Quiz – Sultans of Something (solved) |

Here is an unusual collection of players who share the distinction of a certain batting achievement. What season batting feat have only these players accomplished in the live ball era (since 1920) ?

Rk	Player
1	Goose Goslin
2	Jack Fournier
3	Odell Hale
4	Ken Keltner
5	Dick Sisler
6	Sam Mele
7	Eddie Yost
8	Willie Davis
9	Tom Paciorek
10	Jose Cruz

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/25/2013.

Congratulations to Richard Chester! He correctly identified (with a little help) that these players are the only batters with a post-1920 season of 10 or more home runs all hit on the road. The first searchable player to do this was Babe Ruth in 1918, before he was known as the Sultan of Swat.

Hint: since this feat was last accomplished, these players have come closest to matching it.

Player	Player	Player	Player	Player
Miguel Montero	Chris Iannetta	Mark Carreon	Don Slaught	Brian Giles
Stan Javier	Felix Jose	John Jaha	Rickey Henderson	James Loney
Javy Lopez	Deivi Cruz	Fernando Seguignol	Sal Fasano	Daric Barton

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/25/2013.

Of the players above, Montero has a 9 HR season, all on the road, and the others have a 10+ HR season (Lopez has two) with only one HR hit at home. Here are the seasons for the players in our quiz.

Rk	Player	Split	Year	G	HRtot	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1	Babe Ruth	Home	1918	48	11	181	145	28	45	14	8	22	33	19	.310	.438	.517	.955
2	Goose Goslin	Home	1926	69	17	296	255	41	83	19	9	43	27	20	.325	.396	.471	.867
3	Jack Fournier	Home	1927	54	10	173	146	14	39	6	2	16	18	3	.267	.359	.336	.695
4	Odell Hale	Home	1933	45	10	176	158	25	50	11	7	29	17	18	.316	.383	.475	.858
5	Ken Keltner	Home	1939	77	13	319	289	34	95	17	4	36	28	23	.329	.388	.415	.803
6	Dick Sisler	Home	1948	61	11	251	225	28	59	10	3	16	21	19	.262	.328	.333	.661
7	Sam Mele	Home	1950	59	12	215	192	24	60	9	4	34	20	17	.313	.377	.401	.778
8	Eddie Yost	Home	1952	78	12	358	289	42	67	20	3	20	58	30	.232	.366	.322	.688
9	Willie Davis	Home	1969	56	11	214	197	28	66	11	4	21	12	18	.335	.379	.431	.810
10	Tom Paciorek	Home	1982	50	11	194	178	24	50	12	3	17	9	24	.281	.330	.382	.712
11	Jose Cruz	Home	1984	80	12	335	286	45	79	13	7	30	44	30	.276	.367	.371	.738

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/26/2013.

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mosc

10 years ago

Gunna guess something to do with unexpectedly high RBI totals? In relation to total bases or extra base hits or something?

Author

Doug

Reply to mosc

No. Nothing like that.

Richard Chester

What I find puzzling is that Seguignol’s maximum PA is so low compared to the rest.
Fasano too.

Reply to Richard Chester

Ergo, PAs are not germane to the answer. 🙂

It looks to me like the first list is in chronological order. That would mean that Fournier would have to have accomplished his feat during or after Goslin’s first year, 1921. Also it rules out rookie season feats. Still doesn’t help much though.

Here’s another clue.

I considered having the title “Willie Nelson Hitters”. But the title I did choose has a clue in it concerning who else might have done this outside of the live ball era.

So we’re On The Road Again. Looks like something about most percentage of HRs on the road. I am going to research it now.

Could be all HRs on the road, minimum of 10.

Bingo.

Reply to Doug

Goose Goslin was the giveaway. I remembered reading in one of my reference books that he holds the record for most road HRs without hitting one at home. It was always on my mind.

Lawrence Azrin

@10/Richard,

Now you’ve got my blue eyes crying in the rain.

And these quizzes of Doug’s are driving us all crazy.

jaj

I believe Henry Aaron’s first season only had one HR at home

Goslin, Mele and Yost had a good excuse: Griffith Stadium.

Editor

John Autin

For an extreme shift in home/away HRs, check out Leon Wagner. With the expansion Angels in ’61, he hit 19 of 28 at home, in friendly old Wrigley Field. They moved into Dodger Stadium in ’62, and Wagner hit just 13 of 37 at home that year, then just 2 of 26 at home in 1963. That last is the highest percentage of road HRs for a season of 20+ HRs. For 1962-63 combined, Wagner trailed only Aaron with 48 road HRs, but his 15 home HRs were tied for 58th. (Wagner was also one of the 5 least valuable… Read more »

Artie Z.

In looking at the Babe’s 1918 season I noticed that, in addition to hitting all of his HRs on the road, he hit 2 HRs against Walter Johnson.

And how many HRs did Walter Johnson allow that season in his 326 innings? Just 2.

Brent

Reply to Artie Z.

My favorite thing about the Babe in 1918 is his usage in the WS by manager Ed Barrow. Here is a player who despite not being used as an everyday player all year was top 10 in the league in almost every offensive category and led the league in HRs and SLG. Barrow decides to pitch him in the Series. Actually, giving the Babe’s history of pitching well in the WS that decision is not what I find amusing. So Babe starts games 1 and 4 and wins them both. So far, so good. No, what is amusing is that… Read more »

Reply to Brent

During the 1918 season Ruth participated in 95 games, 19 as a starting pitcher. He batted 9th in only 8 games, 7 as a starting pitcher. He batted 4th in 75 games total, making it more puzzling that he did not bat 4th in the series.

After my original post, I was looking up the other guys who pinch hit for the Red Sox and found an even better oddity. Jean Dubuc was a PITCHER who Barrow used to pinch hit, instead of Ruth. And in 1918 he was a pitcher who had pitched in 2 games and had 6 plate appearances.

no statistician but

If you look at Ruth’s games played during the season, you’ll see that he was generally rested the day after he pitched, sometimes two or three days. As for pinch hitting on his off days, Mays and Bush were both excellent hitters that year, so the need to bat for them wasn’t apparent in the series. As for PHing for Jones, he pitched in game 5, one of the days Barrow would definitely rest Ruth. Also, 1918 was probably the last year an over-the-fence HR wasn’t viewed as the possibility it is today. The Red Sox, like everyone else, were… Read more »

And Ruth hit those two HR off Johnson (and a third one off another Senator) in the same Griffith Stadium that three of the quiz players couldn’t master.

Yet, he couldn’t knock one out of Fenway.

seven sultans

9 years ago

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Reply to seven sultans

I nominate this “best semi-english spam troll.”
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Reply to Voomo Zanzibar

Didn’t Satchel say, “Don’t look back — someone might be touching you?”