Quiz – Sultans of Something (solved)

Here is an unusual collection of players who share the distinction of a certain batting achievement. What season batting feat have only these players accomplished in the live ball era (since 1920) ?

Congratulations to Richard Chester! He correctly identified (with a little help) that these players are the only batters with a post-1920 season of 10 or more home runs all hit on the road. The first searchable player to do this was Babe Ruth in 1918, before he was known as the Sultan of Swat.

Hint: since this feat was last accomplished, these players have come closest to matching it.

Of the players above, Montero has a 9 HR season, all on the road, and the others have a 10+ HR season (Lopez has two) with only one HR hit at home. Here are the seasons for the players in our quiz.

Rk Player Split Year G HR HRtot PA AB R H 2B 3B RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
1 Babe Ruth Home 1918 48 0 11 181 145 28 45 14 8 22 33 19 .310 .438 .517 .955
2 Goose Goslin Home 1926 69 0 17 296 255 41 83 19 9 43 27 20 .325 .396 .471 .867
3 Jack Fournier Home 1927 54 0 10 173 146 14 39 6 2 16 18 3 .267 .359 .336 .695
4 Odell Hale Home 1933 45 0 10 176 158 25 50 11 7 29 17 18 .316 .383 .475 .858
5 Ken Keltner Home 1939 77 0 13 319 289 34 95 17 4 36 28 23 .329 .388 .415 .803
6 Dick Sisler Home 1948 61 0 11 251 225 28 59 10 3 16 21 19 .262 .328 .333 .661
7 Sam Mele Home 1950 59 0 12 215 192 24 60 9 4 34 20 17 .313 .377 .401 .778
8 Eddie Yost Home 1952 78 0 12 358 289 42 67 20 3 20 58 30 .232 .366 .322 .688
9 Willie Davis Home 1969 56 0 11 214 197 28 66 11 4 21 12 18 .335 .379 .431 .810
10 Tom Paciorek Home 1982 50 0 11 194 178 24 50 12 3 17 9 24 .281 .330 .382 .712
11 Jose Cruz Home 1984 80 0 12 335 286 45 79 13 7 30 44 30 .276 .367 .371 .738
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/26/2013.
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mosc
mosc
11 years ago

Gunna guess something to do with unexpectedly high RBI totals? In relation to total bases or extra base hits or something?

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago

What I find puzzling is that Seguignol’s maximum PA is so low compared to the rest.
Fasano too.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago

It looks to me like the first list is in chronological order. That would mean that Fournier would have to have accomplished his feat during or after Goslin’s first year, 1921. Also it rules out rookie season feats. Still doesn’t help much though.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago

So we’re On The Road Again. Looks like something about most percentage of HRs on the road. I am going to research it now.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago

Could be all HRs on the road, minimum of 10.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  Doug

Goose Goslin was the giveaway. I remembered reading in one of my reference books that he holds the record for most road HRs without hitting one at home. It was always on my mind.

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
11 years ago

@10/Richard,

Now you’ve got my blue eyes crying in the rain.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago

And these quizzes of Doug’s are driving us all crazy.

jaj
jaj
11 years ago

I believe Henry Aaron’s first season only had one HR at home

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago

Goslin, Mele and Yost had a good excuse: Griffith Stadium.

John Autin
Editor
11 years ago

For an extreme shift in home/away HRs, check out Leon Wagner. With the expansion Angels in ’61, he hit 19 of 28 at home, in friendly old Wrigley Field. They moved into Dodger Stadium in ’62, and Wagner hit just 13 of 37 at home that year, then just 2 of 26 at home in 1963. That last is the highest percentage of road HRs for a season of 20+ HRs. For 1962-63 combined, Wagner trailed only Aaron with 48 road HRs, but his 15 home HRs were tied for 58th. (Wagner was also one of the 5 least valuable… Read more »

Artie Z.
Artie Z.
11 years ago

In looking at the Babe’s 1918 season I noticed that, in addition to hitting all of his HRs on the road, he hit 2 HRs against Walter Johnson.

And how many HRs did Walter Johnson allow that season in his 326 innings? Just 2.

Brent
Brent
11 years ago
Reply to  Artie Z.

My favorite thing about the Babe in 1918 is his usage in the WS by manager Ed Barrow. Here is a player who despite not being used as an everyday player all year was top 10 in the league in almost every offensive category and led the league in HRs and SLG. Barrow decides to pitch him in the Series. Actually, giving the Babe’s history of pitching well in the WS that decision is not what I find amusing. So Babe starts games 1 and 4 and wins them both. So far, so good. No, what is amusing is that… Read more »

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  Brent

During the 1918 season Ruth participated in 95 games, 19 as a starting pitcher. He batted 9th in only 8 games, 7 as a starting pitcher. He batted 4th in 75 games total, making it more puzzling that he did not bat 4th in the series.

Brent
Brent
11 years ago

After my original post, I was looking up the other guys who pinch hit for the Red Sox and found an even better oddity. Jean Dubuc was a PITCHER who Barrow used to pinch hit, instead of Ruth. And in 1918 he was a pitcher who had pitched in 2 games and had 6 plate appearances.

no statistician but
no statistician but
11 years ago
Reply to  Brent

If you look at Ruth’s games played during the season, you’ll see that he was generally rested the day after he pitched, sometimes two or three days. As for pinch hitting on his off days, Mays and Bush were both excellent hitters that year, so the need to bat for them wasn’t apparent in the series. As for PHing for Jones, he pitched in game 5, one of the days Barrow would definitely rest Ruth. Also, 1918 was probably the last year an over-the-fence HR wasn’t viewed as the possibility it is today. The Red Sox, like everyone else, were… Read more »

Doug
Doug
11 years ago
Reply to  Artie Z.

And Ruth hit those two HR off Johnson (and a third one off another Senator) in the same Griffith Stadium that three of the quiz players couldn’t master.

Yet, he couldn’t knock one out of Fenway.

seven sultans
10 years ago

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Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
10 years ago
Reply to  seven sultans

I nominate this “best semi-english spam troll.”
FYI, you can also look backwards to touch someone.

John Autin
Editor
10 years ago
Reply to  Voomo Zanzibar

Didn’t Satchel say, “Don’t look back — someone might be touching you?”