2022-08-08 Pitchers who won 20 games for a last-place team

Theme and initial research for this week was submitted by New York City’s own Jerry Kahn.

 

MONDAY  —08-Aug

Q.  Which pitcher struck out more batters in a major league career than anyone else?

Hint: #1  He once struck out an All-Star player six times in one game on Flag Day.

Hint: #2  Don Sutton surrendered this person’s first and penultimate home run as a batter.

A.  NOLAN RYAN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Retired w/5,714 Ks.  No one else is close.

-  #1 K’d Cecil Cooper X 6 14-Jun-1974

-  #2  1s HR = 12-Apr-1980 .  Ryan homered once more, 8 years later.

FCR -  Lee Dembart, Hollywood, California

Incorrect guesses:  Cy Young

 

TUESDAY  —09-Aug

Q.  Who is the first player elected to the Hall of Fame who had once played for the Toronto Blue Jays?

Hint: #1  He pitched the first no-hitter for the Atlanta Braves.

Hint: #2  Four Hall of Fame pitchers are the only ones who have starred more games than he has.

A.  PHIL NIEKRO  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  HOF 1997; Played for TOR in 1987.

-  #1  ATL no-no = 05-Aug-1973.  SDP were his victims.

-  #2  Niekro started 716 G.  The top 4 are Young (815), Ryan (773), Sutton (756) & Maddux (740).

FCR -  Jim Easton, London, Ontario

Incorrect guesses:  Dave Winfield, Roberto Alomar, John Smoltz

 

WEDNESDAY  —10-Aug

Q.  Sandy Koufax broke Carl Erskine’s ten-year-old record for most strikeouts by a pitcher in a

World Series game, but who did Erskine take the record from?

Hint: #1  He owns an autographed photo of the legendary Connie Mack which reads in part, ”To _____, whom I consider the greatest pitching artist of his day…”

Hint: #2  He no-hit the team he is best remembered playing for.

A.  HOWARD EHMKE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Ehmke stuck out 13 Cubs in G 1 of the 1929 World Series, bearing Charlie Root in the process.  CHC never recovered losing the Series 4-1.  Ehmke had personally scouted CHC in advance of the Series.  Ehmke’s record stood for 14 years.

-  #1  After Mack’s passing in 1953, Ehmke showed the photo to a reporter, adding, ““It was given to me by Mr. Mack on his 70^th birthday and it’s worth more than all the treasures in an art museum.  It’s Mr. Mack’s personal ‘thanks’ for my victory over the Cubs in the first game of the 1929 World Series.”…followed by the quote above.

-  #2  Threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia A’s Friday, 07-Sep-1923 in an hour and a half.  It was one of the rare years with no Hall of Famers on the Philly squad.  Ehmke played for PHA 1926‑1930, including his record-setting WS appearance in ’29.

FCR -  Dave Williams, Glastonbury, Connecticut

Incorrect guesses:  Lefty Grove, Bob Feller, Babe Ruth, Carl Hubbell, Dizzy Dean, Eldon Auker

 

MIDWEEK BONUS  —10-Aug

Q.  Which former Chicago White Sox pitcher, who finished with more than 3,000 strikeouts, lost eleven of his final twelve career decisions?

Hint: 1#  In his finest season he led the majors in wins, complete games and ERA+ and although his ERA was under 2.00 and led his league, his was only third-best in the majors.

Hint: #2  He surrendered a hit to Joel Youngblood on Youngblood’s most famous day in baseball.

A.  STEVE CARLTON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Final losses in 1987-88 for MIN.  Had 3,031 Ks.  Played for CHW in 1986.

-  #1  Carlton’s ERA of 1.97 in 1972 was the best of his career but American Leaguers Luis Tiant and Gaylord Perry posted 1.91 & 1.92 respectively.

-  #2  In an afternoon start in Chicago on 04-Aug-1982, as a New York Met, Youngblood singled off CHC’s Fergie Jenkins in the 3^rd inning.  He was then traded to the Expos, rushed to Philadelphia, put into the lineup and singled off Carlton in the 7^th inning of that night game.  If someone ever duplicates this feat, it remains unlikely that both hits would come off Hall of Fame pitchers.

FCR -  Patrick Roth, Chicago

Incorrect guesses:  Ed Walsh, Wilbur Wood, Tom Seaver, Fergie Jenkins, Early Wynn, Allie Reynolds, Chris Sale

 

THURSDAY  —11-Aug

Q.  Who struck out one hundred batters in each of twenty-one consecutive seasons?

Hint: #1  Except for his first year in the majors and his retirement season, he started more than 700 games without a relief appearance.

Hint: #2  He was drafted behind Mike Moore, Ron Darling, Mark Gubicza, Neal Heaton and several other journeyman pitchers.

A.  ROGER CLEMENS  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  100+ K = 1986-2006.  He also had 100 in 22 seasons of his 24-year career.

-  #1  In total for his career, 705 GS, 707 G.

-  #2  Originally drafted in the 12^th round kin 1981 by NYM while attending a community college.  Many pitchers were rafted ahead of him that time.  He decided to attend the University of Texas and was drafted in the 1^st round by BOS 2 years later.

FCR -  Terry Sloope, Cartersville, Georgia

Incorrect guesses:  Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Don Sutton, Bert Blyleven, Jamie Moyer, David Cone, Mike Mussina

 

FRIDAY  —12-Aug

Q.  Who led the American League in complete games twice in the early 1950s with the St. Louis Browns, but never moved to Baltimore with the team?

Hint: #1  He took the loss in the last ever Opening Day game for the Browns.

Hint: #2  In his best season, he had teammates who went by Stubby, Bow Wow, Footsie, Gulliver, Hot Rod, Kid, Mule, Muscles, Peanuts, Squirrel and Tito among others.

A.  NED GARVER  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Led in CG w/22 in 1950 & 24 in 1951.  Was traded to DET in August 1952

-  #1  On 14-Apr-1953, the Browns’ Virgil Trucks beat DET 10-0, w/Garver taking the loss.

-  #2  Names were of players on the 1951 Browns.

FCR -  Chris Betsch, New Albany, Indiana

Incorrect guesses:  Bobo Newsom, Ned Garvey, Virgil Trucks, Ned Garber, Satchel Paige, Nels Potter, Tommy Byrne

 

 

SATURDAY  —13-Aug

Q.  Who was the first twentieth century pitcher to win as much as forty percent of his team's games in a season?

Hint: #1  He was the first left-hander to suffer twenty losses in a season for his National League franchise in the twentieth century.

Hint: #2  He had a natural talent for playing the piano.

A.  NOODLES HAHN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  22 of 52 W + 42% for the 1901 CIN

-  #1  Hahn led 7^th-place CIN in 1900 with a WAR of 6.2 (6.4 for pitchers) and in fact, was 4^th highest in the majors that year.

-  #2  Played piano frequently in social situations.  Some teammates thought he ought to pursue it as a profession after his baseball career.  That thought never took hold.

FCR -  Joseph Cohen, Holden, Massachusetts

Incorrect guesses:  Steve Carlton, Joe McGinnity, Billy Pierce, Roger Craig, Eppa Rixey, Jerry Koosman

 

WEEKEND BONUS  —13-Aug

Q.  Which scout signed Ralph Kiner?

Hint: #1  Modern parlance might identify him (not Kiner) as a “metrosexual”.

Hint: #2  He threw the first immaculate extra inning.

A.  HOLLIS THURSTON  [DID Bio]

-  Ans.  Signed Kiner for a $2,500 bonus for Frankie Frisch’s PIT team early in 1941.

-  #1  Metrosexual definition.  It satisfies one of the theories of his nickname “Sloppy”.

-  #2  Immaculate inning in extra innings 22-Aug-1923, 12^th inning.

FCR -  Tom Pazzi, Germanton, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Hollis Perry, Charlie Metro

 

SUNDAY  —14-Aug

Q.  Who was the first American League pitcher to win at least twenty games while playing for a last‑place team?

Hint: #1  National League president John K. Tener resigned following a dispute over him.

Hint: #2  He lost sixty-eight games in his minor league career and lost sixty-eight games in his j=major league career.

A.  SCOTT PERRY  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  See below

-  #1  Pres. Tenner

-  #2  Scott Perry Stats.

FCR -  Joseph Cohen, Holden, Massachusetts

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 

 

WEEKLY THEME – Pitchers who won twenty games for a team that finished last.

 

Jerry did the research years ago (before computers made it easier) but he just updated it as appropriate.

 

Name                    Year       Team  P’s #      Team’s W-L    WAR

Hahn.................... 1901......... CIN........ 22-19........ 52-87........ 44.6

Perry.................... 1918......... PHA....... 21-19........ 52-76........ 12.8

Ehmke................. 1923......... BOS...... 20-17........ 61-91........ 39.2

Thurston............. 1924......... CHW..... 20-14........ 66-87........ 15.8

Garver................. 1951......... STL....... 20-12........ 52-102...... 43.0

Carlton................ 1972......... PHI........ 27-10........ 59-97........ 90.2

Ryan.................... 1974......... CAL....... 22-16........ 68-94........ 81.3

Niekro.................. 1979......... ATL....... 21-20........ 66-94........ 95.9

Clemens.............. 1997......... TOR...... 21-07........ 76-86...... 139.2

Jerry adds:   Somehow, Walter Johnson missed the list.  In case you were wondering, there was only one 20 game loser for a first place team:

George Mullin...... 1907......... DET....... 20-20........ 92-58........ 47.6

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Sarah Grynpas, Toronto (After Ehmke)

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Mon     -  Pitchers with 100 wins for two franchises

 

 

Tues    -  MLB All-Stars over the age of 40

-   Pitchers with 250+ career losses

-   HOFers with the fewest wins over losses

-   HOFers with at least 50 wins over losses

-   Hall of Fame starters who did not win the Cy Young Award and played entire career in the Cy Young Award era (1956-present)

-   Pitchers with more than 200 complete games in their career

 

Tues    -  Most pitching victories over age 40

 

Wed     -  Pitchers who led the league in losses while posting an ERA under 4.00.

 

Thurs   -  pitchers who had a stint in Chicago and threw no hitters

-   Pitchers since 1920 who posted a losing record in a season with 5.0 or more WAR

-   players/pitchers who have come to the SABR convention

 

Fri        -  Players/pitchers who have come to the SABR convention

 

 

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