OT: Perhaps the Greatest Single Game Feat in the History of Baseball

[connie]

With today’s live ball and short fences Ruth might hit 80 HRs. With PEDs maybe 95

That is a tempting conjecture. And of course there is absolutely no way of knowing for sure. But I very seriously doubt it, for all the reasons I've stated in this thread. Ruth would be facing much tougher competition on a daily basis, including pitchers who regularly throw in the 90s and armed with an arsenal of cutters, 4-seamers, 2-seamers, circle-changes, splitters, you name it. He'd see at least 3 perhaps 4 different pitchers a game, each one coming in fresh. He'd likely face a lot more lefties (having hit only 30% of his HRs againts lefties, which is still incredible). Other teams would chart his preferences, strike-zone vulnerabilities, tendencies, etc.

One factor favoring the conjecture is the fact that Ruth did not strike out much for an HR hitter. Among those hitting at least 40 HRs in a season, Ruth appears 4 out of 8 times among those striking out the fewest times as against HRs hit. Playing today, he may change his approach, striking out more but hitting even more HRs per at bat.

But then, you never know. Maybe he could hit 70 a season even playing today.

 

[connie]

Steve Carlton won 27 games in 1972. The Phillies only won 59 games that year. One of the best season a pitcher ever had.

In June 1974 Nolan Ryan threw 235 pitches in a 13-inning game. (Re-read last sentence.) I think I read somewhere that based on either his preceding start (5 days earlier) or subsequent start (4 days later) he threw something like 360+ pitches within in 4-5 days.

 

[JordyG]

That is a tempting conjecture. And of course there is absolutely no way of knowing for sure. But I very seriously doubt it, for all the reasons I've stated in this thread. Ruth would be facing much tougher competition on a daily basis, including pitchers who regularly throw in the 90s and armed with an arsenal of cutters, 4-seamers, 2-seamers, circle-changes, splitters, you name it. He'd see at least 3 perhaps 4 different pitchers a game, each one coming in fresh. He'd likely face a lot more lefties (having hit only 30% of his HRs againts lefties, which is still incredible). Other teams would chart his preferences, strike-zone vulnerabilities, tendencies, etc.

One factor favoring the conjecture is the fact that Ruth did not strike out much for an HR hitter. Among those hitting at least 40 HRs in a season, Ruth appears 4 out of 8 times among those striking out the fewest times as against HRs hit. Playing today, he may change his approach, striking out more but hitting even more HRs per at bat.

But then, you never know. Maybe he could hit 70 a season even playing today.

One thing that people fail to comment on or even notice about Ruth's style is how often he changed his swing and/or footwork in the box. Sometimes he'd stride, sometimes he'd shuffle step, and sometimes he'd vary off of both of these approaches. Things that are anathema in today's single stride approach to the plate by hitters. But Ruth's idea was because I have such excellent eye/hand coordination, good strength, quick hands and a great hip swivel I can just make contact and the ball jumps off my bat. He also believed in using a very heavy, dark wood bat. One person once said today's players hit homers using PED's. Ruth did it on hotdogs and beer. With a little better off season conditioning I think Ruth would have had great success today.

 

[JordyG]

In June 1974 Nolan Ryan threw 235 pitches in a 13-inning game. (Re-read last sentence.) I think I read somewhere that based on either his preceding start (5 days earlier) or subsequent start (4 days later) he threw something like 360+ pitches within in 4-5 days.

Again, just mind boggling.

And to think my Mets threw him away for the great Jim Fregosi.

 

[ncteacher]

Stark: Strange but true postseason feats

While maybe not as impressive as the game that started this threat, read about the incredible post season that Madison Bumgarner had a few years ago. The reason that I mention this is because I taught MadBum when he was in 8th grade.

Strangest But Truest October Dominator Of The Year
Isn't it amazing how much more we know about Madison Bumgarner now than we knew three months ago? That he comes from a little town in North Carolina (Granite Falls) where it seems as if everyone is named Bumgarner? That he once dated a girl named Madison Bumgarner? And, especially, that he just put on one of the greatest, Michael Jordan-esque postseason shows of any professional athlete who ever lived? It went kinda like this:

• The Giants won 12 games in this postseason. Six of them were games in which Madison Bumgarner pitched. All their other pitchers combined were responsible for winning the other six. Their other starters won exactly once -- and never after Game 1 of the NLDS. So ... good thing MadBum stopped by.

• Did this man really pitch 52⅔ innings in a single postseason? Sandy Koufax only pitched 57 postseason innings in his whole career. Warren Spahn pitched 56. Juan Marichal and Rube Marquard pitched just 50⅔ postseason innings in their careers as Giants combined. And Madison Bumgarner just went 52⅔ innings in ONE postseason. He was scored on in precisely four of those innings by the way.

• Bumgarner threw two shutouts in this postseason. No other starter on the other nine playoff teams pitched any shutouts -- or any complete games of any size or shape, come to think of it.

• In four different starts in this postseason, for that matter, this man was still out there when the eighth inning rolled around. Know how many times all the other starting pitchers on all those other teams combined to make it into the eighth during the entire month of October? That would be five.

• Then there was just the World Series portion of Bumgarner's festivities. The ace made two starts in that World Series and got 16 innings' worth of outs. The rest of his rotation made five starts in that same World Series -- and got 16⅓ innings' worth of outs.

• If it felt as if the Royals had no shot to score against this guy, here's why: Bumgarner faced 74 hitters in the World Series. Exactly one of them drove in a run. That was Salvador Perez, on a solo home run. In a game his team trailed by seven runs.

• And that brings us to our man's grand finale. In the seventh game of the World Series, Bumgarner pitched five shutout innings. In relief. On two days' rest. And got a save out of it. You know how many five-inning saves there had been in all the other World Series in history? Right you are. None. You know how many four-inning saves there had been? Also none.

• And you know how many other five-inning saves have been recorded by anybody else in any kind of game, regular season or postseason, over the last two decades? That would be one.

• And when Bumgarner was finished with all that, his ERA over this particular postseason stood at 1.01. His career World Series ERA was down to 0.25. And he'd won at least one game in three different World Series, all of which his team won, all before the age of 26. And you know how many pitchers who ever lived could say that? None, of course. Amazing.

 

[connie]

Mets threw him away for the great Jim Fregosi

Oy. Even then, I did not understand why. I know Ed Charles had retired at end of '69, and Wayne Garrett was quite young. (And let's not forget the other piece -- 3rd baseman Joy Foy for Amos Otis. Yikes!) Did the Mets really need a 3rd basemen that badly? I know Fregosi was a 4 or 5 time All-Star. But he was about 30, and his AL numbers had basically plateaued for years. And coming to a pitcher's park did not bode well. Still, would could've known? I remember hearing a joke in the mid-70s -- something like, "The Mets have the best team in baseball; it's just that all our best players are on other teams."

 

[connie]

Stark: Strange but true postseason feats

While maybe not as impressive as the game that started this threat, read about the incredible post season that Madison Bumgarner had a few years ago. The reason that I mention this is because I taught MadBum when he was in 8th grade.

Strangest But Truest October Dominator Of The Year
Isn't it amazing how much more we know about Madison Bumgarner now than we knew three months ago? That he comes from a little town in North Carolina (Granite Falls) where it seems as if everyone is named Bumgarner? That he once dated a girl named Madison Bumgarner? And, especially, that he just put on one of the greatest, Michael Jordan-esque postseason shows of any professional athlete who ever lived? It went kinda like this:

• The Giants won 12 games in this postseason. Six of them were games in which Madison Bumgarner pitched. All their other pitchers combined were responsible for winning the other six. Their other starters won exactly once -- and never after Game 1 of the NLDS. So ... good thing MadBum stopped by.

• Did this man really pitch 52⅔ innings in a single postseason? Sandy Koufax only pitched 57 postseason innings in his whole career. Warren Spahn pitched 56. Juan Marichal and Rube Marquard pitched just 50⅔ postseason innings in their careers as Giants combined. And Madison Bumgarner just went 52⅔ innings in ONE postseason. He was scored on in precisely four of those innings by the way.

• Bumgarner threw two shutouts in this postseason. No other starter on the other nine playoff teams pitched any shutouts -- or any complete games of any size or shape, come to think of it.

• In four different starts in this postseason, for that matter, this man was still out there when the eighth inning rolled around. Know how many times all the other starting pitchers on all those other teams combined to make it into the eighth during the entire month of October? That would be five.

• Then there was just the World Series portion of Bumgarner's festivities. The ace made two starts in that World Series and got 16 innings' worth of outs. The rest of his rotation made five starts in that same World Series -- and got 16⅓ innings' worth of outs.

• If it felt as if the Royals had no shot to score against this guy, here's why: Bumgarner faced 74 hitters in the World Series. Exactly one of them drove in a run. That was Salvador Perez, on a solo home run. In a game his team trailed by seven runs.

• And that brings us to our man's grand finale. In the seventh game of the World Series, Bumgarner pitched five shutout innings. In relief. On two days' rest. And got a save out of it. You know how many five-inning saves there had been in all the other World Series in history? Right you are. None. You know how many four-inning saves there had been? Also none.

• And you know how many other five-inning saves have been recorded by anybody else in any kind of game, regular season or postseason, over the last two decades? That would be one.

• And when Bumgarner was finished with all that, his ERA over this particular postseason stood at 1.01. His career World Series ERA was down to 0.25. And he'd won at least one game in three different World Series, all of which his team won, all before the age of 26. And you know how many pitchers who ever lived could say that? None, of course. Amazing.

Uh . . . holy crap. The statistical performance relative to others is what really impresses.

 

[JordyG]

Oy. Even then, I did not understand why. I know Ed Charles had retired at end of '69, and Wayne Garrett was quite young. (And let's not forget the other piece -- 3rd baseman Joy Foy for Amos Otis. Yikes!) Did the Mets really need a 3rd basemen that badly? I know Fregosi was a 4 or 5 time All-Star. But he was about 30, and his AL numbers had basically plateaued for years. And coming to a pitcher's park did not bode well. Still, would could've known? I remember hearing a joke in the mid-70s -- something like, "The Mets have the best team in baseball; it's just that all our best players are on other teams."

So true. Even trading Gentry, a starter that year, would have made more sense. But from their organizational start the Mets have been able to recognize pitchers at a young age, but have no clue what a young future hitter looks like.