Baseball Guru
08-04-2004, 08:32 PM
Some impressive marks have been brushed aside as fascinating facts, but still should be regarded as high-water achievements
Baseball Digest, May, 2004 by George Vass
BASEBALL PREDICTIONS ARE NOTORIOUSLY hazardous, yet one surefire forecast for the 2004 season can be made without the slightest hesitation, unlike an attempt to pick the World Series winner even before the campaign that leads up to it gets underway.
(For example, just how many "experts" in spring training chose the Florida Marlins to seize the "Fall Classic" in 2003 or the Anaheim Angels to prevail in 2002?)
What's absolutely certain is that a number of records, whether major, minor, widely acclaimed or generally ignored, will be revised this year. There'll also be unusual feats, just as there have been in virtually every season of the game's history.
Sadly and probably inevitably, however, the brief fame of most of those who achieve or perpetrate "minor" records or even unique exploits will swiftly dwindle into dim memories and the seldom-consulted pages of statistic books.
It would be interesting and revealing to conduct a poll of fans, whether dedicated or casual, to determine how many recall one of the most extraordinary accomplishments of recent years, let alone be able to name the journeyman player who achieved it.
On April 29, 1999, St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Fernando Tatis became the only major league player ever to hit two grand slams in one inning. The eight runs batted in also set a record for an inning--both marks unmatched in more than 128 years of history. What Tatis did was unique in the true meaning of the word, and has an excellent chance of remaining so forever.
Tatis' undistinguished subsequent career has done little to keep his name and the memory of his feat in the forefront of public consciousness. It has almost receded into a couple of lines of print in the record books, or merely furnished another tantalizing tidbit for countless tomes of baseball trivia.
That's not surprising. Some of the most impressive, unusual and even record-setting achievements have faded into obscurity, dimmed by the passage of time and a sort of temporal law of displacement which dictates that more recent events and players loom larger than earlier ones. Any poll of "100 Greatest" this or that will favor accomplishments and individuals nearer in time to a voter's own era.
History is crowded with often overlooked, yet fascinating deeds by players who are infrequently, if at all, recollected by only the most devoted and scholarly students of the game.
Here's a list of nine such feats and players that deserve far more attention than they're usually given in our history-and-tradition-challenged era:
Charles "Red" Barrett's unmatched exploit in economy of effort while pitching a 2-0 two-hitter for the Boston Braves against the Reds on August 10, 1944, at Cincinnati's Crosley Field.
Future Hall of Fame first baseman Sunny Jim Bottomley's record dozen runs batted in for the Cardinals in a game agianst the Dodgers on September 16, 1924 at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field.
Boston Red Sex third baseman Pinky Higgins' string of 12 consecutive base hits completed against the Tigers on June 12, 1938 at Detroit's Briggs Stadium.
Shortstop Cecil Travis' rookie record five singles in five at-bats in his major league debut with the original Washington Senators on May 16, 1933.
Five time 20-game winner Wes Ferrell's 32 runs batted in with 150 at-bats for the Boston Red Sex in 1935, a major league record by a pitcher.
Second baseman Rennie Stennett's seven hits in seven at-bats in a nine-inning game for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Cubs at Chicago's Wrigley Field on September 16, 1975.
Washington Senators pitcher tom Cheney's 21 strikeouts in 16 innings against the Baltimore Orioles on September 12, 1962.
Joe "Iron Man" McGinnity's three double header victories in a month for the New York Giants in 1903.
Pitcher Jim Tobin's three home runs in a game for the Boston Braves on May 13, 1942.
Pitch counts are a vital managerial tool today, but weren't particularly significant during Barrett's career, which ran from 1937 to 1949. While a count was often kept, managers generally let pitchers continue as long as they were effective or a replacement wasn't called for by a situation rather than pulling them after a predetermined number of tosses.
Barrett, a right-hander, had a mostly commonplace career, finishing with a 69-69 record over 11 campaigns, with two exceptions in which he rose above the crowd.
He started the 1945 season with the Boston Braves, and went 2-3 before being traded on May 23 to the Cardinals for whom he was 21-9 the rest of the way. He led the National League in wins (23), complete games (24), and innings pitched (285). It was his sole "big" season.
Yet, another accomplishment, while he was still with the Braves in 1944, was more memorable in the long run because it never has been surpassed. He broke the record for fewest pitches in a complete game, reputedly set by the Reds' Slim Sallee at 65 on September 21, 1919.
On August 10, 1944, Barrett held the Reds to two hits in a 2-0 victory in a night game at Crosley Field. The contest took only an hour and 15 minutes, remarkable enough by today's standards, but even more astounding was that Barrett threw only 58 pitches, an average of two to each of the 29 batters he faced. He neither struck out or walked anyone, yielding only two singles, and never fell behind in the count to a single batter.
Infielder Damon Phillips, a 1944 teammate, recalled Barrett as the fastest working pitcher he ever played behind when he spoke to Joseph J. Dittmar, author of Baseball Records Registry.
"The catcher knew that when he returned a pitch to Red that he wanted a sign for the next pitche as soon as the ball reached Red's glove," said Phillips. "As an infielder, it was great to play behind him because there was no wasted time and the fielders had to stay ready for action. He had pinpoint control and could throw strikes with consistency."
Bottomley, of course, is a much better-remembered player than Barrett, as his Hall of Fame status affirms. He racked up a career average of .310 for 16 seasons (1922-1937). He played in four World Series for the Cardinals, with whom he spent the first 11 years of his career, and once hit seven home runs in a five-game stretch.
His most memorable game undoubtedly came when the Cardinals crushed Brooklyn (then Robins, not Dodgers) 17-3 on September 16, 1924, at Ebbets Field. Not only did Bottomley drive in a record 12 runs, but he did it in the sight of and to the chagrin of the man who held the former record of 11 RBI, Brooklyn manager Wilbert Robinson--who did it for the N.L. Baltimore Orioles on June 10, 1892, oddly enough against the Cardinals.
Bottomley produced his 12-RBI barrage with six hits in six at-bats--three singles, a double, and two home runs, the first with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. It was a performance unmatched for 69 years, until Mark Whiten, also a Cardinal, drive in a dozen runs in a game on September 7, 1993.
Bottomley may not have gotten all the credit he deserved either for this feat, or his career overall. "One of the best natural hitters who has broken into baseball for a decade, his talents were, nevertheless, thrown into the shade by the transcendent abilities of teammate Rogers Hornsby," wrote one observer.
It's coincidental that 12, or a dozen, also is the operative figure of Higgins' consecutive base hit record set in 1938 with Boston, and matched by Detroit's Walt Dropo in 1952.
Higgins' 12 consecutive base hits came during a stretch of four games from June 19 to 21, 1938. His string was interspersed with two walks, and extended to 12 with a smash off Roxie Lawson of the Tigers at Briggs Stadium.
A standout third baseman with the Philadelphia A's, Tigers and Red Sox from 1930 to 1946, with a career batting average of .292, Higgins later managed the Red Sox (1955-1962), which further embroiders the tale.
With 12 hits and two walks, Higgins reached base 14 consecutive times, an achievement topped by Ted Williams during Pinky's tenure as Red Sox manager. While Higgins confined his prowess to mostly singles, Williams ran off a new record of 16 consecutive times on base with a vengeance over six games in September 1957, with four home runs, two singles, nine walks, and one hit-by-pitch.
As for Dropo, his 12 hits came in unmixed order, with no walks, spread over two days, July 14-15, 1952. Number 12 came off Lou Sleater of the Senators. Dropo fouled out his next at-bat to end his bid to top Higgins. And because the rules specify that walks do not break streaks, Higgins still shares the record with his successor.
It may not seem that Cecil Travis' stroking of five singles in his first major league appearance is in a class with the preceding feats, yet none of the many thousands of rookies in baseball's "modern era" has had a comparable debut, which makes it exceptional. (The only other rookie to get five hits in his first game was Fred Clarke of the N.L. Louisville club on June 30, 1894.)
Baseball Digest, May, 2004 by George Vass
BASEBALL PREDICTIONS ARE NOTORIOUSLY hazardous, yet one surefire forecast for the 2004 season can be made without the slightest hesitation, unlike an attempt to pick the World Series winner even before the campaign that leads up to it gets underway.
(For example, just how many "experts" in spring training chose the Florida Marlins to seize the "Fall Classic" in 2003 or the Anaheim Angels to prevail in 2002?)
What's absolutely certain is that a number of records, whether major, minor, widely acclaimed or generally ignored, will be revised this year. There'll also be unusual feats, just as there have been in virtually every season of the game's history.
Sadly and probably inevitably, however, the brief fame of most of those who achieve or perpetrate "minor" records or even unique exploits will swiftly dwindle into dim memories and the seldom-consulted pages of statistic books.
It would be interesting and revealing to conduct a poll of fans, whether dedicated or casual, to determine how many recall one of the most extraordinary accomplishments of recent years, let alone be able to name the journeyman player who achieved it.
On April 29, 1999, St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Fernando Tatis became the only major league player ever to hit two grand slams in one inning. The eight runs batted in also set a record for an inning--both marks unmatched in more than 128 years of history. What Tatis did was unique in the true meaning of the word, and has an excellent chance of remaining so forever.
Tatis' undistinguished subsequent career has done little to keep his name and the memory of his feat in the forefront of public consciousness. It has almost receded into a couple of lines of print in the record books, or merely furnished another tantalizing tidbit for countless tomes of baseball trivia.
That's not surprising. Some of the most impressive, unusual and even record-setting achievements have faded into obscurity, dimmed by the passage of time and a sort of temporal law of displacement which dictates that more recent events and players loom larger than earlier ones. Any poll of "100 Greatest" this or that will favor accomplishments and individuals nearer in time to a voter's own era.
History is crowded with often overlooked, yet fascinating deeds by players who are infrequently, if at all, recollected by only the most devoted and scholarly students of the game.
Here's a list of nine such feats and players that deserve far more attention than they're usually given in our history-and-tradition-challenged era:
Charles "Red" Barrett's unmatched exploit in economy of effort while pitching a 2-0 two-hitter for the Boston Braves against the Reds on August 10, 1944, at Cincinnati's Crosley Field.
Future Hall of Fame first baseman Sunny Jim Bottomley's record dozen runs batted in for the Cardinals in a game agianst the Dodgers on September 16, 1924 at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field.
Boston Red Sex third baseman Pinky Higgins' string of 12 consecutive base hits completed against the Tigers on June 12, 1938 at Detroit's Briggs Stadium.
Shortstop Cecil Travis' rookie record five singles in five at-bats in his major league debut with the original Washington Senators on May 16, 1933.
Five time 20-game winner Wes Ferrell's 32 runs batted in with 150 at-bats for the Boston Red Sex in 1935, a major league record by a pitcher.
Second baseman Rennie Stennett's seven hits in seven at-bats in a nine-inning game for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Cubs at Chicago's Wrigley Field on September 16, 1975.
Washington Senators pitcher tom Cheney's 21 strikeouts in 16 innings against the Baltimore Orioles on September 12, 1962.
Joe "Iron Man" McGinnity's three double header victories in a month for the New York Giants in 1903.
Pitcher Jim Tobin's three home runs in a game for the Boston Braves on May 13, 1942.
Pitch counts are a vital managerial tool today, but weren't particularly significant during Barrett's career, which ran from 1937 to 1949. While a count was often kept, managers generally let pitchers continue as long as they were effective or a replacement wasn't called for by a situation rather than pulling them after a predetermined number of tosses.
Barrett, a right-hander, had a mostly commonplace career, finishing with a 69-69 record over 11 campaigns, with two exceptions in which he rose above the crowd.
He started the 1945 season with the Boston Braves, and went 2-3 before being traded on May 23 to the Cardinals for whom he was 21-9 the rest of the way. He led the National League in wins (23), complete games (24), and innings pitched (285). It was his sole "big" season.
Yet, another accomplishment, while he was still with the Braves in 1944, was more memorable in the long run because it never has been surpassed. He broke the record for fewest pitches in a complete game, reputedly set by the Reds' Slim Sallee at 65 on September 21, 1919.
On August 10, 1944, Barrett held the Reds to two hits in a 2-0 victory in a night game at Crosley Field. The contest took only an hour and 15 minutes, remarkable enough by today's standards, but even more astounding was that Barrett threw only 58 pitches, an average of two to each of the 29 batters he faced. He neither struck out or walked anyone, yielding only two singles, and never fell behind in the count to a single batter.
Infielder Damon Phillips, a 1944 teammate, recalled Barrett as the fastest working pitcher he ever played behind when he spoke to Joseph J. Dittmar, author of Baseball Records Registry.
"The catcher knew that when he returned a pitch to Red that he wanted a sign for the next pitche as soon as the ball reached Red's glove," said Phillips. "As an infielder, it was great to play behind him because there was no wasted time and the fielders had to stay ready for action. He had pinpoint control and could throw strikes with consistency."
Bottomley, of course, is a much better-remembered player than Barrett, as his Hall of Fame status affirms. He racked up a career average of .310 for 16 seasons (1922-1937). He played in four World Series for the Cardinals, with whom he spent the first 11 years of his career, and once hit seven home runs in a five-game stretch.
His most memorable game undoubtedly came when the Cardinals crushed Brooklyn (then Robins, not Dodgers) 17-3 on September 16, 1924, at Ebbets Field. Not only did Bottomley drive in a record 12 runs, but he did it in the sight of and to the chagrin of the man who held the former record of 11 RBI, Brooklyn manager Wilbert Robinson--who did it for the N.L. Baltimore Orioles on June 10, 1892, oddly enough against the Cardinals.
Bottomley produced his 12-RBI barrage with six hits in six at-bats--three singles, a double, and two home runs, the first with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. It was a performance unmatched for 69 years, until Mark Whiten, also a Cardinal, drive in a dozen runs in a game on September 7, 1993.
Bottomley may not have gotten all the credit he deserved either for this feat, or his career overall. "One of the best natural hitters who has broken into baseball for a decade, his talents were, nevertheless, thrown into the shade by the transcendent abilities of teammate Rogers Hornsby," wrote one observer.
It's coincidental that 12, or a dozen, also is the operative figure of Higgins' consecutive base hit record set in 1938 with Boston, and matched by Detroit's Walt Dropo in 1952.
Higgins' 12 consecutive base hits came during a stretch of four games from June 19 to 21, 1938. His string was interspersed with two walks, and extended to 12 with a smash off Roxie Lawson of the Tigers at Briggs Stadium.
A standout third baseman with the Philadelphia A's, Tigers and Red Sox from 1930 to 1946, with a career batting average of .292, Higgins later managed the Red Sox (1955-1962), which further embroiders the tale.
With 12 hits and two walks, Higgins reached base 14 consecutive times, an achievement topped by Ted Williams during Pinky's tenure as Red Sox manager. While Higgins confined his prowess to mostly singles, Williams ran off a new record of 16 consecutive times on base with a vengeance over six games in September 1957, with four home runs, two singles, nine walks, and one hit-by-pitch.
As for Dropo, his 12 hits came in unmixed order, with no walks, spread over two days, July 14-15, 1952. Number 12 came off Lou Sleater of the Senators. Dropo fouled out his next at-bat to end his bid to top Higgins. And because the rules specify that walks do not break streaks, Higgins still shares the record with his successor.
It may not seem that Cecil Travis' stroking of five singles in his first major league appearance is in a class with the preceding feats, yet none of the many thousands of rookies in baseball's "modern era" has had a comparable debut, which makes it exceptional. (The only other rookie to get five hits in his first game was Fred Clarke of the N.L. Louisville club on June 30, 1894.)