Shattering Records — Baseball Bench Coach

Didn’t you despise the kid in elementary school who would win all of the Math flash card contests? Yeah, you know the one banging his hand on the desk. I thought so. Well, sorry, I was that guy. My excuse? Maybe I knew then that success in mathematics would lead to a lifelong love of baseball. Baseball is all about the numbers. 191 RBIs, 30 wins, and a .400 batting average; these are just some of the records we cherish but assume to be almost impossible to reach in today’s game.

MLB’s 60-game schedule gives the numbers game new meaning. After the Cubs Opening Night win, Marquee television announcer Len Kasper proclaimed: “Do the Math, the Cubbies are now 2.7 and 0!” That’s indeed correct as we project the 60 games over the regular 162-game schedule. In fact, as play closed on Sunday night, the Cubs lead the NL Central by 6.75 games, 24.3 games into the season! So let’s have some more fun with the Math. If you project the first 8 to 10 games of individual performances over an entire season, you will be surprised at the longstanding records that may be shattered.

A flag flies at the top of Wrigley Field with “191” on one side, honoring the amazing stat line of Cubs power hitter, Hack Wilson, 90 years ago. Wilson led the National League in 1930 with 56 HRs, an NL record lasting 68 years, and 191 RBIs, a record that stands today. See “Record Books”, 09/09/2019. To put it in perspective, Hector Rendon led MLB in 2019 with 126 RBIs in a 162-game season that featured explosive, offensive production, yet Hack completed his feat in a season with just 154 games. Nelson Cruz, Minnesota’s designated hitter in his 16th MLB season, is knocking in runs this year at a rate that would surpass Wilson, 12 RBIs in Cruz’s first 9 games. Look out for that flag flying next year at Target Field with the number 216!

Denny McLain led the Detroit Tigers to the American League pennant in 1968 with a record of 31-6. He is only one of 11 pitchers since 1900 to win 30 games during the season, and is the last one to do so. McLain captured the AL MVP and Cy Young Awards for his efforts. Interestingly, his teammate, lefty Mickey Lolich, got the call in the seventh game of the World Series and bested Cardinals’ ace Bob Gibson. A new lefthander on Chicago’s South Side is Dallas Keuchel, a four-time Gold Glover on the mound who captured the American League Cy Young award as a Houston Astro in 2015. With two W’s in two starts so far this season, Keuchel is on the mathematical track to become a 30-game winner!

Known by many as the greatest hitter the game has ever seen, Ted Williams manned left field at Fenway Park for 19 years. He was a six-time batting champion, two-time AL MVP, and a two-time Triple Crown winner. One of my favorite legends of the Splendid Splinter was his ability to see the seams of the baseball as it approached the plate. His most notable accomplishment was in 1941 when he hit .406, the last batter to hit over .400 in a season. This year’s first 10 games has seen a couple hitters batting at that clip, but none better than the Giants’ veteran, Donovan Solano. The San Franciso infielder’s .469 average at the end of Sunday’s play is certainly Teddy Ballgame-like.

The same season that McLain ran up victory after victory in the AL, Bob Gibson of the Cardinals overpowered NL batting lineups. A winner of two Cy Youngs and the 1968 National League MVP award, Gibby amazed the baseball world with a 1.12 ERA for the ’68 regular season. His and others’ pitching dominance caused MLB to lower the mound prior to the 1969 season. MLB batters may be pushing for lowering the mound at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati when the Reds’ Sonny Gray is on the mound. Gray has gotten off to a great start with 2 W’s and 20 strikeouts. And watch out Gibby, Gray’s ERA is 0.71, giving up only one earned run in 12 and 2/3 innings.

The season’s first week and a half has featured record strikeout performances but also continued fascination with the long ball. Seems like the juiced ball is still in full use (see “108 Stitches”, 05/18/2020). Barry Bonds, who played 22 seasons for the Pirates and the Giants, was a remarkable hitter, defensive outfielder, and base runner. Of course, he might have been helped by a little juice of his own in establishing the all-time career home run mark of 762 and the single season record of 73 in 2001. Less than 20 years later we might see that 73 shaking a little as the Yankees’ sensational right fielder, Aaron Judge, has blasted away at the fences in New York’s first eight games. Judge has hit at least one HR in five consecutive games, and six overall, projecting a record-breaking 122 for the year!

Superior pitching comes in many forms, wins and losses, low ERA, but how about a consecutive streak of scoreless innings? Orel Hershiser of the Dodgers had a year to remember in 1988 – NL Cy Young award; Gold Glove; NLCS MVP; and World Series MVP; carrying Los Angeles on his back to its last world championship. Hershiser will be remembered especially for one personal accomplishment that season, a record 59 innings of scoreless baseball. Should Hershiser be concerned this year? Perhaps so. No pitcher has dominated the baseball world more in his first two starts than new Cleveland ace, Shane Bieber (no relation to Justin). Bieber’s pitching line right now is 14 innings, 27 Ks, 1 walk, and most importantly, 0 runs. If he continues that mastery over his next 10 starts of the 60-game season, 84 will be the new scoreless inning standard.

Speaking of streaks, there’s no more famous number in sports than 56! Joe DiMaggio, the Yankee Clipper, graced MLB baseball diamonds for 13 years, an All-Star in each one of them. He was the consummate player, gliding through the outfield making outstanding plays, ripping hit after hit at the plate, and leading the Yankees to ten AL pennants and 9 World Series championships in his career. Those achievements are outstanding, but what we remember most is his 56-game consecutive hitting streak in 1941. As the first full week of play ended last night, is there a hitting streak alive that might challenge the record? YES. Braves’ shortstop, Dansby Swanson, is on a tear, batting .350 and recording a hit in all of Atlanta’s first ten games. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio, the new number will be 60 at season’s end!

A night that baseball would like to forget took place on July 12, 1979, at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Disco was blowing up the dance floor in the late 1970s, much to the dismay of the hard rockers. The White Sox hosted the first and only “Disco Demolition Night” as part of a twi-night doubleheader with the Tigers. A crowd of over 50,000 watched the promotion go up in flames as a crate filled with disco records was blown up on the field between games. Many fans rushed onto the field causing even more damage to the playing surface, and the White Sox were forced to forfeit the second game of the doubleheader. While I’m not suggesting MLB is going to rock our world in this shortened season, it’s fun to think about some shattered records along the way.

Until next Monday,

your Baseball Bench Coach