Outfielder and hitter extraordinaire Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres struck out twice against Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, April 25. It was just the 12th time in the 1990s that Gwynn had struck out more than once in a game and he has yet to strike out three times in a contest in the decade.
BIRTHDAY BASH
Tony Phillips celebrated his 40th birthday on Sunday by hitting a game-winning home run against the Baltimore Orioles. Phillips became just the fifth major-leaguer to crank one out on his 40th or later birthday. The big-leaguer who hit the most birthday blasts over his career was Al Simmons who hit five. The four other forty-somethings who celebrated with a dinger were :
Batter Age Year
Bob Thurman 40 1957
Joe Morgan* 40 1983
Darrell Evans 40 1988
Wade Boggs 40 1998
* Two homers
%%
BROKEN BATS
According to the Elias Sporting Bureau, pitcher Troy Percival has allowed the fewest hits per nine innings of any pitcher in major-league history. Percival, the hard-throwing closer of the Anaheim Angels, allows just 5.36 hits per nine. The only starting pitcher among the top five in this category is Herb Score of the Cleveland Indians and White Sox. The five stingiest pitchers in major-league history are:
Pitcher Hits Per Nine
Troy Percival* 5.35
Rob Dibble 6.26
Herb Score 6.39
Trevor Hoffman* 6.43
Bryan Harvey 6.47
* active; minimum 250 innings pitched
%%
ROCKET’S TRAJECTORY
Starter Roger Clemens of the New York Yankees went to the mound Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers seeking his 18th consecutive win. He gave up five runs in the first inning and left after the second but, because of the Yankees’ come-from-behind victory, his winning streak is still intact. Clemens is tied for the American League record of 17 consecutive wins with Johnny Allen of the Cleveland Indians (1936-37) and Dave McNally of the Baltimore Orioles (1968-69). The major-league record is held by Carl Hubbell, who won 24 consecutive game for the New York Giants in 1936-37. The first victory of Clemens’ streak came on June 3, 1998, when he defeated the Detroit Tigers 1-0 while pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has made 27 starts to post his 17 straight victories and has thrown five complete games, with three shutouts.
His totals during the streak are:
Totals No. IP ERA SO
Victories 17 191.2 2.72 225
No decisions 10 61.2 4.82 73
%%
AROUND THE HORN
The Phillies are 9-3 against teams with lower payrolls and 2-7 against those with higher payrolls. . . . The Red Sox are 6-1 against right-handers on the road but are 0-5 against them at home. . . . Mariner pitcher Jamie Moyer has pitched into the sixth inning in 70 of his last 79 starts. . . . Expo closer Ugueth Urbina already has given up four earned runs; last year, he didn’t give up his fourth earned run until the Expos’ 123rd game. . . . Mark McGwire trails Cardinal teammate Fernando Tatis by 13 RBIs (22-8). . . . The Devil Rays are 11-7 against right-handed starters this season but 1-4 against lefties.
PERFECT 10S
Tampa Bay slugger Jose Canseco homered 10 times in the Devil Rays’ first 20 games. In this decade, only Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies hit 10 in fewer games. Walker hit 10 in 19 in 1997. Even Mark McGwire, en route to a single-season home run record, didn’t hit home run number 10 until the St. Louis Cardinals’ 23rd game last year. Mike Schmidt reached 10 quicker than any other major-leaguer by hitting his 10th in his team’s 12th game in 1976. According to homer historian David Vincent, the 10 players who reached 10 in the fewest games were:
PLAYERS YEAR GAMES TO 10 SEASON TOTAL
Mike Schmidt 1976 12 38
Willie Mays 1964 15 47
Willie Stargell 1971 15 48
Ken Keltner 1948 16 31
Graig Nettles 1974 17 22
Mo Vaughn 1995 17 39
Hank Sauer 1954 18 41
Bob Cerv 1958 19 38
Mickey Mantle 1956 19 52
Larry Walker 1997 19 49
Ken Williams 1922 19 39
Chicago Tribune.
%%
