Game Notes – 08/04/2025

In the famed 1941 season, the one that peaked with an historic hitting streak and a legendary batting title, neither the streaker (Joe DiMaggio) nor the titleist (Ted Williams) paced the AL in hits.  Instead, that overshadowed accomplishment belonged to Washington’s shortstop, Cecil Travis.  With his 218 knocks, Travis became the first player at the position to lead the Junior Circuit in the category.  Apparently taken with the idea, Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky then led the AL in hits in 1942, lost three years to the war effort and then returned to top the league again in 1946 and 1947.  Since then, there have been 10 others to follow in the swings and steps of these two shortstop stars from the ‘40s.   

Harvey Kuenn claimed three crowns in the 1950s, Bert Campaneris led in 1968 and then in 1982 and 1983, back-to-back MVPs Robin Yount and Cal Ripken, Jr. claimed hit titles as part of their bountiful seasons.  In the late 90s, the gifted and acclaimed trinity of Nomar Garciaparra (1997), Álex Rodríguez (1998) and Derek Jeter (1999) went back-to-back-to-back.  Jeter added a second belt in 2012, while Michael Young (2005) and Bobby Witt, Jr. (2024) each had/have one.  One name is missing from this chronology, a 27-year-old machine who despite still being relatively young, is already chasing his third crown:  Toronto’s Bo Bichette.  

Bo Bichette homered twice, singled and drove in six runs to pace the Blue Jays in a 15-1 laugher.  

~Bichette leads the AL in hits, with 141.  His two previous hit-titles came in 2021 (191 hits) and 2022 (189).  If he wins a third in this, his age-27 season, he’ll join these names:

AL History:  Most Times Leading the League in Hits Through an Age-27 Season

5    Ty Cobb

4    Jose Altuve

3    Harvey Kuenn, Tony Oliva, George Brett

~Bichette posted the 29th line in Blue Jays history featuring multiple home runs and at least six RBI.  It’s his first time making this grade, with George Bell having the most, three.  Across the Majors since 1901, Babe Ruth has the most such lines (11), followed by Dave Kingman (10), Lou Gehrig (nine) and Álex Rodríguez (nine).  Kyle Schwarber (see below) is now tied for the 16th most games, with five.  

Kyle Schwarber’s power-packed advertisement – a grand slam and a two-run homer – highlighted a Phillies’ 13-3 win and gave the DH his 39th and 40th round-trippers of the season.  

~Schwarber has reached the 40-homer plateau in three of his four years with Philadelphia, with the three making him the third member of the franchise to have at least that many, after Ryan Howard (four) and Mike Schmidt (three).  

~In 577 games with the Phillies, Schwarber has four* where he’s posted a multi-homer line with at least six RBI.  Dating back to 1901, only Mike Schmidt (five) has more with the franchise.  

*Schwarber’s other two-plus home run, six-plus RBI game came with the 2019 Cubs.

~Schwarber leads the NL with 40 homers and 94 RBI.  Since 1901, there have been four different Phillies to finish a year with the NL’s top tallies in both categories.  

Mike Schmidt (1980, 1981, 1984, 1986)

Gavy Cravath (1913, 1915)

Chuck Klein (1931, 1933)

Ryan Howard (2006, 2008)

Pete Alonso went yard for the 251st time in his Mets career – part of a four-hit, four-RBI day.  The longball moved him to within one of tying Darryl Strawberry for the all-time franchise lead and gave Alonso his seventh line this season with at least four RBI.  Yes, it’s an arbitrary number, but it’s intriguing to look up the Mets’ single-season leaders for four-plus RBI games and see Alonso at the top … again and again and now, again.  

Most Games with at least Four RBI in a Season – Mets

9    Pete Alonso (2022)

8    Pete Alonso (2023)

7    Pete Alonso (2025)

6    Dave Kingman (1976, 1982), Darryl Strawberry (1984, 1985), Robin Ventura (1999), Carlos Beltrán (2006)

Justin Verlander  (5.0 IP, 1 UER) was in line for his second win of the year but the Giants bullpen coughed up the lead and eventually, the contest.  Verlander has five starts this season in which he’s been in line for a win when he exited only to see San Francisco’s ‘pen blow the chance.  Those five tie for the second most in the Majors, with Verlander and others handing the most tissues to the Angels’ Yusei Kikuchi for his six “wins lost.”

Quinn Priester (7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R) picked up his 11th victory of the year as Milwaukee improved to a Major League-best 68-44.  

~The right-hander is tied for second in the NL in wins, he and three others one behind the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta.  Milwaukee has never placed pitchers in both the 1-2 slots in wins in any season; the franchise has produced only one league leader – Pete Vuckovich, who was tied atop the AL leaderboard during the 1981 season.  

~The Brewers’ 68 wins through 112 games stands as the best the franchise has ever done, eclipsing the 66 wins the 2021 team had.  

Joc Pederson struck a one-out, game-tying pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Rangers new life – a rewarding existence that flourished in a 10-inning victory over the Yankees.  Since the franchise has been playing in Texas (1972), Pederson is the ninth pinch-hitter to hit a game-tying homer in the ninth inning or later.  Pederson is the second of the nine to victimize the Yankees, after Iván Rodríguez clipped Mariano Rivera with a two-run shot in 2000.  

~Pederson’s solo shot gives him 212 career home runs and 556 RBI.  There are 386 players in history with at least 200 home runs; 11 of them, including Pederson and five other active players, own(ed) career numbers that have at least 38% of their RBI come from driving in themselves.