, Reds (38)

Of the 16 players with at least 35 August strikeouts, the highest batting average belonged to the Reds’ Ramon Anthony (.304) and Braves’ Matt Olson (.302.) All the others hit .255 or under for the month, with seven below .200.

WALKS

American League: Aaron Judge, Yankees (24); Nick Kurtz, Athletics (22); Taylor Ward, Angels (22)

National League: Juan Soto, Mets (27); Jurickson Profar, Braves (24); Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (23)

The highest on-base percentage among players with at least 75 August at bats belonged to the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz at .471. The NL leader was the Padres’ Jake Cronenworth at .460.

PITCHING VICTORIES

American League:  Carlos Rodon, Yankees (4-0); Jacob Lopez, Athletics (4-1); Ryan Pepiot, Rays (4-1); Trevor Rogers, Orioles (4-1); Max Scherzer, Blue Jays (4-1); Cade Smith, Guardians (4-1); Bryan Woo, Mariners (4-1); Michael Wacha, Royals (4-2)

National League:  Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (5-0); Cade Horton, Cubs (5-1); four with four

The Cardinals’ Andre Pallante (0-6, 6.87 in six starts) led MLB in August losses.

EARNED RUN AVERAGE (minimum 25 August innings)

American League: Trevor Rogers, Orioles (1.29); Drew Rasmussen, Rays (1.53); Cam Schlitter, Yankees (1.60)

National League: Freddy Peralta, Brewers (0.32); Hurston Waldrep, Braves (1.01); Cade Horton, Cubs (1.20)

The highest ERA among pitchers with at least 25 August innings or four August starts was 12.15 by the Braves’ Cal Quantrill (0-4, 12.15 in five starts, 27 earned runs in 20 innings).

STRIKEOUTS

American League: Tarik Skubal, Tigers (45 K / 39 1/3 IP); Trevor Rogers, Orioles (41 K / 42 IP); three with 39

National League: Edward Cabrera, Marlins (44 K / 34 2/3 IP); Jesus Lazardo, Phillies (42 K / 34 2/3 IP); Christopher Sanchez, Phillies (42 K / 38 2/3 IP)

Among pitchers who faced at least 75 batters in August, the Rays’ Ian Seymour had the highest strikeouts-per nine innings ratio for the month at 13.10.

WALKS + HITS/INNINGS PITCHED (at least 25 August innings)

American League: Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers (0.70); Drew Rasmussen, Rays (0.78); Trevor Rogers, Orioles (0.86)

National League: Shota Imanaga, Cubs (0.68); Nick Pivetta, Padres (0.79); Freddy Peralta, Brewers (0.82)

Among pitchers with at least 25 August innings, the Cubs’ Nick Pivetta held batters to the lowest average at 1.50.

SAVES

American League:  Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox (8); Carlos Estevez, Royals (8); Andres Munoz, Mariners (8)

National League:  Raisel Iglesias, Braves (10); Jhoan Duran, Phillies (8); Daniel Palencia, Cubs (7)

Raisel Iglesias of the Braves saved the most games without a blown save in August (ten). 

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P 1132

 

It’s time again for Baseball Roundtable’s Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” one-of-a-kind MLB accomplishments or statistics.

Today, we are looking at some of MLB’s “strikeout artists” – defined, for our purposes, as pitchers who regularly racked up double-digit strikeouts in an outing.  As the chart below shows, there have been only eight pitcher seasons of 20 or more games with 10+ strikeouts and – no surprise – four of them belong to Hall of Famer Randy Johnson.  The Big Unit also shares the record for the most 10+ strikeouts games in a season at 23 – a feat he accomplished in three consecutive seasons 1999-2001. The only other pitcher to record 23 double-digit K games in a season was (another HOFer) Nolan Ryan in 1973.  With today’s methods of “handling” pitchers, the record of 23 double-digit strikeouts games in a season seems pretty safe.

Consider, in 2001, there were 155 double-digit strikeout games by individual pitchers; there were five pitchers with at least eight such games (Randy Johnson – 23; Curt Schilling – 13; Pedro Martinez – 9; Kerry Wood – 8; Matt Morris – 8; and the pitcher with the 10+ Ks pitched at least seven innings in 81.3 percent of those games.  By comparison, in 2024, there were 187 pitcher games with ten or more whiffs; no pitcher had more than six such outings (six for Blake Snell, Garret Crochet and Tyler Glasnow); and the pitcher with the 10+ Ks went at least seven innings in just 40.1 percent of the time

Here’s a few other tidbits that caught my eye as I researched this post:

• Most Strikeouts in any Ten-Game (pitched) Span: Nolan Ryan, Angels – May 19, 1977 – June 29, 1977… 123 in 84 1/3 innings pitched.
• Most Strikeouts in any Twenty-Game Span: Randy Johnson, Diamondbacks – April 13, 2001 – July 24, 2001 … 225 in 141 1/3 innings.
• Most Strikeouts in any Thirty-Game span: Randy Johnson, Diamondbacks – April 13, 2001 – September 17, 2001 AND June 25, 1999 – May 26, 2000 … 328 in 215 1/3 and 239 innings pitched, respectively. The only players besides Johnson to record 300 or more strikeouts in a span of 30 games are: Pedro Martinez (a high of 318), Nolan Ryan (a high of 311), Curt Schilling (a high of 310), Gerrit Cole (301).  Note:  All of these players except Cole have multiple 30-game spans with 300+ whiffs (many of those spans, of course, were overlapping).

Primary Resource: Stathead.com

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Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

P 1131

 

It’s time again for Baseball Roundtable’s Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” one-of-a-kind MLB accomplishments or statistics.

This week’s Tidbit takes a look at Tim Locastro, who played in only 290 MLB games, but holds the MLB record for consecutive successful stolen bases to start an MLB career (29) and shares the mark for the most times hit by a pitch in a game (three).

 

Coincidentally (you know how The Roundtable loves coincidences), the previous record holder for consecutive steals to open an MLB career was Tim Raines, who served two seasons (minor leagues) as Locastro’s baserunning instructor. Raines, who stole 808 MLB career bases (fifth all-time), was successful on his first 27 MLB steal attempts.

Locastro got his first MLB steal in his second MLB game (September 30, 2017). He came into the game for the Dodgers as a pinch runner for 2B Chase Utley in the top of the ninth – with the Dodgers up 5-3 over the Rockies and Utley on second. Locastro swiped third base on a 1-2 pitch to 3B Logan Forsythe. (Locastro did not score – Forsythe struck out and Chris Taylor popped out to end the inning.) The theft of third base would be one of only two third-base steals in Locastro’s career.

Lopresto would go on to steal another 28 bases before his first caught stealing – on April 17, 2021. Locastro was a Diamondback at the time and started the game in CF, batting leadoff.  After fanning in the first inning, he singled off Erick Fedde, with one out an no one on, in the top of the third. On the fourth pitch to RF Kole Calhoun (a 2-1 offering), Locastro attempted to swipe second base and was retired C Yan Gomes to 3B Starlin Castro (I assume a big shift was on) – earning a trip to the dugout and to the disabled list (dislocated finger on the slide.)  During his streak, Locastro swiped five bases as a Dodger and 24 sacks as a Diamondback. He stole bases in seven games in which he started or entered as a CF, five when he stated or entered as a LF, four as a RF, eight as a pinch runner and two as a pinch hitter,

Locastro played in seven MLB seasons (2017-23 … Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Mets) and put up a .228-9-39 line, with 100 runs scored and 45 stolen bases in fifty attempts.

In addition to speed on the basepaths, Locastro had a knack for getting hit by pitches. In 2019, he was plunked 22 times in 91 games – the fourth-most HBP in the NL, just five behind league leader Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs (who played in 146 games). On May 24, 2019, as his Diamondbacks topped the Giants 18-2 in San Francisco, Locastro earned a share of the MLB record for HBP in a game (three). He was plunked in the third inning (with one out and runners on first and second) by Drew Pomeranz, the sixth (leading off the inning) by Nick Vincent and in the seventh (with two out and a runner on first) by Derek Holland. He also had a single among his six plate appearances.  Over his MLB career, Locastro was plunked 43 times in 616 plate appearances – one every 14.3 trips to the plate.

In 2023, Tim Locastro, playing for the Mets was hit by a pitch in three of his first four plate appearances of the season.

Locastro was a 13th-round pick in the 2013 MLB draft (out of Ithaca College).  In three college seasons, he went .387-8-67, with 52 steals in 111 games. In 2013, he was the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year, when he hit .436-4-36 (nice coincidence in those numbers), with 40 steals and 71 runs in 48 games. In 2025, he has taken the field for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres’ affiliate) in the Pacific Coast League. As I write this, Baseball-Reference shows Locastro with 770 games in 11 minor-league seasons – and a .284-47-296 minor-league stat line with 207 steals.

Primary Resource: Stathead.com

To access past Trivia(l) Tidbits, just tye tidbit into the search box on the right-hand side of the page. 

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs. For the full list click here. 

I tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT

Follow Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook Page here.  More baseball commentary; blog post notifications; PRIZES.

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

P 1130

 

It’s time again for Baseball Roundtable’s Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” one-of-a-kind MLB accomplishments or statistics. This week’s Tidbits are intended to give you some fodder for trivia challenges at World Series time.  For example:

Question:  Who was the first Yankee to win the World Series Most Valuable Player Award?

Answer:  No, it wasn’t Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig or Joe DiMaggio.  It was Don Larsen in 1956 (a Perfect Game will do that for you).   As for Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio, the World Series MVP Award was first presented in 1955.

 

Or

Question: Who was the first position player to win the World Series MVP Award? With the hint that he remains the only player at his position to be a WS MVP. (Side note: Ten of the first eleven WS MVPs were pitchers.)

Answer: Yankees’ 2B Bobby Richardson in 1960, who is – in Roundtable parlance – the World Series MVPs’ greatest unicorn:

• The first position player to be selected WS MVP;
• The first – and still only – player from the losing team selected as the WS MVP;
• The first – and still only – second basemen to earn WS MVP honors.

 

In the Series, which the Yankees lost to the Pirates four games-to-three, Richardson hit .367, and led all players with eight runs scored and 12 RBI (a WS record, since tied). Among his 11 hits were two doubles, two triples and one home run. Side note: In 150 regular-season games, Richardson had just one home run and  26 RBI.

Now, here are a few additional World Series MVP tidbits.  I’ll let you draft your own questions.

• The first player recognized as WS MVP was Dodger southpaw Johnny Podres (1955 World Series). Podres helped the Dodgers topple the rival (and dreaded) Yankees four games-to-three – pitching a Game-Three, complete game, seven-hitter (three runs, two earned) in an 8-3 win and an  eight-hit shutout in a 2-0 win in Game Seven. Side Note: At this point, the Dodgers had faced the Yankees in five World Series (1941-47-49-52-53) and had lost all five, Podres was, indeed, a conquering hero in Brooklyn. (During the season, Podres had gone 9-10, 3.95.)
• In 1981, three players – an infielder, an outfielder and a catcher – shared the World Series MVP Award: Dodgers’ catcher Steve Yeager; 3B Ron Cey; and OF Pedro Guerrero. Yeager had gone .286-2-4; Cey, .350-1-6; and Guerrero, .333-2-7. Together they had driven in 17 of the Dodgers’ 26 runs and hit five of LA’s six homers. Note: As the Dodgers topped the Yankees four-games to two, Guerrero started four games in center field and two in RF, also in three of the games played both CF and RF.  The only other time the WS MP Award was shared was 2001, when Diamondbacks pitchers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling were honored.

• The WS MVP Award has been presented in 69 seasons. In 28 of those seasons, pitchers have taken home World Series MVP hardware – the most for any position. The list includes 27 different pitchers (seven Hall of famers). Of those, 23 were primarily starters and four primarily were relievers. Side note: Third basemen are next on the list of most WS MVPs at ten. This does not include the Blue Jays’ Paul Molitor, MVP of the 1993 World Series, who started three games at DH, two at 3B and one at 1B.
• Three rookies have been selected as WS MVP: Dodgers’ reliever Larry Sherry in 1959; Marlins’ SP Livan Hernandez in 1997; Astros’ SS Jeremy Pena in 2022). Side note: Hernandez, who went 9-3, 3.18 in 17 1997 regular-season starts, was a bit of surprise WS MVP. While Hernandez started and won two games in the Series (won by the Marlins over the Indians four games-to-three), he put up a 5.27 ERA over 14 2/3 innings. In Game One, he went 5 2/3 innings, giving up eight hits and three runs, as the Marlins topped the Indians (and Orel Hershiser) 7-4. In Game five, matched again against Hershiser, he went eight innings and gave up six runs (five earned) – on seven hits and eight walks in an 8-7 win. (It was a high-scoring series. The two teams put up 81 runs over seven games.  There were those who made an MVP case for Marlins’ LF Moises Alou, who hit .321-3-9 in the Series, leading the Marlins in home runs and RBI and scoring the second most runs on the team (6).    
• Four players have won multiple WS MVP Awards: Sandy Koufax (Dodgers 1963, 1965); Bob Gibson, Cardinals (1964, 1967); Reggie Jackson (1973 Athletics, 1977 Yankees); Corey Seager (2020 Dodgers, 2023 Rangers).
• The youngest player to win a World Series MVP Award was 21-year-old Royals’ RHP Brett Saberhagen – as the Royals bested the Blue Jays four games-to-three in 1985. Saberhagen, the 1985 AL Cy Young Award winner, pitched a pair of complete games (Games Three and Seven – and gave up just one run over 18 innings.  Saberhagen was in his second MLB season.
• The oldest WS MVP was 39-year-old Pirates’ 1B Willie Stargell, who hit .400-3-7, as the Pirates topped the Orioles four games-to-three in 1979.  He was in his eighteenth MLB season.
• A couple of interesting (to The Roundtable) runs: From 1955-68, pitchers were selected WS MVP in 12 of 14 seasons. Then, from 1969-84, position players were selected in fifteen of sixteen seasons.

Primary Resources: Stathead.com

 

To access past Trivia(l) Tidbits, just tye tidbit into the search box on the right-hand side of the page. 

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs. For the full list click here. 

I tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT

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Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

P 1129

It’s August 1, and that means it’s time for Baseball Roundtable’s June Wrap up – a look at the stats and stories that caught The Roundtable’s attention over the past month, as well as The Roundtable’s Players and Pitchers of the Month, Trot Index and more.  Just a few of July’s highlights that you will find in this post:

• Clayton Kershaw‘s 3,000th strikeout;
• Aroldis Chapman‘s 350th save and the 350th home runs of Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper;
• The Red Sox‘ 10,000th franchise win;
• Kyle Schwarber‘s 1,000th MLB hit and Mike Trout‘s 1,000th RBI;
• Manny Machado’s 2000th hit;
• A lead-off (Lawrence Butler) and walk-off (Patrick Bailey) inside-the-park home run on the  same day;
• A rookie (Brandon Young)  tossing an Immaculate Inning;
• A rookie (Nick Kurtz) delivering a four-homer game;
• Byron Buxton’s “Byron Buxton Bobblehead Day” cycle;
• and much more.

For all of the “stories,” see the “Highlights” section.

–—Players and Pitchers of the Month – July 2025—-

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Player of the Month – Kyle Schwarber, LF Phillies

It was a big month for Kyle Schwarber, not only was he the All Star Game MVP, but (despite a .264 July average) he also led MLB in July home runs (12) and RBI (29) and scored 17 runs. Over the course of the month, Schwarber had nine multi-RBI games. Of his 24 July hits, 18 went for extra basses (six doubles, 12 home runs.)

Honorable Mention(s); Marlins’ LF Kyle Stowers had a stellar month (.364-10-20).  His .364 July average was fifth in the NL among hitters with at least 50 at bats; his ten home runs tied for second; his 20 RBI were fifth; and his 16 runs scored tied for eighth.  Giants’ SS Willy Adames also had a solid month at .337-7-21 – finishing in the NL’s top five in home runs, RBI, runs scored (tied for the league lead) and hits.

Pitcher of the Month – Eury Perez, RHP, Marlins

Eury Perez went 3-1, with 1.29 ERA in five July starts. The 22-year-old’s  0.64 WHIP was the best among all MLB pitchers with at least 25 July innings, as was his .135 average against.   Perez fanned 32 batters in 28 innings and walked just five.  He gave up just one home run in his 28 July innings.

Honorable Mentions: Nick Lodolo, who went 3-1 in five starts, put up a 1.89 earned run average and fanned an MLB- best (tied) 38 batters (with just four walks) in 33 1/3 innings. Lodolo’s month included a four-hit shutout (July 23 versus the Nationals) in which he walked none and fanned eight. Paul Skenes of the Pirates gets an honorable mention for putting up the NL’s lowest earned run average among pitchers with at least 25 July innings. He went 2-1, 0.67 in five starts. He also fanned 36 batters, while walking just three. Phillies’ southpaw Christopher Sanchez also went 3-1 in five July starts, pitched a complete game (a 4-1 win over Boston – four hits with 12 whiffs), put up a 1.95 ERA and fanned 36 batters (37 innings) with five walks.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Player of the Month  – Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics

No contest here. Nick  Kurtz’ .395  July average was second among  MLB players with at least 50 July at bats. He led the AL with 11 July homers (tied) and 27 RBI (all alone); his 24 runs scored tied for second in the league; his 34 July hits trailed only Bo Bichette (35) in MLB;  and his 25 extra-base hits led MLB by a wide margin.  Kurtz’ .953 slugging percentage was tops among MLB players with at least 50 July at bats. The 22-year-old rookie’s month also included a (July 15) six-for-six, four -homer, eight-RBI game in which he tied the MLB records for both homers (four)  and total bases in a game (19) and became the 20^th player and first rookie to collect four homes in a contest.  Not bad for a young man who was playing college ball (Wake Forest) in 2024. What does he do for an encore?

Honorable Mention: Royal’s C Salvador Perez put up a .337-9-21 line in July. His nine homers were third in the AL and his 21 RBI tied for third. Perez collected 30 hits in 24 games (16 for extra bases). Astros’ LF Jose Altuve went .363-5-21, with 20 runs scored and Yankees’ LF Cody Bellinger had a .323-8-20 line, with 21 runs scored.

Pitcher of the Month – Nathan Eovaldi, RHP, Rangers

Nathan Eovaldi, like Nick Kurtz, was a no-brainer.   Eovaldi went 5-0, 0.59 in five July starts.  He was the only pitcher to win five games during the month and his 0.59 ERA was the lowest among MLB pitchers with at least 20 July innings. In fact, he gave up just three runs (two earned) over 30 2/3 innings.   Eovaldi fanned 30, walked eight, put up a 0.85 WHIP and held hitters to a .198 average.

Honorable Mention: Garrett Crochet of the Red Sox went 4-0, with a 1.73 ERA in four starts – fanning 31 and walking just six in 26 innings.  His July included his first MLB shutout, which was also his first MLB complete game.  And, he needed every pitch. It was a 1-0, three-hit, no-walk, nine-whiff victory over the Division rival Rays.

Surprise of the M0nth – Kyle Stowers, LF, Marlins

Clearly, Eury Perez and Nick Kurtz would qualify here – if they hadn’t already grabbed Player and Pitcher of the Month honors.

Marlins’ OF Kyle Stowers (a second-round draft choice – Orioles –  in 2019) came into the 2025 season with a .208-6-35 MLB stat line  (over 117 games in three seasons). He also could look back on a .260-91-299 line in five minor-league seasons and a .279-20-85 stat line over 132 college games. Through June of this season, he was at .279-13-43.  But his bat got hot, surprisingly hot, in July – to the tune of a .364-10-20 month that included six multi-hit games, two multi-homer games and three multi-RBI games.  He bookended the All Star break with a five-hit, three-homer, six-RBI game immediately before the break and a three-hit, two-homer, five-RBI game immediately after the break.  Now, that’s surprising performance.

Honorable Mention: The surprising Royals’ surprising rookie southpaw Noah Cameron was a seventh-round pick in the 2021 Draft (out of the University of Central Arkansas). He made his MLB debut on April 30 and went 6 1/3 scoreless innings (one hit, five walks, three strikeouts). Coming into July, he was 2-4, but with a respectable 2.79 ERA.  He had fanned 38 batters (18 walks) in 51 2/3 innings (a 2.1 K/BB ratio).  Cameron turned it up a notch in July … 3-0, 1.84, with 33 strikeouts and just five walks in 29 1/3 innings (a 6.6 K/BB ratio).

____________________________________________________

THE TROT INDEX … A REGULAR BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE FEATURE

Through July 31,  34.4% of the MLB season’s 123,109  plate appearances ended in a trot (back to the dugout, around the bases, to first base). We’re talking about strikeouts, home runs, walks, hit by pitch and catcher’s interference – all outcomes that are, basically, devoid of action on the base paths or in the field. Here’s the breakout: strikeouts (21.9%); walks (8.5%); home runs (3.0%); HBP (1.1%); catcher’s interference (less than 1%). 

The 34.4% is down slightly  from the 34.6% through July of 2024 (perhaps we’ve plateaued and the Index no longer serves a purpose). I also looked into full-year Trot Index figures for the years I have been a fan: 34.9% in 2024; 30.3% in 2010; 29.9% in 2000; 31.7% in 1990; 23.1% in 1980; 27.0% in 1970; 25.1% in 1960; and 22.8% in 1950.

_____________________________

 

——-Team Statistical Leaders for July 2025 ———-

RUNS SCORED

National League – Brewers (120); Cubs (117); Braves (116)

American League – Blue Jays (150); Rangers (138); Yankees (138)

The fewest runs in July were scored by the Pirates (65). In the American League, it was the Twins at 95.  NL teams held the bottom six spots in terms of July runs.

AVERAGE

National League – Brewers (.265); Padres (.264); Phillies (.254); Rockies (.254); Cubs (.254)

American League – Blue Jays (.291); Red Sox (.265); Astros (.265)

The lowest team average for July belonged to the Pirates at .214.

HOME RUNS

National League – Phillies (37); Cubs (34); Braves (33)

American League – Athletics (46); Yankees (46); Mariners (44)

The Pirates had the fewest home runs in July at 11.  

TOTAL BASES

National League – Braves (364); Phillies (359); Cubs (354)

American League – Blue Jays (429): Athletics (413); Yankees (401)

The Athletics led MLB in July Slugging Percentage at .498.  The Phillies led the NL (.452).

DOUBLES

National League – Cardinals (50); Braves (47); Diamondbacks (42); Padres (42)

American League – Red Sox (63); Blue Jays (56); Athletics (52); Orioles (52)

TRIPLES

National League – Diamondbacks (8); Giants (5); Braves (5); Marlins (5); Nationals (5)

American League – Red Sox (7); Athletics (5); Twins (4); Rangers (4)

The Cardinals and Dodgers had zero triples in June.

STOLEN BASES

National League – Mets (23); Brewers (22); Cubs (21); Nationals (21)

American League – Rays (34); Mariners (27); Rangers (24)

The Giants stole the fewest sacks in July – four in four attempts.  The Astros stole the fewest July bags in the AL – nine in thirteen attempts.  

WALKS DRAWN

National League – Braves (97); Reds (88); Cubs (84)

American League – Angels (98); Blue Jays (94); Guardians (93)

The Blue Jays led MLB in July on-base percentage at .363. The Padres led the NL at .332. The Pirates had MLB’s lowest July OBP (.274).  The Tigers anchored the AL at .300.

BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS

National League – Dodgers (226); Braves (223); Nationals (213)

American League – Angels (246); Athletics (238); Mariners (234)

Royals’ batters fanned the fewest times in July (162). The Marlins fanned the fewest times in the NL at 170.

__________________________________________________

EARNED RUN AVERAGE

National League – Marlins (2.60); Brewers (3.13); Padres (3.19)

American League – Red Sox (2.86); Rangers (3.08); Guardians (3.50)

The Rockies had the highest July ERA at 6.17.  Four other teams had July ERAs of 5.00 or higher: Cardinals (5.00); Nationals (5.57); Yankees (5.65); Braves (5.80). The five teams with ERAs of 5.00 or higher went a combined 46-76.

STRIKEOUTS

National League – Reds (227); Braves (220); Brewers (219)

American League – Mariners (239);  Blue Jays (238); Astros (234)

The Reds averaged an MLB-best 9.51 strikeouts per nine innings in July. The Blue Jays averaged an AL-best 9.44.   

FEWEST WALKS SURRENDERED

National League – Cardinals (52); Cubs (54); Marlins (55)

American League – Twins (59); Athletics (64); Red Sox (65)

The Marlins walked an MLB-lowest 2.24 batters per nine innings in July.  The Braves walked an MLB-worst 4.03 batters per nine frames.

SAVES

National League – Mets (11); Marlins (9); Brewers (8); Padres (8)

American League – Red Sox (8); Astros (8); four with seven

The Rays blew the most saves in July– nine blown saves in 14 save opportunities.

Walks + Hits/Innings Pitched (WHIP)

National League – Marlins (1.04); Brewers (1.08); Pirates (1.16)

American League:  Guardians (1.12); Athletics (1.12); Red Sox (1.18)

_________________________________________

Bonus Stats:

• The Yankees gave up an MLB-high 41 home runs in July. The Mariners gave up an MLB-low 19 home runs.
• Brewers’ pitchers held opponents to an MLB-low .207 average in July. The Rockies’ staff was “rocked” for an MLB-high .313 average.
• The Marlins’ strikeouts-to-walks ratio for July topped MLB at 3.69. The Rockies had MLB’s worst ratio at 1.81.

—- July Highlights —-

30 For Ohtani

On July,1, as the Dodgers topped the White Sox in LA, Dodgers’ DH Shohei Ohtani hit a fourth- inning solo home run.  It made Ohani the first National Leaguer to reach 30 home runs this season – and guaranteed him his fifth straight season of 30+ dingers. (It was also the third time he banged out 30+ homer by the All Star break.) Ohtani’s next target? Perhaps surpassing his career-high 54 home runs (set last season).

3,000 for Clayton

On July 2, the Dodgers topped the White Sox 5-4 in LA – a much-expected win. The 53,536 fans in attendance, however, were anticipating more than a Dodger victory.  Dodger Clayton Kershaw – a three-time Cy Young Award winner in his 18th MLB season – came into the game with 2,997 career strikeouts and the crowd was amped to see number 3,000.

It came as Kershaw recorded the final out in the sixth inning and the victim was White Sox’ 3B Vinny Capra (the final batter Kershaw faced in the game).  Kershaw, by the way, gave up nine hits and four runs over his six frames and got a no-decision.

A few things caught my eye: First, Kershaw became just the 20th MLB pitcher to reach the 3,000+ strikeout mark; the fifth MLB pitcher to record 3,000 strikeouts for one team during his career; and just the third pitcher to record 3,000 or more strikeouts for one team and have those be the only strikeouts of his MLB career.  (I’m betting he will retire a Dodger.)

Long awaited Save

On July 2, Aroldis Chapman picked up a long-awaited (well, 24 hours or so) save. The Reds/Red Sox tilt (at Fenway) that started on July 1 had been suspended (weather) and was resumed (top of the fourth) July 2. The Red Sox ultimately prevailed 5-3 and Chapman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning (one strikeout) for his 15^th save of 2025 and his 350^th career save.  The 37-year-old Chapman ended June with 19  saves and a 1.29 ERA on the season.

Plenty of Fireworks in Chicago

On July 4, the fireworks started early in Chicago – a 1:20 start versus the Cardinals at Wrigley. The Cubs pounded out an 11-3 win and in the process:

• The Cubbies hit a franchise record eight home runs (including a franchise record six by the third inning);
• DH Seiya Suzuki and CF Pete Crow-Armstrong hit solo shots in the first;
• 1B Michael Busch and C Carson Kelly added solo homers in the second;
• Crow-Armstrong added a second solo shot in the third, followed later that inning by a two-run homer by Busch (also his second of the game);
• SS Dansby Swanson hit a two-run shot in the seventh, followed by Busch’s third long ball of the game.

A Stick and Four Circles

On July 5, the Red Sox banged out 11 hits in a 10-3 win over the Nationals at Nationals Park.  Those ten tallies were appropriate, as the victory marked the Red Sox franchise’s 10,000th win. The only other franchises to reach 10,000 wins (Modern Era) are the Dodgers, Yankees, Giants and Cardinals.

A Shohei Kind of Coincidence

On July 5, the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani celebrated his 31^st birthday by starting on the mound for the Dodgers. Building up his arm strength after elbow surgery (Ohtani did not pitch in 2024), Ohtani (coincidentally) threw 31 pitches (21 strikes) on his 31^st birthday, giving up one hit and fanning three (striking out the side in the second frame) over two innings.  (As usual, more on Shohei coming up later in the highlights).

2,000 for Manny

On July 7, as the Padres lost to the Diamondbacks 6-3, Padres’ veteran 3B Manny Machado collected three hits (including a solo home run).   The second of those hits – a fourth inning single off Zac Gallen – was Machado’s 2,000 career base knock.

July 8 Declared Inside-The-Park Day

On July 8, as the Athletics topped the Braves 10-1 in Sacramento, A’s RF and leadoff hitter  Lawrence Butler went two-for-four, with three runs, two RBI and two homers.  For this Highlights section, we are most interested in home run number-one – an inside-the-parker off Braves’ P Didier Fuentes’ first pitch. It was Butler’s 12^th homer of the season and first career inside-the-parker.

Now, Butler’s dash around the bases didn’t qualify as a highlight until a bit later in the day, when Giants’ C Patrick Bailey hit a walk-off, three run, inside-the-park homer in the bottom of the ninth to send his Giants past the Phillies 4-3.  It was Bailey’s second home run of 2025 and, like Butler, his first career inside-the-parker.

Why the highlights?  July 8 marked the first time in the Modern Era (post-1900) that MLB saw a lead-off and a walk-off inside-the-park homer on the same day (Elia Sports Bureau). I was also intrigued by the fact that the two dashes around the bases came from the bookends of the lineup – Butler hitting leadoff and Bailey hitting in the nine-hole.

An Immaculate Inning – For a Rookie

On July 8, Orioles rookie righty Brandon Young, making just his fifth MLB start, came into the bottom of the fifth inning with his Orioles leading the Mets 1-0. In that frame, Young pitched the 2025 season’s second Immaculate Inning– fanning Mets’ DH Jesse Winker, CF Jeff McNeil and C  Luis Torrens on a total of nine pitches. Things went a little south the following inning, as the Mets’ knocked Young off the mound with a homer, two doubles and a fly out by the first four batters. The Orioles eventually lost 7-6 and Young got a no-decision.

In the Year 2525

On July 10, Cubs’ 23-year-old outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong popped a pair of home runs as Chicago topped Minnesota 8-1 at Target Field.  The blasts were Crow-Armstrong’s 24^th and 25^th of the season and – coupled with his 27 stolen bases – made him the fastest Cub and fourth-fastest MLB player ever (a nod to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs here) to reach 25 or more home runs and 25 or more stolen bases in a season.  Crow-Armstrong reached the mark in 92 games played. The players quicker to the 25-25 mark were Eric Davis (69 games in 1987); Alfonso Soriano (91 games in 2002); and Bobby Bonds (91 games in 1973).

Thanks For the Visit.  It was really Good to See You Again.

On July 11, as the Cubs visited the Yankees, Yankee CF Cody Bellinger was facing the Cubbies for the first time since they traded him to New York last December. He said hello to his former teammates with his bat – going three-for-five, with three home runs and six RBI – in an 11-0 Yankee win. Bellinger came inches away from an MLB record-tying four-home run game.  It took a seventh-inning leaping highlight-reel catch (glove extended a couple of feet of above the outfield wall), by Cubs’ CF Pete Crow-Armstrong to deny Bellinger a share of the record.  The three long balls gave Bellinger 16 on the season.

A bit of #InBaseballWeCount Everything: The three-dinger outburst made Bellinger to the first player to launch three home runs in his first game against his former team.

The Cubs got a very small bit of revenge two games later (July 13), as they held Bellinger hitless in a 4-1 win over the Yankees. The Oh-For ended a 17-game Bellinger hitting streak, during which he went .397-6-16, with 17 runs scored.

Raleigh Continues to Punish Baseballs

On July 11, as Seattle trounced the Tigers 12-3, Mariners’ Catcher Cal Raleigh went two-for-five, with two home runs and five RBI.  They were his MLB-leading 37^th and 38^th homers of the season. As a highlight, that 38^th home run gave Raleigh the AL Record for the most home runs before the All Star Break (now in second place is Chris Davis with 37 in 2013). The 38 pre-All Star break Raleigh home runs trail only Barry Bonds’ 39 pre-break homers for the Giants in 2001. As 0f the break, Raleigh was .259-38-82, leading MLB in home runs and RBI.

Raleigh’s home run total over the past few seasons: 2022 – 27; 2023 – 30; 2024 – 34; and, of course, his already career-high output this year (42 at the end of June).   He is certainly moving in the right direction.

Here Comes the Judge 

On July 12, as the Yankees dropped a 5-2 decision to the Cubs, Aaron Judge slammed his 35th home run of the season – the 350^th of his career – coming in his 1,088th MLB game. Although in a losing cause, the blast got Judge to 350 long balls faster than any player in MLB history. (Number-two is Mark McGwire at 1,280.)

Well Done, Lord Byron

On July 12, fans lined up early at Target Field for a chance at that game’s give-away – a Byron Buxton Bobblehead. Their timing – and Buxton’s – was spot on. In the contest, a 12-4 Twins’ win over the Pirates, Buston delivered a five-for-five performance – and the second cycle (single, double, triple, home run in the same game) of the 2025 season. The Cubs’ Carson Kelly hit for the cycle in a March 31 18-3 win over the Athletics.

Buxton’s day went like this:

First Inning – Leadoff infield single off Mike Burrows;

Second Inning -Triple (with one out and no one on) to deep center off Burrows;

Third Inning– Ground rule RBI double (with two on and no outs) off Genesis Cabrera;

Fifth Inning – Single (one out, none on) single off Yohan Ramirez;

Seventh Inning – Home run (two outs, none on) to center on an 0-2 pitch from Andrew Heaney.

Buxton’s line: Five-for-five, three runs, two RBI and a cycle plus an extra single.

For those who like to know such things: It was the first cycle ever at Target field (opened in 2010).

A Today’s Game Highlight

It’s a sign of the times that one-pitcher shutouts are now always Highlights.  On July 12, Red Sox’ southpaw Garret Crochet threw his first MLB shutout – in a 1-0 Fenway win over the Rays (and also the key to the Red Sox’ ninth straight victory).  The shutout was also Crochet’s first-ever complete game and came in his 52^nd MLB start.  It ran his 2025 record to 10-4, 2.23.

Crochet gave up just three hits (singles), didn’t issue a walk and fanned nine. He threw an even 100 pitches (72 strikes).

More Sho(w)-Time

On July 12, Dodgers’ righty Shohei Ohtani – coming back from an elbow injury that kept in off the mound in 2024 – made his fifth mound start of the 2025 season. This time, he stretched out to three-innings and 36 pitches (25 strikes). He gave up just one-hit and one walk and no runs while fanning four in a 2-1 Dodgers’ win over the Giants in San Francisco. Of course, in 2024, while protecting that elbow, he didn’t really rest on past laurels.  Last season, as a DH, he hit .310, with 54 homers, 130 RBI and 59 stolen bases (MLB’s first 50-50 player) and won his third MVP Award.  Going forward, he may need a bigger trophy shelf.

It’s an International Game

On July 12, for the first-time ever in MLB, four Japanese-born pitchers were on the mound as starters. The Nationals’ Shinnosuke Ogasawara; Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani; Angels’ Yusei Kikuchi; and Padres’ Yu Darvish.  Ogasawara gave up three runs in four innings (no-decision); Ohtani pitched three scoreless innings (no-decision); Kikuchi gave up three runs in 5 2/3 frames (win); Darvish gave up four runs in 4 /2.3 innings (no-decision).

Lucky Number 13

On July 13, the Reds, managed by Terry Francona, topped the Rockies 4-2 in Cincinnati. The victory marked Terry Francona 2,000th managerial win – making him just the 13^th MLB manager with at least 2,000 victories. 921 of his wins came while leading the Indians/Guardians; 744 with the Red Sox; 285 with the Phillies; and 50 with the Reds.

I’m B-a-a-ack!

On July 30, of last season, the Orioles sent OF Kyle Stowers and INF Connor Norby to the Marlins for P Trevor Rogers.  In limited action over three seasons (2022-24) with the Birds, Stowers had hit .229, with four home runs and 24 RBI.  Stowers didn’t get a chance to play again in Camden Yards (nor against the O’s) until July 12 of this season – as his Marlins visited Baltimore.  In just the second game against his old squad (on July 13), in his former home, Stowers had the game of his career. As the Marlins pounded the Orioles 11-1, Stowers went five-for-five, with three home runs and six RBI (sending him into the All Star break with a .293-19-54 line on the season). It was his first career multi-homer game, first career five-hit game. Oh yes, and let’s not forget, he was on his way to the All Star Game.

Break? What Break? I’m on roll.

On July 18, the Marlins’ Kyle Stowers – who hit three home runs on the last game before the All Star break (see above) – celebrated the first game after the break with three hits (including two home runs) and five RBI, as the Marlins topped the Royals 8-7 in ten innings. The second of his long balls was a walk-off, two-run shot in the bottom of the tenth inning.  His five long balls in the two games were a Marlins’ franchise record and his 11 RBI tied Gary Sheffield’s 11 in two consecutive games in 1995.

I’m Here!

On July 12, MLB announced that Brewers’ 23-year-old rookie right-hander Jacob Misiorowski was selected to the NL All Star squad (a replacement for Cub’s southpaw Matthew Boyd). That made “The Miz” the All Star with the fewest MLB games played ever (just five).  While Misiorowski may have had just five starts, they were of All Star quality – 4-1, 2.81 with 33 strikeouts (11 walks) in 25 2/3 innings (and lots of triple-digit heat.)

Side note: Speed on Miz’ first two MLB pitches: 100.5 mph; 101.8 mph.

In his first start (five innings), he threw 14 triple-digit heaters; in his second start, he threw 29 triple-digit pitches over six-plus frames (he faced two batters in the seventh); he didn’t give up a hit over his first 11 MLB innings.

Misiorowski pitched the eighth inning of the All Star Game, facing four batters (one single and three flyouts, with no runs).  He threw 18 pitches, nine of them at 100MPH+, the fastest at 103.3 MPH.

The All Star Break – Not Always a good Thing

On July 14, as MLB went into the All Star break, the Red Sox were red hot, with an active a ten-game winning streak. On July 18, in their first game after the break, the winning streak came to an end with a 4-1 loss to the Cubs.  Why is that a highlight? The Red Sox were just the fourth team to go into the All Star break on a double-digit winning streak – joining the 1935 Tigers (10 games), 1975 Reds (10 games) and 2022 Mariners (14 games). Each of those team lost their first contest coming out of the break.

Rich Hill Takes the Hill for a Record-Tying 14^th MLB Team

On July 22, 45-year-old southpaw Rich Hill took the mound for the Royals (versus the Cubs) in Chicago. – going six innings and giving up three runs (one earned).  Notably, it was his first start since 2023 and it came at Wrigley Field, where he made his MLB debut wa-a-a-ay back on June 15, 2005. (Hill did make four relief appearances for the Red Sox in 2024.) Even more notably, it tied him (with Edwin Jackson) for the most franchises played for at the major-league level at 14. Over his career, Hill has taken the hill for the Cubs (2005-08); Orioles (2009); Red Sox (2010-12, 2005, 2022, 2024); Indians (2013); Angels (2014); Yankees (2014); A’s (2016); Dodgers (2016-19); Twins (2020); Rays (2021); Mets (2021) Pirates (2023); Padres (2023); Royals (2025).

Hill’s career record is 90-76, 4.02 in 388 games (250 starts). He has the most wins as a Dodger (30-16 over four seasons) and his best season was 2016, when he appropriately, pitched for two teams and in both leagues. That season he was 9-3, 2.25 for the A’s and 3-2, 1.83 for the Dodgers – a combined 12-5, 2.12 in 20 starts. Hill was Designated For Assignment by the Royals  July 29. Could a 15th franchise be in his future?

350 for Harper

On July 23, as the Phillies lost to the Red Sox 9-8 in eleven innings, Bryce Harper popped a solo home run to RF in the bottom of the first inning.  It followed a two-run shot by Kyle Schwarber and gave the Phillies an early 3-0 lead. While the lead didn’t hold up, Harper’s home run was notable.  It was the 350^th roundtripper of the 32-year-old Harper’s 14-season MLB career,

Ohtani Hits His Way into the Dodger Record Books

On July 23, as the Dodgers topped the Twins 4-3 in LA, Shohei Ohtani went one-for-four with a home run and two RBI. Now, an Ohtani home run is not a surprise (it was his 37^th of the season).  However, this smash marked the fifth straight game (July 19-23) in which Ohani went yard – tying the Dodgers’ franchise record for consecutive games with a home run.  (Over the span of five games, Ohtani was .286-5-10 and the Dodgers went 2-3.) Other Dodgers to homer in five straight: Roy Campanella; Shawn Green; Matt Kemp; Adrian Gonzalez; Joc Pederson; Max Muncy. I was surprised that Duke Snider’s name wasn’t in the mix.

A Sign of The Times – Again

It’s a sign of the times that a shutout always seems worthy of the Highlights section.  On July 25, Reds’ southpaw Nick Lodolo, in his third MLB season and 21st MLB start, threw his first MLB shutout in a 5-0 Reds’ win over the Nationals in Washington.  Lodolo gave up four hits and no walks, while fanning eight in the 105-pitch outing. It was his second complete game of the season and his MLB career.  It ran his 2025 record to 8-6, 3.08.

I LIKE IT!

Okay, I’m not a big fan of MLB rules changes – although I’ve learned to live with all of them except the placed runner in extra innings.  I do need to say here that I am still not fond of the softball-style “wave-em-to-first” intentional walk, shift restrictions (learn to go the other way, boys), requirements that a reliever finish an inning or face at least three batters and restrictions on mound disengagements. However, I do like the ball/strike challenge rules (as we saw it in the All Star Game) and the deciding of All Star contests tied after nine innings with a mini–Home Run Derby. (Certainly, it helps managers plan how to get their players into the game and also should prevent team from running out of pitchers.)   

 

Hey. Look At the New Guy Go!

On July 25, the Athletics’ 23-year-old rookie Nick Kurtz (at DH, batting second) powered up for the second four-homer game of 2025 (The Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suarez had a four-homer contest in April).  While it was MLB’s 20^th four-homer game, Kurtz earned unicorn status as the first MLB rookie to bash four dingers in a single game. Kurtz’ offensive explosion came in a 15-3 Athletics’ win in Houston. In addition to the four dingers, Kurtz had a double and a single for 19 total bases – tying the Dodgers’ Shawn Green (May 23, 2002) for the most total bases in a single game.  Notably, Kurtz came into the ninth inning with three long balls – and scheduled to bat sixth. Luckily, the A’s extended the inning (fly ball out, single, double, groundout, single) to bring Kurtz to the plate in the top of the final inning with two on and two out – and he delivered his fourth home run of the game, as well as his sixth, seventh and eighth RBI.  Kurtz finished the day at .305-23-59 in 66 games.

His day went like this:

First Inning – Single (off Ryan Gusto) with one out and no one on;

Second Inning – Two-out, two-run home run (Gusto);

Fourth Inning – One-out, RBI-double (Gusto);

Sixth Inning – One-out, solo homer (Off Nick Hernandez);

Eighth Inning – One-out, solo home run (off Kaleb Ort);

Ninth Inning – Two-out, three-run homer run (off Cooper Hummel).

They Call Him the Streak

From July 10 through July 25, Nick Kurtz enjoyed a 12-game hitting streak, during which he hit .553 (25-for-47), with nine home runs, one triple, ten doubles, 20 RBI and 18 runs scored.

Kurtz made it to the big leagues in a hurry. He was drafted by the Athletics in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft (fourth overall) – after going .333-61-182 in three season at Wake Forest (164 games). In 33 minor-league games, he hit .344-12-40.

A Nice Round Number – And Growing

On July 25, as the Phillies trounced the Yankees 12-5 in New York, Kyle Schwarber went three-for-five, with three runs scored and four RBI. His first hit of the night, coming in the fifth innings,  was his 1,000^th career safety and – in true Schwarber fashion – was a (two-run) home run. It was his 35^th dinger of the season.

More Bobblehead Night Timing

On July 25, the Angels held a bobblehead night, featuring shortstop Zach Neto. The 24-year-old leadoff hitter responded well, hitting a two-run, game-winning, walk-off single in the bottom of tenth to give the Angels as 3-2 win over the Mariners.

1,000 and Counting

On July 27, as his Angels topped the Mariners 4-1 in LA, Angels’ DH Mike Trout popped a two-run home run – picking up career RBIs 1,000 and 1,001. It came in the three-time MVP’s 15th MLB season and 1,598^th MLB game.

Man, #InBaseballWeCounctEverything

In the Braves’ July 28 10-7 win over the Royals (in KC), Braves’ RF Ronald Acuna, Jr. hit is 14^th home run of the season – a 469-footer. Yes, we not only count everything, we now also seem to track everything.  But getting back to that tracking, reports on the game noted that Acuna has hit the most home runs of 450-feet or more since 2018 – 26 – outpacing Shohei Ohtani (22) and Aaron Judge (22), the only other players with more than 20 450-footers in that time span. If I’m right, they all count the same no matter the distance, don’t they?

Traded? A Little Birdie Told Me. Still, I can Walk, Not Fly, to My New Team.

On July 29, the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays were facing each other in a doubleheader in Camden Yards. The Orioles prevailed in Game One by a 16-4 score. In between games, the Orioles and Blue Jays completed a trade – Orioles’ reliever Seranthony Dominguez to Toronto for Blue Jays’ pitching prospect Juaron Watts-Brown and cash. Dominguez didn’t have to wait long – after changing locker rooms and uniforms – to face his old team.   In the second game of the twin bill, Dominguez pitched a scoreless seventh inning, in a 3-2 Blue Jays loss. In his first game as a Blue Jay, he struck out his “first-game-of-the-doubleheader” teammates PH Colton Cowser to open the inning and 2B Jackson Holliday to close the frame.

In the kind of coincidence Baseball Roundtable likes, it so happens that the Orioles’ minor-league affiliate Chesapeake Baysox was playing the Blue Jays-affiliate New Hampshire Fisher Cats. So, Watts-Brown also found himself making a very short trip to his new club. (Props to Keegan Matheson, MLB.coom, for this highlight.)

Bonus HIghlight: For those who like a little bit of history.  On Memorial Day May 30, 1922, the Cardinals and Cubs famously swapped outfielders between games of a doubleheader.  (The two squads were facing off in Chicago.)  The Cubs won Game One 4-2 – and batting fifth in their lineup (collecting one RBI, despite going 0-for-4) was RF Max Flack.  The CF for the Cardinals that game (batting seventh) was Cliff Heathcote – who went 0-for-3. Flack was in his ninth season for the Cubs, while Heathcote was in his fifth season for the Cardinals.

In between games of the twin bill, Flack and Heathcote were traded for each other. The two outfielders each crossed over to their new team’s clubhouse and suited up against their previous team for Game Two – becoming the first two players to take the field for two major-league teams in a single day.  Both collected hits for their new teams in the second game (Flack a single in four at bats, Heathcote a pair of singles in four trips to the plate). It’s remains the only time two players were traded between games of a doubleheader and each played for their new club in game two.

Century Club for Eovaldi

On July 30, Nathan Eovaldi picked up his fifth July win, going seven innings (six hits, one run, two walks, four strikeouts) in a 6-3 victory over the Angels in Anaheim. It ran his record for 2025 to 9-3, 1.49 and, just as important for highlight purposes, marked his 100^th MLB victory.  The 35-year-old righty is in his 14^th MLB season (Dodgers, Marlins, Rays, Red Sox, Rangers) and has a career mark of 100-84-3.91. Thirty-three of his 100 wins have come in the past 2 ½ season with the Rangers.

Statistics, Sweet Statistics

American novelist Pat Conroy once observed, “Baseball fans love numbers.  They love to swirl them around in their mouths like Bordeaux wine.”  True, but can you be overserved? I saw this report as July came to a close. On July 31, Mariners C Cal Raleigh hit his 42nd home run of the season as Seattle topped Texas 6-0 in Seattle. The statistic that emerged? It gave Raleigh the record for most home runs in a season by a switch-hitting catcher – topping the Mets’ Todd Hundley’s 41 in 1996.

 

—INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS FOR JULY—

BATTING AVERAGE (at least 75 at bats)

American League: Nick Kurtz, Athletics (.395); George Springer, Blue Jays (.371); Jose Altuve, Astros (.363)

National League:  Jackson Chourio, Brewers (.367); Kyle Stowers, Marlins (.364); J.T. Realmuto, Phillies (.354)

The lowest July average among players with at least 75 at bats belonged to Mets’ 1B Pete Alonso at .141 (12-for-85).

HITS

American League: Bo Bichette, Blue Jays (35); Nick Kurtz, Athletics (34); Jose Altuve, Astros (33); George Springer, Blue Jays (33)

National League: Jackson Chourio, Brewers (33); Xavier Edwards, Marlins (33); Manny Machado, Padres (33)

The Athletics Nick Kurtz led all MLBers in July extra-base hits with 25 – 13 doubles, one triple and 11 home runs.  

HOME RUNS

American League: NIck, Kurtz, Mariners (11); Randy Arozarena, Mariners (11); Salvador Perez, Royals (9); Cal Raleigh, Mariners (9)

National League:  Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (12); Kyle Stowers, Marlins (10); Eugenio Suarez, Diamondbacks (10)

The Athletics Nick Kurtz led all hitters with at least 75 at bats in July slugging percentage at .953. The Marlins’ Kyle Stowers led the NL at .818.

RUNS BATTED IN

American League: Nick Kurtz, Athletics (27); Addison Barger, Blue Jays (24); five with 21

National League: Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (29); Manny Machado, Padres (24); Willy Adames, Giants (21); Andrew Vaughn, Brewers (21)

RUNS SCORED

American League:  Nick Kurtz, Athletics (24); George Springer, Blue Jays (24); Jordan Westburg, Orioles (24)

National League: Willy Adames, Giants (19); Xavier Edwards, Marlins (19); Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (18); Fernando Tatis, Jr., Padres (18)

DOUBLES

American League: Nick Kurtz, Athletics (13); Bo Bichette, Blue Jays (12); Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (10)

National League: Bryce Harper, Phillies (11); Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs (10); Willson Contreras, Cardinals (9); August Ramirez, Marlines (9)

TRIPLES

American League:  Jarren Duran, Red Sox (3); six with two

National League: Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks (5); Michael Harris II, Braves (4); seven with two

STOLEN BASES

American League:  Jose Ramirez, Guardians (10); Chandler Simpson, Rays (10); Zach Neto, Angels (8)

National League:  CJ Abrams, Nationals (9); Oneil Cruz, Pirates (7); Elly De La Cruz, Reds (7) ; Victor Scott, Cardinals (7)

The Reds’ Elly De La Cruz  and Victor Scott of the Cardinals tied for the most July bases stolen without getting caught (7).

 

BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS

American League:  Riley Greene, Tigers (40); Mike Trout, Angels (38); three with 34

National League: James Wood, Nationals (39); Dansby, Cubs (32); Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (32); Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (32)

WALKS

American League:  Mike Trout, Angels (22); Vlad Guerrero, Jr., Blue Jays (19); Corey Seager, Rangers (17)

National League: Kyle Tucker, Cubs (21); Fernando Tatis, Jr., Padres (20); three with 16

The highest on-base percentage among players with at least 75 July  at bats was .480, by the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz. The NL leader was the Marlins’ Kyle Stowers at .451.

PITCHING VICTORIES

American League: Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers (5-0); Garret Crochet, Red Sox (4-0);  Bennett Sousa, Astros (4-0); Chris Bassitt, Blue Jays (4-1); Luis Castillo, Mariners (4-1); George Kirby, Mariners (4-1); Brayan Bello, Red Sox (4-2)

National League:  Quinn Priester, Brewers (4-0); Matthew Boyd, Cubs (4-1); Nick Martinez, Reds (4-1); Adrian Morejon, Padres (4-1); Freddy Peralta, Brewers (4-1); Shota Imanaga, Cubs (4-2)

The Rockies’ Austin Gomber  (0-4, 6.38 in five starts) and Rays’ Shane Baz (0-4, 5.40 in five starts) tied for the MLB lead in July losses. 

EARNED RUN AVERAGE (minimum 20 July innings)

American League: Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers (0.59); Trevor Rogers, Orioles (1.03); Garrett Crochet, Red Sox (1.73)

National League: Paul Skenes, Pirates (0.67); David Peterson, Mets (1.05); Nick Pivetta, Padres 1.17

The highest ERA among pitchers with at least 20 July innings or four July starts was 6.38 by the Orioles’ Brandon Young (0-3, 6.38 in five starts, 24 innings).

STRIKEOUTS

American League: Logan Gilbert, Mariners (38); Jack Flaherty, Tigers (37); Jacob deGrom, Rangers (36); Ryan Pepiot, Rays (36)

National League: Nick Lodolo, Reds (38); Chase Burns, Reds 37; five with 36

WALKS + HITS/INNINGS PITCHED (at least 20 July innings)

American League: Trevor Rogers, Orioles (0.72); Eric Lauer, Blue Jays (0.76); Brandon Walter, Astros (0.79)

National League: Eury Perez, Marlins (0.64) ; Brandon Woodruff, Brewers (0.72); Mick Lodolo, Reds (0.75)

Among pitches with at least 20 July innings, the Marlins’ Eury Perez held batters to the lowest average at .135.

SAVES

American League:  Emmanuel Clase, Guardians (6); Carlos Estevez, Royals (6); Jeff Hoffman Blue Jays (6); Andres Munoz, Mariners (6); Devin Williams, Yankees (6)

National League:  Edwin Diaz, Mets (7); Robert Suarez, Padres (7) ; three with six  

Bonus:

Among pitchers who faced at least 50 batters in July :

• The Reds Chase Burns fanned the most batters per nine innings at 15.14 (37 strikeouts in 22 innings);
• The Pirates’ Carmen Mlodzinski had the best strikeouts-to-walks ratio at 16.0 (He walked one batter and fanned 16 in 13 innings.)

 

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

 

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

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I tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT

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Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

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It’s time again for Baseball Roundtable’s Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” one-of-a-kind MLB accomplishments or statistics.

At times, as I prepare these tidbits, my mind begins to wander towards statistical queries of questionable significance, like: “What are the fewest wins in a season by a pitcher with at least thirty starts?” It turns out you get the same answer, even if you add more qualifiers, like: “What are the fewest wins in a season by a pitcher who made at least 30 starts in the course of the season and was his team’s Opening Day starter?”

The answer to both queries is Herman John (Jack) Nabors of the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics – or, perhaps more appropriately, the woeful 1916 Athletics. Nabors’ record that season was 1-20, 3.47 in forty appearances.  His record in his thirty starts was 1-20, 3.35 (11 complete games).

Side Note:  When you consider the dubious records noted in this post, keep in mind, the players “achieved” these marks, while being among the small percentage of players who reach the major-league level. 

Nabors started the Opener for the Athletics (at Boston, with Babe Ruth on the mound). Nabors was pulled in the top of the fifth (for a pinch hitter) with the game scoreless. At that point, he had gone four innings (two hits, no runs, three walks, no strikeouts). The Red Sox eventually prevailed 2-1, aided by four Philadelphia errors (both Boston runs were unearned, as was the sole Athletics’ tally).

Nabors got touched up for ten hits and three runs over six innings in his next start (an April 18 loss to the Yankees). His next outing was a complete game 6-2 win over the Red Sox (in Philadelphia) in which he gave up two runs on eight hits.  It would be the last time in the 1916 season (and actually the only time in his MLB career) that Nabors would see a “W” next to his name.

The 1916 Athletics had a 36-117 record (worst in MLB) and finished 54 1/2 games out of first place.  They scored the fewest runs in MLB at 447 (2.90 per game) and gave up the most tallies at 776 (5.04 runs per game). In addition, they led MLB with 314 fielding errors, leading to an MLB-highest 191 unearned runs.

During the 1916 season, the Athletics:

• scored a total of 81 runs in Nabor’s 30 starts;
• scored zero or one run in ten of Nabors 30 starts;
• made 68 errors in Nabors’ starts, leading to 25 unearned runs (26.6 percent of the runs Nabors surrendered in those starts).

As those stats show, Nabors did not have much to work with.  He did, in fact, deserve much better than his 1-20 record.  His 3.47 earned run average was actually better than the average AL ERA of 3.68 and was second-best among the Athletics’ primary starters.  (Twenty-two-year-old rookie righthander Elmer Meyers won 14 games for the Athletics – 23 losses – despite an ERA 0.19 higher than Nabors.)

A little more on Nabors

Nabors’ minor-league achievements included a 1915 12-1 record in the Class D Georgia-Alabama League, including a 13-inning no-hitter (11 strikeouts, no walks) and a 15-inning, three-hit shutout. The Georgia-Alabama League season ended July 14 and the Athletics won a spirited bidding war for his services.

He made his MLB debut August 9 against the White Sox and it might have been an omen.  He pitched a complete game, but lost 8-4.  Although he did give up 12 hits, seven walks and one hit batter, he wasn’t helped by the Athletics six errors (two by Nabors), which helped the White Sox to three unearned runs.  In the Society for American Baseball Research Jack Nabors bio, Stephen V. Rice notes that the White Sox took advantage of Nabors’ inexperience fielding his position, pointing to an August 10, 1915 Philadelphia Inquirer article that noted “six of the first seven hits credited against him being safe bunts that were beaten out, while the other one was a hit that (first baseman Stuffy) McInnis fielded and Nabors forgot all about covering first. “

Still, after putting up a 9.45 ERA in his first two MLB appearances, Nabors appeared to have righted the ship. He made eight more appearances and pitched to a 3.98 ERA (0-3 record) over those mound outings. Nabors finished the 1915 season at 0-5, 5.50 in ten games (seven starts).  His late-season improvement earned Nabors the nod to start the 1916 Opener and the rest (in the form of a 1-20 season record) is history.

While Nabors started the 1917 season with the Athletics, he pitched in just two games before being traded to the Indianapolis Indians of the Double-A American Association, who sent him to the Class-A Denver Bears of the Western League, where he pitched to a 9-17 record.  In 1918, Nabors enlisted in the Army (WWI), where he was sent to Camp Dodge Iowa, where he pitched for the camp baseball squad.  He fell victim to the influenza pandemic of 1918-19 and did not pitch again.  He passed away in 1923 (at 35 years of age) of tuberculosis.

Bonus: Tidbit

RHP Terry Felton, who spent parts of four seasons with the Minnesota Twins has unicorn status (for Baseball Roundtable) – holding the records for the most consecutive losses to start an MLB career and the most losses for any pitcher without single MLB win on his resume (16) – and sharing the record (with Hulon Stamps of the 1927 Negro National League Memphis Red Sox) for most losses in a season with no wins (13).   Felton’s career MLB record is 0-16, 5.53, with three saves, in 55 appearances.   

Felton signed with the Twins out of the 1976 MLB Draft (second round). He made his MLB debut (as a 21-year-old) September 28, 1979 (after a 7-10, 3.42 campaign at Triple-A). He got into just one game with the Twins that season – retiring six straight batters over the final two innings of a Twins’ 10-1 loss to the Brewers.

He spent most of 1980-81 in the minors, getting in just six games with the Twins (four starts) and going 0-3, 9.47.  In 1982, he stuck with the big club (48 appearances – six starts) and pitched his way into the record books.  He went 0-13, 4.99 in 48 games (six starts).  Felton did not pitch in the major leagues again, toiling at Triple-A and Double-A in the Twins and Dodgers systems (1983-84), before leaving pro ball.  

Primary Resources: Stathead.com; Jack Nabors, SABR Bio, by Stephen V. Rice

Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.

Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs. For the full list click here. 

I tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT

Follow Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook Page here.  More baseball commentary; blog post notifications; PRIZES.

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; The Baseball Reliquary.

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