Welcome to the fourth edition of Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday, a weekly (I hope) presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye. (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances or statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that caught my eye. Note: For Trivia(l) Tidbit One (brotherly 20-game winners), click here; for the second in the series (a tale of two Bob Millers), click here; For number three (Scot Rolen’s “lucky” break), click here.
Today’s Trivia(l)Tidbit focuses on a journeyman catcher named Bill Baker who – on September 28, 1943 – was (in a way) shown an unprecedented level of r-e-s-p-e-c-t at the plate. On that day, in the second game of a Pirates/Dodgers twin bill (in Pittsburgh), Baker tied the record for the most intentional walks gifted to a batter in a nine-inning game. Further, to get to the more trivial part of this tidbit, he also set the record for the most intentional walks in a game in which the player was issued a free pass in every plate appearance.
Photo: Cincinnati Reds – 1940 Team Issue, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In that contest, Baker – who came into the game hitting .273-1-24 and had appeared in 61 of the Pirate’s 150 games – started at catcher and was batting in the eight-hole. He came to the plate four times and was intentionally walked four times, as the Pirates prevailed 4-2 in nine innings (8 ½ really). Four intentional passes remains the record for a nine-inning game and the only other players to reach that mark are Barry Bonds (twice in 2004) and Jeff Heath (1941). Bonds and Heath, however, each needed five plate appearances to “earn” those four free trips to first base.
With the DH rule, it’s doubtful Baker’s record will fall (remember, he was batting in front of the pitcher). Here’s now game went:
- Second inning – Pirates up 1-0, runners on two outs, runner on second: Intentional Walk from pitcher Curt Davis. Pirates’ pitcher Bill Brandt up next, grounds out to short.
- Fourth inning – Pirates still up 1-0, one out, runners on second and third. Davis again intentionally walks Baker to get to Brandt. Brandt pops out to the catcher, leadoff hitter (SS Pete Coscaret) flied out to center.
- Sixth inning – Pirates up 2-0, runner on second and one out. Davis again intentionally walks Baker. Brandt bunts and is safe on an error. Coscaret flies out to center; RF Johnny Barrett strikes out.
- Eighth inning – Pirates up 3-2, one out, runner on second. Pitcher Les Webber intentionally walks Baker. PH Tommy O’Brien hits an RBI single (Rip Sewell comes in to pinch run for him); Coscaret flies out to center, Barrett walks to load the bases. Fritz Ostermueller relieves Webber and picks Sewell off first.
Baker, by the way, made his MLB debut in 1939, at the age of 29, after six minor-league seasons in which never hit lower than .292. He played in seven MLB seasons (1940-43, 1946, 1948-49 … Reds, Pirates, Cardinals) and hit .247-2-68 in 263 games. (He never played in more than 63 games in a season).
Now, as always for the Roundtable, when looking into an event or stat “one thing leads to another.” So here are a few more Trivia(l) Tidbits related to intentional walks.
For those who like to know such things:
- The record for intentional passes in a game of any length is five – the Cubs’ Andre Dawson, in a 16-inning 2-1 win over the Reds on May 22, 1990. (Dawson had eight plate appearances).
- As noted earlier, only three players (Bill Baker, Barry Bonds and Jeff Heath have been issued four intentional walks in a nine-inning game.
- Five players have received four intentional walks in an extra-inning affair – Bonds, Garry Templeton, Manny Ramirez, Roger Maris, and Ted Kluszewski.
So, Baker finds himself in some pretty good company.
I couldn’t stop myself, so here’s a bit more.
Let’s Do A Power Walk
In MLB history, 56 players have collected 150 or more career intentional walks (topped, of course, by Barry Bonds 688, well head of number-two Albert Pujols at 316). Most of those were power hitters. In fact, 51 of the 56 logged 240 or more career homers. How about those who did not reach 240 long balls?
- The fewest home runs by a player with 150 or more career intentional walks is 117 by Ichiro Suzuki (he had 181 intentional walks).
- The only other players with 150 or more intentional walks and fewer home runs than walks are: Wade Boggs, (180 IBB/118 HR); Tony Gwynn (203 IBB/135 HR); and Pete Rose (167 IBB/ 160 HR).
I’ll Take My Chances Facing This Guy
Roger Maris is the only player with 50 or more home runs in season without a single intentional walk. It happened in 1961, when he hit 61 homers (it helps to hit in front of Mickey Mantle.) Next on this list is Marcus Semien, who hit 45 homers for the Blue Jays in 2021 without drawing a single intentional pass. (Ironically, the only season Maris failed to draw a single IBB was his 61-homer campaign. In 1962, when he hit “only” 33 homers, he drew 11 intentional walks, four in one game.)
In 2004, when Barry Bonds drew a record 120 intentional walks, Jim Thome was second in MLB with 26 IBB. Further, only three players drew more total walks that season as Bonds had intentional walks (the Phillies’ Bobby Abreu, Astros’ Lance Berkman and Rockies’ Todd Helton – all with 127). Bonds, by the way drew 232 total walks that season 38.3% of his plate appearances).
Enough rambling, that’s it for this Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday.
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