Hardball Hits

Hardball Hits A fun look back at baseball players and oddities.

After winning a combined six games from 1986 to 1987, the White Sox Jerry Reuss won 13 games in 1988. The 39-year-old le...
09/08/2022

After winning a combined six games from 1986 to 1987, the White Sox Jerry Reuss won 13 games in 1988. The 39-year-old led Chicago in wins and a 3.44 ERA.

Also in 1988, Reuss became the third pitcher in history to win 200 games without a 20-win season. The closest Reuss came to 20 wins was 18 victories three times: Pittsburgh (1975) and the Dodgers (1980, 1982). He finished his career in 1990 with a 220-191 record.

Among the other pitchers on the list include Dennis Martinez (245 wins), Zack Greinke (223 wins) and Mark Buehrle (214 wins).

In his first major league start, Seattle’s Brandon Morrow threw 7.2 no-hit innings against the Yankees on Sept. 5, 2008....
09/05/2022

In his first major league start, Seattle’s Brandon Morrow threw 7.2 no-hit innings against the Yankees on Sept. 5, 2008. Facing pinch-hitter Wilson Betemit with two outs in the eighth inning, he gave up a run-scoring double. Morrow was relieved after giving up his first hit, and the Mariners went on to win, 3-1.

Morrow had made five ineffective starts at Triple-A earlier that year and was starting in place of the injured Jarrod Washburn. Morrow nearly joined the St. Louis Browns Bobo Holloman as the only pitchers since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in their first major league start. Holloman accomplished the feat against the Philadelphia Athletics on May 6, 1953.

Morrow finished the season with a 3-4 record, but later had three consecutive seasons of at least 10 wins with Toronto from 2010 to 2012.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Minnesota’s Rod Carew ended the contest with a game...
09/01/2022

With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Minnesota’s Rod Carew ended the contest with a game-winning steal of home to give the Twins a 5-4 win over Cleveland at Metropolitan Stadium on Sept. 1, 1972. The Indians Ed Farmer was on the mound at the time.

Three years earlier in 1969, Carew stole home seven times. He finished his Hall of Fame career with 17 steals of home, which is tied for 14th all-time. Ty Cobb set the major league record by stealing home 54 times.

Making only his third major league start, Cubs rookie Jim Bullinger held San Francisco hitless over the first seven inni...
08/30/2022

Making only his third major league start, Cubs rookie Jim Bullinger held San Francisco hitless over the first seven innings on Aug. 30, 1992. But his no-hit bid ended when Kirk Manwaring led off the eighth inning with a home run, which was the Giants only hit in Chicago's 3-1 victory. Had he thrown a no-hitter, Bullinger would have been the first rookie since Oakland’s Mike Warren in 1983 to accomplish the feat.

"When I was warming up, I felt good and I thought it would be a good day for me," Bullinger said. "I didn't expect that."

Bullinger, who was a shortstop in the minors from 1986 to 1989, improved his record to 2-3, but it would be his last win of the year. He finished 2-8 with a 4.66 ERA.

On Aug. 28, 1983, Cleveland traded pitcher Len Barker to Atlanta for Rick Behenna, cash and two players to be named late...
08/29/2022

On Aug. 28, 1983, Cleveland traded pitcher Len Barker to Atlanta for Rick Behenna, cash and two players to be named later.

Barker had won 19 games in 1980, led the American League in strikeouts in 1980 and 1981 and threw a perfect game. He started six games for Atlanta down the stretch but only earned one victory as the Braves finished second in the National League West.

Atlanta signed Barker to a five-year contract after the season. He missed the last two months of the 1984 season with an elbow injury, finished 2-9 with a 6.35 ERA in 1985, and was released with three years remaining on his contract.

The two players to be named later, Brett Butler and Brook Jacoby, were sent to Cleveland on October 21. Butler played four years with the Indians and amassed 2,375 hits over his 17-year career, which ended in 1997. Jacoby became Cleveland’s starting third baseman in 1984 and was a two-time All-Star before he was traded to Oakland in July 1991.

The Mets traded pitcher David Cone to Toronto for infielder Jeff Kent and outfielder Ryan Thompson on Aug. 27, 1992. Whi...
08/27/2022

The Mets traded pitcher David Cone to Toronto for infielder Jeff Kent and outfielder Ryan Thompson on Aug. 27, 1992. While Cone helped the Blue Jays win their first World Series title, he missed leading the National League in strikeouts by one (215-214) to Atlanta’s John Smoltz. However, Cone led the majors that season with 261 strikeouts.

Had Cone remained in the N.L., he would have been the first pitcher since the Braves Warren Spahn (1949-1952) to lead the league in strikeouts for at least three consecutive years. Since then, Randy Johnson (1999-2002), Tim Lincecum (2008-10) and Max Scherzer (2016-18) have accomplish the feat in the N.L.

Stan Wasiak, manager of the Class-A Vero Beach Dodgers of the Florida State League, became the first minor league manage...
08/21/2022

Stan Wasiak, manager of the Class-A Vero Beach Dodgers of the Florida State League, became the first minor league manager to record 2,500 wins as Vero Beach defeated Miami, 3-2 on Aug. 21, 1985. The milestone win came shortly after Wasiak broke the minor league record with his 2,497th managerial win. He was in his 36th consecutive season as a minor league manager.

Including his playing career as a minor league catcher and infielder, Wasiak was part of the Dodgers organization for 47 years. His first managerial assignment was with the Valdosta (Georgia) Dodgers in 1950. He managed his final game on Aug. 28, 1986 and finished with 2,530 career wins.

California’s Nolan Ryan struck out 19 in the Angels 1-0, 11-inning loss to Detroit on Aug. 20, 1974. It was the third ti...
08/21/2022

California’s Nolan Ryan struck out 19 in the Angels 1-0, 11-inning loss to Detroit on Aug. 20, 1974. It was the third time, and second time in eight days, that season that Ryan struck out 19 batters in a game.

Ryan struck out each Tigers batter at least once. He struck out lead off batter Ron LeFlore four times, while fanning Jim Nettles and Dick Sharon three times each.

But despite 10 hits, California failed to score off Detroit's Mickey Lolich and were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. In the top of the 11th, Ryan retired the first two batters, including LeFlore for his 19th strikeout. But Ben Ogilvie singled, stole second and scored on Bill Freehan's single.

Just eight days earlier on August 12, Ryan struck out 19 Red Sox. He also had 19 strikeouts against Boston on June 14.

Atlanta snapped an 11-game losing streak by defeating San Diego, 6-5, at Jack Murphy Stadium on Aug. 14, 1982. Trailing ...
08/15/2022

Atlanta snapped an 11-game losing streak by defeating San Diego, 6-5, at Jack Murphy Stadium on Aug. 14, 1982. Trailing 5-4 in the top of the eighth, the Braves loaded the bases on two walks and an error. Rufino Linares then delivered a two-run single that scored the tying and winning runs. Gene Garber followed with two scoreless innings for his 20th save.

The win moved the Braves back within 1.5 games of the first place Dodgers in the National League West. Atlanta, who started the season 13-0, had been in first place with a nine game lead over the Padres before the start of the losing streak. But the Braves rebounded to eventually win the NL West, finishing one game ahead of Los Angeles.

After missing nearly three months with a groin injury, the Mets Mike Piazza homered and drove in five runs in New York's...
08/14/2022

After missing nearly three months with a groin injury, the Mets Mike Piazza homered and drove in five runs in New York's 9-2 win over San Francisco at Shea Stadium on Aug. 13, 2003.

Piazza hit a two-run homer off the Giants Jerome Williams in the third inning, followed by an RBI single in the fourth and a two-run single in the seventh. Leading up to the game, Piazza had hit .176 (3-for-17) in a five-game rehabilitation stint at Triple-A Norfolk.

Piazza's return must have also inspired Mets starting pitcher Steve Trachsel. He entered the game batting .095 but had a two-out RBI double.

Boston’s Bill Buckner and Tony Armas each hit grand slams off Detroit’s Jack Morris in the first game of a doubleheader,...
08/07/2022

Boston’s Bill Buckner and Tony Armas each hit grand slams off Detroit’s Jack Morris in the first game of a doubleheader, which Boston won, 12-7, on Aug. 7, 1984.

After Alan Trammell's solo home run in the top of the first, the Red Sox answered with five runs in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by Buckner's grand slam. The Tigers Howard Johnson trimmed the deficit to 5-3 with a two-run homer in the top of the second before Boston responded with another five-run inning in the bottom half.

Jackie Gutierrez and Dwight Evans singled before Jim Rice was intentionally walked. Armas then cleared the bases with the Red Sox second grand slam in as many innings. Morris was relieved by Sid Monge, who allowed Buckner's second home run of the game later in the inning.

Buckner and Armas combined to drive in 10 of Boston’s 12 runs. Both players each had a hit but no RBIs in the nightcap, which Detroit won 7-5 on Lance Parrish's game-winning home run in the top of the 11th.

The White Sox Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game against Tampa Bay in 2009. But he nearly no-hit the Rays earlier on Aug....
08/04/2022

The White Sox Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game against Tampa Bay in 2009. But he nearly no-hit the Rays earlier on Aug. 3, 2001. Buehrle's no-hit bid was ended by Damian Rolls leadoff single in seventh inning and settled for one-hitter in Chicago’s 4-0 win.

The 22-year-old Buehrle walked none, hit a batter and struck out three in his 24th Major League start and second career shutout. He would later no-hit Texas in 2007.

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