Brandon’s Big Game

I imagine it must have made a splash at the time, but I completely missed Brandon Crawford‘s 7 hit game last August, only the fifth time since 1913 (and first since 1975) that a player has rolled a lucky seven (or more). But that wasn’t the only remarkable aspect of Crawford’s game; he also posted the 3rd highest recorded single game WPA score.

After the jump, more on baseball’s best WPA games and why Crawford’s is especially unusual.

Here’s the list of games with 7 or more hits, led by Johnny Burnett’s ridiculous 9 hit game in a losing cause more than 80 years ago.

Results
Rk Player Date Tm Opp Rslt PA AB R H
2B 3B HR RBI BB WPA RE24 aLI
1 Johnny Burnett 1932-07-10 CLE PHA L 17-18 11 11 4 9 2 0 0 2 0 0.909 4.886 2.124
2 Brandon Crawford 2016-08-08 SFG MIA W 8-7 8 8 1 7 1 1 0 2 0 1.444 5.576 2.692
3 Rocky Colavito 1962-06-24 DET NYY L 7-9 11 10 1 7 0 1 0 1 1 0.561 2.511 1.676
4 Cesar Gutierrez 1970-06-21 (2) DET CLE W 9-8 7 7 3 7 1 0 0 1 0 0.488 3.206 1.496
5 Rennie Stennett 1975-09-16 PIT CHC W 22-0 7 7 5 7 2 1 0 2 0 0.082 4.177 .190
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 3/26/2017.

Like three of the other four games in the list, Crawford’s heroics came in a close contest, resulting in some impressive WPA scores, especially Crawford’s, enabling him to become the 49th player to crack the top 50 WPA games. The only player to make it twice …  Hank Aaron at game no. 16 (1971-09-10) and game no. 28 (1959-08-18).

The highest recorded WPA games are led, of course, by Art Shamsky’s famous heroics in a losing cause for the Reds.

Results
Rk Player Date Tm Opp Rslt PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB WPA RE24 aLI
1 Art Shamsky 1966-08-12 CIN PIT L 11-14 3 3 3 3 0 0 3 5 0 1.503 4.614 2.510
2 Kiki Cuyler 1932-08-31 CHC NYG W 10-9 6 6 2 5 0 1 1 5 0 1.447 5.291 2.525
3 Brandon Crawford 2016-08-08 SFG MIA W 8-7 8 8 1 7 1 1 0 2 0 1.444 5.576 2.692
4 Dolph Camilli 1941-09-01 (1) BRO BSN W 6-5 8 7 2 5 2 0 1 3 1 1.398 4.722 2.610
5 Jimmie Foxx 1932-07-10 PHA CLE W 18-17 10 9 4 6 1 0 3 8 1 1.307 7.227 2.212
6 Jim Pagliaroni 1965-09-21 PIT NYM W 6-5 5 4 2 3 0 0 1 3 1 1.287 3.915 2.124
7 Brian Daubach 2000-08-21 BOS ANA W 7-6 5 5 1 3 0 0 1 4 0 1.253 3.479 2.796
8 Nelson Cruz 2014-09-07 BAL TBR W 7-5 6 5 2 4 0 1 2 7 1 1.220 5.800 2.142
9 Bobby Grich 1979-07-15 CAL NYY W 5-4 5 5 1 4 1 0 1 5 0 1.211 4.687 1.886
10 Mel Hall 1984-06-27 CLE MIN W 6-4 5 5 1 3 1 0 1 5 0 1.206 4.505 2.448
11 Carlos May 1973-09-03 (1) CHW TEX W 8-7 6 5 2 4 1 0 1 5 1 1.204 5.944 2.403
12 Willie Mays 1962-05-26 SFG NYM W 7-6 5 4 3 3 0 1 2 3 1 1.204 3.686 1.858
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 3/26/2017.

Shamsky’s 3 homers in only 3 PAs came about because he entered the game late, as part of an eighth inning double switch; no other substitute player has matched that home run total in any game, regardless of WPA. This game is also notable for the efforts of Pirate third baseman Bob Bailey who posted a 0.969 WPA that included a tie-breaking two run, two out double in the 11th that set the stage for Shamsky’s last dinger, a two out, game-tying shot in the bottom of the inning. Two players recording .900 WPA in a game has been recorded only one other time, in the A’s 18-17 win over the Indians (game no. 5 on the list above) that featured Jimmie Foxx’s 6 hits and three home runs for the victors, and Johnny Burnett’s remarkable 9 hits (game no. 1 on the first list) for the losers.

But, I said Crawford’s game was unusual among high WPA games, so let me explain why.

  • Eleven of the top twelve WPA games featured two 0.400 WPA events during the game or one of 0.500 WPA. As you have likely guessed, Crawford was the exception with a top WPA event of only .333. Only Dante Bichette at WPA game no. 18, and Mike Greenwell at game no. 48 (when he drove in every Red Sox run in a 9-8 win) also do not have a .400 WPA event, but both had multiple .300 WPA events compared to just one for Crawford. Instead, Crawford steadily built up his WPA total with four more PAs that each improved Giant winning prospects by 18% to 27%. In fact, Crawford may have bested Shamsky for the top WPA game had he not twice run into the final out of an inning, in the 4th and 14th frames (and assuming that not doing so the first time would not have ultimately resulted in an earlier decision in the contest).
  • Three of Crawford’s 8 plate appearances came with the bases empty (including on both of his extra-base hits) and two more with only a runner at first base. Of the other three PAs with RISP, one was his lone out of the game, an inning-ending strikeout. Not your typical setup for a high WPA/high LI game.
  • Crawford recorded his WPA feat as a shortstop. Next shortstop on the WPA game list is the Mets’ Jerry Buchek, checking in at WPA game no. 43 (1.063).
  • Crawford neither scored nor drove in 3 runs. You have to go down to WPA game no. 45 (1.059 by the Twins’ Eric Soderholm) to find another such game.
  • Crawford did not hit a home run. Only three more of the top 50 WPA games were also homerless (Ryan Langerhans no. 25, Willie Montanez no. 41, Joe Garagiola no. 50).
  • Crawford’s 7 hits came off 6 of the 9 Marlin pitchers who worked in the game. It’s a different era now, of course, but that’s more pitchers than any of the other 7 hit games (Colavito had hits against 4 of 6 Yankee pitchers, and Gutierrez and Stennett had hits against all 5 of the opposing pitchers in their games), and especially more than Johnny Burnett’s 9 hits that came off only two A’s pitchers, including 8 hits against reliever Eddie Rommel*.

*Rommel pitched 17 of the 18 innings against the Indians (his 14 runs and 29 hits allowed are both the most recorded by any winning pitcher), likely because of a short bench owing to the contest being a one game Sunday “road trip” to Cleveland (local law in Philadelphia did not permit Sunday baseball, so A’s manager and owner Connie Mack saved on travel costs by taking a much reduced roster on these enforced singleton road swings during home stands, a penny-pinching tactic that was particularly surprising given that the A’s were a top flight team in the early 1930’s, so losing one or two games because of a short bench might ultimately cost his team a pennant). If you’re wondering, Rommel’s outing is not the longest recorded relief appearance; that distinction belongs to Zip Zabel of the Cubs, who relieved starter Bert Humphries in the first inning of a June 17, 1915 contest and went the rest of the way (as did 36 year-old catcher Roger Bresnahan in his final season) in Chicago’s 4-3 win in 19 innings over Brooklyn’s Jeff Pfeffer who went the distance for the Robins (Pfeffer is the only pitcher since 1913 with a pair of 18+ IP CG losses).

The Giants reached the All-Star break last season with the majors’ top record of 57-33 but stumbled badly the rest of the way at 30-42, including 2-11 to start the second half. Did a win in this historic game right the ship, at least temporarily? In a word, no. San Francisco lost the next game and 6 of the next 8; only a 6-2 finish allowed them to sneak into the wild card game against the Mets.

As for Crawford, there was nothing to indicate a game like this might be in the offing. Nor did the game set him off on a hot streak. Crawford went into this game on a 5 for 31 run and followed it with 4 for 27. Such is the nature of baseball.

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e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago

This is a wonderful piece, Doug. Aside from the stealth ordinariness that characterized Crawford’s extraordinary day, there are so many terrific games to explore in this post! Look at Kiki Cuyler’s game on August 31, 1932. It’s not just Cuyler’s WPA — the entire scenario in the bottom of the 10th, with the Cubs down by four runs with two out and the bases empty. . . . I wonder how rare that is. Stennett’s game is remarkable for the fact that by the time he comes up for the second time, his team has a 94% WP and it… Read more »

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago
Reply to  Doug

I never knew that about Hook’s ’57 no-hit start. There seems no real reason to pull Hook other than pitch count, and I didn’t realize Birdie Tebbetts kept pitch counts. It was the last game of the season and the Reds’ fourth-place finish was already locked in. Hook’s bio says that he thought Tebbetts wanted to get a look at some other youngsters and, maybe, protect Hook from blowing the no-hitter, but what Tebbetts said, apparently, was, “You’re too young to pitch a no-hitter.” Clearly, Stengel wasn’t worrying about pitch count. But if you want some idea of why Hook… Read more »

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
6 years ago

Over the last 129 games for the 1916 Athletics, their record was 26 wins, 102 losses and 1 tie for a winning percentage of .203.

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago

As a fan of the ’62 Mets, I always resented the ’16 A’s and ’35 Braves for having superior records of inferiority. I initially consoled myself with the majesty of the Mets’ 120 losses, and I was despondent when I discovered that the 1899 Cleveland Outcasts had lost 134 in a shorter season.

Doug
Doug
6 years ago

Bob Moorhead and Craig Anderson, the Mets’ top two relievers in ’62, both handled Mays pretty well over their careers. Mays was a combined 4 for 22 against them, albeit with a home run against each.

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Your thinking is good, Doug, and your initial point well taken. But I think that it’s interesting to note how exceptionally poor Stengel’s options were, and that there were reasons why Stengel might have shied from those two guys or anyone else available to him on that day. Moorhead had relieved in the third the day before, and after his 2/3 of an inning, a 1-3 deficit had become a 1-7 deficit (he relieved the following day, too, and gave up a homer in the only inning he pitched – his ERA was 5.00 as a reliever at the time,… Read more »

Doug
Doug
6 years ago

Well said, epm. Even in today’s games, with stats on everything, managers still go with the guys who have been pitching well lately. If one of them lays an egg, the manager will probably come back to him, but if he has a couple more stinkers, then he’ll probably be pitching in lower leverage situations until he gets his groove back. More generally, a lot more managing in yesteryear was done by the gut rather than by the book. Like the bullpen coach picking the reliever who would come into the game base on who “looked” the sharper of the… Read more »

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Great story about Cobb – and Johnson had good reason to worry: he holds the modern record for HBP. Thinking further about the Mays game, one reason the Mets were on an 0-17 run was that they were facing the two old NYC teams, the class of the league that year, for the first time, with home/away series for 13 straight games, all of which the Mets naturally lost. They were hampered by the fact that when they went back to the Polo Grounds to host the Dodgers and Giants, the “home” fans rooted for the visitors with manic zeal… Read more »

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
6 years ago

On Walter… here’s a boxscore from his 1913 (the greatest season ever?), in which he won a game in which he came in to relieve a guy who was throwing a no-hitter:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS191305030.shtml

This appearance pushed his scoreless innings streak to 38.
It would go to 55.2

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago
Reply to  Voomo Zanzibar

Weird game, Voomo! Joe Engel was allowing almost two base runners an inning with all those walks and hit batsmen, but Johnson’s rate was about the same, and he was giving up hits. Bedient pitched better than either of them and he lost.

But why would you think 1913 was even a contender for greatest season?

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago
Reply to  Voomo Zanzibar

Weird game, Voomo. Engel was letting on almost two runners per inning with all those walks and hit batsmen, but Johnson actually was no better – his rate was about the same, but he was letting up hits. It was Bedient who pitched a great game, and he lost.

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago

Weird double-post, too. Sorry — I thought a machine crash had wiped out the first, and in the middle I figured out you were referring to Johnson’s 1913 season, not the leagues’.

no statistician but
no statistician but
6 years ago

The Colavito game, Tigers losing to Yankees in 22 innings, lasted 7:00 hours. Yogi Berra at age 37 caught the entire game for the Yankees—strange, to say the least. Elston Howard pinch hit, so he wasn’t on the DL, and John Blanchard played the entire game in left field.

As for the seven hit list, three of the players had oWAR under ten for their careers. Gutierrez ended up in negative territory. But no one can take that one game away from any of them.

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
6 years ago

Other than a pinch hit appearance, Yogi got 4 days off after that, and only one start in a week.

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago
Reply to  Voomo Zanzibar

It’s true that he got some time off, but this was only his third start as a catcher all year; he’d caught a full game the day before, and the game time was 7:00. But Howard had pinch hit in the 7th, before it was obvious the game would be long (he came up with the bases loaded, and if he’d delivered, it wouldn’t have been). Blanchard, who had become the regular Right fielder, could have been shifted to catch during the extra innings, but Mantle had been removed in the seventh, and moving Blanchard would probably have meant putting… Read more »

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago
Reply to  Doug

There’s a very rare move in that 1984 game (at least, I think it’s rare). At the start of the top of the 21st, Ron Reed came in to pitch. He was not in the batting order (since this was an AL game with DHs). In the bottom of the 21st, Chicago (mounting a three-run comeback in the 21st inning to re-tie the score – has that ever happened?) sent in a pinch runner. When the ChiSox retook the field for the 22nd, the pinch runner was replaced in the line-up by Ron Reed, who had already played an inning.… Read more »

Doug
Doug
6 years ago

It wasn’t the 21st inning, but this game, which had been scoreless, featured matching 5 spots in extras.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SEA/SEA201306050.shtml

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Great find, Doug. And look at Addison Reed. He enters the game in extras, allows 5 ER (including a grand slam) in his initial inning, and walks off with a W. (Had he allowed any other number, of course, he couldn’t have gotten the win.)

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
6 years ago

On 4-30-1919 the Dodgers (Robins) and Phils each scored 3 runs in the 19th inning. The game ended in a 9-9 tie of 20 innings.

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago

I see that Joe Oeschger was the Phillie starter in that game, Richard. Both he and Burleigh Grimes went the 19-inning distance, each giving up 9 runs. One year and one day later, Oeschger took the mound against the Robins again, pitching for the Braves. This time he only allowed one run, but the result was the same, only seven innings longer still.

Doug
Doug
6 years ago

Responding to epm and his comment about a pitcher moving to a field position. Certainly rare as you noted, mainly because teams don’t want pitchers playing anywhere but the mound, if only to keep their bat out of the lineup. Had it been an NL game, there would then have been two pitchers in the batting order, quite a handicap deep in extra innings. Hopefully the new pitcher who was brought in did not throw with the same hand; always having the platoon advantage would be the one benefit of having two pitchers on the field.

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Doug, Actually Reed didn’t move to a field position, he moved to a batting position. It’s complicated; more than I first thought. Marc Hill had come in to play 1B for the White Sox, batting third. When he got on base in the 21st, Rich Dotson (a starting pitcher) was sent in to pinch run, placed in the number three batting slot. At the end of the inning, Dotson couldn’t play 1B, so Tom Paciorek (who, oddly, had entered the game in the 4th — why would an outfielder enter in the fourth? — Ron Kittle, whom he replaced at… Read more »

Doug
Doug
6 years ago

Thanks for clarifying the play, epm. More complicated in one sense, but simpler also since, as you noted, it was really just a case of the DH taking the field and the pitcher moving into the batting order.

David P
David P
6 years ago

EPM –

Took a little digging but this article mentions that Kittle left the game early due to shin splints. Paciorek was expecting to have the day off, so he ordered a pizza and was munching away when he was ordered into the game.

http://www.pressreader.com/canada/national-post-national-edition/20140506/282037620177479

e pluribus munu
e pluribus munu
6 years ago
Reply to  David P

Terrific find, David. Some games are so rich that you could write a novel around them.

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
6 years ago

Cesar Guitierrez was an unlikely 7-hit getter.
1970 was his only season as a starter, and he was good for -26 RBat
After his big day, it took him 12 games and 42 AB to get his next 7 hits.