Lucroy making a run at Brewers’ RBI mark for catchers
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Jonathan Lucroy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy had a pair of RBIs last night in the team’s 9-3 win over the Cubs. Those RBIs give Lucroy 42 for the season, which places him first on the team in that category.
In looking at the Brewers history, there has been only one Brewers catcher who has led the team in RBIs in a season. Dave Nilsson did it in 1994 when he had 69 RBIs. If Lucroy maintains this pace, he could become the second backstop to lead the team in runs batted in.
Lucroy has 42 RBI in 64 games played. The Brewers have 87 games left on their schedule, and should Lucroy play in all 87 games (not likely) he is on a pace to drive in 99 for the season. Only one Brewers catcher has ever driven in 100 or more runs in a season; that was Ted Simmons in 1983 when he had 108 RBI while catching in 86 of 152 games that season.
Here’s a look at Brewers catchers who finished in the Top 3 in team RBI for a season (players must have caught 50% or more of the season’s games to qualify):
1973: Darrell Porter, 67 RBI (third on team)
1975: Darrell Porter, 60 RBI (tied for second on the team)
1981: Ted Simmons, 61 (third on team)
1983: Ted Simmons, 108 (second on team)
1994: Dave Nilsson, 69 (first on team)
Here’s a look at the most RBI by a Brewers catcher in a season (caught 50% or more of the season’s games to qualify)
1. Ted Simmons, 1983… 108
2. Ted Simmons, 1982… 97
3. Dave Nilsson, 1994… 69
4. B.J. Surhoff, 1991… 68
5. B.J. Surhoff, 1987… 68
Note: Through games of June 25, Lucroy ranks tied for second in the majors for catchers with 42 RBI (he is tied with Cards’ catcher Yadier Molina). Buster Posey leads all MLB catchers with 43 RBIs.
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99 Stats Until Kickoff: (#28) Joe Flacco’s 2012 playoffs were ‘Montana-esque’
From May 30 and every day until September 5… the start of the 2013 NFL season… Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ will publish “99 Stats Until Kickoff” a daily dose of NFL stats that will get you ready for the 2013 NFL season.)
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We have seen on several occasions where a quarterback with a “hot” hand can lead his team through the playoffs to a Super Bowl victory. That was certainly the case with Baltimore Ravens’ signal-caller Joe Flacco, who won the Super Bowl XLVII MVP with three touchdowns on 22-for-33 passing.
There might be a few people out there that would disagree with Flacco’s MVP honor, instead looking at Jacoby Jones’ 56-yard TD reception and 108-yard kickoff return as MVP-worthy. I don’t think you would have gotten much push-back had Jones won the MVP.
But one thing is for sure: Flacco was the MVP of the 2012 NFL playoffs… no doubt. He had 11 touchdowns and no interceptions, leading the Ravens to four wins. Flacco also broke a playoff record held by Drew Brees for most pass attempts in the playoffs without an interception with 126. Brees in 2009 led the Saints to an NFL title with a post-season performance that included no interceptions on 102 pass attempts.
Following are the nine QBs who finished a playoff season with no interceptions on 70 or more pass attempts.
Quarterback, team, season, playoff pass attempts with 0 interceptions
Joe Flacco, Baltimore, 2012: 126 pass attempts
Drew Brees, New Orleans, 2009: 102 pass attempts
Troy Aikman, Dallas, 1992: 89 pass attempts
Steve Young, San Francisco, 1994: 87 pass attempts
Daryle Lamonica, Oakland, 1968: 86 pass attempts
Joe Montana, San Francisco, 1989: 83 pass attempts
Tom Brady, New England, 2004: 81 pass attempts
Neil O’Donnell, Pittsburgh, 1994: 77 pass attempts
Jeff Hostetler, New York Giants, 1990: 76 pass attempts
Three other notes:
* Twenty quarterbacks went through a playoff season with no interceptions on 50 or more passes.
* Prior to Flacco’s 2012 playoff performance, Joe Montana had the most TDs, 11, without an interception in a playoff season. He did it in 1989. Flacco is now tied with Montana with the 11 TDs. Steve Young had nine TDs with no interceptions in 1994. Three players are tied with eight TDs: Troy Aikman (1992), Drew Brees (2009) and Phil Simms (1986).
* Of the 20 QBs with no interceptions on 50 or more pass attempts in a playoff season, 12 won the Super Bowl that year.
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