Quiz – Modern Day Moundsmen (stumped) |

The pitchers in this quiz share the distinction of a certain game feat that only they have achieved since 1914. What is the unusual pitching accomplishment of which only these players can boast?

It appears I have a stumper here. Admittedly, it was a tough one. The answer is that, since 1914, in successive starts against the same opponent, only these pitchers have, in each game, pitched 8 or more innings but not a complete game, and allowed zero runs on 3 hits or less. Those mini-streaks are after the break.

Here are those streaks, all since 1989.

If we remove the criterion of not being a complete game, then the number of such streaks rises to 115, led by this one against the Mets, the only such 3 game streak against any team.

Rk	Name	Strk Start	End	Games	W	CG	IP	H	R	BB	SO	Tm
1	Vern Law	1965-06-05	1966-06-02	3	3	3	27.0	8	0	6	14	PIT

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/24/2015.

Tom Seaver has the most such streaks with 3 while Vida Blue, Allie Reynolds, Pedro Martinez, Billy Pierce, John Tudor, Dutch Leonard, Juan Marichal, Ernie Broglio, Sandy Koufax and J.R. Richard all have a pair. Reynolds is only one to victimize the same team (Red Sox) twice and Koufax is the only one with two such streaks in the same season (1963). Blue’s pair were against the Rangers and Brewers – no other pitcher has such a streak against either of those franchises.

The Giants have had 10 pitchers record such a streak against them while the Reds haven’t suffered this fate since 1933 and the Twins not since they were still in Washington in 1959. The Dodgers have done this to an opponent 10 times (9 in LA) followed closely by the Cardinals (9) and Red Sox (8) while the Phillies have the fewest among the original teams with two, both against the Expos.

Here are the complete lists (they are presented chronologically in two tables, owing to technical constraints). You can display as many rows as you’d like, search for teams or players using the Search box, or sort as you please.

[table id=253 /]

[table id=252 /]

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Josh

9 years ago

Just a stab, but is it a complete game shutout without any OF making a putout?

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Doug

Reply to Josh

That is a real stab!

But, not right.

mosc

My usual question: Does “Rookie Status” or “first year” have a part in the answer?

Reply to mosc

It does not.

The Goof

Does it involve (in part) 10K, 0BB and a ND?

Reply to The Goof

I would venture more, but need to re-up by BR account and wanted to act before someone else gets it. But I can venture another guess: under 100 pitches?

Neither of those, Goof.

Here’s a hint. It’s actually about a “streak” of games with something. The something is good (for the pitcher) but the longest streaks aren’t very long.

Kahuna Tuna

I’m going to guess streaks of 13 or more starts that were not complete games in which the pitcher allowed two or fewer earned runs.

Reply to Kahuna Tuna

No. The streak we’re looking for is *much* shorter than that.

But, not complete games is part of the answer.

Jimbo

I’m gonna guess that the streak is a 2 game streak, and that Estrada had his streak on June 19th and 24th.

Reply to Jimbo

You’re right about the length of the streak. Everybody in the quiz has such a two game streak, and nobody since 1914 has yet made it three games.

But, only one of the dates for Estrada is correct.

Reply to Doug

So that either means 14th+19th which looks like this:
12IP 8H 6R 6ER 7BB 9K
Or 24th + 30th which looks like:
11 IP 5H 4R 2ER 4BB 11K

Neither of which look that interesting. Considering the 24th is the interesting game:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TBA/TBA201506240.shtml
… I’m trying to figure out what exactly about his line on the 30th is of anything special:
2.1 IP 3H 4R 2ER 4BB 1K

It’s a different sort of “streak”.

Requires some outside-the-box thinking.

Joseph

Two games in a row where the pitcher did not spit while on the mound? Minimum 5 innings?

😉

Luis Gomez

Consecutive starts where they took a no-hitter into the eight inning.

Reply to Luis Gomez

Dave Stieb did that (into the 9th actually) in 1988 I think. Maybe 1989. So that rules this out. Sorry Luis.

How could I forget about Stieb? His consecutive starts were Perfect games into the 9th, right?

Perhaps something else to go with the near no-no’s.

Richard Chester

Doug: I said to myself one of those events must have occurred recently, that’s why you thought of it. That event was Estrada’s game on July 19, but I was focusing on June 19 and 24.

Reply to Richard Chester

Some kind of non-continuous streak? One game a month that meets some criteria?

The “streak” part was consecutive starts against the same opponent. Of the 115 streaks (including those with CGs), the median number of days between those starts was 47, but 9 happened within one week and 26 (23%) happened within two weeks.

PaulE

july 31, 1983 – co-worker and friend Larry Smith swears off gambling as Jose DeLeon pitches 9 inning 1 hitter and Pirates lose 1-0. Larry lost a little more than a month’s salary….Jose never knew

Any mention of José DeLeón, who lost 19 games twice, turns my mind to the all-time snakebit pitcher, Anthony Young. In his first three big-league seasons, 1991-93, pitching for the Mets, Young registered 18 saves, had a 98 ERA+ . . . and had a W-L record of 5-35. Someone out there who saw him pitch is going to tell me that Young had no guts, made crucial mistakes, couldn’t perform in the clutch, etc., etc., but man, that W-L record has always looked to me like evidence of some cosmic vendetta.