All Good Things...

I don't want to be sucked into an excuse-making apologia, so I'll be blunt: you've undoubtedly noticed a lack of regular updates on this blog, stretching back over a period of months. While I still enjoy the obscure minutia of baseball history, and I do still write occasionally at Brew Crew Ball, I am not able to devote as much time to research as I used to. Call it a lack of inspiration, a dwindling of desire, or whatever you will, but it's time to give up the illusion that I'll post regularly again.

If you've got questions or comments about previous posts or have something you want me to research, drop me a line. It's worth noting that my top research tool over the past few years has been the Baseball-Reference.com Play Index. It has expanded greatly over time and features a free trial until November 20th, so play around and see what you can find.

Thanks for reading and providing input over the past two years.

60+ Steals of Second Base

Since 1898*, only four players have stolen 100 bases in a season. Maury Wills swiped 104 bags in 1962, Lou Brock took 118 in 1974, and Rickey Henderson and Vince Coleman did it multiple times in the 1980s. Of those four speedsters, only Lou Brock had at least 100 steals of second base in that season. In fact, a stunning 112 of his 118 swipes were of second base.

Below is the leaderboard of the most steals of second base in a season since 1954.

Rank	Name	Year	2B SB	Total SB
1	Lou Brock	1974	112	118
2	Rickey Henderson	1982	94	130
3	Omar Moreno	1980	91	96
4	Maury Wills	1962	86	104
5	Vince Coleman	1987	85	109
	Tim Raines	1983	85	90
7	Rickey Henderson	1980	82	100
8	Ron LeFlore	1980	80	97
9	Rickey Henderson	1983	79	108
	Willie Wilson	1979	79	83
11	Vince Coleman	1985	78	110
	Maury Wills	1965	78	94
13	Vince Coleman	1986	76	107
	Rudy Law	1983	76	77
15	Tim Raines	1982	74	78
16	Omar Moreno	1979	73	77
	Ron LeFlore	1979	73	78
18	Rickey Henderson	1986	72	87
	Lou Brock	1966	72	74
20	Tim Raines	1984	71	75
	Dave Collins	1980	71	79
22	Willie Wilson	1980	69	79
23	Rickey Henderson	1985	65	80
	Davey Lopes	1975	65	77
25	Eric Davis	1986	64	80
	Tim Raines	1985	64	70
27	Tony Womack	1999	63	72
	Omar Moreno	1978	63	71
	Ron LeFlore	1978	63	68
	Lou Brock	1973	63	70
31	Jose Reyes	2007	62	78
	Rickey Henderson	1988	62	93
	Joe Morgan	1975	62	67
	Mickey Rivers	1975	62	70
35	Kenny Lofton	1993	61	70
	Joe Morgan	1973	61	67
37	Chone Figgins	2005	60	62
	Scott Podsednik	2004	60	70
	Brian Hunter	1997	60	74
	Tim Raines	1986	60	70
	Juan Samuel	1984	60	72
	Lonnie Smith	1982	60	68
	Tim Raines	1981	60	71
	Billy North	1976	60	75

Retrosheet data splitting players' stolen bases out by base only goes back to 1954, so early twentieth-century basestealers like Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Clyde Milan, and Bob Bescher are unfortunately ignored. It is likely at least one of them (and/or another player) belongs somewhere on the above list.

* - the modern definition of the stolen base did not come into being until 1898. For more information about the change in definition over time, the wikipedia entry on the stolen base rule's evolution is here.

.300 Hitters Who Didn't Stick

One of baseball's "big" numbers is .300. If you hit .300 or better, you're a good hitter. As the following players can attest, however, hitting .300 isn't always enough to stick in the major leagues.

Since 1954, thirteen players have hit .300 in more than 50 but fewer than 500 career plate appearances. Players who appeared in the majors during 2009 were not included. I chose fifty PA as the minimum because it takes at least ten starts to rack up that many times at the plate. Impressive as John Paciorek's career was, it doesn't fit the spirit of this post. By the end of this post, you'll see why I used 500 as the maximum.

Name	Year(s)	Age	Team(s)	Pos	PA	AB	AVG/OBP/SLG
Kevin Rhomberg	1982-1984	26-28	CLE	LF	52	47	.383/.423/.447
Randy Asadoor	1986	23	SDP	3B	60	55	.364/.397/.455
Rudy Pemberton	1995-1997	25-27	DET BOS	RF	147	134	.336/.395/.515
Joe Hall	1994-1995 1997	28-31	CHW DET	LF	52	47	.319/.385/.468
Norris Hopper	2006-2008	27-29	CIN	CF	440	396	.316/.367/.371
Victor Mata	1984-1985	23-24	NYY	CF	83	77	.312/.316/.416
Bob Hazle	1955 1957-1958	24-27	CIN MLN DET	RF	297	261	.310/.390/.467
D.T. Cromer	2000-2001	29-30	CIN	1B	114	104	.308/.327/.577
Eddy Garabito	2005	28	COL	2B	102	88	.307/.384/.398
Bob Henley	1998	25	MON	C	132	115	.304/.377/.470
Andy Barkett	2001	26	PIT	LF	51	46	.304/.373/.413
Jose Ortiz	1969-1971	22-24	CHW CHC	CF	136	123	.301/.358/.390
Gerry Davis	1983 1985	24-26	SDP	RF	82	73	.301/.370/.397

The position listed is where the player spent the most time. Almost every player on the list played two or more positions.

Bob Hazle is probably the most famous name on this list. He hit .403 down the stretch in 1957 to help the Braves win the NL pennant. A slow start in 1958 doomed his career. Norris Hooper may still appear again in the majors. He played in AAA for the Reds, White Sox, and Nationals in 2009.

It's worth noting that two pitchers also qualified under the 50-500 PA criteria. Terry Forster, who pitched for five teams from 1971 to 1984, hit .397/.413/.474 over 86 plate appearances during his career. He was one for four as a pinch hitter. Renie Martin, who pitched for three teams from 1979 to 1984, hit .301 over 90 plate appearances. He was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Obviously, small sample size applies to all of these players. Who knows if they would have been able to hit .300 over a longer career. The fact remains, however, that they hit well in the few opportunities they were given.

I thought it would be interesting to post the following list as well. If you take out active players, here are the .300 hitters who debuted in 1954 or later with the fewest career plate appearances (min. 400):

1. Norris Hopper, 440 (.316)
   
2. Lyman Bostock, 2214 (.311)
   
3. Reggie Jefferson, 2300 (.300)
   
4. Manny Mota, 4227 (.304)
   
5. Rusty Greer, 4420 (.305)
   
6. Hal Morris, 4443 (.304)
   
7. John Kruk, 4603 (.300)
   
8. Mike Greenwell, 5166 (.303)
   
9. Ralph Garr, 5456 (.306)
   
10. Pedro Guerrero, 6115 (.300)

It looks like Norris Hopper has found a uncomfortable niche between flash in the pan and solid regular.

Most Career PA, Zero Triples

Admittedly I don't watch him all that often, but Ryan Howard doesn't seem like a very fast ballplayer to me. Call it an assumption about large first basemen. Howard hit a triple in tonight's NLCS game and I figured it had to be one of only a few in his career. It turns out it was his first in postseason play, but twelfth overall in his major league career. Not only that, but he stole eight bases this year. You learn something new every day, I suppose.

It seems as though if a player plays long enough, he'll wind up hitting a triple. Cecil Fielder had six triples by the time he swiped his first base, over 1000 games into his career. Javier Valentin may never have attempted to steal a base but he legged out five triples in his career. Bill Schroeder, a run-of-the-mill 1980s catcher, brags about how his only career triple, also his first major league hit, must have screwed up scouting reports on him for a while.

But not every player is lucky enough to accomplish the career cycle. The following players just couldn't hit it far enough away from the defense to run 270 feet.

Most Career PA, Zero Triples
(position players)

1. Johnny Estrada, 2244
   
2. Jason Phillips, 1537
3. Mark Parent, 1428
4. Craig Worthington, 1423
5. Ramon Castro, 1400*
6. Sal Fasano, 1245*
7. Earl Averill, 1217
8. Aaron Guiel, 1099
9. Kelly Shoppach, 1043*
10. Doc Edwards, 973
11. Jim Traber, 897
12. Geronimo Gil, 887
13. Chris Coste, 885*
14. Jeff Mathis, 861*
15. Troy Neel, 861
16. Bob Uecker, 843
17. Brian Giles, 791
18. Hawk Taylor, 766
19. Bob Burda, 723
20. Scott Hemond, 687

* - active player (majors or minors in 2009)

Worthington (3B), Guiel (RF), Traber (1B), Neel (1B), Giles (2B), and Burda (1B) are the non-catchers on the above list. Giles, not related to the current Padre, actually stole seventeen bases one season. Of course, he was caught ten times that year. The active non-catcher leader is Scott Thorman, with 440. Thorman spent 2009 in AAA with Kansas City and Texas. Among players who appeared in the majors in 2009, Paul Janish is the active leader with 381. Robert Andino is seven behind Janish.

Most Career PA, Zero Triples
(pitchers)

1. Gaylord Perry, 1220
2. Whitey Ford, 1208
3. Tommy John, 1030
4. Lefty Gomez, 1024
5. Bob Buhl, 952
6. Burt Hooten, 913
7. Curt Davis, 904
8. Andy Benes, 880
9. Larry Dierker, 876
10. Sandy Koufax, 858
11. Dave McNally, 848
12. Rick Rhoden, 830
13. Andy Messersmith, 826
14. Mike Krukow, 819
15. Dick Donovan, 801
16. Darryl Kile, 786
17. Ken Raffensberger, 779
18. Dean Chance, 759
19. Pat Malone, 752
20. Mike Scott, 743

No active players are in the top twenty. The active leader is Jason Schmidt with 712. Randy Johnson is at 691 and Roy Oswalt is third with 670. One notable in the above list: Bob Buhl's 0 for 70 in 1962 is a record for hitting futility.

Three True Outcomes Per Plate Appearance, 1913-2009

An update to my Three True Outcomes (TTO) posts of January 2008 and July 2009. This version is complete through 2009. Once again, I have expanded the board by five more places.

Most Career TTO/PA, 1913-2009, min. 3000 PA

Rank	Name	PA	SO	BB	HR	TTO/PA
1	Adam Dunn	5417	1433	913	316	.4914
2	Rob Deer	4512	1409	575	230	.4907
3	Ryan Howard	3145	878	406	222	.4789
4	Jim Thome	9463	2313	1619	564	.4751
5	Mark McGwire	7660	1596	1317	583	.4564
6	Carlos Pena	3713	973	495	202	.4498
7	Mickey Tettleton	5745	1307	949	245	.4353
8	Pat Burrell	5864	1392	842	265	.4262
9	Jay Buhner	5927	1406	792	310	.4231
10	Gorman Thomas	5486	1339	697	268	.4200
11	Brad Wilkerson	3753	947	492	122	.4159
12	Danny Tartabull	5842	1362	768	262	.4094
13	Don Lock	3116	776	373	122	.4079
14	Jose Canseco	8129	1942	906	462	.4072
15	Troy Glaus	5872	1277	791	304	.4040
16	Jason Bay	3897	896	491	185	.4034
17	Mickey Mantle	9909	1710	1733	536	.4016
18	Reggie Jackson	11416	2597	1375	563	.3972
19	Nick Swisher	3119	665	439	133	.3966
20	Darryl Strawberry	6326	1352	816	335	.3957
21	Gene Tenace	5525	998	984	201	.3951
22	Pete Incaviglia	4677	1277	360	206	.3941
23	Richie Sexson	5604	1313	588	306	.3938
24	Eric Davis	6147	1398	740	282	.3937
25	Jim Edmonds	7307	1669	974	382	.3924
T-26	Cecil Fielder	5939	1316	693	319	.3920
T-26	Ray Lankford	6674	1550	828	238	.3920
28	Mike Schmidt	10062	1883	1507	548	.3914
29	Harmon Killebrew	9831	1699	1559	573	.3897
T-30	Sammy Sosa	9896	2306	929	609	.3884
T-30	Mike Cameron	7435	1798	825	265	.3884

If you carry it out beyond four decimal places the ties go away but, hey, I wanted an excuse to include another active player.

Russell Branyan is poised to jump atop the table with 176 more plate apperances. Through 2824 career PA, he has 946 strikeouts, 339 walks, and 164 home runs, good for a .5131 TTO/PA. If you add the necessary 176 TTO-less PA to get to 3000, he still places third with .4830. Not bad. Bo Jackson, of all people, pops up between Pete Incaviglia and Richie Sexson by the same method.

Another player who should make his way into the table next year is Brad Hawpe. He sits at .3983 after 2807 career plate appearances. If Tony Clark signs on somewhere next season, he might work his way back onto the list. He's currently 32nd at .3881.

Most Runs Allowed in a Season, All Earned

In 2009, Houston's Roy Oswalt allowed 83 runs in 181 1/3 innings pitched. Every single one of his runs were earned. He became just the twentieth pitcher in major league history to allow more than 70 runs in a season with all of them earned. The full list:

1. Joel Pineiro, 2005 SEA, 118 R
2. Dick Ruthven, 1976 ATL, 112 R
3. Frank Tanana, 1990 DET, 104 R
4. Brian Anderson, 1998 ARI, 100 R
5. Daisuke Matsuzaka, 2007 BOS, 100 R
6. Rick Sutcliffe, 1988 CHC, 97 R
7. Kelvim Escobar, 2004 ANA, 91 R
8. Curt Schilling, 2006 BOS, 90 R
9. Bobby Jones, 1998 NYM, 88 R
10. John Thomson, 1998 COL, 86 R
11. Omar Olivares, 1992 STL, 84 R
12. Roy Oswalt, 2009 HOU, 83 R
    
13. Scott Erickson, 2000 BAL, 81 R
14. Art Decatur, 1927 PHI, 78 R
15. Dennis Ribant, 1967 PIT, 78 R
    
16. Hideki Irabu, 1998 NYY, 78 R
17. Ryan Dempster, 1999 FLA, 77 R
18. Hideo Nomo, 2004 LAD, 77 R
19. John Farrell, 1993 CAL, 74 R
20. Phil Regan, 1961 DET, 70 R
    

Grand Slams by Pitchers

Here is a list of all the grand slams hit by pitchers since 1954:

Date	Batter	Tm	Opp	Pitcher	Inn	Score
4/22/1956	Don Larsen	NYY	BOS	Frank Sullivan	4	2-1
7/10/1958	Lew Burdette	MLN	@LAD	Johnny Podres	4	0-0
4/15/1959	Bob Grim	KCA	@CHW	Barry Latman	3	4-0
8/1/1959	Bob Purkey	CIN	CHC	John Buzhardt	3	5-2
8/14/1960	Camilo Pascual	WSH	@NYY	Bob Turley	6	1-1
8/9/1961	Don Drysdale	LAD	MLN	Don Nottebart	2	1-1
5/30/1962	Pedro Ramos	CLE	@BAL	Chuck Estrada	6	3-0
8/2/1962	Art Mahaffey	PHI	@NYM	Craig Anderson	3	2-1
5/31/1963	Orlando Pena	KCA	WSA	Claude Osteen	5	4-3
7/15/1963	Carl Willey	NYM	HOU	Ken Johnson	2	1-2
4/27/1965	Camilo Pascual	MIN	@CLE	Stan Williams	1	3-0
7/20/1965	Mel Stottlemyre	NYY	BOS	Bill Monbouquett	5	2-1
9/29/1965	Bob Gibson	STL	@SFG	Gaylord Perry	8	4-0
7/3/1966	Tony Cloninger	ATL	@SFG	Bob Priddy	1	3-0
7/3/1966	Tony Cloninger	ATL	@SFG	Ray Sadecki	4	9-0
8/13/1966	Earl Wilson	DET	@BOS	Dan Osinski	7	6-1
5/20/1967	Jack Hamilton	NYM	STL	Al Jackson	2	0-0
6/1/1967	John O'Donoghue	CLE	@DET	Denny McLain	6	2-0
5/5/1968	Gary Peters	CHW	NYY	Al Downing	4	1-0
7/28/1968	Al McBean	PIT	STL	Larry Jaster	5	3-1
8/26/1968	Dave McNally	BAL	OAK	Chuck Dobson	1	3-0
7/9/1969	Fred Talbot	SEP	CAL	Eddie Fisher	6	3-0
9/4/1970	Mike Corkins	SDP	@CIN	Jim Merritt	4	3-0
5/11/1971	Steve Dunning	CLE	OAK	Diego Segui	2	1-0
8/28/1971	Rick Wise	PHI	SFG	Don McMahon	7	3-3
9/16/1972	Burt Hooton	CHC	NYM	Tom Seaver	3	4-1
7/26/1973	Bob Gibson	STL	NYM	John Strohmayer	5	6-1
8/21/1973	Rick Wise	STL	@ATL	Roric Harrison	3	3-0
6/24/1974	Jim Lonborg	PHI	@MON	Chuck Taylor	3	4-0
7/6/1977	Don Stanhouse	MON	@CHC	Bill Bonham	2	1-1
9/27/1977	Larry Christenson	PHI	@CHC	Dennis Lamp	7	7-2
8/26/1979	Bruce Kison	PIT	@SDP	Bob Shirley	2	1-0
10/1/1980	Enrique Romo	PIT	@NYM	Roy Lee Jackson	8	6-3
9/11/1982	Scott Sanderson	MON	@CHC	Randy Martz	3	3-1
5/15/1984	Joaquin Andujar	STL	ATL	Jeff Dedmon	8	5-1
5/16/1984	Steve Carlton	PHI	@LAD	Fernando Valenzu	4	1-1
9/12/1985	Don Robinson	PIT	CHC	Warren Brusstar	8	6-2
8/10/1986	Bob Forsch	STL	PIT	Mike Bielecki	5	1-0
5/29/1995	Chris Hammond	FLA	HOU	Shane Reynolds	2	0-2
6/27/1995	Denny Neagle	PIT	@CHC	Jim Bullinger	6	2-2
8/25/1995	Jeff Juden	PHI	LAD	John Cummings	4	10-2
9/7/1996	Donovan Osborne	STL	SDP	Andy Ashby	5	1-1
7/20/1998	Kevin Tapani	CHC	@ATL	Denny Neagle	3	1-0
9/2/1998	Kent Mercker	STL	@FLA	Jesus Sanchez	4	3-0
5/24/2000	Shawn Estes	SFG	MON	Mike Johnson	5	7-0
9/29/2001	Denny Neagle	COL	MIL	Jimmy Haynes	4	9-6
6/2/2002	Robert Person	PHI	MON	Bruce Chen	1	3-0
7/7/2006	Dontrelle Willis	FLA	@NYM	Jose Lima	4	3-0
6/23/2008	Felix Hernandez	SEA	@NYM	Johan Santana	2	0-0
9/22/2008	Jason Marquis	CHC	@NYM	Jonathon Niese	4	2-2
10/1/2009	Chris Carpenter	STL	@CIN	Kip Wells	2	1-0

UPDATE: Two pitchers have hit postseason grand slams. Both were on the same team in the same year. On October 3, 1970, Baltimore's Mike Cuellar hit one off Minnesota's Jim Perry in Game 1 of the ALCS. Ten days later, Dave McNally hit one in Game 3 of the World Series off Cincinnati's Wayne Granger.

Most SB in a Season with 0 CS

On February 22, 2008, I posted about players who stole the most bases in a season without being caught. Since the regular season is now over for all but two teams, it's time to put the new record holder atop the list. As noted in the previous post, the AL has recorded caught stealings since 1920. The NL has did not consistently record caught stealings until 1951.

Most Stolen Bases in a Season, 0 Caught Stealings

1. Chase Utley, 2009, 23
2. Kevin McReynolds, 1988, 21
3. Paul Molitor, 1994, 20
4. Gary Thurman, 1989, 16
5. Jimmy Sexton, 1982, 16
6. Davey Lopes, 1984, 15
7. Terry Shumpert, 1999, 14
8. Sean Berry, 1994, 14
9. Carlos Beltran, 2000, 13
10. Desi Relaford, 2000, 13
11. Rex Hudler, 1995, 13
12. Tim Raines, 1994, 13
13. Lee Tinsley, 1994, 13
14. Tom Tresh, 1964, 13
15. Leon Culberson, 1943, 13
16. Johnny Damon, 2009, 12
    
17. David Dellucci, 2003, 12
18. Paul Molitor, 1995, 12
19. Fred Lynn, 1980, 12
20. Miguel Dilone, 1977, 12
21. Alexei Casilla, 2009, 11
    
22. Albert Belle, 1996, 11
23. Joe Carter, 1994, 11
24. Tony Bernazard, 1982, 11
25. Johnny Bench, 1975, 11
    
26. Jesse Hill, 1936, 11
27. Jason Bay, 2008, 10
28. Michael Young, 2008, 10
    
29. Mark Teahen, 2006, 10
30. Miguel Tejada, 2003, 10
31. Jim Eisenreich, 1995, 10
32. John Jaha, 1992, 10
33. Frank Duffy, 1976, 10
34. Dan Meyer, 1976, 10
35. Red Wilson, 1958, 10
    
36. Charlie Gehringer, 1940, 10

Congratulations to Chase Utley for setting a new record. Utley isn't the only new addition to the list. Johnny Damon and Alexei Casilla also joined this year. Jason Bay and Michael Young should have been added after 2008 (oops).

Thanks to Tom for commenting on my February 2008 post and bringing this to my attention.

Who Needs Lefties, Part Two

In my last post, I looked at teams that used only two lefthanded pitchers in a season. In response to a comment on that post, I figured it would be worthwhile to look at teams that didn't use any lefties. If you go back to the early days of professional baseball, it would be easier to list teams that did use a lefty - the 1876 NL had no confirmed lefthanders (three clubs had pitchers of unknown handedness). Teams remained lefty-averse (or at least didn't employ memorably-handed hurlers) through the early 1890s.

Only four teams since 1900 have gone through an entire season without a single lefthander:

• 1901 Boston Beaneaters (69-69) - used five pitchers in 140 games.
• 1903 New York Giants (84-55) - used seven pitchers in 142 games.
• 1918 Philadelphia Phillies (55-68) - used eleven pitchers in 125 games.
  
• 1934 Chicago White Sox (53-99) - used fourteen pitchers in 153 games.

But does it really matter how many lefties you have if you never use them anyway? Here are the teams since 1954 with the fewest batters faced by lefthanders:

• 1974 Montreal Expos (79-82) - 81 BF by Balor Moore and Terry Enyart
• 2006 Arizona Diamondbacks (76-86) - 113 BF by Randy Choate, Doug Slaten, and Terry Mulholland
• 2000 Kansas City Royals (77-85) - 240 BF by Jose Rosado, Scott Mullen, Paul Spoljaric, and Tim Byrdak
• 1993 Los Angeles Dodgers (81-81) - 275 BF by Omar Daal and Steve Wilson
• 1983 Toronto Blue Jays (89-73) - 276 BF by Dave Geisel and Stan Clarke
• 1954 Baltimore Orioles (54-100) - 287 BF by Bob Kuzava, Billy O'Dell, Dave Koslo, Dick Littlefield, and Jay Heard
• 2001 Milwaukee Brewers (68-94) - 287 BF by Ray King, Lance Painter, and Valerio de los Santos
• 1957 Boston Red Sox (82-72) - 294 BF by Dean Stone, Frank Baumann, and Jack Spring
• 1996 Chicago Cubs (76-86) - 320 BF by Bob Patterson and Larry Casian
• 2000 Houston Astros (72-90) - 343 BF by Billy Wagner, Yorkis Perez, and Wayne Franklin
• 1996 New York Mets (71-91) - 350 BF by John Franco, Bob MacDonald, and Pedro Martinez

Note: the 1994 Los Angeles Dodgers (206 BF), 1994 Oakland Athletics (314 BF), 1981 Cincinnati Reds (344 BF), and 1994 Cleveland Indians (346 PA) played in strike-shortened seasons.

With six games left to play, the 2009 Cardinals duo of Trever Miller and Dennys Reyes has faced a combined 335 batters.

This year's Cardinals and a couple other teams above spoil my ending a bit, but it sure looks to me like the answer to "Who needs lefties?" is "winning teams."

Who Needs Lefties?

With just seventeen games to go this season, the St. Louis Cardinals have used only two lefthanded pitchers, Trever Miller and Dennys Reyes. Miller and Reyes are the only lefties on their current roster, so it is unlikely a third lefty will make an appearance for the club.

Since expansion in 1961, only nineteen other teams have made it through a season with only two lefthanders:

• 1961 Baltimore Orioles: Steve Barber & Billy Hoeft
• 1965 Boston Red Sox: Dennis Bennett & Arnold Earley
• 1969 Los Angeles Dodgers: Jim Brewer & Claude Osteen
• 1971 Montreal Expos: Dan McGinn & John O'Donoghue
• 1974 Montreal Expos: Terry Enyart & Balor Moore
• 1976 Oakland Athletics: Vida Blue & Paul Lindblad
• 1977 Houston Astros: Floyd Bannister & Joe Sambito
• 1981 Cincinnati Reds: Charlie Liebrandt & Joe Price
• 1982 Chicago Cubs: Willie Hernandez & Ken Kravec
• 1982 Toronto Blue Jays: Jerry Garvin & Dave Geisel
• 1983 Cincinnati Reds: Joe Price & Bill Scherrer
• 1983 Toronto Blue Jays: Stan Clarke & Dave Geisel
• 1984 Chicago Cubs: Ron Meridith & Steve Trout
• 1993 Los Angeles Dodgers: Omar Daal & Steve Wilson
• 1996 Chicago Cubs: Larry Casian & Bob Patterson
• 2004 Anaheim Angels: Dusty Bergman & Jarrod Washburn
  
• 2006 LAnaheim Angels: J.C. Romero & Joe Saunders
  
• 2007 LAnaheim Angels: Darren Oliver & Joe Saunders
• 2008 LAnaheim Angels: Darren Oliver & Joe Saunders

With Brian Fuentes newly installed as closer, it took the Angels until the second game of the 2009 season to have three different lefties pitch.

The 1947 Philadelphia Athletics were the last team to use only one lefty. Lou Brissie started all of one game that year, allowing five runs in seven innings.

SO > TB, Minimum 200 AB

This post details one of my personal favorite "teams." It's weird, comparing strikeouts to total bases, but whatever. I guess it springs out of the generalization that strikeouts are okay if you trade them for power. These players just couldn't break even.

The full list since 1901 can be found by following the above link. Andruw Jones and Tony Pena Jr. were new additions last season. The following players have a chance to join them in 2009:

Chris Davis, 128 K, 126 TB, 303 AB
Bill Hall, 95 K, 94 TB, 270 AB
Kelly Shoppach, 90 K, 91 TB, 235 AB
Koyie Hill, 67 K, 71 TB, 212 AB
Jeff Mathis, 64 K, 64 K, 198 AB

Jeff Mathis had as many strikeouts as total bases in 2008 as well. At least he's consistent.

Update: Last Position Players to Pitch by Team

Previous installments can be found here: April 2008, May 2009.

With September call-ups a couple days away, it is likely the days of position players pitching are over for another season. Here is the full list of 2009 position player pitchers:

Ross Gload (FLA) - May 22
Nick Green (BOS) - August 27
Paul Janish (CIN) - May 6 & July 6
Mark Loretta (LAD) - July 28
Cody Ross (FLA) - April 26
Nick Swisher (NYY) - April 13
Jonathan Van Every (BOS) - April 30
Josh Wilson (ARI & SDP) - May 11 & June 7

Here's the updated list by team:

Last Position Player to Pitch by Team
(through 8/30/2009)

Team	Name	Date
Arizona Diamondbacks	Josh Wilson	5-11-2009
Atlanta Braves	John Russell	6-25-1989
Baltimore Orioles	Manny Alexander	4-19-1996
Boston Red Sox	Nick Green	8-27-2009
Chicago Cubs	Gary Gaetti	7-3-1999
Chicago White Sox	Dave Martinez	8-4-1995
Cincinnati Reds	Paul Janish	7-6-2009
Cleveland Indians	Tim Laker	4-20-2004
Colorado Rockies	Todd Zeile	9-14-2002
Detroit Tigers	Shane Halter	10-1-2000
Florida Marlins	Ross Gload	5-22-2009
Houston Astros	Tim Bogar	6-24-2000
Kansas City Royals	Tony Pena	6-21-2008
Los Angeles Angels	Chili Davis	6-17-1993
Los Angeles Dodgers	Mark Loretta	7-28-2009
Milwaukee Brewers	Trent Durrington	4-17-2004
Minnesota Twins	John Moses	7-31-1990
New York Mets	Todd Zeile	7-26-2004
New York Yankees	Nick Swisher	4-13-2009
Oakland Athletics	Frank Menechino	7-18-2000
Philadelphia Phillies	Tomas Perez	5-13-2002
Pittsburgh Pirates	Abraham Nunez	5-30-2004
San Diego Padres	Josh Wilson	6-7-2009
Seattle Mariners	Jamie Burke	7-6-2008
San Francisco Giants	Greg Litton	7-4-1991
St. Louis Cardinals	Aaron Miles	6-13-2008
Tampa Bay Rays	Josh Wilson	6-8-2007
Texas Rangers	Scott Sheldon	9-6-2000
Toronto Blue Jays	Frank Menechino	8-28-2004
Washington Nationals	Junior Noboa	7-20-1990*

* - Fellow position player Dave Martinez pitched right before Noboa in the same game.

20+ Home Runs

A friend of mine brought this to my attention. Robinson Cano hit his twentieth home run of the season last night, making him the sixth Yankees hitter to reach that number in 2009. With one more 20 HR player, the Yankees will tie the record for most players with 20+ HR on one team. The current record holders:

• 1996 Baltimore Orioles
  Brady Anderson - 50
  Rafael Palmeiro - 39
  Bobby Bonilla - 28
  Cal Ripken, Jr. - 26
  Chris Hoiles - 25
  Roberto Alomar - 22
  B.J. Surhoff - 21
  
  
• 2000 Toronto Blue Jays
  Carlos Delgado - 41
  Tony Batista - 41
  Brad Fullmer - 32
  Jose Cruz, Jr. - 31
  Raul Mondesi - 24
  Shannon Stewart - 21
  Darrin Fletcher - 20
  
  
• 2005 Texas Rangers
  Mark Teixeira - 43
  Alfonso Soriano - 36
  David Dellucci - 29
  Kevin Mench - 25
  Hank Blalock - 25
  Michael Young - 24
  Rod Barajas - 21

The Yankees have two more players who may well end up with 20 home runs. Derek Jeter has 16 and Jorge Posada hit his 17th earlier tonight.

It's Lenn Sakata Day

Lenn Sakata should have been one of those ballplayers that spent a few seasons in the majors, had a few timely hits, played decent defense, and then slipped out of baseball consciousness.

For the most part, that is the type of ballplayer he was. Mention the name Sakata to baseball fans today and you probably won't get much of a reaction. A few might think the name is familiar, and some diehards might remember seeing him play. Like so many background players, if he is remembered today, it is because of his role in some strange part of baseball history. Would anyone remember Bill Wambsganss today without his triple play? Would Brewers fans remember Rick Manning if he hadn't gotten the walk-off hit robbing Paul Molitor of a final chance to extend his hitting streak? So it is with Lenn Sakata...

Lenn Sakata was born in 1954 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and graduated from Kalani High School in that city in 1971. He played college ball as an infielder at Gonzaga University, earning All-Big Sky conference honors in 1973 and 1974 and second team All-American honors in the latter year. In 1974, he set a school record for RBI (68) that would stand until some guy named Jason Bay broke it in 1999. After his excellent 1974 season, Sakata was selected in the fifth round of the 1974 draft by the San Diego Padres but did not sign. Back then, baseball had a secondary draft in January for players who either did not sign or were not eligible to be drafted in June. In the January 1975 draft, the Milwaukee Brewers saw fit to select Sakata with the tenth pick. He began his professional career later that spring.

He began his minor league career about as far from Hawaii as he could get in organized baseball. He was assigned to the Brewers AA affiliate in Thetford Mines, Quebec. Once a hotbed of asbestos mining, Thetford Mines is about 120 miles (190 km) northeast of Montreal. Sakata, playing second base, shared the infield with future Brewer Jim Gantner. Both players hit .257 in the Eastern League, but only Sakata was promoted to AAA Spokane for the 1976 season. Back in his college town, Sakata hit .280 with ten home runs. He followed that up by hitting .304 in 1977 and earning a callup to the majors. When Sakata took the field in the first game of a July 21 doubleheader, Sakata became only the second Japanese-American to play in a major league game (the first was Ryan Kurosaki, a Cardinals pitcher).

Sakata struggled as a Brewer, hitting .162/.209/.214 in 53 games for Milwaukee. He started the 1978 season with Milwaukee, but a poor .192 average in 86 plate appearances earned him a ticket to Spokane. His final shot in Milwaukee came in September 1979 after he once again hit .300 in AAA. Seizing his chance, Sakata went 7 for 14 with two doubles in four games at the end of the year. The Brewers were so impressed they promptly shipped Sakata to Baltimore for righthanded reliever John Flinn. Flinn spent one unimpressive year in Milwaukee, but Sakata spent six seasons with the Orioles. After tearing up the International League for a month, Sakata was called up to Baltimore and hit his usual .190. He played a little shortstop for the first time in his pro career, however, and that earned him a spot on the 1981 Baltimore squad. He finally cracked .200 that year and had his best season in 1982, hitting .259/.323/.370 in nearly 400 plate appearances while playing second and short. In fact, he was the starting shortstop until a guy named Cal Ripken moved over from third in July. Undoubtedly Sakata would have started again at short had Ripken needed a day off. So much for that idea.

Sakata was once again a backup second baseman in 1983, but it was his appearance at a different position that year that remains memorable. Coming into play on August 24, the Orioles were 1/2 game behind Milwaukee for first place and one of four teams within 4 games of the division lead. Baltimore was hosting Toronto, the third place team. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh with one out and the bases loaded, manager Joe Altobelli pinch-hit for starting catcher Rick Dempsey. The move didn't work and the Orioles didn't score that inning. After the inning, Lenn Sakata came into the game at second base and thus was around for the Orioles' ninth-inning rally. Sakata walked and later scored the tying run, but not before Benny Ayala pinch-hit for backup catcher Joe Nolan. The Orioles couldn't plate the winning run. Lacking catchers, the Orioles were forced to use Sakata behind the plate, outfielder Gary Roenicke at third, and outfielder John Lowenstein at second base.

The first batter, Cliff Johnson, hit a go-ahead home run and the second batter, Barry Bonnell, singled to center. That was it for pitcher Tim Stoddard, and lefthander Tippy Martinez came in to stem the tide. Eager to steal off non-catcher Sakata, Bonnell was promptly picked off first. Dave Collins then walked and, also eager to test Sakata, was promptly picked off. Willie Upshaw then hit an infield single to second. Following the example of his teammates, he leaned too far and was also picked off first.

In the bottom of the tenth, Cal Ripken tied the game with a leadoff home run. A walk, groundout, intentional walk, and strikeout set it up for Lenn Sakata to step in the box. Randy Moffitt, a pitcher Sakata had never faced in the majors, was on the mound. In this weirdest of games, what happened next only made sense. Sakata hit his second home run of the season to win the game.

Baltimore went on to win the division by six games and won the World Series in five games over Philadelphia. Sakata spent two more years as a backup second baseman in Baltimore, hitting .191 and 227. He had a couple last gasps in 1986 and 1987 with Oakland and New York, but he finished his career four hits short of 300 with a .230 average. Sakata went on to coaching, both in America and Japan, setting a record for most wins in the California League, and currently manages the Japanese Chiba Lotte Marines farm team.

Depending on how his coaching career progresses, Sakata may eventually be known for more than being behind the plate while Tippy Martinez set a pickoff record or being the second Japanese-American to play in the majors. No matter what Sakata does going forward, however, the August 24, 1983, game between Toronto and Baltimore (and Sakata himself) will be remembered for both dramatic moments and a trivia-producing extra inning.

More reading about Sakata and the game:
Lenn Sakata at baseball-reference.com
Lenn Sakata at The Baseball Cube
Box score and play-by-play of August 24, 1983 Toronto-Baltimore game
The Baltimore Sun remembers the game with some great quotes
Seattle Times about Sakata's current situation and view of baseball
Press release for Sakata setting California League wins record
New York Times article about Don Wakamatsu with some Sakata information

Unassisted Triple Play

Eric Bruntlett made only the fifteenth unassisted triple play in baseball history today. It ended the game, only the second unassisted triple play to do so.

You can watch the highlight here: http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6256159
Direct link to video: http://mediadownloads.mlb.com/mlbam/2009/08/23/mlbtv_phinyn_6256159_800K.mp4

The Last Left-Handed Catcher

The New York Times looks at Benny Distefano and the dearth of left-handed catchers. Distefano's appearance behind the plate on August 18, 1989 (box score) remains the last time a lefty has donned the tools of ignorance.

Hat tip to Bucs Dugout.

Getting Hit Hard in 2009

What do Trevor Cahill and Jeff Suppan have in common? They are the only two pitchers qualified for the ERA title (1 IP per team game) who have allowed opponents to slug .500 or more this season. Suppan sits at .512 while Cahill is at .505. Suppan will shortly fall off the qualified list, as he is currently injured and hasn't pitched since July 27. His fellow Brewer, Braden Looper, is poised to take his place on the list as he has allowed opponents to slug .499 this year. Jeremy Guthrie (.499), Armando Galarraga (.494), and Jamie Moyer (.491) are also nearby.

Since 1954, forty-four qualified pitchers have allowed opponents to slug .500 over a season. Twenty have cracked the .520 plateau:

Name	Year	Team	SLG
Jim Deshaies	1994	MIN	.583
Jose Lima	2000	HOU	.578
Darrell May	2004	KCR	.555
Bill Gullickson	1994	DET	.552
Brian Anderson	2004	KCR	.545
Dave Mlicki	2001	DET/HOU	.545
Brandon Backe	2008	HOU	.544
Jose Lima	2005	KCR	.544
Eric Milton	2005	CIN	.543
Terry Mulholland	1994	NYY	.539

The abbreviated 1994 season and Jose Lima are both well-represented. Pitchers just didn't have as much time to a) drop their slugging percentage to something more respectable or b) get replaced before reaching the usual 162 innings to qualify. The other seven seasons all took place this decade, which makes sense as slugging percentages league-wide have reached new heights. Here's the .500+ opponent slugging allowed list prior to 1994:

Name	Year	Team	SLG
Don Newcombe	1958	LAD/CIN	.514
Jack Lamabe	1964	BOS	.507
Bob Knepper	1987	HOU	.502

Yep, that's it.

A high slugging percentage allowed is fueling Jeff Suppan's run at another distinction. He likely will not reach the required 162 innings, but if the season ended today he would be only the ninth qualifying pitcher to allow an OPS of .900 or higher. The current list of eight is the highest slugging allowed list jumbled a bit:

Name	Year	Team	OPS
Jim Deshaies	1994	MIN	.965
Jose Lima	2000	HOU	.942
Dave Mlicki	2001	DET/HOU	.927
Brandon Backe	2008	HOU	.920
Jose Lima	2005	KCR	.917
Bill Gullickson	1994	DET	.912
Brian Anderson	2004	KCR	.911
Darrell May	2004	KCR	.906

Suppan has allowed opponents to put up a .900 OPS this year. Cahill, if you're wondering, is second with an .856 OPS allowed.

Games Finished & Saves

As most baseball fans know, Trevor Hoffman is the all-time saves leader with 578 over the length of his career. His 578th save came last night against the Los Angeles Dodgers after a rocky ninth inning. While each save obviously sees him extend his own saves record, last night he tied another career mark. It was his 802nd career game finished, tying him with former saves leader Lee Smith.

Games finished (GF) is, really, a useless counting stat. All it tells you is that such-and-such pitcher was the last reliever to appear in a game for his team. That's not that impressive, right? After all, a guy who mops up blowouts can rack up games finished just as easily as a closer. Then again, chances are that guy mopping up blowouts probably won't stay in the league very long. So, one game finished isn't very impressive, but you have to be pretty darn good to get up to 500-600-700 GF.

With that in mind, here are the sixteen pitchers with over 600 games finished through August 3:

• Lee Smith, 802
  
• Trevor Hoffman, 802
• John Franco, 774
• Mariano Rivera, 753
• Rollie Fingers, 709
• Jeff Reardon, 695
• Rich Gossage, 681
• Roberto Hernandez, 667
• Hoyt Wilhelm, 651
• Doug Jones, 640
• Kent Tekulve, 638
• Billy Wagner, 637
• Sparky Lyle, 634
• Jose Mesa, 633
• Todd Jones, 619
• Gene Garber, 609

Three pitchers on that list are still active. Behind them, Troy Percival sits in 27th place with 546 and Jason Isringhausen is 37th with 467. The next healthy player is Francisco Cordero, 55th with 407. The top 1000 can be found here.

Many closers in need of work are used in the ninth inning even when it's not a save situation, so they end up with more games finished than saves. For players who became closers early in their career and never relinquished the role, a large percentage of their relief appearances result in games finished. Here are the top all-time pitchers in terms of game finished per relief appearance (min. 200 GF):

1. Kazuhiro Sasaki, 201 of 228, 88.2%
2. John Wetteland, 523 of 601, 87.0%
3. Bobby Jenks, 228 of 254, 86.8%
   
4. Rick Aguilera, 643 of 732, 86.6%
5. Bryan Harvey, 278 of 322, 86.3%
6. Robb Nen, 548 of 639, 85.8%
7. Billy Koch, 325 of 379, 85.8%
8. Tom Henke, 548 of 642, 85.4%
9. Jonathan Papelbon, 208 of 244, 85.2%
   
10. Mariano Rivera, 753 of 885, 85.1%

Hoffman has finished 802 of his 963 appearances, good for 83.3%.

Fewest Team HR at a Position in 2009

Nearly two-thirds of the way through the season, Jason Kendall of the Brewers is hitting .239 and slugging .283. As you might guess, he doesn't have many extra base hits. He has twelve, to be exact, eleven doubles and one triple. He has started 86 of the Brewers 101 games and backup Mike Rivera also is homerless on the year, meaning the Brewers haven't had a single round-tripper from their backstops. What other teams have suffered a homer drought at one position on the diamond? I did not include NL DHs or pitchers.

Fewest Team HR at a Position in 2009
(through 7/28)

• Milwaukee Brewers, C - 0
• New York Mets, 2B - 0
• San Diego Padres, 2B - 1
• Baltimore Orioles, SS - 2
  
• Cincinnati Reds, CF - 2
  
• Florida Marlins, 3B - 2
• Kansas City Royals, SS - 2
  
• Minnesota Twins, 2B - 2
• Minnesota Twins, CF - 2
  
• New York Mets, SS - 2
• San Francisco Giants, SS - 2
• Washington Nationals, 2B - 2

Buehrle's Streak

Mark Buehrle retired 45 batters in a row to set a new major league record:

• (July 18 vs. BAL) Markakis flied out to center fielder Wise.
• (July 23 vs TBR) Upton grounded out, second baseman Nix to first baseman Fields.
• Crawford grounded out, pitcher Buehrle to first baseman Fields.
• Longoria struck out.
• Pena fouled out to first baseman Fields.
• Zobrist struck out.
• Burrell flied out to right fielder Dye.
• Kapler flied out to left fielder Quentin.
• Hernandez grounded out, shortstop Ramirez to first baseman Fields.
• Bartlett flied out to left fielder Quentin.
• Upton struck out.
• Crawford flied out to left fielder Quentin.
• Longoria lined out to shortstop Ramirez.
• Pena grounded out, first baseman Fields to pitcher Buehrle.
• Zobrist grounded out, shortstop Ramirez to first baseman Fields.
• Burrell struck out.
• Kapler grounded out, third baseman Beckham to first baseman Fields.
• Hernandez grounded out, third baseman Beckham to first baseman Fields.
• Bartlett grounded out, shortstop Ramirez to first baseman Fields.
• Upton grounded out, shortstop Ramirez to first baseman Fields.
• Crawford grounded out, pitcher Buehrle to first baseman Fields.
• Longoria flied out to right fielder Dye.
• Pena struck out.
• Zobrist fouled out to third baseman Beckham.
• Burrell lined out to third baseman Beckham.
• Kapler flied out to center fielder Wise.
• Hernandez struck out.
• Bartlett grounded out, shortstop Ramirez to first baseman Fields.
• (July 28 vs MIN) D.Span grounded out, first baseman Konerko to pitcher Buehrle.
• Mauer grounded out, second baseman Getz to first baseman Konerko.
• Morneau flied out to right fielder Dye.
• Cuddyer grounded out, third baseman Beckham to first baseman Konerko.
• Crede popped out to second baseman Getz.
• B.Harris grounded out, shortstop Al.Ramirez to first baseman Konerko.
• C.Gomez struck out.
• Punto grounded out, third baseman Beckham to first baseman Konerko.
• A.Casilla grounded out, third baseman Beckham to first baseman Konerko.
• D.Span grounded out, first baseman Konerko to pitcher Buehrle.
• Mauer struck out.
• Morneau grounded out, second baseman Getz to first baseman Konerko.
• Cuddyer struck out.
• Crede grounded out, shortstop Al.Ramirez to first baseman Konerko.
• B.Harris grounded out, shortstop Al.Ramirez to first baseman Konerko.
• C.Gomez fouled out to third baseman Beckham.
• Punto grounded out, second baseman Getz to first baseman Konerko.

Buehrle broke the record of 41 in a row that was shared by Jim Barr, a Giants starter in the 1970's, and Buehrle's teammate Bobby Jenks.

Barr retired 41 batters over two starts in 1972 but didn't get a no-hitter out of the deal: pitcher Bob Moose led off an inning with a walk before Barr retired 21 in a row to finish a shutout against the Pirates. Barr retired the first 20 he faced in St. Louis six days later. Bernie Carbo doubled to left to snap the streak.

Jenks, as a closer, did it over 14 games in the summer of 2007. After Ryan Garko homered on July 17, Jenks mowed through everyone until Joey Gathright snapped his streak with a ground ball single to left on August 20.

Fifteen perfect innings. Good job Mark.

Jamie Moyer's Milestone

Jamie Moyer is slated to take the mound for the Phillies on Wednesday night against the Chicago Cubs. It will be the 603rd start of his career, moving him into a tie with Randy Johnson for 20th all-time. Moyer is also knocking on the door of the top ten in career earned runs allowed, 24 behind #10 Bert Blyleven (1830). He's also getting close to 2000 career runs allowed.

However, neither run record will occur in the immediate future. He will, however, soon reach a milestone that may not be reached for a very long time, if ever. The seventh hit he allows Wednesday night (or from this point forward) will be the 4000th hit allowed of his career. He'll be the 39th pitcher in baseball history to reach that mark and the first since Tom Glavine in 2006. Behind Moyer, there's no one even close to 4000.

Randy Johnson is currently at 3339 hits allowed. John Smoltz just passed 3000, 37-year-old Andy Pettitte is at 2990. Always hittable Livan Hernandez is still five seasons of 200+ hits away from the mark. The top pitchers 30 and younger are Mark Buehrle (30) at 2043, Jon Garland (29) at 1850, and CC Sabathia (28) at 1656. It's hard to stay around long enough to give up 4000 hits, especially with the increase in strikeouts these days compared to the past.

Here are the last ten pitchers to reach the 4000 hit plateau:

Name	Date	Hitter (hit)
Tom Glavine	September 19, 2006	Josh Willingham (single)
Roger Clemens	June 22, 2006	Jason Kubel (double)
Greg Maddux	July 31, 2005	Chad Tracy (double)
Frank Tanana	August 8, 1993	Carlos Garcia (single)
Bert Blyleven	July 14, 1988	Ken Gerhart (single)
Don Sutton	April 22, 1985	Bobby Grich (single)
Tommy John	July 21, 1984	Jackie Gutierrez (single)
Steve Carlton	April 8, 1984	Nick Esasky (double)
Fergie Jenkins	May 1, 1983	Mike Scioscia (single)
Phil Niekro	September 22, 1982	Alan Ashby (single)

Even if someone does reach 4000 hits after Moyer, I have to believe Phil Niekro will be the last pitcher to give up 5000 hits in his career.