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<\/a>On this Date (July 17) in 1914, 23-year-old righty Charles “Babe” Adams<\/strong> started for the Pirates against future Hall of Famer Rube Marquard (of the Giants).\u00a0 To that point in the season, Adams had gone 7-9, 1.96 – and had walked only 22 batters in 142 1\/3 innings pitched (1.4 walks per nine innings). He would be a lot stingier with the free passes on that day.\u00a0 Adams, in fact, would set the MLB record for the most innings pitched in a single outing without giving up a walk.\u00a0 Adams went the distance in a 21-inning, 3-1 Pirates’ loss (the Giants’ Marquard also pitched the full 21 innings). In the 21 frames, Adams gave up just 12 hits – and zero walks<\/strong><\/em> – while fanning six,. Marquard gave up 15 hits and two walks, while fanning just two. The game was tied at one apiece after 20 innings, but the Giants got to Adams for two in the top of the 21st – on a single by CF Bob Bescher<\/strong> and an inside-the-park homer by 2B Larry Doyle<\/strong>.<\/p>\nAdams pitched in 19 MLB seasons (1906-07, 1909-16, 1918-26).\u00a0 He pitched for the Pirates in all but the 1906 season (Cardinals). Adams went 194-140, 2.76 and led the NL in fewest walks per nine innings in four straight seasons (1919-22), finishing the league’s top-three in the category in nine times.\u00a0 Side note:\u00a0 If Adams came back to the mound and walked 160 straight batters, he would still have a better career walks-per-nine innings ratio than Hall of Fame corner-painter Greg Maddux<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n As always, when Baseball Roundtable researches\u00a0 a topic, one thing always seem to lead to another<\/em> – and, this time, it led to three trivia questions that can all be answered “Babe Adams.”<\/strong>\u00a0 We’ll get back to our originally scheduled topic – walk-stingy hurlers – but first a look at some Babe Adams not so trivial trivia.<\/p>\n Adams came into the 1909 seasons having had brief\u00a0 MLB \u201clooks\u201d in 1906-07 — no wins, three losses, 7.96 ERA in five games (so, his rookie status was intact.). Pitching in the minors in Louisville in 1908, he went 22-12. In 1909, he stuck with the Pirates, getting in 25 games (12 starts\/seven complete games) and putting up a 12-3, 1.11 record. \u00a0Adams was far from the star of the Pirates’ staff, which included Howie Camnitz<\/strong> (25-6, 1.62), Vic Willis<\/strong> (22-11, 2.24) and Lefty Leifield<\/strong> (19-8, 2.37).\u00a0 But manager Fred Clarke<\/strong> like liked Adam\u2019s steady composure on \u00a0the mound, his strong finish to the season and how the rookie’s\u00a0 stuff\u00a0 and style<\/em> matched up against the Tigers.\u00a0 So, Adams got the Game One start and the rest is history.<\/p>\n Adams earned complete-game wins in Games One and Five, giving up just four earned runs. Then came the deciding Game Seven.\u00a0 (The World Series’ first-ever deciding seventh game.) Adams again went the distance, shutting out the Tigers on six hits (one walk and one whiff).\u00a0 Thus, he pitched and threw a shutout<\/strong><\/em> to win the first deciding Game Seven (as a rookie) and also became the first rookie to win three games in a best-of-seven World Series.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Back to our Originally Scheduled Topic … How about 22 Innings Without a Walk?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n While Babe Adams holds the single-pitcher, single-game record for most innings pitched without issuing a walk, on\u00a0 August 23, 1989, the Expos’ staff set an MLB record by going 22 innings without issuing a single walk (intentional or non-intentional).\u00a0 The Dodgers, who had 20 hits in the game (the Expos had 13) won the contest on a Rick Dempsey<\/strong> home run (off Dennis Martinez<\/strong>) in the top of the 22nd<\/sup> frame. In the game, Montreal starter Pascual Perez<\/strong> went the first eight innings and only went to a three-ball count on one batter (3-2 before fanning Dodgers’ LF Lenny Harris<\/strong> in the first frame). In fact, over the first 18 innings, Expos’ hurlers \u2013 they used six in the game –\u00a0 reached three balls on only three batters.\u00a0 (The Baseball-Reference.com pitch-by-pitch only goes through the first 18 innings, so I need to do a bit more research on this one.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Side Note: In this game, Youppi \u2013 the Expos’ mascot – \u00a0was ejected in the 11th inning. (Perhaps he had a date.)<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n More on Stingy Pitcher .s<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n You could follow up this question with: \u201cHow many right-handed hitters did Carlos Silva walk in 2005?”\u00a0<\/strong><\/em> The answer is one \u2013 the Tigers\u2019 Craig Monroe<\/strong> – and that was Silva’s one intentional walk.\u00a0 So, not a single righty was able to \u201cwork him” for a walk all-season.\u00a0 Monroe, by the way, drew only 40 walks in 623 plate appearance n 2005.\u00a0\u00a0 You might also be interested to know that Silva is the only pitcher \u2013 among the 25 best single-season walks per nine rates \u2013 whose landmark season came after the four-ball walk rule came into effect.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Silva pitched nine MLB seasons (2002-10 \u2026 Phillies, Twins, Mariners, Cubs) and went 70-70, 4.68. He walked 238 batters in 1,241 2\/3 innings \u2013 1.5 per nine frames. Another One Thing Leads to Another<\/em>\u00a0 \u2013 No \u201cTrue Outcomes\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Looking at walks takes you right into – in today’s terminology – the \u201cThree True Outcomes.”\u00a0 That would be walks, strikeouts and home runs \u2013 which have become an increasingly frequent part of the national pastime.<\/span><\/p>\n I decided to go on a search (Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org) for games in which there were no \u201cTrue Outcomes.\u201d Focusing on the Modern Era \u2013 post 1900 \u2013 I was only able to confirm two games of at least nine innings in which neither team recorded a walk, a strikeout or a home run.<\/span><\/p>\n On August 28, 1924 \u2013 as the Indians topped the White Sox\u00a0 7-0 in the first game of a double header \u2013 the two teams combined for 21 hits, seven runs and four errors \u2013 but not a single walk, whiff or long ball.\u00a0 The White Sox had eight hits (seven singles and a double), while the Indians knocked 13 hits, including two doubles and a triple. The winning pitcher was Sherry Smith<\/strong> (nine innings pitched, eight hits and, of course, no walks or strikeouts), while the losing hurler was Hollis Thurston<\/strong> (eight innings pitched, 13 hits, seven runs\/five earned). The second game of that twin bill, by the way, also saw no round trippers, but did include a combined total of 16 walks and ten strikeouts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On June 20, 1922, as the Braves topped the Robins (Dodgers)in Boston 3-2, the two squads put up a combined 16 hits and three errors, but no walks, strikeouts or home runs. All five runs in the contest were unearned. The winning pitcher in this one was Dana Fillingim,<\/strong> who gave up seven hits and two unearned runs in nine innings.\u00a0 The loser was Leon Cadore<\/strong> (eight innings, nine hits, three unearned runs.) Each team had just one extra base hit \u2013 a double. The day after their no true outcome<\/em> contest, the two teams combined for just one run (Robins 1 – Braves 0) on 14 hits, no home runs, four walks and six whiffs.<\/span><\/p>\n Primary Resource:\u00a0 Baseball-Reference.com<\/em><\/p>\n WE WANT YOUR OPINION<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n THERE IS STILL TIME TO VOTE IN BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE’S POLL COLLECTING FAN OPINIONS ON MANY OF MLB’S NEW RULES.\u00a0 CLICK HERE<\/a> TO ACCESS THE BALLOT.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n Baseball Roundtable – Blogging Baseball Since 2012.<\/strong><\/p>\n Baseball Roundtable is also on the Anytime Baseball Supply<\/em> Top 66 Baseball Sites list.\u00a0 For the full list, click here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
<\/a>Here\u2019s another trivia question:\u00a0 \u201cWhat qualifying pitcher has the lowest single-season walks per nine innings mark since the four-ball walk rule was instituted?”<\/strong> <\/em>(Four balls became a walk in 1888, prior to that walks were \u2013 at varying times \u2013 nine, eight, six and five balls. Thanks to great research by Society for American Baseball Research member Richard Hershberger.)\u00a0 The answer? Carlos Silva<\/strong>, who \u2013 as a Twin in 2005 \u2013 walked just nine batters (and one of those was intentional) in 188 1\/3 innings \u2013 a stingy 0.430 walks per nine frames rate.\u00a0 Note: Baseball-Reference.com indicates Negro League rankings are not yet complete.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot<\/em> list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs.\u00a0 To see the full list, click\u00a0here.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nI tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT<\/h3>\n