Monday game notes – expanded

Added games are above the solid line.

@Orioles 3, Mariners 1: Chris Tillman won his 4th straight start, beating the team that developed him but dealt him away in the disastrous Bedard trade. Nick Markakis nipped Jason Vargas on his Achilles heel with a 2-run HR (2 out, 1-2 count in the 2nd), helping end his 5-start win streak. Baltimore has crept within a half-game of the wild card.

Markakis has solved Baltimore’s leadoff problem, hitting .349 with 18 Runs in 24 games. Now they need to improve on the #2 spot’s .276 OBP, last in the majors.
Tillman has 4 strong starts (6+ IP and 2 R or less) in 6 tries this year, after earning consistently bad marks in 3 prior campaigns (ERA from 5.40-5.87 in 11-13 starts). His 2.38 ERA is deceptive, as he got pummeled with unearned runs in his second outing, and his K rate is still ordinary. But his control has improved, and that alone gives him a fighting chance against a free-swinging team like Seattle.
Pedro Strop‘s 1.29 ERA would be the lowest by an Oriole/Brown since 1915 (40+ IP).

Braves 6, @Phillies 1: Ben Sheets gave up his first HR but still made it 5-for-5 in quality starts, earning his 4th win with 7.1 solid innings — despite failing to notch a strikeout for the first time ever in an appearance of 5+ IP. All eight position players had a hit, and Sheets laid down two sac bunts. The key blow came in the 3rd, when team RBI leader Freddie Freeman broke a scoreless tie with a 2-out, 2-run double.

Dan Uggla had his first 2-hit game since July 20, but is still hitting .155 in his last 54 games (1/3 of a season), with 4 HRs. His league-high 66 walks somewhat redeems his stickwork (.212 BA, 12 HRs), but it looks like this will be his 2nd straight year of OPS+ under 108, a level he reached in all 5 seasons in Miami, and his streaks of 6 straight years with 27+ HRs and 5 with 30+ are in jeopardy.
Atlanta is 21-7 since Independence Day, opening a 4.5-game lead over the closest non-playoff team.
Sheets has never pitched in the postseason, and I’ll be surprised if he gets there this year. He’s had injury troubles every year but one from 2005-11.
Only Aroldis Chapman has a better SO/BB ratio and more IP than Philly’s Raul Valdes, who has 27 Ks and 4 walks in 22.2 IP.

Rockies 2, @Dodgers 0: Eric Young had 3 hits and scored both runs, and a quartet of Coloradans stymied the Dodgers on 5 hits (0-8 with RISP). LA remained a half-game back in the division and fell 4 back of the wild card.

Chris Capuano has a 2.17 home ERA but hasn’t won there since May 27; LA has totaled 13 runs in his last 7 home starts.
Fourth game in Rockies history (and first since 2001) with 11+ hits but no extra-baggers.
Sixth game this year with no XBH for either side, and the first involving 2 NL teams.

@Brewers 6, Reds 3: Rookie backstop Martin Maldonado hit a HR and two doubles to lead a 12-hit, 3-HR assault on Bronson Arroyo and the Reds. Yovani Gallardo allowed a run in 7 IP for the second straight outing, and reached 10 wins for the 4th straight year.

Maldonado is the 12th Brewers catcher with a 3-XBH game. Only Mike Matheny ever repeated the feat, and only Damian Miller ever had 4 XBH.
Francisco Rodriguez came into a 5-1 game and quickly drummed up a save situation for his teammate. His last 7 games: 15 outs, 19 baserunners, 12 ER.
With 63 wins, Gallardo is 10th on the Brewers’ career list. Each of his next 2 wins will move him up a notch, and 2 more would get him to #7. But how does he rate against current MLB starters? Because of his consistency — averaging a 110 ERA+ and 2.1 WAR since 2009, with no season better than 113 or 2.5 — you get a different answer depending on the window and the type of curtains. For 2009-12, he’s 18th in ERA+ among those with 700+ IP (he has 718) — but only 32 pitchers meet that requirement; if we drop the threshold to 600 IP, Gallardo falls to #26 out of 57. Changing to 2010-12 and 500+ IP, his 109 ERA+ ranks 23rd of 46. Switching to a WAR standard, he’s 43rd in SP WAR for 2010-12, 41st for 2009-12. He still has some work left if he’s going to reach the elite level; Milwaukee has him signed for at least 2 more years at a reasonable salary.

______________________________

Game of the Night: @Tigers 7, Yankees 2: An error by Justin Verlander in the 5th helped wipe out an early 2-0 lead from HRs by Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera (the latter colossal). But Ivan Nova had no command, and Detroit strafed him for hit after hit, tallying 5 more runs on 8 singles in the 5th and 6th. Every starting Tiger had at least one hit, and JV tied career highs of 14 strikeouts (retaking the MLB lead) and 132 pitches, his 75th straight game of 100+ pitches.

Verlander began the 8th with his only walk, but fanned the next 3. He tossed 21 pitches in that frame with a 5-run lead. True, the bullpen is sketchy and worn, and JV didn’t have many stressful innings, and he ought to know his body by now. But he’s leading the league in pitches for the 3rd time in 4 years (he was 4 off the lead in 2010), and if an injury does come soon, fingers will be pointed.
The last 14-K effort against the Bombers was in 1999, Pedro‘s 17-K 1-hitter.
Eric Chavez had 3 of the 8 hits off Verlander, with a pair of leadoff doubles. He’s reached 200 PAs for the first time since 2007, and is hitting .275 and slugging .495.
Ichiro Suzuki‘s 12-game hitting streak ended in an 0-4 with his first 3 Yankee strikeouts, tying his career high. He had been 17 for 51 against Verlander.

Nationals 5, @Astros 4 (11): Jose Altuve brought Houston level with a 1-out double in the 9th, but they came up empty in 2 tries with the winning run on 3rd, and the game went on. Well, if you play long enough, this kind of team will beat themselves, and Houston obliged in the 11th, with 3 separate blunders on a bunt play that became an instant blooper classic.

The official scoring of a hit on that bunt seems an act of pure mercy; I’d have called it 3 errors. When two infielders pinball off each other and deflect away a ball that either one could have handled easily, how is that a hit?
Washington’s 14 hits with no extra-baggers is a new MLB season high and their most since 1979.

@White Sox 4, Royals 2: With one potent swing in the bottom-8th, Gordon Beckham broke both the tie and his 20-game RBI drought. KC squandered a 3rd-and-1st, no-out threat in the top half, including a failed squeeze. Chris Sale allowed 2 HRs for the first time, but still worked 8 efficient innings (101 pitches, no walks, 7 Ks) and rose to 13-3, 2.59.

3 Ks gave Adam Dunn 159, which would have been a record 50 years ago. But he has one-third of the season to get the necessary 65 Ks, and we have every confidence in him.
No HR for A.J. Pierzynski, but he went 2 for 3 with an RBI double.

Twins 14, @Indians 3: The team that started Cleveland’s losing streak with an 11-0 pasting kicked it into double-digits with a 10-run 2nd that started with back-to-back HRs and ended with 8 unearned runs scored after 2 were out. Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau and Ryan Doumit all homered and scored twice in that outburst. Scott Diamond worked 7 solid innings (2 ER) and is 10-5, 2.91 — as many wins as any other 3 Twins starters.

Ben Revere had 4 hits and 3 Runs, as his hitting streak reached 20 games (33 for 85). He’s still looking for his first career HR after 204 games and 842 PAs; he has 187 more PAs than any other homerless active player and 590 more than any active non-pitcher.
One more loss would match the Tribe’s longest skid since before FDR was president.

@Red Sox 9, Rangers 2: After dropping 4 of the first 5 meetings by a combined 39-12, Boston got a little payback in their first look at Yu Darvish, and got back to .500 in the bargain. Texas’s big investment yielded 6 runs and 15 runners in 6.2 IP; he’s 1-4, 7.04 in his last 6 starts, adding a run to his ERA (4.57). Dustin Pedroia (3 doubles) had his 7th career game of 3+ XBH, but his first this season.

Aaron Cook (1 R, 7 IP, 15 groundballs and 2 DPs) matched his season high with 2 strikeouts, but the effort was marred by 3 walks — the first time in 9 starts that he’s given more than one pass. For the year, he has 6 Ks and 7 walks in 51.2 IP; at these rates, he’ll join Eppa Rixey (1932-33) and Slim Sallee (1919-20) as the only modern pitchers with 9+ starts and both SO/9 and BB/9 of 1.3 or less.
3 hits and 3 Runs for Jacoby Ellsbury, but he still has just 1 HR in 117 ABs.
Texas is 13-16 since July 1.

Angels 4, @Athletics 0: Jered Weaver (SHO) won his 9th straight start, one shy of Chuck Finley‘s franchise record, and became the first pitcher with 15 wins this year. Weaver is 15-1 with a 2.13 ERA, but — heh-heh — his Mulligan ERA is 1.62 (8 ER in his only loss).

Erick Aybar led the offense with 3 hits and 2 Runs, while Mike Trout reached 4 times and swiped 3 bags.
In case you’re wondering, the fewest losses in a 20-win season is 3, done 5 times, last by Cliff Lee in 2008.

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Doug

11 years ago

Don’t know how a 15-1 season slips under the radar, but Weaver’s seems to have done just that. Weaver won number 14 on July 31, both this year and in 2011. But, last year he didn’t get no. 15 until Aug 24. If 20 wins somehow eludes Weaver again this year, he will become only the 7th pitcher to be in double-digits in wins in each of his first 7 seasons, but never with a 20-win season. Weaver’s win today makes the 20th time since 2000 that a pitcher has reached 15+ wins in his team’s first 110 games. Here… Read more »

Nash Bruce

11 years ago

Reply to Doug

It is East Coast Bias!! LOL jk…… :-p

Doug

11 years ago

Adam Dunn is in a triple-W slump. He’s now gone 20 games without recording a walk, whiff and whallop all in the same contest, his longest drought of the year.

Jacob

11 years ago

Good stuff, John (and Doug)! Poor Adam. Some minor notes from me: – Under the radar, part II: Buster Posey, David Ortiz, Josh Willingham. – Not under the radar by a long stretch, but still: Mike Trout ’12 is so Alex Rodriguez ’96, it’s scary. Just switch the swipes for some doubles. To top it off, they both had the same OPS in their abbreviated age-19 season. – Every day, it’s becoming more likely we’ll see a postseason with the Nationals and Pirates, who both haven’t been there for over 20 years. (And it’s not like the Reds and Dodgers,… Read more »

11 years ago

Reply to Jacob

Zach McAllister of the Indians now leads the majors in unearned runs with 18. He went into last night’s game with 11, two behind James Shields. He promptly gave up 7 more unearned runs last night to blow past Shields. This despite the fact that he’s only made 12 starts and only thrown 70 innings. So far he’s allowed 46 runs but only 28 have been earned. For some reason, the Indians have tended to make errors when he’s been on the mound and he’s had several meltdowns afterwards.

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

More on McAllister (meant this to be a separate thread…sorry Jacob!).

Four of his 16 runs last year were unearned so this is definitely a trend for him. So far a stunning 35.5% of his 64 runs allowed in his career have been unearned. I’d be surprised if anyone in recent times has a % anywhere near that.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

I have no surprises for you, Ed. With 62 R and 40 ER, McAllister’s R/ER ratio of 1.55 is by far the highest of any active pitcher with at least 50 runs allowed; no one else tops 1.3.

To find a career R/ER ratio of even 1.4, we have to go back to WWII. For 1.5 and up, we’re reaching all the way back to Lefty O’Doul, 1919-23 (71 R, 42 ER)

MikeD

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

That will help his ERA, but generally if a pitcher ends up giving up seven unearned runs, he still pitched poorly. An error is not an excuse for a pitcher to meltdown!

I’ll give McCallister the benefit of the doubt since I haven’t seen the most recent game, but generally when I see a pitcher give up a lot of runs after an error, I still blame the pitcher more than the fielder.

Nash Bruce

11 years ago

After May 27th, Minnesota was 15-32, since they’ve been 33-29. But, more importantly, they’ve started ‘taking out the trash’: Liriano, and Valencia. Would love to see them take the chainsaw to the ‘rotation’, which has nothing, except for Scott Diamond……who is averaging 4.9K/9.
Ugh.
(On the other hand, he is having success, _despite_ a .291 BABIP…..I don’t get to watch much baseball these days, could someone who has seen him pitch give me their opinion of this guy? –smiles–)

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to Nash Bruce

Here is a scouting report.

http://www.piratesprospects.com/2012/06/exploring-the-arsenal-scott-diamond.html

and a quote: ” He does not really have any above average pitches, and struggles to miss bats with any of his offerings.”

11 years ago

Reply to Doug

And here’s another one courtesy of John Sickels: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/6/26/3117444/prospect-of-the-day-scott-diamond-lhp-minnesota-twins-scouting-report “His fastball isn’t especially fast, running at 85-92 MPH and averaging 89.4 this year, although that’s slightly higher than the 88.8 mark he posted last season. He mixes in a curveball and changeup, with scouts generally preferring the curve among his secondary pitches, rating it a plus pitch at times. Diamond has added a cut fastball this spring, reducing usage of his changeup and traditional slider. Although not a strikeout artist, he is throwing slightly harder this year and all of his pitches seem a bit crisper than in the past,… Read more »

Nash Bruce

11 years ago

Reply to Nash Bruce

Thanks for the info guys! 🙂

Voomo Zanzibar

11 years ago

JA, who would you give the “first” error to? The pitcher looked like the clumsy one, but it’s not so clear cut that them bonking together was his ‘fault.’

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Voomo Zanzibar

Voomo, you keep me honest!

As you say, it’s hard to assign individual blame for the first miscue on that play. I do think there should be a category of “team errors” that would cover such situations, but there isn’t. If pressed, I would give the error to the pitcher, but I shouldn’t have faulted the official scorer for taking a pass.

nightfly

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

There is a third option. The scorer can give the batter credit for a sacrifice (since he was clearly trying to give himself up to move the batter) and reached on a fielder’s choice (no error), then ring up the 1b and RF for their errant flings.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to nightfly

Sounds like a valiant effort, nightfly, but what “choice” was involved?

Voomo Zanzibar

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Maybe the “choice” would be the same concept as how that Brendan Ryan play was an FC.

The fielders Chose to be out of position.

I don’t like it, but we’re dealing with vague, 19th century, sort-of updated semantics here.

The NUMBERS that describe baseball have clearly evolved. Nuts and bolts LANGUAGE, not so much.

nightfly

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

It’s a good counterpoint. Baseball doesn’t have a “team error” like you suggest, nor a category for “well, we’ve got no idea how to describe that.” Watching two Major Leaguers bodycheck each other off a bunted ball leaves me grasping for straws…

nightfly

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Jim Bouldin

11 years ago

I’m really wondering if Gordon Beckham’s ever going to live up to the potential he had coming out of college. Seems to be going in the wrong direction.

MikeD

11 years ago

Reply to Jim Bouldin

I don’t know. If you figure it out, give the White Sox a call. They’re trying to figure it out, too! Beckham is just the latest reminder of why projecting players in baseball is just so damn hard. All it takes is one slight flaw that is not evident in college or the minor leagues, that is until the most skilled pitchers in the world — major leaguers — find it and then keep exploiting it until the batter either adapts or dies. We’re seeing it to a worse degree with Justin Smoak, who seems to either lost or never… Read more »

GrandyMan

11 years ago

On June 27th, Houston was 32-43. They have since lost 31 of their last 35. When was the last time a team had a 4-31 stretch? Even the ’03 Tigers couldn’t pull that off!

GrandyMan

11 years ago

Reply to GrandyMan

…and neither did the ’62 Mets.

11 years ago

Reply to GrandyMan

Nor did the ’88 Orioles who started the year 0-21. They were 5-30 after 35 games.

Editor

birtelcom

11 years ago

Reply to GrandyMan

I believe the answer is the 2002 Orioles who were at .500, 63 wins and 63 losses, on August 23, then went 4 wins and 32 losses the rest of the way to finish at 67-95.

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to GrandyMan

In 1935 the Braves had a streak of 4-31 from June 19 to July 21. Then to show that it was not a fluke they went 4-33 from August 18 to September 23.

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

Evidently, the Babe’s decision to hang them up early was well-founded. The Braves were 9-25 when Ruth departed, and the two streaks Richard found were still to come. Who needs that after 15 years in New York.

Prior to joining the Braves, Ruth had played on just two losing teams in 21 seasons – the 1919 Red Sox (66-71) and 1925 Yanks (69-85). Those worst those teams did were 4-14 and 4-15 stretches by the Yanks.

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Doug

So I guess the curse of the Babe affected both Boston teams.

Paul E

11 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

Poor Wally Berger

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to GrandyMan

Since Andy told us how bad the Phils have beemn, I checked them out:
– 1961: 1-28, including 0-23
– 1941: 4-28-1
– 1936: 4-28
– 1928: 4-31 (same as Astros)

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to GrandyMan

How about this one. On June 1, 1916 the A’s had a record of 15-24. On the end of the day on August 8 their record was 19-80 giving them a record of 4-56.

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

Probably have to go back to the 1899 Spiders to beat that. They went 4-59, including 1-40 to close out the season. Earlier in the year, they had a 4-37 run.

Cleveland had only 42 games at home that year, and only 8 of those after July 1st. To finish the season, they went 26 on the road, 1 at home, and then 9 more on the road.

Jim Bouldin

11 years ago

…and the Orioles advance to 21-6 in 1-r games I might add.

Real good deals to be had on those scarlet and gray briefs right now John.
🙂

Larry

11 years ago

I is great to be mentioned in the same breath as the 1899 Spiders re: the 2012 Astros. I doubt the 62 Mets gave up the winning run in any of their 120 losses in more comical fashion. Sadly, there is no “lovable” cuddliness about them – their odiousness is meant to bloom unseen.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

No-no alert: Mike Fiers is perfect through 6. MLB isn’t showing it right now, though.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Sorry, Crew fans — I did it again.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

On the bright side, Fiers tied Jeff D’Amico’s franchise record of 9 straight starts with 6+ IP and 2 runs or less. (I’m assuming that his night is done after 8 IP and 113 pitches, but in light of their closers, maybe I’m jumping the gun.)

Larry

11 years ago

Extra-inning alert for the Astros. Tied with the Nats 2-2 going into the bottom of the 7th. This is crucial. The Astros are 0-10 in extra innings. They have been outscored 0-12. They do not have a walk-off win. That could all come collapsing down like a house of cards tonite. I want the record very badly for my team – whatever those records may be – we have got to be getting close!

bstar

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

Kill the Nats! This happened last night, didn’t it? Right now I’m a huge Houston fan.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

I think you are getting close, Larry. The ’69 Expos went 0-12 in extra innings. Every other team from 1969-2012 had at least 1 win in extras.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Just to follow up — I find no other teams since 1918 winless in extra innings except the expansion ’69 Expos (0-12) and this year’s Astros (0-10).

Larry

11 years ago

Phew! That was a close one. ‘Stros lose 3-2 in 12 to keep their incredible streak alive. Nats won it with a great catch at the fence with the tying and winning runs dying with the catch. It really doesn’t get any better than that!

Larry

11 years ago

@ John A. Thanks so much for your research. The Astros have certainly had some unique accomplishments this year. I still think the 25 plate appearance victory over the Padres you discovered was the gem of the year. Also note that the Astros have not scored a single run in extra innings this year. Nor have they had a walk-off win. By definition, you can only have a walk off win if you are the home team, so the maximum is 81. Considering a 61-20 record is pushing the limit, 61 walk offs is the practical limit. I think the… Read more »

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

Be that all as it may, Larry, as far as us Mets fans are concerned, y’all are the class of the league!

Larry

11 years ago

John, http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/all-or-nothing-in-overtime/ This link describes all 12 of the Expos losses in extras in 1969. They were outscored 18-0. Hardball times also did a rundown of the 1995 Indians who went 13-0 for the best undefeated record in extras in baseball history. In the Expos article they said the Expos were the only team not to win an extra inning game since 1901 if I read it correctly. That is actually rather hard to believe, considering a team could easily go 0-4 or something. John, I am really going to miss the NL. It feels like the NL Astros have… Read more »

Larry

11 years ago

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/all-or-nothing-in-overtime-part-2-the-unstoppable-indians/

This is the link where each game of the 1995 Indians 13-0 extra inning season is detailed.

Larry

11 years ago

http://www.baseball-reference.com/games/situational.cgi?from=1901&to=2008&0=2&1=3&rsgtlt=gt&rs=5&ragtlt=gt&ra=5&2=6&trgtlt=gt&tr=10&3=8&mvgtlt=gt&mv=10&extraInn=1&4=10&owlsgtlt=gt&owls=.500&sortby=WP&teams=team&years=each&submit=Run+Situation

This is the link they provided to show the extra inning records of every team from 1901 to 2008. Indeed, the Expos in 1969 were the only team not to record a win. Presumably, no team has had a season with zero extra-inning games. I think there were three teams to go undefeated in extras – the 1995 Indians had the best record of the lot at 13-0.

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

If I have done my PI search correctly there has never been a team not to play an extra-inning game during the course of a season.

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

I should have mentioned in the game-searchable era, 1918-2011

11 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

It also includes the 1911 NL season.

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

BTW, the 1943 Browns hold the record for most extra inning losses in a season with 18 (though they also won 10). The record for most wins is 19 by the 1959 Pirates (against 2 losses).

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Ah, now I see that the 1959 Pirates season coincided with Roy Face’s famous 18-1 season. Kind of makes sense. The Pirates only went 78-76 overall that year so their 19-2 record in extra innings is fairly incredible.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Believe it or not, I’m only now getting fluent with the “Situational Records” tool of the Play Index. Sad to think how much time I’ve wasted running multiple Game Finders to round up the same information … but better late than never.

Editor

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Re: the 1959 Pirates.

Another point of interest is that despite that 19-2 EI record, rather than “regressing to the mean” the following year, they became WS winners instead.

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

And it looks like the Browns had the longest streak ever without an extra-inning game, 128 games from 4-27-36 to 9-12-36. They had three extra-inning games that year.

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

The 1951 Yankees and the 1961 Pirates had no extra-inning games at home and the 1996 Phillies had no EI games on the road.

Editor

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

Interesting stuff, Larry.

Worst extra-inning records by pennant winners.
1949 Yankees 3-9
1995 Braves 3-9
1982 Brewers 5-14
2007 Red Sox 2-5

11 years ago

Reply to Doug

Most straight extra inning victories appears to be the 1949 Indians. They started 1-1 and then reeled off 17 straight EI victories. Even looking over multiple seasons, I don’t think any team has more in a row. I checked the ’59 Pirates and the ’95 Indians, going forward and backward, and neither of them reached 17. The ’60 Indians lost in extra innings on opening day so their streak from the year before ended immediately.

Larry

11 years ago

Ruchard, is there any way to research which team has had the fewest extra-inning games in a season. From the B-R link I provided, I recall from a cursory scan that a team or two had 25+. The fewest seemed to be around 7 or 8. The average seems to be around 12 to 15.

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

Click on the link in your post 47 and then click on the G of the G column once and then a second time. That column is now sorted in ascending order. It looks like tie games are included.

Larry

11 years ago

Doug, the EI facets are indeed interesting. The insight on the 1959 Pirates is particularly rewarding. I wonder which team has the record for most innings (pitched) in a year? The 62 season featured a three game playoff between the Giants and the Dodgers that counted as regular season games. That was the first year in the NL with a 162 game schedule and there are 27 “extra innings” right there.

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

I found that the 1964 Yankees had 1506.2 IP (164 G), that seems to be the most in a season. Maybe Doug or JA could check me out on it.

Larry

11 years ago

I recall a book by Bill James about managers. As I recall, it was very difficult to develop a metric by which to rank managers. You might think playing above Pythag might do it. But it does not and “regression to the mean” has more predictive power than managerial skills. You might think extra inning performance might correlate but as I recall it did not. Perhaps a manager is only as good as today’s starting pitcher. That said, I think Brad Mills is not a very good manager. Granted, he has the least talent to work with in MLB but… Read more »

Larry

11 years ago

Richard, I think you are correct with the 1964 Yankees having the most innings pitched of all time. I guess they had a good road record and got to pitch more than the average bottom of the last innings. There were two ties that season – they looked like games that went 6 innings that were tied when the rains came. These days the rule has since been changed to pick it up at a later date rather than calling it a tie and then starting from scratch. Neither the Dodgers nor the Giants exceeded 1500 IP despite a 165… Read more »

Larry

11 years ago

The 1964 Yankees played an incredible 26 extra-inning games. They only went 11-15. At home they were 50-31 and on the road they were 49-32-2.

Kind of easy to see how they set the IP record, it is hard to play .600 ball on the road, they don’t have ties anymore and 26 EI games is probably in the top 5.

Larry

11 years ago

Looking at the ’64 Yankees makes me think that the Astros have a good shot at the record for FEWEST innings pitched. They only have around 10 road wins and I think the record is 19. So they could lose 10 to 20 IP. The 11 EI games thus far is about average and none have gone that long. We’ll see.

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

Looks like the record in a 162 game season is the 1975 Tigers (57-102), who had 1396 IP. They were 26-53 on the road and 3-8 in extras.

For teams playing 162, the 1961 Athletics (61-100-1) had 1415 IP. They were 28-53 on the road and 6-3 in extras.

Larry

11 years ago

Doug, I would not have suspected that in the context of a 162 game schedule there would be a range of 90 to 110 innings pitched – the equivalent of 10 to 12 games. That would be the “record” range, I would imagine in a typical season it is more like 3 to 4 games worth of innings.

Larry

11 years ago

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443537404577577271260315462.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

EI mania is sweeping the nation! This is a WSJ article about the Orioles 12 game EI winning streak this year. Interesting: the record is 17 for winning and just 12 for losing. Usually the disparity is reversed – since losing is “easier” than winning.