In the 149 NL seasons that have played out to a conclusion, a player representing the Phillies franchise has staked the claim as home run king in 29 of them. Curiously, only two of those who’ve worn the crown wore it only once. Mike Schmidt is king of all the […]
When the 1984 Tigers closed up shop for the night on May 22, the club was an astounding 33-5 (.868 winning percentage) with an equally double-look, spit-take worthy run differential of 110. That immense difference between runs scored and allowed through 38 contests hadn’t been reached since 1939, when the […]
There are 20 players in baseball history who thundered so frequently in the young portions of their careers that by the time they concluded their age-26 seasons, they already had more than 200 home runs. Seven of these precocious hammerers accompanied their potency with an uncommon level of discernment that […]
When the 1911 season rolled into action, the remarkable Rube Waddell was no longer part of the big league firmament. Looking back, we can peer – with something beyond awe – at the southpaw’s knack for making batters trudge away from the plate having gone down on strikes. The numbers […]
On April 24, 1964, the Giants pummeled the Reds, 15-5. This being the mid-1960s, it’s not a shock to see that Willie Mays was greatly involved in letting Cincinnati have it. It was a bit of an everything game for the inner circle great – five runs scored, a pair […]
Stan Musial is famous for a lot of things when it comes to feats on the diamond. Considering the abundance his 22-year saga provided, the very beginnings of that journey are perhaps a bit overshadowed by what followed. But like so much of his career symphony, the overture was pretty […]
In 1911, when he became the first player with at least 70 steals and 70 extra-base hits in a season, 24-year-old Ty Cobb had 14 of each through his team’s first 26 games of the year. When, in 1984, Juan Samuel joined Cobb as the only players to complete the […]
When Rennie Stennett tied the Major League record for hits in a nine-inning game, his seven came out of the leadoff spot. When he tied the modern era record for triples in a game, Lance Johnson struck his three when batting at the top of the order. When they tied […]
On April 22, 1983, George Brett, batting genius, stroked a double as his Royals improved to 7-4 on the year. The two-base hit gave the future Hall of Famer nine doubles to go along with four home runs and gave him more extra-base hits through his club’s first 11 games […]
There are 1,197 players who’ve accumulated at least 4,000 plate appearances through their first 10 big league seasons. Imagine this immense gathering, where the head table is reserved for the top 10 in OPS+. You’ll have heard of these guys. Ted Williams commands the table, with a 190 through his […]