A fun little look that was passed around the MLB offices this past week, credit to Roger Schlueter, Jeff Scott and Jayson Stark.

 

2005 Facts, Figures & Fun Stuff

 

By

Roger & Me

 

 

For the past three years, we have opened this list with a recap of the offensive exploits of Barry Bonds. But Barry missed most of 2005,

so in his place, here?s Bobby ? Bobby Abreu to be exact ? who

very quietly has accumulated some numbers worth noting.

 

Bobby, Meet Barry. And Bobby

In 2005, Bobby Abreu became just the third player ever with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in at least seven straight seasons. The others are Barry and Bobby Bonds. Abreu also became just the fourth player ever to draw 100 walks in seven straight seasons. Mel Ott and Jeff Bagwell both did it seven times ? Frank Thomas did it in eight straight.

 

Derby Demolition

Abreu didn?t walk during the Home Run Derby at the All-Star game ? but he did hit a record 41 home runs. His 24 blasts in the first round set a record for any round. Mark McGwire never hit more than 13 in one round and Barry Bonds never hit more than 10. Unfortunately, Abreu then set another record, for most at bats without hitting a home run after winning the Home Run Derby. Abreu went an incredible 69 at bats before his next official dinger. McGwire had held the dubious mark with 23 at bats.

 

 

Hockey Players, They Are Not

Terry Mulholland became the third Minnesota Twin to injure himself in his hotel room when he scratched his eye with a feather quill sticking out of his pillow. Earlier in the year Juan Castro missed a game when he woke up in his hotel bed with a stiff neck, and Jason Bartlett missed two games when he tore his fingernail adjusting his hotel room TV.

 

Migratory Birds

On April 24th, the Baltimore rotation featured five pitchers all of whom were born in different countries ? not one of them the United States. They were: Sidney Ponson (Aruba), Ridrigo Lopez (Mexico), Bruce Chen (Panama), Daniel Cabrera (Dominican Republic), and Erik Bedard (Canada).

 

Wright On

On June 10th, Colorado?s Jamey Wright beat Detroit 2-0 to mark just the third 2-0 game in the 11-year history of Coors Field. There had never been a 1-0 final at Coors until just one month later, when on July 9th the Rockies beat San Diego by that elusive 1-0 score

 

 

Hey, This Is Easy

On August 2nd, Carlos Lee and Geoff Jenkins hit back-to-back home runs for Milwaukee in the first inning ? the first time all year (107 games) that the Brewers hit back-to-back home runs. The very next inning, Russell Branyan and Damian Miller did it for the Brewers once again.

 

In Hindsight?

On August 12, 1987, Detroit traded Michigan native John Smoltz to Atlanta for Doyle Alexander. Since then, Smoltz has won 177 games for the Braves. That?s 116 more games than any Detroit pitcher has won in that same time. The closest is Frank Tanana, who won 61. In deference to Alexander, after the trade he did go 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA to help the Tigers win the American League East title.

 

Another One for Craig?s List

On September 10th, Craig Biggio became just the 13th player in history to hit 600 doubles. He is the only player ever with 600 doubles, 2700 hits, 250 home runs and 400 stolen bases.

 

More 600 Stuff

It cost the Cleveland Indians $600,000 for the one at bat they got from Juan Gonzalez in the entire 2005 season (torn hamstring). He grounded out to end the first inning and never did play in the field.

 

Slammed

On August 20th, Atlanta pitcher Joey Devine gave up a grand slam to Xavier Nady in his big league debut. In his next game, he allowed a slam to Jeromy Burnitz ? thus becoming the first player ever to allow a grand slam home run in each of his first two Major League games. Devine closed out his year by allowing Chris Burke?s game-winning home run in Game Four of the Division Series.

 

On The Other Hand?

The Mets? Mike Jacobs became the first player in history to hit four home runs in the first four games of his Major League career.

 

Hey, Good Luck at that Indianapolis Racetrack

When NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon sang ?Take Me Out to the Ballgame,? during the seventh inning stretch in Chicago, he opened by saying ??how great it is to be at Wrigley Stadium.? He was booed.

 

Just the Facts

In the 10 Major League Baseball seasons from 1993 through 2002, players reached or passed the 50-home run mark a total of 18 times. That equaled the number of 50-home seasons by players in the 118 previous Major League seasons combined. In the three seasons since the 2002 campaign, hitters have combined for zero 50-home run years.

 

The Name Game

On August 8th, Sun-Woo Kim and Byung-Hyun Kim became the first players with the same last name to start each end of a doubleheader since Gaylord and Jim Perry did it for Cleveland in 1974.

 

Uh, Guys? A Little Help?

The Houston Astros were shut out nine times when Roger Clemens started in 2005.

 

Stud

Dontrelle Willis just missed finishing the 2005 season with a higher batting average (.261) than earned run average (2.63).

 

Super Stud

Vladimir Guerrero has a .300 or better lifetime batting average in every month of the season:

April .327

May .304

June .353

July .312

Aug. .325

Sept. .328

Oct. .310

That?s officially incredible.

 

Anything Else You Want Me To Do?

On August 31, Florida?s Jeremy Hermida became the first player in history to hit a pinch-hit grand slam home run in his first Major League at bat.

 

Paying the Bills

In the course of the 2005 season, the Colorado Rockies paid Charles Johnson $9-million, Admin Walker $7.5-million, and Denny Neagle

$10-million. Johnson was with Tampa Bay, Walker was with the Cardinals, and Neagle was released by the Devil Rays in spring training.

 

Okay, Maybe We Need a Better Closer

In 2005, the Cleveland Indians lost an amazing 36 games by one run.

 

Way to Hang In There Zack

Kansas City?s Zack Greinke became the first starting pitcher in the last 45 years to give up 15 hits and 11 runs in one game and not take the loss. In fact, he gave up 15 hits without getting 14 outs. But it wasn?t all bad for Zack. He did last long enough to hit a home run.

 

 

 

So Many?

Geoff Blum hit home runs from both sides of the plate for San Diego on April 13th. He also did that for the Devil Rays and the Expos. You might think that is a pretty rare occurrence, but in fact, Blum is the eighth player in history to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in one game for three different teams. He joins Roberto Alomar, Chili Davis, Eddie Murray, Ruben Sierra, Mickey Tettleton, Carl Everett and Tony Clark.

 

With Commercials

Mark Buehrle and Ryan Franklin hooked up in an April game that took one hour and 39 minutes to play. Final score, Chicago 2, Seattle 1.

 

Without Commercials

The Seattle P.R. department then determined that if you subtract the commercial breaks, Buehrle and Franklin got 51 outs in 65 minutes and 35 seconds. The Giants and Phillies took 51 minutes to play the shortest game in Major League history back in 1919. They didn?t have commercials then either.

 

 

At Least They Got Off To a Good Start

In their first 12 games of 2005, the Florida Marlins pitching staff threw five complete games. The last team to turn that trick was the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers. But they had a ringer named Fernando Valenzuela who threw four of the five.

 

It?s Still a Cycle

Alex Rodriguez came within a solo home run of hitting for the Home Run Cycle on April 26th. But he did hit for the RBI Cycle in that game, with a Grand Slam (4 RBIs), a three run pop (3), a two run homer (2) and a run-scoring single (1). The only other player ever to hit for the RBI Cycle was Boston?s Norm Zauchin, who did it on May 27, 1955.

 

A-ddendum #1

A-Rod drove in 10 runs in that game. At the time, not a single Pittsburgh Pirate had yet to drive in 10 runs all season.

 

A-ddendum #2

Also in that game, A-Rod homered in three straight at bats against Bartolo Colon in that game. He then had to wait 86 days to get another at-bat against Colon. He homered in that one too.

 

A Not So Mayo Clinic

For the third year in a row, no one got five hits on Cinco de Mayo. The last player to do so was Omar Vizquel in 2002. However, in the Mets 5/5/05 game against the Phillies, the fifth batter in the fifth inning was #5, David Wright, who promptly hit one of the Mets? five doubles that day.

Is It a Race?

According to the Chicago Tribune, 31,234 runners finished the October 9th Chicago Marathon in less time than it took the Astros and Braves to play their 18-inning, five hour and 50 minute Divisional Series game.

 

Crazy Eights

On May 6th, in the first inning of a game against the Dodgers, Cincinnati pitcher Paul Wilson gave up eight runs before he registered an out. This has happened just five times in the last 75 years, and only one man has ever done it twice. That would be Paul Wilson ? who first accomplished this feat on July 10, 2003 against Houston. Wilson never did get an out in either game.

 

And On Sunday Ye Shall Win

In the month of May, the Kansas City Royals won four times on Sunday. Unfortunately, they also won just four times in May on all the other days of the month.

 

Too Bad They Weren?t Playing the Blue J?s.

On June 2, the Minnesota Twins beat Cleveland in a 13-inning game. The Twins started four position players whose names were: Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Juan Castro and Jacque Jones. They also used five pitchers in the game. Their names were: Johan Santana, Juan Rincon, Joe Nathan, J.C. Romero and Jesse Crain. Just Saying.

 

Too Bad They Weren?t Playing the Argonauts

The Dodgers and Reds took this J thing one step further on July 25, when Los Angeles sent three straight hitters to the plate named Jason Phillips, Jayson Werth and Jason Repko. There, they faced pitcher Jason Standridge who, by the way, was throwing to catcher Jason LaRue. This was, of course, reported by Jayson Stark.

 

Mucho Molinas

On three straight days, June 4-5-6, the Red Sox faced a lineup with a different Molina brother penciled in: Jose, Bengie, and Yadier.

 

DH, Schmee-H

On June 10th, eight different American League pitchers got base hits: Mike Maroth, Dan Haren, Chan Ho Park, Joe Mays, Bartolo Colon, C.C. Sabathia, Jon Garland, and the immortal Zack Greinke who was the only one to both homer and give up 15 hits and 11 runs on that day.

 

Playing Fossum

Early in the 2005 season, Tampa Bay?s Casey Fossum had a stretch where he hit at least one batter (14 altogether) in 10 straight starts. In his entire career ? encompassing 756 appearances -- Trevor Hoffman has hit just seven batters.

 

How About That Save Rule?

For the second straight year, an Angel?s relief pitcher allowed a grand slam home run and still got the save. In 2004 it was Scot Shields ? in 2005 it was Francisco Rodriguez. Only two other pitchers have allowed a slam in a save since the invention of the modern save rule in 1969.

 

The Old Unit

When 41-year-old Yankees pitcher Randy Johnson beat 19-year-old Seattle pitcher, Felix Hernandez on August 31st, it marked the first time a starter in his 40s had beaten a teenager since Warren Spahn (42) defeated Dick Calmus (19) on August 23, 1963. Of course, Randy did have an edge, having had eight professional starts before Hernandez was born. As a side note, on June 25, 1965, 18-year-old Admin Dierker did beat the then 44-year-old Spahn.

 

Fast Starter

Carl Crawford joined Sherry Magee, Cesar Cedeno, Ricky Henderson and Ty Cobb as the only players ever to have 150 steals and 500 hits by their 24th birthday.

 

No one to Chase

The Phillies Chase Utley is the only active Major League player who can lay claim to a two-home run game off Pedro Martinez. The only other players to do it were: Ellis Burks, June 19, 1996; Bobby Estalella, September 4, 1997; and Andres Galarraga, June 10, 1998, and they

are all currently out of the big leagues.

 

Thurston & Lovey Would Be Proud

Thanks to a Royals bat-around in the first inning of an inter-league game, Kansas City rookie pitcher J.P. Howell got the first at-bat of his Major League career before he threw the first pitch of his career.

 

Lucky 13

The Yankees became the first team since 1900 to score 13 runs in two different innings in the same season. Both times they did so against the Devil Rays.

 

Really, really, really, really small ball.

On May 19th, the Brewers scored a run in the seventh inning of their game against Washington without a hit, walk, error, stolen base, wild pitch or passed ball. How? Two hit batters, sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly.

 

Swing Batter Batter?

Mets leadoff man Jose Reyes did not draw a walk in his first 119 trips to the plate. He then walked twice in a row.

 

It?s That Old Wrigley Stadium Mystique

On back-to-back games at Wrigley Field, the Cubs won 14-0 against Florida then fell behind 15-0 the next afternoon.

 

The Division and Bust

The Braves have now been in 10 straight post-seasons without winning a World Series. The second longest streak belongs to the Astros, who are oh for their last nine. Of course, it?s taken the Astros a quarter of a century to accomplish this. Atlanta has done it in 10 years.

 

Hey I Know You

When Roger Clemens came out of the bullpen for the first time in 21 years in the Division Series against Atlanta, the first hitter he faced was older than him (Julio Franco). Coincidentally, when Clemens made his major league debut as a starter against Cleveland 21 years ago, the sixth hitter he faced was -- Julio Franco.

 

Ah Wells

David Wells has never lost a regular season game in which he has been given a lead of four runs or more. He is 135-0 with 16 no decisions during that stretch. So what happened in the 2005 playoffs when Boston gave him a 4-0 lead? He lost, 5-4.

 

Okay, You Can Retire Now

Chicago?s Willie Harris got just one at bat in the entire World Series, but he sure made the most of it. Harris got a hit and eventually scored the winning run in the game that clinched the Series for the Sox.

 

Dad Blum, I Don?t Believe What I Just Saw!

In the course of 101 World Series, Geoff Blum and Kirk Gibson are the only men ever to hit a go-ahead or game-winning home run in their only Series at-bat.

 

Playoff Power

Scott Podsednik had one triple and no home runs during the regular season. Then, in the four game World Series, he beat his total in both categories by hitting two triples and a game-winning home run.

 

Still Another Weird Mark

Chicago pitcher Mark Buehrle became the first man ever to start and win an All-Star game and save a World Series game in the same year.

 

Parity Clarity

Chicago became the sixth different team to win the World Series in the past six years. In the Super Bowl era, the NFL has had six different champs in six straight years only once, from 1968 through 1973.

 

Ryan?s Bankroll Express

During the winter, the Toronto Blue Jays signed B.J. Ryan, a 29-year-old relief pitcher with 42 career saves ? all but six of them coming last season. They signed him for $47-million over five years. That?s more money than has been guaranteed in a single contract to any relief pitcher in history.

 

And Finally?

There are many reasons why the New York Yankees have been so successful in the past decade. Derek Jeter is a silent but effective leader. Joe Torre knows exactly how to keep his clubhouse on an even keel. And, of course, there is the matter of the payroll. But deep in their hearts, Yankee fans know the real reason. Consider this. In the 2005 post-season, Houston?s excellent closer, Brad Lidge, gave up two game-changing home runs in the space of just three batters ? a towering game-ending blast to Albert Pujols in the LCS, and a game-winning home run to Scott Podsednik in the World Series. That?s exactly how many home runs (2) that Mariano Rivera has given up in his entire postseason career (416 batters).

Stud

Dontrelle Willis just missed finishing the 2005 season with a higher batting average (.261) than earned run average (2.63).

Hells yeah! That's pretty close to the defination of awesomeness. :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy

Great article