Members of the Society for American Baseball Research periodically receive publications in the mail, one of the perks for paying your dues.
When I arrived home after a weekend out of town, I found a package containing a nearly 500-page book called "The SABR Baseball List and Record Book: Baseball's Most Fascinating Records and Unusual Statistics*" (the asterisk boasting that the information is "not available online or in any other book).
Inside is a large component of what continues to make baseball a popular sport, despite its myriad problems: hundreds of pages of names and numbers, dating back to the dawn of major-league history.
Turn to a random page, and even ardent students of baseball minutiae is likely to find something he or she never knew before. An example is page 141, which contains a list of "Batting Triple Crown Losers." They're the opposite of triple crown winners: guys who had enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title and finished last in home runs, runs batted in and batting average. Talk about a lousy season.
The latest entry on the list is Ramon Santiago, who it .225 with two homers and 29 RBI for the 2003 Tigers, the team that set the American League record for losses in a season.
The most recent National Leaguer is Ivan DeJesus, who turned the trick for the Cubs in 1981 (.194-0-13). His dismal performance didn't dissuade the Phillies from trading for him in the off-season, sending a past All-Star, Larry Bowa, and a future one, Ryne Sandberg. What was Philadelphia general manager Paul Owens smoking?
The list also contains a two-time loser (Freddie Maguire, Red Sox, 1929 and '31) and Enzo Hernandez, who in his rookie season of 1971 came to bat 549 times for the Padres and drove in exactly 12 runs, to go along with a .222 average and no home runs.
Trivia question 32: A future Hall of Famer was a "Triple Crown Loser." Who was he?
You cringe when you hear it: "Baseball ... it's so boring." Don't tell that to the people who help set new records each year attending games in the majors and minors. There's something about baseball that keeps folks coming back for more, even if football is harder-hitting, basketball is faster-paced, and you might see a wreck at a NASCAR race. Join me for various observations and history lessons about America's pastime. -- Harry Funk
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- Harry Funk
- • Online editor, The Observer-Reporter, Washington, Pa. • Member, Society for American Baseball Research • Guitar & bass player
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Trivia answers
- 56. Dallas and Chicago
- 55. On Oct. 1, 1933, Babe Ruth pitched a complete game for the Yankees against the Red Sox. According to Boston Post writer Paul Shannon, "though hit hard at times, and seemingly very tired toward the end, [Ruth] was able to steer his hard-hitting teammates to a 6-5 win in the season's final contest."
- 54. Gaylord Perry, San Francisco Giants, April 27, 1971
- 53. Rolando Arrojo went 14-12 for the Devil Rays in 1998, the team's first season. That represented 22.2 percent of the Rays' total victories.
- 52. Chester "Red" Hoff (1891-1998), who pitched for the New York Highlanders from 1911-13 and St. Louis Browns in 1915
- 51. George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees, 1974
- 50. Barry Lamar Bonds, 2002, age 38, breaking the previous record held by another ex-Pirate, Al Oliver
- 49. Manny Trillo, George Vukovich, Jay Baller and Jerry Willard
- 48. Dean Stone. In the eighth inning of the 1954 All-Star Game, the Washington rookie came in to pitch with two outs and runners on first and third. As Stone wound up, Red Schoendienst raced toward home. Stone threw to the plate to catch Schoendienst stealing. The American League scored three times in the bottom of the eighth to take an 11-9 lead, and Stone got the win in his only All-Star appearance.
- 47. Carlton Fisk, 1972
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