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January 24, 2001Our mailbox is always full of esoteric questions from our readers. So every week, we pass along some of their most interesting queries to baseball historians who know the answers. » Last week's Ask the Experts
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| | | GEORGE BRETT | | Q: Is George Brett the only player to have 20 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in one season? | | -- Mike Shatzkin | A: In 1979, Brett became just the sixth man to have 20 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in one season when he hit .329 with 42 doubles, 20 triples, and 23 home runs. Here are the five players who did it before him:
Buck Freeman, Washington Senators, 1899 - .318 average, 20 doubles, 26 triples, 25 home runs
Frank Schulte, Chicago Cubs, 1911 - .300 average, 30 doubles, 21 triples, 21 home runs
Jim Bottomley, St. Louis Cardinals, 1928 - .325 average, 42 doubles, 20 triples, 31 home runs
Jeff Heath, Cleveland Indians, 1941 - .340 average, 32 doubles, 20 triples, 24 home runs
Willie Mays, New York Giants, 1957 - .333 average, 26 doubles, 20 triples, 35 home runs
However, George Brett was the only one of these players to amass 200 hits during the season, making him the only player in baseball history to have 200 hits, 20 doubles, 20 triples, and 20 home runs in one season. | | Back to top | -- Christos Plakas |
| | | SHUTOUTS | | Q: What is the most hits a team has gotten without scoring a run? | | -- Aaron Carson | A: The record for most hits in a nine-inning game without scoring a run is 14, and is held by two teams.
On September 14, 1913, the New York Giants got 14 hits - ten singles and four doubles - against the Chicago Cubs, but couldn’t score a run. Their inability to score was due mainly to bad base running and bad clutch hitting; three Giants were caught stealing, one, George Burns, was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double, and the Giants as a team left 11 runners on base. Cubs’ starter Larry Cheney picked up the complete game victory.
Then, on July 10, 1928, the Washington Nationals gave up 14 hits to the Cleveland Indians, but didn’t allow them a run. This time, it was Nationals pitcher Milt Gaston who escaped with the tough complete game shutout. The Indians threatened in each inning, including leaving five runners on third base, and having the leadoff man reach safely in six of the nine innings. Gatson was aided by two double-play balls, and some fine fielding by his defense, including Bobby Reeves, Sammy West, and Dick Spalding. | | Back to top | -- Christos Plakas |
| | | FUNGO BAT | | Q: Where does the term "fungo bat" come from? | | -- Athletic Office | A: A fungo bat is a special bat used for hitting practice fly balls to outfielders before a game. It is longer, lighter, and thinner than a regular bat, which gives the hitter more accuracy in choosing where he wants to hit a ball. Fungo bats were first used in the 19th century.
According to Paul Dickson's Baseball Dictionary, there are quite a few theories about where the word "fungo" comes from. Here are the most popular:
The Fun/Go Theory - some believe that the word "fungo" was created as a combination of the words "fun" and "go", possible because of the chant "One go, two goes, fun goes," which would sometimes be sung by the hitter before he would hit the ball.
The Fungible Theory - the world "fungible" means something that can be substituted for another. The fungo bat got its name because it replaces the conventional bat.
The Fungus Theory - the term "fungo" might have been created by a Princeton professor who claimed that when the fungo bat hit the ball, it sounded like fungus wood. Some believe that the term "fungo" came from the feel off the light bat, which felt as soft as fungus.
The Fang-en Theory - the origin of the word "fungo" could be found in the German word "fang-en," which means "to catch," as a fungo bat can be used in a street game where whichever fielder catched the ball gets to be the next batter. | | Back to top | -- Christos Plakas |
| | | LEAGUE LEADING ERAS | | Q: What was the lowest ERA that ever led the league? What was the highest? | | -- Charles Ford | A: Dutch Leonard of the Boston Red Sox set the record for lowest league-leading ERA when he posted an even 1.00 ERA in 1914. Before 1950, eligibility for the ERA lead was based on whether or not you had ten complete games, and Leonard’s 17 gave him more than enough to qualify for the league lead.
The highest ERA that ever led the league was 3.20, posted by Early Wynn of the Cleveland Indians in 1950. Wynn beat out Ned Carter of the St. Louis Browns by .19 of a run, one of the closer finishes in the ERA race of the time period. | | Back to top | -- Christos Plakas |
| | | NO-HITTERS | | Q: How many pitchers have pitched for the Mets and also pitched a no-hitter at some point in their career? | | -- Daniel Gibber | A: The New York Mets are one of the few teams who have never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter. However, 14 players who have played for the Mets have thrown no-hitters for other teams. The 14, with year of no-hitter and team played for:
Don Cardwell, 1960 - Chicago Cubs
Warren Spahn, 1960, 1961 - Milwaukee Braves
Dean Chance, 1967 - Minnesota Twins
Dock Ellis, 1970 - Pittsburgh Pirates
Nolan Ryan, 1973, 1974, 1975 - California Angels, 1981 - Houston Astros, 1990, 1991 - Texas Rangers
John Candelaria, 1976 - Pittsburgh Pirates
Tom Seaver, 1978 - Cincinnati Reds
Mike Scott, 1986 - Houston Astros
Bret Saberhagen, 1991 - Kansas City Royals
Kenny Rogers, 1994 - Texas Rangers (perfect game)
Hideo Nomo, 1996 - Los Angeles Dodgers
Al Leiter, 1996 - Florida Marlins
Dwight Gooden, 1996 - New York Yankees
David Cone, 1999 - New York Yankees (perfect game) | | Back to top | -- Christos Plakas |
| | | ALL-STAR HISTORY | | Q: Which team holds the edge in all-time wins/losses in the All-Star Game? | | -- Curtis Drennan | | A: In the 71 All-Star Games played since the first contest was held in 1933, the National League has the all-time advantage, going 40-30 (the second 1961 game was a 1-1 tie). The American League has won the last four in a row. | | Back to top | -- Christos Plakas |
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