Cast the script back to 1977 … The good: just 21 years old, Cardinals shortstop Garry Templeton bats .322 and amasses 200 hits (both top-three marks in the NL) and paces the Senior Circuit with 18 triples. The bad: somehow, despite coming to the plate 644 times, Templeton draws 15 […]
Since the 20th century gave way to the 21st, 1,713 contests have abruptly and resoundingly concluded with a home run. Pinch-hitters have authored 104 of these dream (or nightmare) scenarios, going from witness to hero in whatever time it took to emerge off the pine, prep in the on-deck space, […]
There have been 32 Yankees to power through an August and come out at the end with at least nine home runs and at least 23 RBI. Babe Ruth did this on his way toward establishing a new home run record in 1921. Joe DiMaggio did it on his way […]
Rickey Henderson’s 25-year journey across the big leagues saw him don uniforms for nine different franchises, a voyage that ultimately produced 297 longballs to pair with his 1,406 thefts. Many of the members of the 250-homer, 250-steal club experienced a fairly nomadic existence, with 10 of them playing for at […]
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 […]
Justin Verlander made his Major League debut in the second game of a doubleheader on July 4, 2005 – the records claim more than 33,000 chose to spend their holiday evening at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, witnessing the very start of, whaddayaknow, a Hall of Fame career. Things didn’t begin […]
Since June of 1920, there have been 138 pitchers to wend and wield and wind and whiff and wow to the tune and rhythm of at least five starts and five wins with no losses during this first month of summer. Athletics right-hander Slim Harriss was the first to brand […]
Rather famously, Willie Mays’ introduction with the Giants in 1951 started with a few too many zeroes: 0-for-5, 0-for-3, 0-for-4. That 0-for-12 start was, also rather famously, put to rest by a swing and a drive in the first inning on May 28: a solo homer to left against Warren […]
In 1963, Dodgers southpaw Sandy Koufax fastballed and curved his way to a new level of dominance, an incandescent expression of mastery that saw him – over 311.0 innings – top the Majors in wins (25), strikeouts (306), ERA (1.88), shutouts (11) and K:BB ratio (5.28). The 306 whiffs were […]