Friday Stuff

Monday

While doing research for my book (coming to you in 2024 from McFarland Publishers!!), I came across the story of Bill Bevens, and his near no-hitter in the 1947 World Series against Jackie Robinson’s Dodgers. It was too good a story not to write about, so I did.

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This was Ellis Burks’ birthday, September 11, 1964, three years to the day after Rusty Staub signed his first professional contract with the Houston Colt .45s. You will sometimes see arguments made that Staub belongs in the Hall of Fame, or at least has a very good case for induction. You almost never see the same said for Burks, and this difference is seen in the support they received from Hall of Fame voters. Staub lingered on the ballot for seven years, receiving as many as 36 votes, while Burks only appeared on one ballot, got 2 measly votes, and was promptly dropped from consideration.

But Burks’ case is at least as good as Staub’s.

In 951 fewer games, Burks hit more homers, stole more bases, compiled more WAR, and was a better hitter in terms of batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, while playing Gold Glove-level defense in center field. He was simply the more valuable player, and could do more things on the field. Personally, I think both of them miss the cut, but I don’t see a good reason for Staub to have a campaign for induction when Burks is rarely given the same consideration.

Tuesday

This was the anniversary of Granny Hamner’s major league debut in 1944. I don’t think it’s known how unique Hamner was for his time. He was a guy who hit 21 homers in 1953, a season in which he played over 70 games at shortstop. That’s a thing that shortstops simply didn’t do up to that point. In all of major league history until 1949, it had only be done nine times, five of which were by Vern “Junior” Stephens (who really is a whole story unto himself). That number trended up from there, but slowly, until it exploded in the 1990s:

• 1871 to 1949: 9 times (5 by Stephens)

• 1950s: 12 times (5 by Ernie Banks, another 1 by Stephens)

• 1960s: 15 times (2 by Banks)

• 1970s: 6 times

• 1980s: 15 times (8 by Cal Ripken, Jr.)

• 1990s: 26 times (4 more by Ripken, plus 4 by ARod, 3 each by Nomar and Travis Fryman)

• 2000s: 50 times (7 by Miguel Tejada, 4 ARod, 3 Nomar)

• 2010s: 61 times (5 by Troy Tulowitzki, 4 each by Trevor Story and Carlos Correa)

• 2020s so far: 27 times (3 each by Trea Turner, Willy Adames and Francisco Lindor. Two by Bobby Witt, Jr., who has only played two years.

Anyway Granny Hamner was a bit of a trendsetter.

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I took a try at explaining how Aaron Judge wasn’t robbed when he was passed over for the 2017 AL MVP award, but the target audience is Yankee fans, so it’s unlikely I made a dent.

Wednesday

During Spring Training of 1978, Cleveland’s front office learned that a love triangle had developed involving two of their young players. They decided to handle it in pretty much the worst way possible, which seemed like a perfect subject for this week’s Bad Decisions.

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Irony of ironies, the day I wrote about Eckersley’s infamous 1978 trade to the Red Sox also happened to be the 78th birthday of one of the guys he was traded for, Rick Wise. Wise was a pretty good pitcher, particularly in his early National League years with the Phillies and Cardinals. He’s most famous, of course, for hitting two home runs in a game while throwing a no-hitter. He’s the only pitcher ever to do that, and likely will be the only one ever to do it now that the DH is universal. Unless Shohei Ohtani’s elbow gets fixed, of course. Fingers crossed.

Thursday

Henry Kimbro would be a star if he played in the majors now. He had speed and patience and gap power, and he was durable. His average per-162-game totals were:

189 hits, 139 runs, 31 doubles, 14 triples, 9 homers, 76 RBI, 21 steals, 92 walks, .300/.394/.434, and a 127 OPS+

There have been four seasons in major league history where all of those totals were reached: Babe Ruth in 1921, and Lou Gehrig in 1927, 1930, and 1931. That’s it, that’s the entire list.

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The new single-season rookie strikeout record was set by Herb Score on this date in 1955. When we talk about Score now, it’s typically to lament how his career was derailed in early 1957 when he was hit in the face by a line drive. We don’t really talk about the sparkling first two seasons he had before the injury. In baseball history since 1900, only three pitchers had, in their first two combined MLB seasons:

• 35 or more wins

• ERA of 2.75 or better

• 400 or more strikeouts

• 10 or more WAR

The three pitchers are Hall-of-Famer Grover Alexander, Dwight Gooden, and Score, who really was on a remarkable track before the injury.

Friday

Only three pitchers since 1900 have struck out 300 or more batters in a season more than once yet didn’t make the Hall of Fame.

• Curt Schilling, who should be in the Hall of Fame, but isn’t due to him being, well, very Curt Schilling.

• J.R. Richard, who had a wonderful start to his career, only to see it cut short by a stroke. Wonderful pitcher.

• “Sudden” Sam McDowell, who made his major league debut on this date in 1961.

While Schilling had a Hall-worthy career, and Richard was trending that way before his stroke, McDowell really doesn’t have an argument. He pitched at the very height of the modern deadball era, when pitchers were dominating the game and baseball had to lower the mound and add the DH to help the hitters and keep fans remotely interested, yet McDowell didn’t really stand out among his peers.

True, he led the league in strikeouts 5 times, including those two seasons of 300 or more, but he also led the league in walks five times, and in wild pitches three times, and in earned runs once. His problems were compounded by alcoholism, fines for “rowdyism”, and contract holdouts. Basically, he was the real-life version of Nuke Laloosh from Bull Durham, while also being the real-life version Sam Malone from Cheers.

But man, when things were going right, that guy sure could throw.