Kendrys Morales joins elite group with a two-HR inning
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Kendry Morales (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Angels DH Kendrys Morales last night hit a pair of home runs in the sixth inning to become the 53rd player in major league history to hit two home runs in an inning. Morales, a switch-hitter, homered from both sides of the plate during the Angels’ ninth-run sixth inning to become only the third player in history to accomplish that rarity.
Morales, who became the first Angels player since Rick Reichardt to hit two homers in an inning (Reichardt hit two four-baggers in one inning in 1966), now has 11 home runs for the season. In the previous 56 times that a player has hit two home runs in an inning, in 38 of those occasions, the player hit 20 or more home runs in that season. Will Morales fall into the “20 or more HRs” in that season or “fewer than 20 HRs” in that season?
Following are the players who had fewer than 20 HRs in the season when they hit two home runs in an inning in a game.
Player, Team, Year, HRs that season
Charley Jones, Boston Braves, 1880: 5
Hack Wilson, N.Y. Giants, 1925: 6
Bill Regan, Boston, 1928: 7
John Boccabella, Montreal, 1973: 7
Joe Pepitone, N.Y. Yankees, 1962: 7
Juan Rivera, Montreal, 2004: 12
Julio Lugo, Tampa Bay, 2006: 12
Jake Stenzel, Pittsburgh, 1894: 13
Von Hayes, Philadelphia, 1985: 13
Ray Knight, Cincinnati, 1980: 14
Rick Reichardt, California, 1966: 16
Carl Everett, Texas, 2002: 16
Bobby Lowe, Boston Braves, 1894: 17
Dave Nilsson, Milwaukee, 1996: 17
Jeff King, Pittsburgh, 1995: 18
Jared Sandberg, Tampa Bay, 2002: 18
Benjie Molina, San Francisco, 2007: 19
Here’s a few more interesting stats regarding players who hit two or more home runs in an inning.
* Morales hit his two HRs in the sixth inning. The sixth inning has been the most popular inning for players to accomplish this feat. Of the 57 times when a player has hit two or more HRs in an inning, it has happened in the sixth inning 12 times. It has occurred in the fourth and fifth inning eight times each. It has never happened after the eighth inning in a game.
* Four players have accomplished this twice in their careers: Willie McCovey (1973, 1977), Andre Dawson (1978, 1985), Jeff King (1995, 1996) and Alex Rodriguez (2007, 2009).
* This rare feat has happened in the month of June 12 times, in July and August 10 times each, and in May nine times.
* In the 2002 season, there were seven times that a player hit two home runs in an inning; that’s the most of any season. It happened five times in the American League and twice in the National League that season. In fact, it happened twice in one game, the only time that has happened in baseball history: On May 2, 2002, Seattle’s Bret Boone and Mike Cameron each hit a pair of home runs in the first inning for the Mariners, who scored 10 runs in that inning. Boone hit a pair of two-run home runs in the inning; Cameron hit two solo shots in the first. Cameron went on to hit four HRs in that game, all solo shots in the Mariners, who defeated the Chicago White Sox 15-4 in that contest.
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New York Giants: What will the season after another Super Bowl victory look like?
Eli Manning (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
The New York Giants will begin defense of their Super Bowl championship on Wednesday September 5 with a home game against division rivals the Dallas Cowboys. What do the Giants and their fans have to look forward to after another Super Bowl? Here’s a look at how the previous 45 Super Bowl champions did the season following their title.
1. Only seven Super Bowl champs increased their win total the following year after their Super Bowl win. (The Packers increased their regular-season win total from 10 in 2010 when they won the Super Bowl to 15 last season.) Five teams had the same number of wins as their Super Bowl winning season. That means that 73 percent of the Super Bowl champions had fewer wins in the regular season the year after their Super Bowl win. Last Time: The last time a Super Bowl champ did not increase their win total after a Super Bowl title was in 2010 when the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints saw their win total decrease from 13 in 2009 to 11 in 2010.
2. Thirty of the 45 Super Bowl champs (66.7 percent) won 10 or more games the next season. (As mentioned above, the Packers won 15 games last year.) Last Time: The last time a Super Bowl champion did not win 10 or more games in the season after their title was in 2009 when the Pittsburgh Steelers won nine games.
3. Thirty-two of the 45 champs (71.1 percent) made the playoffs the following season after their Super Bowl victory. (The Packers made the playoffs last season, but they lost their first game to the eventual champs, the Giants.) Eight teams won back-to-back Super Bowls: Dallas (1992, 1993), Denver (1997, 1998), Green Bay (1966, 1967), Miami (1972, 1973), New England (2003, 2004), Pittsburgh (1974, 1975), Pittsburgh (1978, 1979) and San Francisco (1988, 1989). Last Time: The last time a Super Bowl champion did not make the playoffs the following season was in 2009 when the Steelers failed to reach the post-season that year.
4. Of those 32 teams that made the playoffs the season after their Super Bowl win, 21 (65.6 percent) won at least one playoff game. (The Packers did not win a playoff game last year.) Last Time: The last Super Bowl champion to not win a playoff game the following season were the aforementioned Packers last season.
5. Twenty-five of the previous 45 Super Bowl champs won their division the following year. (The Packers won the NFC North last year.) Nine finished second in their division; seven finished third; two finished fourth; two finished fifth. Last Time: The last Super Bowl champion that did not win their division the following season was the New Orleans Saints. They finished second in their division in 2010 after winning the title the previous year.
6. The previous 45 Super Bowl champs are 31-13-1 in their first game of the next season after winning the Super Bowl. The Packers defeated the New Orleans Saints 42-34 in their first game of the 2011 season.) Last Time: The last time a defending Super Bowl champion lost their first regular-season game of the following season was in 1999. The Denver Broncos won the ’98 title and then lost their first game of the 1999 season 38-21 to Miami. The Broncos actually went on to lose their first four games that season.
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Zack Greinke leaves Milwaukee with the franchise’s best winning percentage
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Zack Greinke (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Zack Greinke was traded by the Brewers to the Angels last Friday. He left Milwaukee with a 9-3 record in 21 starts and a 3.44 ERA in 2012. Last season he went 16-6. He also leaves the Brewers with a perfect 15-0 record at Miller Park. Ironically, he lost his first start at Angels Stadium for his new team as the Angels fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 in Greinke’s first start with the Angels.
Greinke’s 25-9 career record with the Brewers is the best winning percentage by a pitcher with 25 or more wins with the franchise. Greinke and Pete Vukovich are the only two pitchers who won more than 60% of their games with the ballclub.
Following is a look at the pitchers who have had the best winning percentage in a Brewers uniform since 1969 (minimum of 25 wins with the Brewers to qualify for the list).
Best winning percentage by a Milwaukee Brewers pitcher
Zack Greinke 25-9 .735
Pete Vukovich 40-26 .606
Teddy Higuera 94-64 .595
Yovani Gallardo 61-42 .592
Chris Narveson 26-18 .591
Juan Nieves 32-25 .561
Mike Caldwell 102-80 .560
Jeff D’Amico 29-24 .547
Moose Haas 91-79 .535
Lary Sorensen 52-46 .531
Don August 34-30 .531
The worst career winning percentage of a Brewers pitcher with 25 or more wins with the team? Skip Lockwood, who pitched for the team from 1969-73, is the only pitcher who won less than 40% of his games. Lockwood was 28-55 (.337 winning percentage) during his career in Milwaukee. Next on the list is current Brewers pitcher Manny Parra. He is 25-33 (.431 winning percentage) during his career with the Brewers.
In addition to sitting atop the above category, Greinke is the only Brewers pitcher in history to win over 50% of the games he pitched in. Greinke had 25 wins in 49 games pitched with the Brewers.
If we lower the qualifying number of wins from 25 wins to 10 wins with the Brewers, Greinke would be in the second spot for best winning percentage by a Brewers hurler. The leader? Another of the “rent-a-pitcher” additions to the pitching staff in the past couple of years, C.C. Sabathia. He pitched 17 games for the Brewers in 2008, going 11-2 in those games, a .846 winning percentage.
Other Brewers pitchers who won 10 or more games with the Brewers and have/had a .600 or better winning percentage: Hideo Nomo (12-8, .600); Jerry Bell (17-11, .607); Curtis Leskanic (15-9, .625); Shaun Marcum (18-10, .643); Diego Segui (12-6, .667); Braden Looper (14-7, .667); Tom Tellman (15-7, .682); Claudio Vargas (13-6, .684); Alberto Reyes (10-4, .714); Mike Ignasiak (10-4, .714).
The Brewers pitcher with the most wins and no losses in his career with the team? Mike McClendon and Odell Jones are both at 5-0.
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San Francisco 49ers: Team sets new standard with more field goals than TDs in a season
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The San Francisco 49ers last year accomplished a lot during their 13-3 season that saw the team fall one game short of making the Super Bowl.
One interesting stat about the ‘Niners 2011 season was that they had more field goals made than touchdowns scored for the regular season. They were the 62nd NFL team since 1970 to accomplish this feat, and only the 13th such team to make the playoffs in a season when they had more field goals than TDs.
Of the 62 teams that are in this category, the 49ers are the only team to win 13 regular-season games in that year.
The 49ers were not the only team to have more FGs than TDs last season. In fact, they were one of five teams to do so. The others: Washington (31 FGs/28TDs), Cleveland (24 FGs/21 TDs), Kansas City (24 FGs/20 TDs) and St. Louis (21 FGs/18 TDs). Five teams having more FGs than TDs is tied for second-most (with 1993) since 1970. Six teams had more FGs than TDs in 2005, most in the last 42 NFL seasons.
Following are the 13 NFL teams since 1970 that had more field goals than touchdowns in a season when they made the playoffs.
Team, Year, Field Goals made/Touchdowns scored (playoff outcome)
San Francisco 49ers, 2011: 44/35 (lost NFC Championship Game)
Tennessee Titans, 2007: 35/28 (lost Wild Card game)
Baltimore Ravens, 2000: 35/32 (Won Super Bowl)
Miami Dolphins, 1999: 39/30 (Lost AFC divisional playoff game)
Carolina Panthers, 1996: 37/36 (Lost NFC Championship Game)
Indianapolis Colts, 1996: 36/30 (Lost Wild Card game)
Dallas Cowboys, 1996: 32/27 (Lost NFC divisional playoff game)
Los Angeles Raiders, 1993: 35/29 (Lost AFC divisional playoff game)
Detroit Lions, 1993: 34/28 (Lost Wild Card game)
Washington Redskins, 1982: 20/19 (Won Super Bowl)
Tampa Bay Bucs, 1982: 18/15 (Lost Wild Card game)
Green Bay Packers, 1972: 33/29 (Lost NFC divisional playoff game)
Washington Redskins, 1971: 29/27 (Lost NFC divisional playoff game)
Here’s a few additional stats about teams that had more field goals than touchdowns in a season:
* Of the 62 teams that had more FGs than TDs in a season, 16 (25.8 percent) finished the season at .500 or above.
* The 44 field goals made last year by the 49ers were the most FGs made by a team that had more FGs than TDs in a season. The Arizona Cardinals in 2005 had 43 field goals (and only 26 TDs) to rank second in that category.
* The 2011 49ers were a plus-nine in FGs over TDs (44 FGs/35 TDs). That was the ninth time since 1970 that a team had a plus-nine (or more) in that category in a season. Arizona’s plus-17 (43 FGs/26 TDs) in 2005 is the largest disparity of FGs to TDs in a season since 1970.
* The last season where no teams had more FGs than TDs was in 2006.
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Will Nori Aoki become the Brewers next Top 5 Rookie of the Year finalist?
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Norichika Aoki, Yakult Swallows (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Brewers 30-year-old rookie outfielder Norichika Aoki has had a solid first year in the majors after playing professional baseball in Japan. Aoki currently has a .280 batting average with five home runs and 21 RBI. He had a 15-game hitting streak earlier this season and tied a team record with four stolen bases in a game on June 24.
His rookie stats place him in the Top 5 in several rookie offensive categories, including hits, runs and stolen bases. Over the past 17 games, he has struggled at the plate, hitting only .215 since July 6. Whether or not he will receive significant support in the National League Rookie of the Year voting remains to be seen, but he has an uphill battle with other rookies like Washington’s Bryce Harper and Arizona pitcher Wade Miley getting the most buzz for their rookie seasons. Chicago Cubs rookie Anthony Rizzo is also getting some support since his call-up from the minors. Another National League rookie to watch as the season comes to a close? Milwaukee pitcher Mike Fiers.
In any case, Aoki has a chance to finish in the Top 5 in the voting for NL ROY. Brewers fans will remember that two players in the franchise have won the ROY Award: Pat Listach in 1992 in the American League, and Ryan Braun as National League ROY in 2007. All total, the team has had 12 players finish in the Top 5 of ROY voting since the franchise began in 1969.
Here’s a look at those dozen rookies who received Top 5 ROY votes.
Rookie of the Year Award winners
1992: Pat Listach, infielder
2007: Ryan Braun, outfielder
Rookie of the Year runner-up
1971: Bill Parsons, pitcher (Chris Chambliss won the award)
1973: Pedro Garcia, infielder (Al Bumbry won the award)
1978: Paul Molitor, infielder (Lou Whitaker won the award)
1985: Teddy Higuera, pitcher (Ozzie Guillen won the award)
2003: Scott Podsednik, outfielder (Dontrell Willis won the award)
Rookie of the Year third place
1973: Darrell Porter, catcher
1985: Ernie Riles, infielder
Rookie of the Year fourth place
1988: Don August, pitcher
1992: Cal Eldred, pitcher
Rookie of the Year fifth place
2009: Casey McGehee, infielder
Others Brewers players who received votes for the Rookie of the Year Award: Doug Henry (1991), Jose Valentin (1994), Steve Sparks (1995), Jeff D’Amico (1996), Alex Sanchez (2002), Rickie Weeks (2005), Prince Fielder (2006).
Since 1998 when the Brewers moved to the National League, the team has had only three players finish in the Top 5 of the league ROY voting: Podsednik, Braun and McGehee. The Atlanta Braves lead the league with nine first-year players who finished in the Top 5 in NL ROY voting since ’98. NL teams with the most rookies in the Top 5 for ROY voting since 1998:
9: Atlanta
8: Miami
7: Philadelphia
6: Cincinnati, Colorado, Pittsburgh
5: St. Louis, Houston
4: Arizona, Washington
3: Milwaukee, Chicago
2: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco
1: New York Mets
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