104 thoughts on “Mystery Milestone Games”

1. Bob Eno (epm) August 2, 2019 at 12:41 pm

   This is fun stuff to read through, Doug, and very nicely laid out. In regular HHS strings, you and Voomo seem to have taken on the role of alerting all of us to varieties of milestones that unobtrusively go by in games each week, and it does tend to reinforce the sense of the game as an unwinding history, drawing attention back again and again to names and eras that would otherwise fade from view.

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2. Bob Eno (epm) August 3, 2019 at 9:35 pm

   I’ve been thinking of a template that would be the reverse of this HR milestone ascent. For example, there used to be many players with 150-250 career triples, and match-ups with multiple such players would not have been hard to locate, although never really common. But I believe now no active player has as many as 100 career triples.

   Searching unsystematically, I think I may have located a type of reverse-milestone game: the last (to date . . . forever?) match-up pitting two 100 career triple players. The game I have in mind was the Dodger-Giant game of 30 September 2006, which incuded Kenny Lofton (LA) and Steve Finley (SF). At the time, Finley had 124 career triples (his final total), while Lofton entered the game with 108 and added number 109. Finley didn’t play the next day, and the season ended. He finished his career in 2007 with the Rockies, and Lofton went to the AL and did not play Colorado in ’07, so they never met again.

   I thought, perhaps, I could find a 2011 or 2012 match-up between Jimmy Rollins and Johnny Damon after both had 100 triples, but they were in different leagues and don’t seem to have met up.

   This was pretty much an eyeball-only search, and I wonder whether (if anyone finds this interesting), others may have spotted meetings I missed.

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   1. Doug August 3, 2019 at 11:35 pm

      Carl Crawford and Jose Reyes faced each other four times when both had 100+ triples, 3 times in 2013 and once in 2015 in a Sep 15 game in which Jimmy Rollins also played, for three 100 triple men. After that Sep 15 game, Dodger teammates Rollins and Crawford appeared in the same game nine more times, the last on Sep 30 when both played the entire game.

      I don’t think there have been any teams since WWII with three 100 triple men.

      Teams with three 100 triple men:
      – 1944 Dodgers (Paul Waner, Lloyd Waner, Ben Chapman)
      – 1943 Dodgers (Arky Vaughan, Joe Medwick, Paul Waner)
      – 1941 Braves (Paul Waner, Lloyd Waner, Earl Averill)
      – 1940 Pirates (Arky Vaughan, Paul Waner, Lloyd Waner)
      and many more

      Teams with two 100 triple men:
      – 2015 Dodgers (Jimmy Rollins, Carl Crawford)
      – 1987-90 Royals (George Brett, Willie Wilson)
      – 1975 Cardinals (Lou Brock, Willie Davis)
      – 1959 Braves (Enos Slaughter, Mickey Vernon)
      – 1950-53 Cardinals (Stan Musial, Enos Slaughter)
      – 1945 Phillies (Ben Chapman, Jimmie Foxx)
      – 1945 Dodgers (Ben Chapman, Babe Herman)
      – 1943 Red Sox (Joe Cronin, Al Simmons)
      – 1938-42 Red Sox (Joe Cronin, Jimmie Foxx)
      – 1942 Dodgers (Arky Vaughan, Joe Medwick)
      – 1941 Dodgers (Paul Waner, Joe Medwick)
      – 1941 Pirates (Lloyd Waner, Arky Vaughan)
      – 1939-40 Tigers (Charlie Gehringer, Earl Averill)
      – 1937 Tigers (Charlie Gehringer, Babe Herman)
      – 1936 Tigers (Charlie Gehringer, Al Simmons)
      and many more

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      1. Bob Eno (epm) August 3, 2019 at 11:48 pm

         So much for my eyeballs.

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         1. Doug Post authorAugust 4, 2019 at 1:17 am

            Interesting, though, that you found the Finley/Lofton game. They both recorded 12 triples in the 2006 season, almost matching the previous total for all such seasons by players aged 39 or older.
            2006 – Finley (12), Lofton (12)
            1945 – Joe Kuhel (13)
            1930 – Sam Rice (13)
            1915 – Honus Wagner (17)

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3. Doug August 3, 2019 at 11:50 pm

   The Astros on Saturday recorded the second team no-hitter of the season; like the first by the Angels, the Mariners were the victims.

   Teams to be no-hit twice in one season, since 1908.
   2019 Mariners
   2015 Dodgers
   2015 Mets
   2010 Rays
   2001 Padres
   1996 Rockies
   1977 Angels
   1973 Tigers
   1971 Reds
   1967 Tigers
   1965 Cubs
   1960 Phillies
   1923 A’s
   1917 White Sox

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   1. John August 9, 2019 at 12:32 am

      Interestingly, the 1917 White Sox were the World Series champs. While several World Series champions have been no-hit during their season, they are the only WS winners to be victimized twice. And the 65 Cubs 2nd victimization was Sandy Kolfax’s perfecto.

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      1. Doug August 9, 2019 at 1:00 am

         Their two no-hit games were on consecutive days (May 5-6), both against the Browns (but not in consecutive games as the second no-hit game was the second game of a twinbill).

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         1. John August 10, 2019 at 1:27 pm

            The 65 Cubs’ first no no was a rare 10 inning job My Jim Maloney. In Kolfax’s perfecto, Cubs’ Bob Henley was nearly as good, throwing a 1-hitter, the lone hit coming AFTER the run scored: A walk, sacrifice, stolen base and throwing error by the catcher. Without that error, they might still be playing.

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         2. John August 18, 2019 at 10:15 pm

            On Apr 14 1917 Eddie Cicotte no-hit the Browns, making 3 no nos between the 2 teams in 1917. Eddie Cicotte of course got his HOF bid waylaid a few years later by the Black Sox scandal …..

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4. Richard Chester August 4, 2019 at 12:13 am

   In yesterday’s (Friday) Yankee-Red Sox game which was a 4-2 Yankee victory, all runs were scored in the first inning. The highest number of runs scored, all in the first inning (1901-2018), I found to be 11 by the A’s and White Sox on 9/11/1929 with the A’s being the victors by a 7-4 score. All told I found 14 games in which all runs were scored in the first inning, 6 runs minimum, That’s for 9 inning games only. Extra inning games would have to end in a tie.

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5. Doug August 4, 2019 at 9:45 pm

   In Walker Buehler’s CG win on Saturday, 9 of his 15 strikeouts were accomplished in 3 or 4 pitches. He becomes just the 15th pitcher with a season since 1908 including a pair (or more) of 15 strikeout CGs. Randy Johnson had 6 such seasons, Ryan 4, and two each for Pedro and Sandy. Bob Feller had four such CGs in his career, all of them as a teenager.

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   1. Mike L August 6, 2019 at 8:11 am

      Interesting point about Feller, and the arc of the game. Feller led the league in K/9 for 4 consecutive years before he went off to war. In 1947, he led it again–with just 5.9. The final 5 years of his career, he never got it over 3.8.

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6. Doug August 6, 2019 at 3:04 am

   Five Yankee HR on Monday pushed the season HR allowed by the Orioles to 223, just 35 shy of the record total of 258 allowed by the 2016 Reds. At its current pace, Baltimore will reach record territory by Aug 24, and will end the season having allowed 324 home runs, 25% more than the current mark. But, the Orioles are not alone; though well back of Baltimore, the Mariners and Phillies are also on pace to eclipse the current record.

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7. Voomo August 7, 2019 at 10:17 pm

   Gurriel of the Astros just got eight RBIs.
   He did so with one homerun and the only one other hit. The homerun wasn’t even a grand slam. I’ve found only two other instances of eight RBIs with One home run and just 2 hits

   It was last done in 1932, by Lou Gehrig

   https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET193209091.shtml

   The other occasion was also a Yankee, but it was so long ago that it was a Highlander:

   https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLA/SLA191107120.shtml

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   1. Doug August 8, 2019 at 2:31 am

      Roy Hartzell was the player for the earlier game. His 8 RBI were twice as many as in any other game of his career. Hartzell’s RBI totals for 1908-14 read 32, 32, 30, 91, 38, 38, 32 in seasons where his PA ranged from 468 to 650. His 8 RBI game and the eye-catching RBI total of 91 came in his best season in 1911, but certainly not a season so far and away better than the others as to make sense of that RBI total.

      1911 was Hartzell’s first season in New York and the Highlanders’ last full season at Hilltop Park; therein may lie a clue as Hartzell wasn’t the only player to see his RBI total plummet after moving to the Polo Grounds the next season. Hilltop’s outfield dimensions of 542 feet in center and 400 feet in right would suggest that gappers could go a long way before being run down; still, Hartzell had only 31 extra-base hits (17 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR), so who knows?

      The most RBI from two hits without a home run is 6, done 14 times including once by pitcher Dave Giusti in 1966 (Giusti had 35 RBI in 275 AB from 1965-68, despite a .185/.217/.265 slash).

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   2. Doug August 11, 2019 at 6:34 pm

      Gurriel had twice as many hits in the Astros’ 23-2 shellacking of Baltimore, but only a single RBI. The unusual line score in that game was 5-4-3-7 by DH Yordan Alvarez, just the fourth searchable game with that combo; the first three were all notable players: Cy Williams (1923), Ted Williams (1949) and Justin Morneau (2009, in a 14-13 loss).

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8. Doug August 8, 2019 at 2:23 am

   Bo Bichette on Wednesday extended his batting streak to 10 games to start his career, totaling 18 hits including 11 for extra-bases. The former figure is the most among players playing their first 10 games all on the road, and the latter figure is tied with Pete Alonso for the most by any searchable player over the first 10 games of a career, home or away.

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   1. Doug August 8, 2019 at 9:51 pm

      Two more XBH’s for Bichette in game no. 11. He becomes the first player to double in 9 straight games at any point in a career, and first rookie since Ted Williams with an XBH in 9 straight games.

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      1. Bob Eno (epm) August 11, 2019 at 8:23 am

         Bichette’s bat has quiet the last two nights for the first time, but there were two other rookies who each had 3 HR games: Yordan Alvarez and Aristides Aquino.

         Alvarez’s line for 2019, his debut year, includes 17 HR and 31 XBH in 192 PA, for a slash line of .353/.452/1.175. His OPS+ is 203 (Bichette’s is now 200).

         Aquino had his start in August 2018, came up to bat, struck out, and was seen no more until August 1 this year. He was 0-for-6 in his first two games, but over his next seven, including last night’s three-dinger adventure, he has hit 7 HR. He has fewer than half the PA of Bichette, but has 35 TB to Bo’s 41. He’s actually way ahead of where Bichette was at 30 PA.

         Alvarez, Aquino, Bichette . . . what’s with all these explosive rookies? And we’re only up to the B’s!

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         1. Doug August 11, 2019 at 5:35 pm

            A for Alonso too. Cavan Biggio is another B who’s impressed. He’s a bit older and that maturity shows, as he carries himself like a veteran, all business and hustles on every play. Biggio has played mostly at second, but also at first and in the OF, and has looked very competent everywhere he’s played. His BA is underwhelming, partly because his batting eye is too good, taking close pitches that are balls, but being rung up because, well, he’s a rookie. Despite a .208 BA, he has a respectable .718 OPS thanks to a healthy number of walks (16% of PA) and some pop (10 HR in 216 AB). Only three rookies since 1901 have walked in 16% of 250+ PA with a BA under .250; the last was another Blue Jay: Fred McGriff in 1987.

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         2. Doug August 12, 2019 at 10:22 pm

            Bichette had his first four-hit game on Monday and his 10th multi-hit game, the latter tied with Curtis Goodwin and Yasiel Puig for the most in the first 15 games of a career.

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9. Voomo Zanzibar August 10, 2019 at 11:41 am

   Well, this is an egregious case of Small Sample Size, but…

   Kyle Higashioka was returned to his AAA post.
   If he does not get another plate appearance this season (unlikely, given September and all), he will obliterate the all-time record for highest slugging percentage with an OBP of .250 or under, minimum 40 PA:

   .590 … Higashioka
   .526 … Joe Koshansky
   .500 … Steve Avery

   .487 … J.R. Phillips
   .487 … Dane Sardinha
   .486 … Tommy Byrne
   .483 … Bill Schroeder
   .474 … John Mayberry (Jr.)

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10. Doug August 11, 2019 at 9:11 pm

    Three 1-0 games on Sunday. First time this year, and only the 10th time in the past 25 seasons.

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    1. Richard Chester August 14, 2019 at 4:20 pm

       From 1901-2018 there have been 2 dates with 4 games of 1-0, 9/2/2001 and 7/2/2013. That’s for the AL and NL combined only, no FL.

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       1. Bob Eno (epm) August 14, 2019 at 9:23 pm

          Including the FL might well change the picture. The reason there was not a single date from 1901-1960 with four 1-0 games is probably that, except for Sundays and holidays, there were generally no more than 8 games on any given day. Since 1998 the norm has been 15, and that increase probably counterbalanced the rise in offense in recent decades.

          . . . And, after checking, indeed, if the FL is included, add September 18, 1915.

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11. Doug Post authorAugust 11, 2019 at 10:38 pm

    In Sunday’s ESPN game, Giant closer Will Smith delivered an 8th inning RBI single in his first career PA coming in the 347th game of his career. He currently stands 4th in career games for players with a career 1.000 BA, trailing Brandon Lyon (572), Shawn Camp (541) and Esteban Yan (472).

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12. Voomo Zanzibar August 11, 2019 at 11:41 pm

    If his season ended today, where Ryu stands in this good old fashioned stat:

    Lowest ERA since 1920, minimum 140 IP:

    1.12 … Bob Gibson
    1.45 … Hyun-Jin Ryu
    1.53 … Gooden
    1.56 … Maddux
    1.57 … Jim Kern

    1.60 … Tiant
    1.63 … Maddux
    1.64 … Chandler
    1.65 … Chance
    1.66 … Hubbell
    1.66 … Greinke

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    1. Voomo Zanzibar August 11, 2019 at 11:47 pm

       Each of the above listed seasons, ranked by RA/9:

       1.45 … Gibson
       1.66 … Gooden
       1.67 … Maddux
       1.74 … Greinke
       1.81 … Chance
       1.82 … Ryu
       1.85 … Tiant
       1.96 … Maddux
       2.01 … Hubbell
       2.20 … Kern
       2.21 … Chandler

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       1. Bob Eno (epm) August 12, 2019 at 11:36 am

          Voomo, If you look at the list of top seasons of ERA+ since the mound was moved its present position, Ryu keeps his rank as second, but the surrounding pitchers change:

          291…Pedro
          284…Ryu
          279…Dutch Leonard
          271…Mad Dog
          260…Mad Dog
          259…Big Train
          258…Gibson
          253…Three Finger
          243…Big Train
          243…Pedro

          Leonard, of course, was pre-1920, and his 0.96 ERA would lead your ERA chart (except that with a 140 IP threshold, you’d have to add Ferdie Schupp’s 0.90). But I think it’s good to use 1893 as a starting point for ERA+, since it shows how exceptional Ryu’s season has been.

          We’re far enough along in the season that this is something worth watching.

          One interesting thing is that on June 28, Ryu had a true disaster start: 7 ER in 4 IP. In 1968, Gibson never gave up more than 4 ER in a start, and both those were CG (one in eleven innings). Pedro came closer in 2000, with a 6 ER start, but that was over 8 IP. Outside of June 28, Ryu’s ERA has been a shade under 1.04.

          Of course, like all starters now, he’s pitching fewer innings per game than his historical competition did, but he does have a shutout and two eight-inning games. His average of 6.5 IP per start is not super low, and well above, say, Blake Snell’s 5.8 last season.

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13. Voomo Zanzibar August 12, 2019 at 9:25 pm

    Here is the b-r page for Charles Faust:

    https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/faustch01.shtml

    What appears to be a career of zero consequence.
    However, I just read the following except from the book ‘The Glory of Their Times’:

    “In 1911, Charles Victory Faust told John McGraw that a fortune teller had guaranteed the New York Giants would win the pennant if he pitched for them. Although Faust had no skill whatever as a pitcher, McGraw kept him on the Giants’ payroll from 1911 to 1913 as a good luck charm. Faust warmed up for every game (though he never started) and the Giants did win the pennant in each of those years.”

    His b-r bio page tells it like this:

    ‘With Faust as a mascot, the Giants went on a tear, winning 40 of their last 53 games and vaulting from 3 1/2 games back to win the pennant by 7 1/2 games. After the flag was secured, Faust was allowed to appear in two meaningless games, where he allowed 1 run in 2 innings and scored twice. He continued as mascot, though not in uniform, in the 1912 season and then was cut loose.

    Faust died of tuberculosis in an insane asylum in Washington in 1915. ‘

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    1. Doug August 12, 2019 at 10:20 pm

       Faust even has a SABR player bio.
       https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/d1ee8535

       Apparently, McGraw was very superstitious. Probably a good thing for him that he didn’t have any advanced analytics to deal with.

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       1. Bob Eno (epm) August 13, 2019 at 8:40 am

          A good thing, indeed — look what happened when the Giants left Faust behind in 1914! Everyone thinks of the Miracle Braves, but which was the first-place team that collapsed after early July to let the last-place Braves sweep by them?

          But don’t forget that McGraw was also the kid whose ability to apply analysis to the game shocked Ned Hanlon in 1892, when Hanlon thought he’d invented the approach.

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    2. Bob Eno (epm) August 13, 2019 at 8:32 am

       Voomo, You are a lucky man if you haven’t yet read “The Glory of Their Times” in its entirety. There is no better book experience than that first read-through — complete with the picture of Charlie Faust in full windup, without a ball.

       (Faust’s story is told in great detail by Fred Snodgrass. For some reason — not entirely mysterious — when my two boys were very little, whenever I’d mention Fred Snodgrass, they’d double up in gales laughter. Sometimes one would just say “Fred Snodgrass” and they’d collapse against one another in the back seat of the car.)

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       1. Voomo Zanzibar August 13, 2019 at 11:27 am

          I haven’t read it at all.
          Someone just gave me a book called ‘Baseball and Philosophy.’
          I opened it to a page that used the above-quote from Glory.

          I will buy the book right now.

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          1. Bob Eno (epm) August 14, 2019 at 12:40 pm

             I’ll guarantee or your money back!

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14. Doug August 12, 2019 at 10:59 pm

    Gleyber Torres launched 3 home runs in a Monday double-header against the Orioles, raising his season total against Baltimore to 13, the most against the Browns/Orioles in a season, and tied with four others for the second highest total against any one opponent in a season. Torres has two more games against the Orioles on Tue and Wed to try to match or exceed the record.
    

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    1. Bob Eno (epm) August 13, 2019 at 8:27 am

       Really, Torres is the current reigning champion, his rate being so far beyond Gehrig’s — and Gehrig got an extra game because of a tie: his 14th HR came in that 23rd game against the Indians.

       But Torres will need at least one shot in those two games to get by Adcock in terms of rate. Adcock’s total is really special. Not only did he get all those dingers while — inexplicably — sitting out five games against the Bums, but he produced them against a pennant-winning pitching staff. His secret was Ebbets Field, where he his seven HRs in only eight games in ’56. Lifetime, Adcock was Babe Ruth in Ebbets Field, including his 4-HR game in ’54.

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       1. Mike L August 13, 2019 at 8:34 am

          Doug and Bob, I’d like to see more Gleyber home runs just to experience Gary Thorne in the Orioles broadcast booth. Brings me back to The Murph, who varied from “Popped Up!!!!!!!!!!!!!” to “Pohhhhhhhpppped Uhhhhhpp” depending who was at the plate.

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          1. Paul E August 14, 2019 at 4:01 pm

             https://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=27376121

             Here’s Thorn if you can get through the advertisements….Torres failed to homer today

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             1. Doug August 15, 2019 at 12:44 am

                No more homers for Torres, but the Yanks won their 17th game against the Orioles, the most wins against the same opponent in the expansion era. Other expansion era teams to win 17 games against the same opponent:
                – 1962 Phillies (Colt .45s). Phillies were 31-5 against Houston and the Mets, 44-81 against everyone else.
                – 1965 Twins (Red Sox)
                – 1974 Braves (Padres)
                – 1986 Mets (Pirates)
                – 2006 A’s (Mariners)
                – 2013 Rangers (Astros)
                – 2013 Indians (White Sox)
    2. Voomo Zanzibar August 13, 2019 at 11:37 am

       Gleyber’s rate of HR is even more ridiculous than it seems.
       He hasn’t played 16 games vs the bad Birds.
       He’s played 14.5

       On May 23rd he entered as a pinch hitter in the 9th (earning a Walk and scoring the winning run).
       And on August 6th he left with an injury after 2 PA.

       And really, his 0-5 on August 5th can be looked at askew.
       His injury occurred in the August 4th game, which he was removed from.
       He was at the hospital deep into that night getting tests.
       If the opponent on the 5th had been anyone but the Orioles he most likely would have sat.

       So that’s 13 HR in 13 full healthy games.

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       1. Bob Eno (epm) August 13, 2019 at 9:59 pm

          Well, Voomo, fair is fair: Adcock also had fewer games.

          He had one game where his only PA was as a pinch hitter in the 8th (he homered), and he was removed with one PA remaining in another game, so, calculating as you have, he played only 15.75 games against the Dodgers.

          If Torres finishes with, say, “16.5” G against the O’s, he’d still need a HR to top Adcock’s rate — heck, Torres already has three more PAs vs. the O’s than Adcock got vs. the Bums.

          But, on the other hand, who cares?

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15. Doug August 15, 2019 at 1:00 am

    Rafael Devers had a 6 for 6 game on Tue and followed it up with hits in his first two PA on Wed. Rennie Stennett had hits in 9 straight PA on Sep 16-17, 1975, a streak that, at the time, was said to be a record. Does anyone know if that’s still the longest streak?

    Devers’ 6-1-6-3 box score line on Tue was just the fifth since 1908, but the second of this season; Phil Ervin of the Reds had the same totals against Colorado on July 13th. Devers’ 6 hits included 4 doubles, the 46th game with 4 doubles since 1908 and second this season (Adam Frazier has the other). Quiz: who is the only player with a 4 double game in each league?

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    1. Richard Chester August 15, 2019 at 10:10 am

       Walter Dropo had 12 hits in 12 consecutive PA on 7/14/1952 and 7/15/1952 (a double-header). Overall he had 15 hits in 17 PA.

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       1. Doug August 15, 2019 at 1:56 pm

          Wow. Thanks, Richard. Were you in attendance at the first of those games, Dropo’s 5 hit game against the Yankees?

          If you go back to the July 13 game, Dropo actually reached base in 14 straight PA, 13 hits and one ROE.

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          1. Paul E August 15, 2019 at 2:35 pm

             I thought there was a significant Pinky Higgins stretch as well, IIRC?

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             1. Richard Chester August 15, 2019 at 2:52 pm

                Higgins had 2 BB during his 12 hit streak in June 1938.
             2. Paul E August 15, 2019 at 3:17 pm

                https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-21-1938-mike-higgins-sets-record-12th-consecutive-hit-red-sox

                Re: Pinky, two BB’s in the midst of his streak
             3. Doug August 15, 2019 at 9:36 pm

                The article on Higgins’s streak mentions that it broke Tris Speaker’s record of 11 straight hits on July 8-10, 1920. Bernie Williams also had 11 straight hits on Aug 14-17, 2002. 10 hit streaks belong to:
                – Harry McCurdy, Sep 6-10, 1926
                – Joe Medwick, Jul 19-21, 1936
                – Woody Williams, Sep 5-6, 1938
                – Bip Roberts, Sep 19-23, 1992
                – Frank Thomas, May 16-20, 1997
                – Joe Randa, Jun 8-12, 1999
                – Andre Ethier, Aug 22-25, 2012
                – Mel Ott and Chris Stynes also had 10 hit streaks, but I would put an asterisk beside them since they were wrap-around streaks, Ott’s in 1942-43 and Stynes’s in 1996-97.

                Other possible double-digit streaks that can’t be confirmed for lack of PBP data include:
                – Eric McNair, 12 hits in 13 AB on July 3-4, 1939, the first 9 definitely consecutive
                – Babe Herman, 10 hits in 14 AB on Aug 8-11, 1926, the last 9 definitely consecutive
                – George Sisler, 11 hits in 12 AB on Aug 13-15, 1921, the first 9 definitely consecutive
                – Bobby Veach, 13 hits in 19 AB on Jun 19-24, 1921, at least 9 definitely consecutive
                – Max Carey, 11 hits in 12 AB on May 17-20, 1918, the last 8 definitely consecutive
                – Ski Melillo, 10 hits in 12 AB on May 31-Jun 3, 1931, at least 8 definitely consecutive
                – Harry Heilmann, 11 hits in 15 AB on Jun 16-19, 1922, at least 8 definitely consecutive
                – Swede Risberg, 10 hits in 17 AB on Sep 19-23, 1920, at least 8 definitely consecutive
                – Rogers Hornsby, 12 hits in 15 AB on Aug 20-22, 1924, at least 7 definitely consecutive
                – Chick Gandil, 10 hits in 14 AB on Jul 2-4, 1919, at least 7 definitely consecutive
             4. Richard Chester August 15, 2019 at 9:58 pm

                I think McNair can be eliminated for 12 straight hits. He got 9 straight hits on July 3 and in the first game of a double-header on July 4. In the second game of the DH he was 3 for 4 but he had to have gotten a hit on his last AB in the 9th inning. The last pitcher for the opposing Browns, Bob Harris, faced 3 batters, including McNair. Harris gave up 2 hits, 1 to the next-to- last batter, Norm Schlueter, and did not give up a hit to the last batter, Clint Brown. McNair had to have the other hit given up by Harris.
          2. Richard Chester August 15, 2019 at 2:59 pm

             The 5 hit game was on a Monday and there was a double-header on the Sunday before. I went to about 15 games that year and if anything I would have gone to the Sunday game because it was a double-header.

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16. Doug August 15, 2019 at 10:48 pm

    In Thursday’s 19-5 pounding of the Yankees, each Indian starter had at least 2 hits. 29th such game since 1908 but first for Cleveland. The Dodgers have the most such games with 4, but only one of those since moving to LA.

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17. Doug August 16, 2019 at 12:52 am

    The Astros and A’s both launched 5 homers in Oakland’s 7-6 win on Thursday, with all 13 runs scoring via the long ball. Just the 14th game with both teams having 5+ HR, but the lowest hit total by far of those games, with just 15 total hits between the clubs compared to a previous low of 22.

    It was also only the 13th game with both starters allowing 4 home runs, and only the fourth such game in which those starters both logged 6 IP or less. To make it weirder still, the game was scoreless after 3 innings with the two starters (Mike Fiers, Aaron Sanchez) combined facing just one batter over the minimum.

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    1. Paul E August 16, 2019 at 12:27 pm

       Did anyone else hear something along the order of, “the 9 players in one day having a multiple homer game is an MLB record” ?…..set on a less than full slate, no less.

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       1. Richard Chester August 16, 2019 at 2:12 pm

          According to baseball-reference it tied a record set on 7/2/2002.

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          1. Doug August 16, 2019 at 2:22 pm

             But, there were 16 games on July 2, 2002, compared to only 10 yesterday.

             Also, the Astros-A’s game yesterday was the first searchable game with both teams having a pair of players with multi-HR games (sort of a triple double, if you will).

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             1. Paul E August 16, 2019 at 3:14 pm

                If it’s this “bad” now, what’s going to happen when AAA starters for also-rans are called-up to start against loaded lineups in Houston, Minnesota, NYY, Boston, LAD, etc….? But, I have to believe the baseball, itself, is the culprit. Guys have been swinging from the heels for the last 5-10 years and it has never been this out of hand. Has to be the ball, no?
             2. Doug Post authorAugust 16, 2019 at 4:42 pm

                Here are some charts on home runs over the past 30 seasons.
                
                
                
             3. Paul E August 16, 2019 at 5:05 pm

                Doug,
                Thanks ! A 60% increase in HR/G over the most ‘outlying’ recent year – 2014. Testing started in 2007, I believe, and that only shows a 10% decline from prior year.
             4. Doug August 16, 2019 at 9:43 pm

                Not sure 2014 was an outlier year as much as it was the end of a trend in declining home runs since the peak year of 2000. Certainly, I recall talk in the early part of this decade of pitching dominance and speculation of how much more dominant it could become (i.e. was this a return of 1960s dominance?). And then, suddenly, pitching was dominating no longer.
18. Doug August 16, 2019 at 9:50 pm

    The Mariners’ Wade Leblanc was the ersatz starter following an opener tonight. Finished the game, going 7 innings despite allowing 4 home runs and taking the loss against Toronto. First such searchable relief appearance by a pitcher when earning a decision.

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19. Doug August 16, 2019 at 11:41 pm

    Vlad Guerrero Jr. hit a home run off his shoetops tonight:

    Like father: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUErJ5zcwYo
    Like son: https://www.mlb.com/video/vladimir-guerrero-jr-homers-14-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-field-cavan-biggio-scores?t=home-runs

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20. Voomo Zanzibar August 17, 2019 at 9:18 am

    Yaz double Jr hit 3 HRs in his 70th career game.
    Granddaddy didnt even get a 2 HR game until his 240th game.
    His only 3 HR game occurred in game number 2294.

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21. Doug August 17, 2019 at 5:24 pm

    Reds’ outfielder Aristides Aquino on Friday set a new record for the fastest to 10 career homers, doing so in his 16th career game, one game quicker than Rhys Hoskins.

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    1. Bob Eno (epm) August 17, 2019 at 10:02 pm

       Not to cast shade on Aquino — he’s got a terrific hot start (as did Hoskins) — but the significance of that HR record is somewhat attenuated this year by the sense that the ball is as much a factor as the rookie.

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22. Bob Eno (epm) August 17, 2019 at 10:24 pm

    I wonder whether we’ve already noted, but I had missed, the fact that Don Mossi died last month. I just leaned of it, noticing his name on the B-R site’s In Memoriam list.

    Mossi was one of my favorite players when I was a kid, and not just because I could look at his baseball card and feel confident I was better looking than at least one other person. During the years when I was forced to go to games at Yankee Stadium, because the Polo Grounds was empty and Ebbets Field demolished, my primary goal was to choose games the Yankees would lose. So I’d go as often as possible when Detroit was in town. Frank Lary was famous for beating the Yankees, but Mossi was really as reliable. I saw him multiple times (maybe only two, maybe three), and never saw him lose.

    I was glad to see he lived to be 90: a fullness of years. I’m reminded also of how long it’s been since we’ve seen him as the avatar of longtime HHS contributor hartvig.

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    1. Doug Post authorAugust 18, 2019 at 3:09 am

       His managers evidently thought the same of Mossi as you did – a Yankee killer. He pitched over 100 more innings (50% more) against the Yankees than against any other opponent. His numbers against the Yankees are a bit better than his overall numbers against .500+ teams. But, the team he really owned (albeit in a small sample size) was the Tigers.
       

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       1. Voomo Zanzibar August 18, 2019 at 5:18 am

          Since 1920, lowest ERA in a rookie (first year) season with at least 90 IP:

          1.51 … Bob Lee
          1.54 … Steve Rogers
          1.90 … Tiny Bonham
          1.93 … Dave Smith
          1.94 … DON MOSSI
          1.98 … Doug Corbett
          2.02 … Bob Welch
          2.06 … Mel Stottlemyre
          2.06 … Jim Nash
          2.06 … Greg McMichael

          Mossi was fantastic in his 5 spot starts that season.
          On another team he might’ve been given more innings, but this was the 1954 Clevelands.

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       2. Bob Eno (epm) August 18, 2019 at 10:14 am

          You’re right, Doug, but by the time I encountered Mossi, he was pitching for the Tigers, and in his first two Tiger years (’59-’60), he was 10-4 against the Yankees. (He was 0-3 in ’61, but I must not have been at his two Stadium losses.)

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          1. Doug August 20, 2019 at 1:37 pm

             Actually, two of Mossi’s teammates from the ’61 Tigers died within a couple of weeks of Mossi, rookie catcher Mike Roarke and rookie pitcher Joe Grzenda. All three appeared in an Apr 26 loss to the Yankees; Mossi started, allowing 7 ER over 4 IP, Grzenda made his career debut, allowing 2 ER over 1.1 IP and collecting a hit in his one PA, and Roarke pinch-ran for Rocky Colavito and scored.

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23. Richard Chester August 19, 2019 at 2:23 pm

    With a lull in activity on HHS it’s a good time for a trivia quiz. What feat have only the following players achieved (1901-2018)?
    Ted Wlliams, Ferris Fain and Alvin Davis. I would say that Bob Eno has a good chance of solving this.

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    1. Paul E August 19, 2019 at 2:46 pm

       i was thinking bats left and BB related but, then, who the heck is Les Fleming?

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    2. Voomo Zanzibar August 19, 2019 at 3:13 pm

       The first commonality that jumps out is a season with 2x BB/SO………………………

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    3. Mike L August 19, 2019 at 5:28 pm

       One thing that’s sort of fascinating about Alvin Davis is that his best year (WAR) was his rookie year. No obvious connection to the other two, but I wonder how frequent that is.

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       1. Richard Chester August 19, 2019 at 6:25 pm

          Here is an incomplete list of players with their highest WAR in their first season:
          Mitchell Page 6.1
          Alvin Davis 6.0
          Lou Klein 5.8
          Charley Hollocher 5.0
          Eric Hinske 4.0

          Reply ↓
          1. Doug Post authorAugust 19, 2019 at 7:57 pm

             One of Davis’s rookie records is a 47 game streak reaching base to start his career. Only one other player has reached even 30 games (ever heard of Truck Hannah?)

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             1. Richard Chester August 19, 2019 at 8:57 pm

                Per the Baseball Maniac’s Almanac Hannah is one of 12 MLers with a palindromic surname.
             2. Bob Eno (epm) August 19, 2019 at 9:46 pm

                Logged on just a little while ago and saw this quiz from Richard. I’m so terrible at quizzes I usually don’t participate. But then I see that Richard says that I, of all people, should be the one who can solve this quiz. What can that mean?

                Then I think: I told Richard I’d ordered The Baseball Maniac’s Almanac! The answer must be in there. If I find it, I can pretend I knew it all along and be the envy of HHS.

                So I drag myself out of my chair (long day: I went for a walk) and shuffle to the next room, where the book is sitting on the table. This is a book with important and little known data, such as a list of Saggitarians with surnames longer than ten characters who hit 40 home runs and didn’t win the title, or players with 200 hits and 13 triples who were from the Jersey shore. It’s critical history and addictive reading.

                I pore and pore over the lists, searching for a list of only three players: Williams, Fain, and Davis. My eyes cross; my vision wanes. Then I wake up and realize this is fruitless. I return and refresh the screen to see whether anyone has solved the quiz, and here’s Richard, plainly sending me the code — Look in The Baseball Maniac’s Almanac! — by quoting from the list of players with palindromic surnames, on page 245. But what use is that page? . . .

                Richard, I know I can do this, if you’ll just secretly signal the actual page number I should check!
             3. Richard Chester August 19, 2019 at 10:22 pm

                You’re thinking exactly how I wanted you to. You’re absolutely correct about using the Almanac, that’s how I found the stats. It can also be done using the BR PI. Without giving away too much the page number is somewhere between 50 and 100.
             4. Bob Eno (epm) August 19, 2019 at 11:11 pm

                Very tricky — I was looking for a three-name list, but, of course, you knocked a couple off with your time frame specification.

                So I’m going to wait a while and make sure no one remembers this exchange — then I will spring the answer on them! Everyone will marvel at my encyclopedic knowledge, and I will receive ribbons and trophies.
             5. Richard Chester August 19, 2019 at 11:35 pm

                See, already you have your money’s worth from the Almanac!
    4. Doug Post authorAugust 19, 2019 at 8:17 pm

       All of them were high OBP players, for their careers and in their rookie seasons. But, so were a number of others.

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    5. Doug August 19, 2019 at 9:32 pm

       Well, a debut season with 7 HR and 95 BB includes only these three players. But, I’m guessing it’s something else you’re looking for.

       Reply ↓
       1. Richard Chester August 19, 2019 at 10:23 pm

          You’re getting warm.

          Reply ↓
          1. Doug Post authorAugust 19, 2019 at 11:47 pm

             Debut season with 95 BB and more RBI than Runs also works.

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             1. Richard Chester August 19, 2019 at 11:52 pm

                But I a looking for something else.
             2. Bob Eno (epm) August 20, 2019 at 8:30 am

                I’m getting nervous. Is my trophy slipping away?
             3. Bob Eno (epm) August 20, 2019 at 2:12 pm

                Richard, I have an idea for a minimal hint. I’d deploy it, with your permission.
             4. Richard Chester August 20, 2019 at 2:19 pm

                It involves the players’ first 2 seasons.
             5. Bob Eno (epm) August 20, 2019 at 2:32 pm

                Wow — my hint was much more minimal. There goes my trophy. And those shimmering ribbons!
             6. Richard Chester August 20, 2019 at 2:37 pm

                Try page 75. And hurry, Doug is hot on the trail.
             7. Bob Eno (epm) August 20, 2019 at 3:47 pm

                Oh, I found it on p. 75 last night, Richard. My minimal hint was that to expand the list to four names, all that was needed was to expand the time frame by two full seasons. That would set Doug right about HR, R, and RBI.
             8. Bob Eno (epm) August 20, 2019 at 10:49 pm

                Ok. I have to confess. I’ve been sleepless since breakfast because I know that if I claim the prizes for Richard’s quiz, I’ll be unworthy. It probably was impossible to tell, but the reason I know the answer is because I peeked.

                But if you combine Richard and my hints, it will not only lead you to the answer, but the fourth name that will appear on the list is a player whose obscurity in baseball history is completely undeserved. I think he’s one of the most unusual and interesting players of the Dead Ball era. Perhaps that will be an added inducement to solve Richard’s quiz.
             9. Scary Tuna August 21, 2019 at 1:02 am

                Bob, is the fourth name Roy Thomas? He fits the expanded time frame and might be the best player of whose career I’ve been completely unaware.

                Even with that, alas, I’m not able to solve Richard’s quiz.
             10. Doug Post authorAugust 21, 2019 at 2:44 am

                 I’ve got it. These three are the only players since 1901 with 90 walks in both of their first two seasons. Going back to 1899 brings in Roy Thomas, as Scary Tuna had predicted.

                 Looks like Eddie Yost was the AL’s answer to Thomas; 34 WAR and six times leading the AL in walks for Yost compared to 40 WAR and 7 times leading the NL for Thomas. Thomas ranks 3rd in CF games for the Phillies, behind Richie Ashburn and Garry Maddox, while Yost is first in 3B games for the Senators/Twins.
             11. Scary Tuna August 21, 2019 at 8:45 am

                 Nice work, Doug!
             12. Bob Eno (epm) August 21, 2019 at 8:46 am

                 I’ll leave Richard to announce the winner at the award ceremony: he is the Quizmaster.

                 But, yes, isn’t Roy Thomas remarkable? Notice that he not only had a preternatural ability to draw walks (his ability was actually to foul off pitches), but he was skillful at bunting and getting hit by pitches too. Thomas also struck out a lot for his time, so you can picture how hard he worked at the plate. His SABR bio describes in good detail his narrow limits as a hitter, and it seems amazing that he could thrive in the game in spite of them. The bio also notes that he was the inspiration for and main target of the foul-strike rule, but that, paradoxically, it really had little effect on him.
             13. Mike L August 21, 2019 at 9:09 am

                 Thomas’ consistency is remarkable. And can you imagine a modern player averaging one XBH every ten games? Bob, off point, but you read and comment in Washington Post?
             14. Bob Eno (epm) August 21, 2019 at 11:27 am

                 Hi Mike. I guess you saw one of my Post posts. I think it’s important to keep politics off HHS — it withers everything it touches these days — so I’ll send you a quick contact at the address listed on 3 quarks.
             15. Richard Chester August 21, 2019 at 9:50 am

                 Since 1901 Williams, Davis and Fain are the only players to get 90+ walks in each of their first 2 seasons. Prior to that there were Roy Thomas and Jack Crooks.
             16. Doug August 21, 2019 at 3:35 pm

                 Crooks had 90 walks (actually 120) in his first two NL seasons, which were preceded by two 90 walk seasons in the AA. But, his first AA season was just 12 games and 10 walks, so don’t think he really fits with the other players.

                 There were twelve players (10 since 1901) with 90 walks in a first season. Of the 8 with fewer than 90 walks in a second season, none recorded 150 games and three were under 100 games.
24. Voomo Zanzibar August 19, 2019 at 11:12 pm

    Juan Soto just had a game of
    4 Hits
    4 Runs
    0 RBI

    Not especially uncommon.
    Very uncommon, however, for a hitter batting 4th.

    He’s the 17th searchable cleanup hitter to do it.
    Been done twice in the last 15 years.

    2014.06.05 … Casey McGahee
    2010.09.29 … Troy Tulowitski

    Oddity:
    It was done twice by Freddie Lindstrom.
    On the same date six years apart, both times during doubleheaders.
    1928.07.31 – 1934.07.31

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    1. Doug Post authorAugust 20, 2019 at 12:09 am

       13 times in the NL, only 3 times in the AL, and one inter-league game (in the AL ballpark).

       Soto’s Nats beat the Pirates, who are now 7-27 since the All-Star break.

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