Stats the Fact, Jack; August 31, 2020
(A weekly look at several sports stats you may not know)
- Josh Hader had a truly dreadful stat line on Friday August 29; coming in the game in the ninth inning in a save situation against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Hader ended up with a blown save after walking five batters and recording only one out (he allowed two earned runs). He left the game with the Brewers behind in the contest, but the team eventually came back to win the contest. Hader became the 20th pitcher since 1909 to pitch less than 1/3 of an inning and record five or more walks. The last time it happened was in 2016 when Steve Delabar of the Reds lasted 0.1 innings and also had five walks. Lou Brissie, a pitcher with the Philadelphia A’s in 1950, is the only pitcher in MLB history to pitch less than 0.1 innings in a game and have six walks.
- Let’s take a look at the flipside of Hader’s stats: Of all MLB pitchers with 200 or more career innings pitched, Hader tops the list with the highest strikeouts per nine innings. Hader had 363 career strikeouts in 214.1 innings, a per nine innings ratio of 15.24. He is one of only five pitchers to have a career strikeouts per nine innings ratio above 14. The others: Aroldis Chapman (14.81), Edwin Diaz(14.7), Craig Kimbrel (14.64) and Dellin Betances (14.44). All five of the pitchers listed above are active this season. Of those pitchers no longer active, Rob Dibble has the highest strikeouts per nine innings ratio, 12.03.
- Is it possible that the Baltimore Ravens could win 15 or 16 games this season? If they continue their winning trend over the past five seasons, it might happen. The Ravens won five games in 2015, increased that win total to 8 in 2016, 9 in 2017, 10 in 2018, and won 14 games last season. The only others NFL teams to increase their win totals over the past two seasons are the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks; the Broncos have increased their win totals from 5-6-7 over the past three seasons, while the Seahawks have won 9-10-11 over the past three years. It’s interesting to note that the Tennessee Titans have won exactly nine games in each of their last four seasons.
- The Green Bay Packers will open the 2020 season against the Minnesota Vikings. The Pack and Vikes have opened the season six times, the last being in 2008 when the Packers won 24-19. The teams are each 3-3 in season-opening contests against each other.
- There is a pretty good chance that Giannis Antetokounmpo will soon become the fifth Bucks player in team history to surpass the 1,000 point mark in playoff games for the team. Giannis has 934 career points in playoff games. Topping the list is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 1,692 career playoff points for the Bucks. He is followed by Sidney Moncrief (1,451), Marques Johnson (1,163) and Bob Dandridge (1,126). Khris Middleton has jumped into 10th place on the list with 684 career playoff points.
- In the Giannis-era (since the 2013-14 season), the Bucks have now played in seven playoff series… their eighth will be the upcoming conference semifinals against the Miami Heat. In the previous seven series, the Bucks are 3-4 in the first game of the series. In the four series since 2015 where they lost Game One, the Bucks went on to win the series twice.
- Ryan Braun recently became the 119th player in MLB history to have 800 or more extra base hits in a career. Of those 119 players, 68 are currently in the Hall of Fame. Braun is only the second Brewers player to reach 800 career extra-base hits; Robin Yount had 960 with the club. Can you name the other three Brewers players who ended their careers with the team with 500 or more career extra-base hits? The three: Paul Molitor (651), Cecil Cooper (579) and Geoff Jenkins (521).
- Did you know that the Green Bay Packers record for most passing yards in a season-opening game is 333… held by three different QBs? Lynn Dickey (in 1983), Brett Favre (in 1999) and Aaron Rodgers (in 2013) each passed for 333 yards in a Packers season-opening game, most in team history. Dickey holds the team record for most TD passes in a season-opening game with five.
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Could the AFC North make NFL history in 2014?
At the unofficial midpoint of the 2014 NFL season, the AFC North Division has all four teams sporting winning records: Cincinnati (5-2-1), Pittsburgh (6-3), Cleveland (5-3) and Baltimore (5-4). If all four remain above .500 at the end of the season, it would be the first time in NFL history that all of the teams from one division finished with a winning record.
Since 2002 when the NFL went to the current four-team, four-division format in each conference, there have been six times when all of the four teams in the division finished the year at .500 or above. The last time was in 2008 when each of the four teams in both the NFC East and NFC South finished the year at .500 or above.
Here’s a look at the six times since 2002 when all the teams in the division finished the season at .500 or above.
2002: AFC East (New England 9-7; Miami 9-7; N.Y. Jets 9-7, Buffalo 8-8)
2002: AFC West (Oakland 11-5; Denver 9-7; Kansas City 8-8; San Diego 8-8)
2007: AFC South (Indianapolis 13-3; Jacksonville 11-5; Tennessee 10-6; Houston 8-8)
2007: NFC East (Dallas 13-3; N.Y. Giants 10-6; Washington 9-7; Philadelphia 8-8)
2008: NFC East (N.Y. Giants 12-4; Philadelphia 9-6-1; Dallas 9-7, Washington 8-8)
2008: NFC South: (Carolina 12-4; Atlanta 11-5; Tampa Bay 9-7; New Orleans 8-8)
Interesting to note that when four teams from a division finished a season at .500 or better that it happened twice in the same year. If the AFC North finishes with all four at .500 or above, is there another division that could also have the same finish? Looking at the standings we see that both the NFC Central and NFC West have their fourth place teams with records of 3-5.
Prior to 2002, there were three times when all the teams in a division finished at .500 or better. Two of those times it happened with five teams in the division. Here are those three times.
1989: AFC Central (Cleveland 9-6-1; Houston 9-7; Pittsburgh 9-7; Cincinnati 8-8)
1995: AFC West (Kansas City 13-3; San Diego 9-7; Oakland 8-8; Denver 8-8; Seattle 8-8)
1999: AFC East (Indianapolis 13-3; Buffalo 11-5; Miami 9-7; N.Y. Jets 8-8; New England 8-8)
Only twice in NFL history has a team that made the Super Bowl from a division that had all of its teams at .500 or above: Oakland in 2002 and the New York Giants in 2007. The Raiders lost in the championship game; the Giants won the Super Bowl that year.
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Packers look to avoid first three-game losing streak since 2008
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
With a two-game losing streak, losing their star quarterback for four to six weeks, and a post-season appearance very much in question, the Green Bay Packers badly need a win this weekend against the New York Giants. A road win would not only put them back in the playoff picture, but it would also help them avoid something that hasn’t happened to the team since 2008… a three-game losing streak.
Prior to the start of the 2013 season, the Packers were one of three NFL teams that had not had a three-game losing streak in a season since 2008 and beyond. One of the teams, the Atlanta Falcons, who had not had a three-game losing season since 2007, quickly saw their streak end when they lost three straight after splitting the first two games to start the 2013 season. (They have since had another three-game losing streak this season.) The other team, the New England Patriots, keeps sailing along; they have a 7-2 record and still have not had a three-game losing streak since 2002. (More on that in a minute.)
The Packers in 2008 had both a three-game and five-game losing streak that season. Since then, the longest losing streak has been two games. The last time they had a two-game losing streak was in 2010. They lost consecutive games in mid-December before defeating the New York Giants 45-17 to avert the third straight loss. Can they perform the same magic this year with the Giants next on the schedule?
Let’s get to the Patriots. After a loss to Arizona in Week 2 and a defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 last season, the Patriots went into their game September 30 at Buffalo hoping to avoid a 1-3 start. But there was another reason the Pats needed a win over their division rivals: They were looking to avoid a three-game losing streak, something that had not happened to the franchise since 2002.
Fortunately for the Pats, they came out of Buffalo with a 52-28 win and avoided a three-game losing streak for yet another year.
The last time New England lost three consecutive games in a season was 2002 when they lost four straight games to San Diego, Miami, Green Bay and Denver. They then defeated Buffalo on November 3, 2002 to end the streak. Since then, they have lost two straight on five occasions, but have not lost a third straight since October, 2002.
Following is a look at the last season each of the 32 NFL teams lost three consecutive games.
2002: New England
2008: Green Bay
2010: Dallas, San Francisco
2011: Denver, Indianapolis, Seattle
2012: Arizona, Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York Jets, Oakland, San Diego
2013: Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Minnesota, New York Giants, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington
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Indianapolis Colts suffer first 30-point loss at home in 20 years
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s one thing to lose a game, but it’s another thing to lose that game at home. But what might by even more demoralizing is to lose a game at home and get whooped in the process.The AFC South Division-leading Indianapolis Colts on Sunday suffered their third defeat of the season 38-8 to the last place St. Louis Rams, who had come into that game with a 3-6 record. This 30-point defeat at home was the first time the Colts lost at home by 30 or more points since losing 31-0 to the San Diego Chargers on November 29, 1993, almost 20 years ago. It had been the longest time between 30-point losses at home in the NFL.
The Baltimore Ravens franchise, which began play in the league in 1996, now holds the longest time between 30-point losses at home. In fact the Ravens have never lost a game at home by 30 points or home. The worst home loss suffered by the Ravens was a 27-point loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-8, on October 21, 1999.
In addition to the Colts losing a home game by 30-plus points this year, the Jacksonville Jaguars have twice in 2013 lost a home game by 30 points or more. Last season there were seven such games in the league.
Following is the last regular season each of the NFL teams lost a home game by 30 points or more.
1996: Baltimore (have never lost a home game by 30 points or more)
1997: Pittsburgh
1998: New England
2001: Dallas, Minnesota
2002: Houston, San Diego
2003: Arizona, New Orleans
2004: Chicago
2005: Atlanta, Philadelphia
2006: Green Bay
2008: Cincinnati, Detroit
2009: NY Giants, Oakland, San Francisco, Tampa Bay
2010: Carolina, Cleveland, Seattle, Washington
2011: Denver, Kansas City
2012: Buffalo, Miami, NY Jets, St. Louis, Tennessee
2013: Indianapolis, Jacksonville
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14 or more points in the first quarter: Victory in the book?
Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick had to be feeling pretty good. Logan Ryan had just intercepted a pass and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown putting the Pats ahead 14-7 in the first quarter of their game last Sunday against the Jets. Considering that in the past 22 games where the Patriots had scored 14 or more points in the first quarter they had eventually won 21 of those games, you would assume Belichick and his team were well on their way to their sixth victory against one loss for the season.
Unfortunately, the end result was not a win. The Jets got back in the game, it went into overtime and the Patriots lost on a field goal.
Scoring 14 or more points in the first quarter of an NFL game has for the most part been a good omen for teams. Since 2000, there have been 491 times when a team has scored 14-plus points in the first quarter. Those teams have won 400, lost 90 and there was one tie. That’s a winning percentage of .816. Do that in every game of a 16-game season and that will get you 13 or 14 wins, enough probably to host all of your playoff games.
The Green Bay Packers have had the most games since 2000 where they scored 14 or more points in the first quarter with 27. The Baltimore Ravens are the only team since 2000 to not lose a game when they scored 14-plus in the first quarter. They are 9-0.
Following is a look at each NFL team and how many games they played since 2000 where they scored 14 or more points in the first quarter. Their record in those games is also noted.
Teams, games, record
Green Bay, 27… 23-4 .852
Pittsburgh, 25… 21-4 .840
New England, 23… 21-2 .913
Philadelphia, 23… 21-2 .913
San Diego, 23… 21-2 .913
St. Louis, 22… 17-4-1 .795
Atlanta, 21… 15-6 .714
Seattle, 21… 18-3 .857
Denver, 20… 17-3 .850
New Orleans, 19… 15-4 .789
Indianapolis, 17… 14-3 .824
Tennessee, 17… 13-4 .765
New York Giants, 16… 14-2 .875
Buffalo, 15… 10-5 .667
Cincinnati, 15… 14-1 .933
Kansas City, 15… 14-1 .933
Minnesota, 15… 14-1 .933
New York Jets, 15… 12-3 .800
Oakland, 14… 13-1 .929
Carolina, 12… 9-3 .750
Detroit, 12… 3-9 .250
San Francisco, 12… 7-5 .583
Chicago, 11… 10-1 .909
Arizona, 11… 9-2 .818
Houston, 10… 9-1 .900
Tampa Bay, 10… 8-2 .800
Dallas, 9… 8-1 .889
Miami, 9… 5-4 .556
Baltimore, 9… 9-0 1.000
Cleveland, 8… 6-2 .750
Washington, 8… 6-2 .750
Jacksonville, 7… 4-3 .571
Teams this year are 12-3 (.800 winning percentage) if they scored 14-plus points in the first quarter. Dallas, New England and Oakland are the three teams that have lost games this season after scoring 14 or more points in the first quarter.
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