BaseballReference.com oddities

84,686 Views | 576 Replies | Last: 29 min ago by jja79
Drunken Overseas Bettor
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In reply to W • 12:40p, 8/18/25
W said:
I looked up another knuckleballer...

Charlie Hough had a respectable 3.75 career ERA

for his 216 career wins

as much as I dislike Chris Berman, his call of Charlie Hough striking out the first batter he faced in the first game of the Florida Marlins history is an all-timer.

The crowd went ballistic and Berman called, "And the Marlins have won the World Series".

Them beating the Dodgers with Hershiser on the mound and Tommy LaSorda's fat ass in the dugout - the team and manager Hough had played for - in the first game of franchise history is a helluva thing.
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AgRyan04
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9:00p, 8/18/25
Wait, Hough only had 216 career wins after pitching for a hundred years?!?

I didn't realize he didn't become a starter until his mid-30s
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W
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In reply to Drunken Overseas Bettor • 9:09p, 8/18/25
AG
as an aside...

I read that Tawny's memorial service was held at Chuck's California home
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Drunken Overseas Bettor
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1:20a, 8/24/25
In 1968, Carl Yazstremski set the MLB record for the lowest batting average to win the batting titles: .301. This was the so-called year of the pitcher and led to the mound being lowered from 15 inches to 10, and shrunk the strike zone was lowered from knees-to-shoulders to knees-to-armpits.

1968 was the year that Bob Bigbson went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA and Denny McLain went 31-6 for the TIgers. The entire AL hit .230 with the A's the top batting average team at .240 and the Yankees hitting .214 as a team.

I bring this up because whoever wins the NL batting title this year might be challenging Yaz's record. Currently Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner are tied for the lead at .301.

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jja79
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6:14p, 8/25/25
AG
I forgot to post this last Thursday on the actual anniversary. 50 years ago superior athletes Rick and Paul Reuschel became the first and only brothers to combine on a shared shutout when Rick went 6.2 innings and Paul 2.1 to beat the Dodgers 7-0.

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AgRyan04
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In reply to jja79 • 6:25p, 8/25/25
Go Cubs go!
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jja79
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In reply to AgRyan04 • 6:39p, 8/25/25
AG
I had forgotten how good Rick was. He won 214 games. Also a pretty good hitter with 187 hits.
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McInnis
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In reply to Drunken Overseas Bettor • 8:54a, 8/26/25
AG
Drunken Overseas Bettor said:
In 1968, Carl Yazstremski set the MLB record for the lowest batting average to win the batting titles: .301. This was the so-called year of the pitcher and led to the mound being lowered from 15 inches to 10, and shrunk the strike zone was lowered from knees-to-shoulders to knees-to-armpits.

1968 was the year that Bob Bigbson went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA and Denny McLain went 31-6 for the TIgers. The entire AL hit .230 with the A's the top batting average team at .240 and the Yankees hitting .214 as a team.

I bring this up because whoever wins the NL batting title this year might be challenging Yaz's record. Currently Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner are tied for the lead at .301.



The 1968 All Star game was played in the Astrodome that year, the least friendly park to hitters. I guess it should have been a foregone conclusion that the final score would be 1-0. It was. Willie led off with a single and got to 3rd by being Willie, then scored on a double play ground out.

Bob Gibson who was superhuman all year finally became human in the 7th inning of Game 7 of the WS, giving up 4 runs in one inning. He had only given up four runs in a game twice that season during 34 starts.
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jja79
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In reply to McInnis • 12:09p, 8/26/25
AG
My dad and I drove from Fort Stockton to Houston to watch that All Star game.
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McInnis
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2:24p, 8/26/25
AG
On this day in 1951 the New York Giants were in the midst of their epic comeback in which they won 50 of their last 62 games to tie Brooklyn and force the legendary three game playoff vs the Dodgers.

On August 26 they swept a doubleheader against the Cubs. Sal "the Barber" Maglie of New York, known for intimidating National League batters with his inside pitches, couldn't intimidate this young Cubs first baseman who hit a 3 run homer to tie the first game before the Giants went on to win. Chuck Connors retired from baseball with two career home runs and a WAR of -0.8. But he's still only one of 13 players to have played in both mlb and the NBA.

He still makes regular appearances at Olsen Field.


Edited to reflect jk's correction about the playoff series. I've had that wrong for a long time.
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AgRyan04
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9:17p, 8/26/25
In 1993 Jose Rijos had a WAR of 9.2 and finished 5th in NL Cy Young voting. Maddux won it with a WAR of 5.8....but looking at their stat lines I'm not sure how there was such a huge disparity in WAR.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1993.shtml#all_NL_CYA_voting
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McInnis
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9:09a, 8/27/25
AG
Brian McTaggart has the story below in today's newsletter. In 2006 Willie Taveras set the Astros consecutive game hitting streak at 30 games. During that streak he had an amazing 0 for 11 slump. McTaggart explains how below.

"Aug. 27, 2006

Willy Taveras became the only player in franchise history to hit safely in 30 consecutive games, breaking Jeff Kent's previous record of 25 games set in 2004. Taveras hit .349 during the streak and remarkably had an 0-for-11 slump during it. How did he achieve that? Taveras singled in his first at-bat in an 86, 18-inning loss to the Cubs and went 0-for-8 the rest of the game. The next game he was hitless in his first three at-bats before beating out a bunt single in the seventh inning to extend the streak."
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jkag89
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In reply to McInnis • 12:04p, 8/27/25
Three game playoff. The NL had a three game series to decide the pennant when the season ended in a tie prior to divisional play in 1969. There are two other NL Pennants decided by a three game "extra series" and they also involved the Dodgers but after the move to LA:

1959 when LA defeated Milwaukee 2-0
1962 when SF defeated LA 2-1

Oddly enough the only time an AL season ended in a tie prior to divisional play, they only had a single extra game with Cleveland defeating the BoSox in 1948.
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W
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In reply to AgRyan04 • 12:51p, 8/27/25
AG
Jose Rijo actually hit .268 in 1993 with .648 OPS including 12 sac bunts

that boosted his overall WAR a bit
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AgRyan04
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In reply to W • 2:45p, 8/27/25
Now that is what this thread is all about!
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jja79
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4:30p
AG
Randy Moffit, brother of Billie Jean King, died today. He pitched for the Astros in 1982. Spent most of his career with the Giants.

Must have pushed the emoji inadvertently.
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jja79
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11:03p
AG
Thursday Taylor Rashi went 3 innings to save the game for the Diamondbacks against the Brewers. He became the 16th Diamondbacks pitcher to save a game this year setting a new MLB record.
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