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.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
.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.
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):
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):
- Norris Hopper, 440 (.316)
- Lyman Bostock, 2214 (.311)
- Reggie Jefferson, 2300 (.300)
- Manny Mota, 4227 (.304)
- Rusty Greer, 4420 (.305)
- Hal Morris, 4443 (.304)
- John Kruk, 4603 (.300)
- Mike Greenwell, 5166 (.303)
- Ralph Garr, 5456 (.306)
- Pedro Guerrero, 6115 (.300)
Labels:
Batting Average,
Career,
Plate Appearances
Sunday, October 18, 2009
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.
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)
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.
(position players)
- Johnny Estrada, 2244
- Jason Phillips, 1537
- Mark Parent, 1428
- Craig Worthington, 1423
- Ramon Castro, 1400*
- Sal Fasano, 1245*
- Earl Averill, 1217
- Aaron Guiel, 1099
- Kelly Shoppach, 1043*
- Doc Edwards, 973
- Jim Traber, 897
- Geronimo Gil, 887
- Chris Coste, 885*
- Jeff Mathis, 861*
- Troy Neel, 861
- Bob Uecker, 843
- Brian Giles, 791
- Hawk Taylor, 766
- Bob Burda, 723
- Scott Hemond, 687
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)
(pitchers)
- Gaylord Perry, 1220
- Whitey Ford, 1208
- Tommy John, 1030
- Lefty Gomez, 1024
- Bob Buhl, 952
- Burt Hooten, 913
- Curt Davis, 904
- Andy Benes, 880
- Larry Dierker, 876
- Sandy Koufax, 858
- Dave McNally, 848
- Rick Rhoden, 830
- Andy Messersmith, 826
- Mike Krukow, 819
- Dick Donovan, 801
- Darryl Kile, 786
- Ken Raffensberger, 779
- Dean Chance, 759
- Pat Malone, 752
- 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.
Labels:
Career,
Plate Appearances,
Triples
Friday, October 9, 2009
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.
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 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.
Labels:
2009,
Career,
Home Runs,
Strikeouts (Batting),
Walks (batting)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
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:
- Joel Pineiro, 2005 SEA, 118 R
- Dick Ruthven, 1976 ATL, 112 R
- Frank Tanana, 1990 DET, 104 R
- Brian Anderson, 1998 ARI, 100 R
- Daisuke Matsuzaka, 2007 BOS, 100 R
- Rick Sutcliffe, 1988 CHC, 97 R
- Kelvim Escobar, 2004 ANA, 91 R
- Curt Schilling, 2006 BOS, 90 R
- Bobby Jones, 1998 NYM, 88 R
- John Thomson, 1998 COL, 86 R
- Omar Olivares, 1992 STL, 84 R
- Roy Oswalt, 2009 HOU, 83 R
- Scott Erickson, 2000 BAL, 81 R
- Art Decatur, 1927 PHI, 78 R
- Dennis Ribant, 1967 PIT, 78 R
- Hideki Irabu, 1998 NYY, 78 R
- Ryan Dempster, 1999 FLA, 77 R
- Hideo Nomo, 2004 LAD, 77 R
- John Farrell, 1993 CAL, 74 R
- Phil Regan, 1961 DET, 70 R
Labels:
2009,
Earned Runs,
Runs (pitching)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Grand Slams by Pitchers
Here is a list of all the grand slams hit by pitchers since 1954:
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.
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.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
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.
Thanks to Tom for commenting on my February 2008 post and bringing this to my attention.
Most Stolen Bases in a Season, 0 Caught Stealings
- Chase Utley, 2009, 23
- Kevin McReynolds, 1988, 21
- Paul Molitor, 1994, 20
- Gary Thurman, 1989, 16
- Jimmy Sexton, 1982, 16
- Davey Lopes, 1984, 15
- Terry Shumpert, 1999, 14
- Sean Berry, 1994, 14
- Carlos Beltran, 2000, 13
- Desi Relaford, 2000, 13
- Rex Hudler, 1995, 13
- Tim Raines, 1994, 13
- Lee Tinsley, 1994, 13
- Tom Tresh, 1964, 13
- Leon Culberson, 1943, 13
- Johnny Damon, 2009, 12
- David Dellucci, 2003, 12
- Paul Molitor, 1995, 12
- Fred Lynn, 1980, 12
- Miguel Dilone, 1977, 12
- Alexei Casilla, 2009, 11
- Albert Belle, 1996, 11
- Joe Carter, 1994, 11
- Tony Bernazard, 1982, 11
- Johnny Bench, 1975, 11
- Jesse Hill, 1936, 11
- Jason Bay, 2008, 10
- Michael Young, 2008, 10
- Mark Teahen, 2006, 10
- Miguel Tejada, 2003, 10
- Jim Eisenreich, 1995, 10
- John Jaha, 1992, 10
- Frank Duffy, 1976, 10
- Dan Meyer, 1976, 10
- Red Wilson, 1958, 10
- Charlie Gehringer, 1940, 10
Thanks to Tom for commenting on my February 2008 post and bringing this to my attention.
Labels:
2008,
2009,
Single Season,
Stolen Bases
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
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:
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."
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.
- 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
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."
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
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:
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.
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
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.
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