MLB All-Star Game: The Hall of Fame connection
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published daily that focuses on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Derek Jeter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was one of the 60 players named to the respective American League and National League all-star teams yesterday. For Jeter, a likely first-year Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible, it will be his 13th All-Star Game.
The All-Star Game was first played in 1933. In taking a look at the Hall of Famers who played in All-Star Games, there are some interesting facts that pop out.
First, Bert Blyleven was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year on his 14th attempt. Blyleven had a 22-year career in the majors with 287 wins, over 3,700 strikeouts, and a career ERA of 3.31. He was an American League all-star in only two seasons, 1973 and 1985. He became the Hall of Famer with the fewest All-Star Games. (He was credited with the loss in that ’73 contest.)
Another surprise was that Milwaukee’s Robin Yount, inducted into the Hall in 1999 in his first year on the ballot, played in only three All-Star Games, 1980, 1982 and 1983. He was a starter in two of the three games. Another interesting fact is that Yount won the 1989 A.L. MVP without making the all-star team that year.
Following are the Hall of Famers who had the fewest All-Star games on their resume.
All-Star Games, Players
2: Bert Blyleven
3: Ferguson Jenkins, Robin Yount
4: Don Sutton
5: Richie Ashburn, Phil Niekro, Gaylord Perry, Phil Rizzuto, Hoyt Wilhelm
Hank Aaron tops the list with 21 All-Star Games. There are 16 players who had 10 or more All-Star Games but are not in baseball’s Hall of Fame. For some of these players, the jury is still out on whether they will ever be enshrined in Cooperstown.
All-Star Games, Players
17: Pete Rose
14: Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez
13: Ken Griffey, Derek Jeter
12: Mark McGwire. Mike Piazza, Manny Ramirez, Mariano Rivera
11: Roger Clemens, Bill Freehan
10: Steve Garvey, Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson, Ichiro Suzuki
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Blyleven not ‘shutout’ of Hall of Fame honor
- Bert Blyleven… Image via Wikipedia
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Pitcher Bert Blyleven will be inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame today along with second baseman Roberto Alomar and executive Pat Gillick.
One of the amazing stats from Blyleven’s career is that he ranks ninth in MLB history with 60 complete game shutouts. With the emergence of set-up men and closers, and teams’ concern for “total pitches” thrown by a starter, there’s a good chance that few, if any, current pitcher will approach Blyleven’s shutout totals, let alone the baseball record of 110 complete game shutouts by Walter Johnson.
What makes Blyleven’s 60 complete game shutouts even more noteworthy is that there is only one active pitcher with 60 or more career complete games (not complete game shutouts like Blyleven; just complete games!!)… Roy Halladay with 64.
With shutouts and the Hall of Fame as the focus, following are those pitchers who had 40 or more complete game shutouts yet are not in the Hall of Fame.
49: Luis Tiant
46, Roger Clemens, Tommy John, Jack Powell
45: Doc White
44: Babe Adams
43: Milt Pappas
42: Tommy Bond, Bucky Walters
41: Mickey Lolich, Hippo Vaughn
40: Larry French, Claude Osteen, Ed Reulbach, Mel Stottlemyre
Note: Ed Reulbach’s name may not be familiar to a lot of you (especially considering he played in the early 1900’s) but his claim to fame is that he is the only pitcher to throw two complete game shutouts in one day. Reulbach threw two shutouts in a doubleheader on September 26, 1908.
Note #2: Active leader in this category is Halladay with 19 shutouts. He is followed by Chris Carpenter (13) and Tim Hudson and CC Sabathia with 12 each.
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