Rodon Throws a No-Hitter… and Baseball Roundtable’s Mind Wanders

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.

Carlos Rodon – Photo by rchdj10

I began the day seeking inspiration for a topic for this post – and was immediately drawn to yesterday’s (April 14, 2021) no-hitter by White Sox’ southpaw Carlos Rodon.  As readers know, when I begin digging into a baseball topic, my mind can wander and “one thing often leads to another.”  Rodon’s no-no took me on  a journey of inspiration that did not lead in the direction I expected.

Here’s kind of how my though process went.

First, there was the fact that this was the second no-hitter this April.  Turns out that ties the record for April no-hitters, but it’s been done eight times. Maybe a topic if the record is broken over the next couple of weeks.

Philip Humber – Photo by Keith Allison

Then, I latched on to the fact that the no-hitter came in what was just Carlos Rodon’s second MLB complete game.  Then again, in April of 2012 (April 9), the White Sox’ Philip Humber threw not  just a no-hitter, but a perfect game, in the first-and-only complete-game in his eight-season MLB career.   Time to keep looking.

Next , I noted that Rodon lost a perfect game – on a hit batsman with one out in the ninth and final inning. (Rodon completed the no-hitter for an 8-0 win.) Plunking an opposing hitter – a tough way to lose a perfecto, even if you save the no-hitter.  Well, the Nationals’ Max Scherzer (on June 20, 2015) had a perfect game with two outs and two strikes on the batter in the ninth, when he plunked Pirates’ pinch-hitter Jose Tabata on a 2-2 pitch (in a tough eight-pitch at bat). Like Rodon, he completed the no-hitter (for a 6-0 win). I’d already written about that one, so I kept looking.

Plunking the Pitcher – Ouch.

On July 4, 1980, The Giants’ George “Hooks” Wiltse (Guess what his signature pitch was?) had a perfect game going with two outs in the top of the ninth and two strikes (a 2-2 count) on the batter  – Phillies’ starting pitcher George McQuillan.  On that 2-2 pitch, Wiltse hit McQuillan – ending the perfecto.  (Umpire Cy Rigler later said he missed the call on a 1-2 pitch to McQuillan and should have rung him up).  Wiltse retired the next batter, but his day was not done – since the score was 0-0.  The Giants (and Wiltse) eventually won in ten frames and Wiltse recorded a ten-inning no-hitter. Nickname note:  Hooks Wiltse’s brother – Lewis “Snake” Wiltse – also pitched in the major leagues. 

At this point, my mind wondered to hit batsmen and to a game earlier in the week (April 13), when the Pirates topped the Padres in Pittsburgh by an 8-4 score. The game featured 20 hits, 17 walks, three wild pitches and seven hit batsmen.  Maybe there was inspiration there? Those seven hit batters sent Baseball Roundtable to the record books, where I learned that the record for hit batsmen (both teams) in a single game is nine (Washington Senators versus Pittsburgh Pirates on May 9, 1896) – and the post-1900 record is eight (Cubs versus Reds on July 27, 2020). In that game, the victims were:  Cubs – Anthony Rizzo (twice), Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras, and Albert Amora; Reds – Curt Casili, Jesse Winker and Freddy Galvis.  Still not quite the inspiration I needed. So, my mind (and research) wandered further.

I discovered that while 56 players have hit two home runs in an inning (five of them twice), only eight players have been hit by a pitch twice in one frame.  That was it! In this post,  I’d like to look at those who share that painful record – as well as a few other HBP tidbits.

—–Players Hit by A Pitch Twice in One Inning—–

Willard Schmidt, Reds … April 26, 1959

Ironically, the first MLB player to be hit by a pitch twice in one inning was a pitcher – and one who was on the mound for just two-thirds of an inning in that game and in the batter’s box in only one inning. Willard Schmidt replaced Reds’ starter Joe Nuxhall with two on, one out and the Braves ahead 3-0 in the top of the second.  (Nuxhall had just walked two batters in a row.) Schmidt got Braves’ C Del Crandall to hit into a double play to end the inning.

After Reds’ SS Roy McMillan led off the bottom of the third with a single off Lew Burdette, Schmidt was hit by a Burdette offering. Two pitchers and six runs later, Schmidt found himself facing reliever Bob Rush with two on and two out.  Rush hit Schmidt with a pitch, loading the bases and then retired 2B Johnny Temple to end the inning.  After Braves’ SS Johnny Logan singled to open the top of the fourth, Schmidt was replaced by Orlando Pena. Schmidt the way, was one of eight Reds’ pitchers used in the 11-10 Reds’ win.  (The Braves used six, including Warren Spahn, who took the loss in relief.)  Schmidt went 31-29, 3.93 in seven MLB seasons. As a batter he was .163-0-7 and was hit by a pitch just four times – three in 1959.

Frank Thomas, Mets … April 29, 1962

Frank Thomas (not the “Big Hurt” Thomas) suffered a hurtful afternoon as his Mets topped the Phillies 8-0 in New York.  Thomas was in LF batting cleanup. In the seven-run fourth inning, Thomas first faced Phillies’ starter Art Mahaffey with one on and no out. To this point, Mahaffey had been cruising, with the only damage one by Thomas.  In the first two frames, Mahaffey had given up just one hit and fanned four.  The only hit was a home run by Thomas. In his second plate appearance versus Mahaffey,  Thomas was hit by a pitch. By the time the lineup made a full turn, Mahaffey was gone, the Mets were up 8-0 and Frank Sullivan was on the mound for Philadelphia.  To make a long story short, Thomas was plunked again. Thomas ended the day one-for-two with two runs scored and one RBI. He ended the season .266-34-94, with eight HBP’s.  Over his career (16 MLB seasons), Thomas was .266-286-962, with 51 HBPs, leading the league with ten HBP in 1954. In his record-tying HBP game, no other batter was hit.

Andres Galarraga, Rockies … July 12, 1996

The Rockies topped the Padres 13-12 (in Colorado) in the game in which Andres Galarraga was plunked twice in one inning.  Galarraga was playing 1B and batting sixth.  He came up with one out and no one on in the bottom of the seventh,  with the Rockies trailing 9-2. Reliever Bryce Florie hit him with an 0-2 pitch, which would prove to be the start of an 11-run rally. By the time, Galarraga came to the plate again, there was still only one out, the Padres were on their third pitcher of the frame and nine runs had crossed the plate. This time, Galarraga was hit on a 0-0 pitch from Willie Blair. The Rockies would go on to send five more batters to the plate before the half inning ended. Galarraga finished the game one-for-two, with two runs scored and one RBI. He finished the season with a .304 average, a league-leading 47 home runs and a league-topping 150 RBI. He was hit by a pitch 17 times. For his 19-season MLB career, Galarraga was .288-399-1,424 – and was hit by a pitch 179 times (leading the league twice).  In his record-tying game, Rockies’ pitchers also notched two HBPs.

Brady Anderson, Orioles … May 23, 1999

Anderson’s punishing afternoon began as he led off the very first inning of an Orioles’ 15-6 victory over the Rangers (in Baltimore). The Orioles’ CF was plunked by Rangers’ started Mike Morgan to open the bottom of a ten-run first frame. Three singles, two doubles, a walk, a sacrifice fly and a fly out later (not necessarily in that order), Anderson faced Morgan for a second time and was plunked a second time, ending Morgan’s day. There was, by the way, no retaliation. Anderson was the only batter hit in the contest. Anderson ended the day one-for-three, with two runs scored and one RBI. He finished the season with a .263-13-66 stat line and was hit by a pitch ten times. In his 15-season MLB career, Anderson would be plunked 154 times, leading the league in that category three times.

Mike Hessman, Tigers …. September 8, 2008

Hessman was playing third and batting eighth in the Tigers’ 14-8 win over the A’s in Detroit. He led off the bottom of what would be a six-run second inning and was hit by a 1-2 pitch from A’s starter Gio Gonzalez. He came up later in the inning with Josh Outman on the mound and was plunked again, this time on an 0-2 pitch. There were four HBPs in the game – three by the A’s and one by the Tigers. Hessman was one-for-three in the contest, with a home run, two runs scored and one RBI. He finished the season hitting .296-5-7 in just 12 games. The two September 8 HBP that gave him a share of the record were his only plunkings of the season.  Hessman played 109 MLB games over five seasons – going .188-14-33, with a total of five HBPs.

Jose Guillen, Giants … September 23, 2010

Guillen started in RF, batting sixth, as the Giants defeated the Cubs 13-0 in Chicago.  It was pretty much total domination behind seven shutout innings from Madison Bumgarner (seven hits, one walk, nine strikeouts).  Overall, Giants’ pitchers fanned 12 and walked one, while Cub’s hurlers walked three, three fanned five and gave up four home runs (among the Giants 19 hits) to the Cubs’ seven safeties. Guillen was the only batter hit in the game. Guillen’s plunkings came in the nine-run second. He led off the inning by getting hit on a 1-1 pitch from starter Ryan Dempster, whose inning then went home run, strikeout, single, double, RBI single, strikeout, RBI single, run-scoring wild pitch, walk – and then the second plunking of Guillen (on the first pitch of this plate appearance). That ended Dempster’s day. Thomas Diamond (good baseball name) came on and immediately gave up a Grand Slam to SS Juan Uribe.  Guillen finished the game one-for-one with two runs scored. He finished the season (the last of his 14 MLB campaigns) at .258-19-77, with 14 HBPs.  For his career, Guillen was .270-214-887 and was hit 145 times, leading the league once.

David DeJesus, Cubs, … June 18, 2012

David DeJesus led ff and played CF when the Cubs topped the Dodgers 12-3 on June 12, 2012. He led off the Cubs’ six-run seventh inning by getting hit on a 2-1 pitch from reliever Will Ohman. When DeJesus’ turn at the plate came around again, the Cubs had scored six times and Hector Santiago was on the mound.  He hit DeJesus with a 2-2 offering. Those were the only two HBPs in the game.  For the contest, DeJesus was zero-for-three with a run scored.  He finished the season, .263-9-50, with nine HBP.  For his 13-season MLB career, DeJesus was .275-99-573, with 103 HBP, leading the AL with 23 in 2007.

Brandon Moss, A’s …  April 25, 2014

Moss was playing LF and batting in the five-hole as the A’s topped the Astros 12-5 in Houston – and he almost escaped that evening’s game unscathed.  His two-HBP inning started as he led off the top of the ninth (against reliever Josh Fields, who had just entered the game) with the game knotted at 5-5. In that first ninth-inning plate appearance, Fields hit Moss on a 1-2 pitch. By the time, Moss came up again in the inning, seven runs were in and Anthony Bass was on the mound.  Bass hit Moss on an 0-2 pitch.  (It’s surprising how many of the plunkings among these record sharers came with two strikes on the batter.) Moss finished the game two-for-four with one run scored. He finished the season at .234-25-81, with ten HBP’s.  In an 11-season MLB career, Moss hit .237, with 160 home runs, 473 RBI and 36 HBP. One other batter was hit in Moss’ record-tying game (Jason Castro of the Astros).

A few other HBP Tidbits:

• The MLB career record for hit-by-pitch goes to Hughie Jennings (who played 17 seasons between 1891 and 1918 – and was plunked 287 times). He led the league in HBP five times and was hit an MLB-record 51 times in 1896.
• The post-1900 record for HBP belongs to Craig Biggio – hit 285 times in a 20-season career (1988-2007). Like Jennings, he led his league in HBP five times.
• No MLB player led the league in HBP in more seasons than Minnie Minoso, who topped the AL in plunkings ten times in a 17-season MLB career.
• Ron Hunt holds the MLB record for consecutive seasons leading the league in HBP at seven (1968-74).
• Ron Hunt was hit fifty times in 1971, the only player post-1900 to be hit more than 37 times in a season – and the only MLB player other than Hughie Jennings to be plunked 50 or more times in a campaign (Jennings – 51 in 1896).
• Twenty-six players have been hit by a pitch three times in a game – three of those have suffered this punishment more than once.  A few notable names that have been plunked three times in a game include: Bill Freehan, Nomar Garciaparra, Nap Lajoie, Sherm Lollar,  Mel Ott, Manny Ramirez.  (For Minnesota readers, Corey Koskie and Craig Kuscik make this list.)

Coming in the future, a look at HBP stats from the pitchers’ point of view.

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