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Posted

Palmer was released by Baltimore in 1984.

He thought about playing for another team, but retired instead.

I bet that didn't happen many times to Hall of Famers playing for one team.

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Posted
  On 2/21/2025 at 11:23 PM, NBHorn7 said:

He thought about playing for another team, but retired instead.

I bet that didn't happen many times to Hall of Famers playing for one team.

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He knew he could make good coin modeling underwear and doing color commentary -- just not at the same time. 

But he missed the game, which is one of the reasons he tried a comeback in '91.

 

Posted

Upon induction, Billy Wagner will have the 3rd lowest career ERA for a HOFer who started his career after 1910.  Who are 1st and 2nd?

Posted
  On 2/23/2025 at 6:11 PM, Helobious said:

TIL Prince Fielder had more career inside the park homers than Rickey Henderson.

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Rickey's career high in triples was only 7 in a season. Rickey ain't want to run hard for more than about 60 yards.   

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Posted

Seems like y'all figured it out.  The innings are really interesting too (and the reason RPs don't belong in the HOF):

Rivera: 2.21 1283 2/3

Ruth: 2.28    1221 1/3 (1190 1/3 w/ BOS)

Wagner: 2.31 903

Posted

The mention of Ruth's career ERA and the reference to the fact that he apparently pitched 31 innings while with the Yankees got me looking around a bit, and I learned something.  In 1930, nine years after he had last pitched in a major league game and 11 years since last pitching a substantial number of innings in a season, Ruth asked to pitch in a meaningless last game of the season at the age of 35.  He threw a complete game for the victory and added two hits and a RBI.   That's impressive. 

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Posted

This isn’t a trivia question, so much as a fun collection of names. 

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Here is a list of all the non-pitchers who have had a .050 or worse batting average in at least 40 at bats in MLB history: 

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Posted
  On 2/26/2025 at 12:04 AM, Carl Spackler said:

The mention of Ruth's career ERA and the reference to the fact that he apparently pitched 31 innings while with the Yankees got me looking around a bit, and I learned something.  In 1930, nine years after he had last pitched in a major league game and 11 years since last pitching a substantial number of innings in a season, Ruth asked to pitch in a meaningless last game of the season at the age of 35.  He threw a complete game for the victory and added two hits and a RBI.   That's impressive. 

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There are some folks(not on this thread, of course) who like to diminish Ruth because of the era he played, and because he didn't look like Charles Atlas. But in full context and given his play vs. his peers, IMO, he is the greatest.  Mays is a close 2nd.

Posted
  On 2/28/2025 at 2:37 PM, dcar00 said:

There are some folks(not on this thread, of course) who like to diminish Ruth because of the era he played, and because he didn't look like Charles Atlas. But in full context and given his play vs. his peers, IMO, he is the greatest.  Mays is a close 2nd.

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Nicole would have trade him because of his shape. 

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Posted

1.  Of all pitchers who began their career in the 20th century (or later, for the pedantics), who hit the most batters in his career?

2.  Which pitcher has a pretty good chance (*) to break that record this season?

(*) He'll tie the record if he hits one more than last season.  

Posted
  On 2/26/2025 at 12:04 AM, Carl Spackler said:

The mention of Ruth's career ERA and the reference to the fact that he apparently pitched 31 innings while with the Yankees got me looking around a bit, and I learned something.  In 1930, nine years after he had last pitched in a major league game and 11 years since last pitching a substantial number of innings in a season, Ruth asked to pitch in a meaningless last game of the season at the age of 35.  He threw a complete game for the victory and added two hits and a RBI.   That's impressive. 

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Yeah, Ruth was brought into MLB with Boston as a pitcher, then they discovered his hitting prowess. His pitching and hitting led Boston to a World Series title in 1915 over Philadelphia.

Financial trouble for Boston lead to Ruth being sold to the Yankees in 1919 and the rest was historic.

It also led to the famous "Curse of the Bambino" over Boston for many years.

 

Posted
  On 3/10/2025 at 9:56 PM, Beau Vine said:
1.  Of all pitchers who began their career in the 20th century (or later, for the pedantics), who hit the most batters in his career?
2.  Which pitcher has a pretty good chance (*) to break that record this season?
(*) He'll tie the record if he hits one more than last season.  
My first thought was Clemens for 1.

For 2..uhhh...Charlie Morton?
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Posted (edited)
  On 3/11/2025 at 12:11 AM, Scraps said:

Damn should have gotten the #1 answer...blah

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I have read in multiple books that he was supposedly afraid to pitch inside for fear of hurting someone. And that Cobb crowded the plate facing him because of it.  Guess not.

Edited by Beau Vine
Posted
  On 3/10/2025 at 10:39 PM, NBHorn7 said:

Yeah, Ruth was brought into MLB with Boston as a pitcher, then they discovered his hitting prowess. His pitching and hitting led Boston to a World Series title in 1915 over Philadelphia.

Financial trouble for Boston lead to Ruth being sold to the Yankees in 1919 and the rest was historic.

It also led to the famous "Curse of the Bambino" over Boston for many years.

 

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Yeah, I was aware of all that.  I just didn't know that he started a couple games for the Yankees in the 1930's many years after he switched to being a position player.  He went the distance in both games and won 'em both.  He was 35 YO in the first one and 38 YO in the second one.  When he took the hill in the game he pitched at the end of the 1930 season, he hadn't pitched in a MLB game since 1921.  That dude was just on another level.   

Posted
  On 3/10/2025 at 9:56 PM, Beau Vine said:

1.  Of all pitchers who began their career in the 20th century (or later, for the pedantics), who hit the most batters in his career?

2.  Which pitcher has a pretty good chance (*) to break that record this season?

(*) He'll tie the record if he hits one more than last season.  

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walter johnson?

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Posted

Here's another inspired by today's immaculate grid. 

Of the following, who won the fewest MVPs as a New York Yankee:

Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Berra, Mantle, Maris, Rodriguez, Judge

Posted

There was a long time where if you had already won an MVP, you were ineligible (not sure if formally or informally).  Ruth only got MVP votes in 4-5 seasons. 

First to win multiple MVPs?

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Posted

Yeah I wasn't aware of that rule until looking at the yankee mvp winners today and seeing ruth only had one.  Apparently it was rescinded in time for Gehrig to get a 2nd

Posted (edited)

I remember someone on this forum years ago arguing that someone (Mattingly?) deserved to be in the Hall, partly because he had more "MVP Award shares than Babe Ruth."

Ruth is 100th in Award shares on bref; Cobb (1 MVP in 24 years) is 181st.  https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/mvp_cya.shtml

It's kind of like arguing that Lamarr Hoyt was better than Cy Young himself because he won more Cy Young Awards.

This is something I've gone down a deep rabbit hole on a few years ago.  I've never found any really specific details on the rules, but my best guess is...

I think it goes back to the MVP originating as the Chalmers Motors award, where the winner got a car.  There was a rule against repeat MVPs for that (how many cars do you need in 1910 anyways?) and I guess that when that company went under and MLB took over the award, they kept the rule for some reason.  

It wasn't a rule everyone on the MVP voting committee followed, because Hornsby finished 3rd in '27 after winning it in '25.  Somehow though, Ruth got 0 votes for his '27 season.  

And actually, I'm wrong above -- Walter Johnson was the first to win 2 MVPs, though the first one was the Chalmers and the second was the MLB award, and I wonder if the MVP committee didn't consider the Chalmers award to be a real MVP...

And if you've never read about the 1910 controversy, enjoy: https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-chalmers-award-had-a-memorable-debut/

Edited by Beau Vine
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Posted

i don’t know the answer to this, i’m curious about it and trying to find the answer: what’s the biggest single season disparity between one player’s doubles and home runs? like has a player ever hit 38 doubles and 4 home runs? what’s the biggest gap? 

Posted

I don't know how to look that up either but I just looked at the baseball reference page for Earl Webb, who has the single season record for doubles with 67 for the 1931 Red Sox.  He only had 14 HRs that year.  He also only had 13 career WAR and his 2nd most doubles in a season was 30.

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Posted
  On 4/13/2025 at 2:13 AM, WBT said:
I don't know how to look that up either but I just looked at the baseball reference page for Earl Webb, who has the single season record for doubles with 67 for the 1931 Red Sox.  He only had 14 HRs that year.  He also only had 13 career WAR and his 2nd most doubles in a season was 30.
You stopped too soon.

Next highest dude had 64 doubles and 4 homers. George H Burns
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Posted

Lol.  Something was going on back then.  There have only been 6 seasons of 60+ doubles ever (more rare than 60+ homers) and they were all between 1926 and 1936.

  On 4/13/2025 at 2:26 AM, Scraps said:

I knew Biggio had a big gap but his was only 40

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Yeah I thought about his 56 double year too.

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Posted

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lambra01.shtml

  Quote

Believe it or not, when Jackie Robinson retired after the 1956 season, the Dodgers didn't immediately retire his No. 42. In fact, it was issued to Dodgers rookie relief pitcher Ray Lamb in August of 1969.  
When Lamb was elevated to the Dodgers from Triple A Spokane, a No. 42 jersey was waiting in his locker. Ironically, he had worn the same number in college at Southern Cal.
"I didn't think much about it, and I guess they didn't either," Lamb told FOX Sports in 2015. "At the time, the 30s, 40s and 50s were pitchers' numbers, and I don't know who was in charge of passing them out, but it was probably just the clubhouse guy's choice."
After allowing Lamb to wear the number the rest of the season, Dodgers clubhouse manager Nobe Kawano realized he shouldn't have issued the number and took it away.
"It was probably after they saw the number out on the field (that) they figured, 'We probably should take care of that number,' " Lamb said. "When the season was over, the clubhouse guy came over and said, 'Hey, we're going to retire your number, so we have to give you a new one,' and I asked him, 'Did I have that good of a year?'
"Or that's the story I always tell everyone," Lamb added with a laugh. The Dodgers finally got around to retiring No. 42 in 1972.
“Retiring Brooklyn Dodger numbers just wasn’t on their radar,’’ explained Mark Langill, Dodgers team historian. “Their focus was on establishing a Los Angeles presence (after having moved from Brooklyn in 1958).’’
Lamb said the number was special to him. "(Robinson) is a legend and everything, and I was privileged to wear (42)," Lamb said.
After 1969, the Dodgers switched Lamb to No. 34, the number that would eventually be retired in honor of Fernando Valenzuela.

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Posted
  On 4/13/2025 at 2:27 AM, WBT said:

Lol.  Something was going on back then.  There have only been 6 seasons of 60+ doubles ever (more rare than 60+ homers) and they were all between 1926 and 1936.

Yeah I thought about his 56 double year too.

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park configurations back then probably helped some.  Cleveland's park for example in 1926 was 385 to left pole, 460 to center, 290 to right pole

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