Quiz – “Great baffling box scores, Batman!” (solved)

In the game-searchable era (since 1916), there is something that has happened during a major league game only 4 times, specifically in the games below.

What is it?

1923-06-06 – White Sox 4, Yankees 1, Red Faber homered off of Herb Pennock

1929-06-24 – Tigers 13, White Sox 4, Red Faber homered off of Emil Yde

1948-09-20 – Phillies 5, Pirates 2, Bob Chesnes homered off of Robin Roberts

1962-05-05 – Athletics 18, Indians 6, Jerry Walker homered off of Pedro Ramos

Happy sleuthing!

Congratulations to Stuart! He correctly identified the above games as the only contests since 1916 to feature a home run hit by a switch-hitting pitcher off of another switch-hitting pitcher who also homered in his career. Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com for the home runs logs.

As the most prolific active power-hitting pitcher, Carlos Zambrano (assuming he finds a suitor for 2013) presumably stands the best chance to join this group. These are the active switch-hitting pitchers who played in 2012.

Here are the switch-hitting pitchers with the most PAs without ever getting a hit (at least, not yet).

Rk Player PA H From To Age G BB IBB Pos Tm
1 Carl Bouldin 23 0 1961 1964 21-24 29 2 0 /*1 WSA
2 Charlie Whitehouse 22 0 1914 1919 20-25 25 2 /*1 IND-NEW-WSH
3 Bill Denehy 18 0 1967 1971 21-25 49 4 0 /*1 NYM-WSA-DET
4 Marv Rotblatt 18 0 1948 1951 20-23 35 1 /*1 CHW
5 Jack DiLauro 14 0 1969 1970 26-27 66 0 0 /*1 NYM-HOU
6 Chris Hatcher 9 0 2010 2012 25-27 28 2 1 /*12 FLA-MIA
7 Fred Beene 9 0 1968 1975 25-32 115 0 0 *1 BAL-NYY-TOT-CLE
8 Derek Holland 8 0 2009 2012 22-25 108 0 0 *1 TEX
9 Keith Brown 8 0 1988 1992 24-28 25 0 0 /*1 CIN
10 Rich Beck 8 0 1965 1965 25-25 3 1 0 /*1 NYY
11 Jack Richardson 8 0 1915 1916 22-23 4 0 /*1 PHA
12 Guy Cooper 8 0 1914 1915 21-22 12 0 /*1 TOT-BOS
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 2/4/2013.

That IBB by Chris Hatcher came in a game that he played as catcher. Hatcher is one of just 3 players with a career with more IBB than hits.

Rk Player PA IBB H From To Age G BB SO Pos Tm
1 Neil Wilson 11 1 0 1960 1960 25-25 6 1 2 /*2 SFG
2 Rex Johnston 10 1 0 1964 1964 26-26 14 3 0 /*78 PIT
3 Chris Hatcher 9 1 0 2010 2012 25-27 28 2 6 /*12 FLA-MIA
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 2/4/2013.

Hatcher  has also  put just one ball into play in his career, yet debuted as a pinch-hitter, striking out for Emilio Bonifacio. Hey Chris, just havin’ some fun. We love you. Really. Just know you’re gonna knock one out the next time you’re up (probably off the Z-man).

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Ed
Ed
11 years ago

They all have a home run by a pitcher. So that’s probably part of it.

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

They all appear to have been hit off of a HOFer or All-Star, except for Faber’s ’29 HR, hit off of Emil Yde, who obviously is no HOFer and played his entire career before All Star games, although his rookie season certainly would be an All-Star year today!

Stuart
Stuart
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Is it that all of the home runs were hit by switch-hitting pitchers off of pitchers who were also switch-hitters?

Doug
Doug
11 years ago
Reply to  Stuart

Bingo. Way to go Stuart.

David
David
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Was the post title supposed to be a clue leading us to *Robin* Roberts?

John Autin
Editor
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Excellent stumper as usual, Doug. I got absolutely nowhere on this one.

Too bad there aren’t more (any) switch-pitching pitchers.

mosc
mosc
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

JA, there is a switch pitching pitcher in Yankees AAA. He was rule 5 eligible for 2012 but was not drafted. He is also not on the yankees 40 man roster despite pitching 2.77 ERA (though only got in 13 IP) in Scranton 2012. Still, his career minor league ERA is 2.30. He had a torn labrum injury that cut short a promising AAA stint but he should be back and pitching soon. The Yankees have some bullpen depth but it does seem possible he will see MLB time in 2013 or if healthy a real spring training shot at… Read more »

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

#9/John A. above –

switch-pitching pitchers – Greg Harris actually WAS one –

from B-R:
“Position:
Pitcher
Throws: Right
Harris alternated arms during one game”

Apparently Harris had acquired a special glove that would allow him to throw both lefty and righty in the same appearance, but Red Sox GM Lou Gorman forbid him from doing that with the Red Sox.

Harris finally fulfilled his ambition of pitching from both sides in his next-to-last game of his career, on Sept. 28th, 1995, with the Expos.

John Autin
Editor
11 years ago

This is not the answer, just a delicious observation: In the 1962 game, Jerry Walker hit Pedro Ramos with a pitch in the top of the 7th, then hit a home run off Ramos leading off the bottom of the 7th.

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
11 years ago

Hatcher’s minor league hitting stats:

.210 .290 .364 .654

And pitching:

95 IP
1.32 era

He made his debut as a pitcher, pitching a perfect inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in a 13-3 win, less than a year after making his major league debut as a position player. The last player to make a similar quick transition from the backstop to the mound was Art Doll, with the 1936 Boston Bees

Seth
Seth
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Harman fascinated me in the years before the internet. He had a XB card in a 1941 APBA season set I ordered years ago. The MacMillian Encyclopedia line for him was so bizarre looking.

Seth
Seth
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

It wasn’t from the 40’s, it was just a single season set. I only feel that old.

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Harman’s Phillies lost all 15 games in which he appeared.
(43-111 on the season)

The manager was Doc Prothro, who has the worst career winning % of any manager in history (min 320 games).

http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/prothdo01.shtml

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Speaking of position players who first pitched late in their MLB careers: there’s Granny Hammer. Well into his career for the Phillies as a four-time All Star/six-time MVP vote-getter as a SS and second baseman, he developed a pretty good knuckleball and pitched three games in 1956, twelve years after his MLB debut, and finishing a game in 1957. In 1961/1962 he was a player/manager at single-A in the KC Athletics system, mostly relieving in ’61, but mostly starting in 1962. He pitched well enough in 1962 (10-4/2.03 ERA in 146 IP) to be brought up in late July and… Read more »

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  Lawrence Azrin

Hal Jeffcost is another example of a player who first pitched late in his career.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago

Doug: Is there a quick way to track down switch-hitting pitcher HR against switch-hitting pitchers? I know one way to do it but it would take quite a while. There have been 321 switch-hitting pitchers and 54 of them have homered. You then would check those 54 HR logs individually and look for matching pitchers.

Tim Pea
Tim Pea
11 years ago

Darren Oliver throws left and hits right. I don’t remember him ever hitting from the left side in the majors. Carlos Zambrano homered off Darren Oliver and Darren Oliver has a HR, so close.

Tim Pea
Tim Pea
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

Speaking of Oliver, he was a decent hitter over his career. Someone correct me if I’m wrong but usually natural left handed pitchers stick to hitting left handed because the throwing arm is protected. Not to mention you pick up the natural advantage of the Coriolis force from the left side of the plate.

deal
11 years ago

He is not listed in his bio info as one but Vincente Padilla is a switch hitter check his batting splits:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?id=padilvi01&year=Career&t=b

Althought there never seemed to be any rhyme or reason as to when he decided to switch hit.

He was active in 2012, but I think I heard he is headed to Japan for 2013.

My favorite Padilla PA is in the Bud Selig All-Star gm. He had to bat RH that day because he didn’t bring a batting helmet and he needed to borrow Scott Rolen’s helmet.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NLS/NLS200207090.shtml