Here is a list of pitchers representing 3 distinct eras: before 1920; the 1960s; and the past 20 years.
What is it that pitchers have achieved only in these periods, and that only these pitchers have accomplished in a qualifying season (min. 162 IP) since 1901?
| Player |
|---|
| Walter Johnson |
| Smoky Joe Wood |
| Rube Waddell |
| Don Drysdale |
| Dean Chance |
| Francisco Liriano |
| Dan Haren |
| Kevin Brown |
| Gavin Floyd |
| Felix Hernandez |
Hint: Three of these pitchers accomplished this feat in multiple seasons, including one who did so in consecutive seasons.
Congratulations to Artie Z! He correctly identified (in just 59 minutes) that these are the only pitchers since 1901 with a season (min. 162 IP) of double-digit wild pitches and hit batters, combined with a K/BB ratio of 3.0 or better (in fact, nobody has done that in fewer than 162 IP, either). Here are those seasons.
