Quiz – Pitching Pairs
Posted
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012 at
10:20 pm by Doug
Below are matched pairs of pitchers. What feat connects each of these pairs of pitchers?
Congratulations to Cubbies and Ed! They identified that, since 1922, these are the only pairs of pitchers who, in the same season, recorded fewer strikeouts than runs allowed, with a minimum of 125 strikeouts. Here are those seasons, and the pitchers’ stat lines.
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They were the only pairs to lose every game for their team in a postseason series?
Not what I was looking for.
If it’s true, please provide the details.
It looked like each pair were teammates at one point, so I started with Wells/Wakefield. Didnt check the others…I was taking a wild stab.
A comment and a question, Doug. First: Isn’t it amazing how many of these quizzes invoke the name of Bobo Newsom? The man is/was everywhere!
Question: Are these feats related to a single-season stat or a single-game stat?
Bobo was quite a pitcher – gave you a little bit of everything, good and bad.
Single-season stats.
Yes, his career W-L record is very similar to Charlie Hough, at 216-216 (Bobo was 219-220). Unlike Hough, though, as you said Bobo was more dynamic and up and down.
Newsom was 211-222, actually.
Hough is actually Newsom’s top sim score at 895….
As sim scores go, 895 is not particularly high. Another indicator of Newsom’s one-of-a-kind quality.
You notice Newsom’s always here?
It’s because he talks himself in.
Man, this is a stumper.
I’m focuses in on W/L and ERA…seeing a lot of big win and big loss totals from all pitchers. That’s about it though, nothing sweeping.
That’s not it.
Question: Was this something that happened when the two pitchers faced each other or was it just something that happened to both in the same season (or even in different seasons)?
Entire season stats. No requirement for pitchers to have faced each other.
Really difficult. Has to have something to with volume/innings. LaMaster only pitched two years and that’s really all has is volume. From the list there is a lot of black ink for IP, losses, hbp… Not sure where to go next.
Yes, Tristram, LeMaster is the key. Something unusual about his one qualifying season.
Hint: it involves the relationship between two of the counting stats on his season stat line.
Is it related to games started?
Hmmm….In 1937 Passeau and LaMaster both pitcher in 50 games and both struck out 135 batters. Hardly seems particularly interesting/unique.
more runs given up than strikeouts in a season?
That looks like it.
If it is it, and it sure looks like it, THAT was a darned hard quiz!
Gotta be, qualifying pitchers who gave up more total runs then K’s, at least 100 of both
Plus they were teammates. That’s the other part of the puzzle.
some of them were teamates by coincidence, but not all of them.
You’re right. Which means we haven’t found the answer or there’s a problem with the quiz. Check out Vern Kennedy and George Caster. In 1937 they both meet the criteria of “qualifying pitchers who gave up more total runs then K’s, at least 100 of both”. And Caster and Passeau both did it in ’38.
lemaster and passeau in 37
stieb and mahler in 86
wood and coleman in 75
wells and wakefield in 96
viola and smithson in 85
torrez and blue in 79
pearson and newsom in 34
walberg and root in 27
hey…i think im onto something…
oh, and im pretty sure they all had over 100 in both categories too, if it matters. i might be wrong about that part though, i just closed all of the tabs and am too lazy to recheck.
Pitch more than 200 innings while giving up more hits than innings?
I like this idea
Cubbies (#19 and #20) has it, except for the the threshold. John Nacca’s threshold (#24) is not right.
Look again at the totals for the seasons in #20 – that will tell you the threshold.
Looking through all the pairs, the lowest K/R number I see is 125. Is that the threshold?
Bingo. I’m giving it to cubbies, with a nod to you, Ed, on clarifying the threshold.
Thanks though I think I deserve 1-2% of the credit at best. Cubbies did the heavy lifting on this one!
Does it has anything to do with earned runs? Because they all gave up more runs than strikeouts but less earned runs than strikeouts
Not so, Ray. Passeau ’37 had more ER than SO.
Doug: While we’re at it were Wilbur Cooper, Bob Shawkey and Urban Shocker the pitchers from 1921?
That,s right, Richard. All of the seasons since 1901 are identified in the link I added to the post. This was more common in the dead ball era.