The 2021 season has been one of streaks. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles have endured, respectively, a (recently-ended) 17-game losing streak and a 14-game string of losses. On the other side of the coin, the Oakland A’s have enjoyed a 13-game winning streak and the Rays have put up an 11-game win string,
Side note: For those who are interested in such things, the D-backs’ recent losing streak lasted from June 2 through June 20. Over that time, they were outscored 119-64; outhit .297 to .215; and out-homered 29 to 10. The D-backs staff pitched to a 6.88 ERA, compared to the opponents’’ 3.39 and fanned 125 batters, compared to the opponents’ 152. The D-backs have also suffered a 13-game losing streak this season and, between May 16 and June 20, lost 31 of 33 games.
In this post, I’d like to reflect on a 10-day streak from June of 2002. That streak., the product of inopportune scheduling, ran from June 14 to June 23. It was a streak during which 134 major-leagues gamers were played – without a single contest taking place in an American League Park. There were 125 inter-league games and nine all-NL matchups. The NL-had the edge over that ten-day span – winning 67 inter-league matchups to the AL’s 58.
What makes this streak unique (at least in a recent history sense) is that for ten days, not a single designated hitter stepped up to the plate. That got me to thinking about how the pitchers from the two leagues matched up – not on the mound, but at the plate. AL pitchers, it turned out, made it to the plate more often than their NL counterparts (2.4 plate appearances per game to 2.0). The stats are in the chart below, but perhaps most striking is that the NL pitchers (who obviously get to the plate more often over a season) proved clearly more adept at putting the ball in play. AL pitchers struck out in 39 percent of their plate appearances, while NL hurlers fanned 30.1 percent of the time.
There were a few games in that streak in which a pitcher’s performance at the plate caught my eye.
Woody Williams’ day inlcuded a GR 2B; SH; SF; and HBP.
June 16 … Woody Williams of the Cardinals checked a lot of scorekeeper’s boxes as St. Louis topped the Royals 5-1. Williams had a ground-rule double in the third (and later scored); laid down a successful sacrifice bunt in the fifth; drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth; and was hit by a pitch in the eighth – a pretty productive day at the plate for a pitcher. He also pitched a complete-game five-hitter (one run, one, one walk, six whiffs). Williams had a decent season at the plate in 2002 – hitting .207 with one home run and three RBI (29 at bats). He had three doubles, but only one HBP and Sacrifice Fly. He was 9-4, 2.53 on the mound. In his 15-season MLB career he was 132-116, 4.19 on the bump and .194-4-43 at the plate.
June 18 … Jeff Weaver of the Tigers had the worst offensive game for a pitcher during the streak – going zero-for-four with four strikeouts. He made up for it on the mound, however, tossing a complete-game shutout (five hits, two walks, seven strikeouts) as the Tigers topped the Braves 6-0. Weaver came to the plate in only one other game that season – and went two-for-three with an RBI. He finished the season 11-11, 3.52 with an AL-leading three shutouts. In 11 MLB seasons, he went 104-119. 4/71 and hit .207-0-13,
Mike Hampton did more at the plate than on the mound for the Rockies/.
June 20 … In the Rockies’ 14-11 win over the Yankees, the Rox used pitcher Mike Hampton as a pinch hitter for pitcher Dennis Reyes. Hampton singled to open the eighth inning (the Rockies were up 10-9), moved to second on a bunt that turned into a single, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly. Hampton’s use as a pinch hitter was not really a surprise – he was a good hitting pitcher (.246 average with 16 home runs and 79 RBI in 725 career at bats). In 2002, in fact, Hampton was a better hitter than pitcher. He was 7-15, 6.15 on the mound and .344-3-5 at the plate. For his 16-season MLB career, Hampton was 148-115, 4.06 on the mound. (In 1999, he went 22-4, 2.90 for the Astros – leading the league in wins, winning percentage and finishing second in the Cy Young balloting. He also hit .373 that season.
Mike Hampton won five Silver Slugger Awards as the National League’s best-hitting pitcher. (The Silver Slugger Awards were established in 1980.) Hampton earned his handful of Silver Slugger recognitions in five consecutive seasons – from 1999 through 2003. Notably, he won them with four different teams: Astros (1999); Mets (2000); Rockies (2001 & 2002); and Braves (2003).
In 2003, Hampton was a leather and lumber guy, becoming the first pitcher to win both a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove in the same season. (Zack Greinke matched that feat in 2019.)
In 2001, Hampton homered in three consecutive at bats – his final two trips to the plate in a June 5 start, and his first plate appearance in his next outing (June 10.) That season he hit .291, with seven home runs and 16 RBI in 79 at bats.
Hampton was two-time All Star during his 16-season MLB career. He retired with a 148-115, 4.06 record on the mound and a .246-16-79 batting line (423 games). He hit over .300 in four seasons. While he didn’t hit a homer in his first eight MLB seasons, he went deep 16 times in his final eight campaigns.
Primary Resource: Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Roundtable Disclaimer: The MLB records referenced in this (and previous) posts have the potential to change as Major League Baseball recognizes and incorporates Negro League records from 1920-46 into the MLB record book.
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