Game Notes – 05/29/2025

When the 1965 season came to a close, so too did Warren Spahn’s career.  The dazzling tallies from the graceful genius included 2,583 strikeouts, more than all but two other pitchers in history (Walter Johnson and Cy Young).  The 2,500-strikeout club was an exclusive affair in those days with just six members (the aforementioned three plus Tim Keefe, Christy Mathewson and Bob Feller), Spahn having his very own entrance, one solely reserved for those who delivered from the port side.  

As the club has expanded its roster, southpaws have been ushered through the door in a greater flow, where now 30% of the attendees can hold up their left arms when the roll is called.  Starting with Spahn, moving through the other names over the intervening decades, now closing with the newest left-handed entrant, Chris Sale.

Chris Sale fanned eight over six scoreless innings and came away with a win on a milestone day at the ballpark.  The 36-year-old reached 2,500 strikeouts – the 40th pitcher ever to get to this bar.

~Sale is the 12th southpaw to join the club.  By decade of debut:

1940s    Warren Spahn

1960s    Mickey Lolich, Steve Carlton, Jerry Koosman

1970s    Frank Tanana

1980s    Chuck Finley, Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson

2000s    CC Sabathia, Cole Hamels, Clayton Kershaw

2010s    Chris Sale

~Among the 40, Sale owns the highest strikeout percentage (30.6), the fifth best ERA+ (140), the second lowest WHIP (1.051), the best K:BB ratio (5.27) and the sixth lowest hits per nine (7.4).  He’s also last in innings.

~Sale has thrown 2,026 innings – the fewest needed to reach the milestone.  Randy Johnson had claimed the fewest, with his game on June 25, 1999 culminating with exactly 2,500 strikeouts and exactly 2,108.0 innings.

José Berríos (6 IP, 2 H) and a pair of relievers combined on a four-hitter as the Blue Jays blanked the Athletics, 12-0.  The effort marked Toronto’s fourth team shutout of the season, with all four coming over the club’s past 10 games.  This recent run includes a 14-0 win over the Padres; thus, Toronto has multiple shutouts featuring double-digit runs scored this season – the sixth time in franchise history this has occurred.  2001 saw the club produce three, while the 1987, 2004, 2008 and 2009 teams had two.  

MacKenzie Gore rang up another eight strikeouts to push his MLB-leading tally to 101 but came away with a no-decision as the Nationals needed 10 innings to defeat the Mariners.  

~The lefty is 2-5 on the season and is striking out 36.20% of the batters he’s faced, which would be the seventh highest percentage in history for a qualified pitcher.  When Gore’s season numbers are organized with the 22 qualifiers who’ve finished a year with a K% of at least 34.0, his .286 winning percentage dramatically stands out as the only one to be below .500, with Trevor Bauer’s .556 in 2020 the worst of the rest.  Gore’s 3.16 ERA and 126 ERA+ are the second worst, ahead of only Spencer Strider’s 3.86 and 113 from 2023.  

~Gore’s 101 strikeouts through 56 team games represents a tally that’s rarely been topped by anyone playing for the Expos/Nationals.

1969-2025:  Most K’s Through 56 Expos or Nationals Games

120     Max Scherzer (2018)

110     Bill Stoneman (1971)

104     Max Scherzer (2021)

102     Max Scherzer (2019)

101     Max Scherzer (2016), MacKenzie Gore (2025)

James Wood was kept in the yard on Thursday, but the 22-year-old did double, drive in two and draw a pair of walks.  Wood has 15 homers and 33 walks on the year; he’s one of 15 players in the modern era to be 22 or younger and have 15-or-more homers at this stage of a season (56 team games).  By most to fewest walks for the 15, Wood is tied for the fifth most:

48 BB     Bryce Harper in 2015 (19 HR)

42 BB     Mel Ott in 1929 (17 HR)

37 BB     Eddie Mathews in 1953 (20 HR)

34 BB     Harmon Killebrew in 1959 (20 HR)

33 BB     José Canseco in 1986 (16 HR)

33 BB     Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in 2021 (18 HR)

33 BB     James Wood in 2025 (15 HR)

Junior Caminero drove in six runs to pace the Rays in a 13-3 win over the Astros.  

~Caminero is the 17th player in franchise history to have at least six RBI, with Ben Zobrist holding the belt thanks to his eight-RBI game on April 28, 2011.  Of these 17, Caminero is the youngest at 21 years and 328 days old.  His fellow worker at the hot corner, Evan Longoria, had been the youngest (22 years and 230 days old on May 24, 2008).

~Caminero is the 32nd youngest player since 1901 to produce a line with at least six RBI.  Travis Jackson (19 years and 275 days old on August 4, 1923) is the youngest.  At the end of the other direction, Carlton Fisk (43 years and 281 days old on October 3, 1991) is the oldest.  Ted Williams deserves special mention, as he occupies the slot for the sixth oldest AND sixth youngest. 

Jonathan Aranda went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two walks in the Rays’ win.  The 27-year-old is slashing .321/.410/.512 and is enjoying a couple of streaks.  

~Aranda has four straight multi-hit games, halfway to the franchise high mark set by Carl Crawford in 2007.

~Aranda has an RBI in five straight games.  The franchise record rests at eight, shared by Rocco Baldelli (2004), Carlos Peña (2008), Evan Longoria (2009), Ben Zobrist (2009) and Yandy Díaz (2024).

In the first game of a doubleheader, Kyle Schwarber connected on his 19th home run.  In the second game of the twin set, he drew his 43rd walk.  His Phillies have played 56 games.  It’s the 26th time a player in the modern era has assembled those numbers (or better ones) through his club’s first 56 games, and the first time it’s happened in a decade, since Bryce Harper did it for the 2015 Nationals.  Schwarber is the only Phillies player on this list, which has a few multi-timers.  

1901-2025:  Players with 19+ HR & 43+ BB Through 56 Team Games (Most Times)

6     Babe Ruth

4     Mark McGwire

2     Barry Bonds

1     Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Ralph Kiner, Ted Williams, Duke Snider, Mickey Mantle, Frank Thomas,                   Sammy Sosa, Jim Thome, Albert Pujols, Adrián González, José Bautista, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber

Thanks to Baseball Reference and its extraordinary research database, Stathead, for help in assembling this piece.