Making the World Series after three sub .500 seasons… and more!
Although the New York Mets are down two games to none in the World Series, the team has already accomplished a lot just by getting into this post-season. Not many pundits had the Mets making the playoffs, let alone make it to the World Series.
To help quantify the above statements, let’s look at two stats.
- The Mets are one of 12 teams in MLB history to have made the World Series after three or more seasons with a sub .500 record. After a .548 winning percentage in 2008 (89-73 record), the Mets went six seasons with a winning percentage under .500 for six straight years before going 90-72 and making it to the World Series this season. The 2006 Detroit Tigers hold the record for most sub. 500 season before making the World Series with 12. Here’s a look at those 12 teams that had three or more seasons under .500 before making the World Series.
Years under .500 before making World Series
12: 2006 Detroit Tigers
11: 1914 Boston Braves
10: 2008 Tampa Bay Rays
7: 1991 Atlanta Braves; 1967 Boston Red Sox; 1969 New York Mets
6: 2015 New York Mets; 1993 Philadelphia Phillies
5: 1945 Chicago Cubs; 2003 Florida Marlins
3: 1918 Chicago Cubs; 2002 Anaheim Angels
- If the Mets should rebound from their 2-0 deficit and win the 2015 World Series, they would become the 11th team in MLB history (since 1969) to win a World Series after not making the playoffs in four or more of their previous seasons. The Minnesota Twins top this category; they won the 1987 World Series after missing the post-season in the 16 previous seasons. Had they made it to the World Series this year and won the title, the Toronto Blue Jays could have broken this record. The Blue Jays had gone 21 seasons prior to this year without making the playoffs. Here’s a look at the 10 teams that had four or more seasons not making the playoffs the years prior to winning the World Series. (Note: Does not include teams that won the World Series prior to 1969 when only two teams made it to the World Series each year.)
Consecutive years not making the post-season prior to winning the World Series (since 1969)
16: 1987 Minnesota Twins
15: 2002 Los Angeles Angels
13: 1982 St. Louis Cardinals
12: 1986 New York Mets
11: 1984 Detroit Tigers
10: 1970 Cincinnati Reds
7: 1969 New York Mets
5: 2003 Florida Marlins
4: 2005 Chicago White Sox; 1997 Florida Marlins
Follow Jerry on Twitter @StatsonTapp
Does it matter that the Brewers have used 10 starting pitchers already this year?
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
So… does it matter?
For some teams, injuries and ineffectiveness cause a revolving door on the pitching staff, specifically which pitchers will start games. But does it matter if a team has to keep shuffling their starting rotation?
First, let’s look at the Brewers. This year the Crew has already used 10 starters (Gallardo, Peralta, Lohse, Estrada, Burgos, Figaro, Gorzelanny, Hand, Fiers and Hellweg). In looking at past history, the most starters the Brewers have used in a season is 13. That has happened six times (1975, 1984, 1989, 1991, 2001 and 2002). Go back to the 1969 season when the franchise was known as the Seattle Pilots and you will see that team started 17 different pitchers that season.
(Note: For those of you that are interested, those 17 starters is nowhere near the most used by a team in a season. The most starters used by a team in a season is 24 by the Philadelphia A’s in 1915. The only other team to use 20 or more starting pitchers in a season were the 1969 New York Mets who used 20.)
Back to the Brewers. Of the 44 seasons prior to 2013, the Brewers pitching staff used 10 or more starters in a season 27 times. The team ended up winning more than half their games that season only six times. Conversely, in the 17 seasons where the Brewers used less than 10 starting pitchers, the team won more than 50% of their games in 10 of those seasons.
Here’s one more stat on the Brewers: Of the four times the Brewers have made the playoffs, they used less than 10 starting pitchers in each of those seasons (six in 1981; nine in 1982; eight in 2008; and six in 2011).
This year there have been 255 different starting pitchers used in the majors. Baltimore and Toronto lead the majors with each team using 13 different starters so far this season.
But what’s interesting is that there are three teams that have used only six starters this year: Atlanta, Detroit and Oakland. Guess what? Each of those three is leading its division! In fact, the six division leaders at the All-Star break have used an average of 7.2 starters. The other 24 teams have used an average of 8.8 starters.
Does it matter how many starters you use in a season? The numbers seem to indicate that it does. Consistency and good health in the starting rotation is important.
“99 Stats Before Kickoff” (Stats you need to know before the start of the 2013 NFL season) is available from e-book publisher Smashwords. Go to www.smashwords.com to download a copy, including a pdf version which can be viewed on your home computer. Cost is $2.99
Ryan Braun: Celebrating the 5th anniversary of his first career HR!
Ryan Braun (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published daily focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers.
This weekend many of us will be celebrating Memorial Day and the contributions of the countless men and women who served our country and fought for our freedom.
Brewers fans this weekend also have something else to celebrate. Today, May 26, 2012, is the fifth anniversary of Ryan Braun‘s first career home run. On May 26, 2007, Braun hit a solo HR off Padres pitcher Justin Germano in the third inning in San Diego.
In honor of the fifth anniversary of Braun’s first round-tripper, here’s a few stats regarding the 174 homers Braun has hit up to this point in what many Brewers fans hope will be a long career with the club.
* Braun was hitting second in the order when he hit his first career home run. It is the only time that he has hit an HR while batting second in the order. He has hit 163 from the third spot, nine from the clean-up spot, and one from the eighth spot in the order.
* Braun has hit most of his home runs in the first three innings (72). He has 62 four-baggers in innings four through six, and 40 HRs from the seventh inning on.
* Braun has hit 101 home runs when he has seen three or less pitches. He has 73 home runs when he has seen four or more pitches in an at-bat.
* Braun has hit the most home runs (64) when the Brewers are behind in the game. He has hit 62 when the Brewers are ahead and has hit 48 when the game is tied.
* He has 92 HRs at Miller Park and 82 in away games.
* When it comes to strikes in the count, Braun’s home run stroke has been most successful with one strike. He has 68 homers with one strike in the count; 57 home runs with two strikes in the count; and 49 four-baggers when there are no strikes in the count. When it comes to balls in the count, Braun has hit more HRs when there are no balls in the count (59). He has 48 home runs with one ball in the count; 47 home runs with two balls in the count; and 20 long balls with three balls in the count.
* Braun has 64 home runs with no outs in the inning… 56 home runs with one out in the inning… 54 home runs with two outs in the inning.
* Braun has hit the most home runs in July (35). Other monthly HR counts: March (1), April (29), May (27), June (26), August (26), September (28), October (2).
* Braun’s 173rd home run was on May 21 when he hit a two-run homer in the 8th inning against the Giants to tie the score at 3-3. It was the 12th time in his career that he has hit a home run in the 7th inning or later to tie the score or put the Brewers ahead in the game.
* Of the 15 National League teams, Braun has hit the fewest home runs against the New York Mets (2). He has hit the most HRs against the Houston Astros (24).
Research Source: baseball-reference.com
Follow Jerry on Twitter @StatsonTapp
MLB: First team to 10 wins… does it mean anything?
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published multiple times weekly focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Rangers primary logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The 2012 Major League Baseball season is barely a week old, but here’s a question to ponder: Does being the first team in your league to win 10 games mean anything when it comes to end-of-the-season success?
Last season, being the first team to reach 10 wins had very different results in the American League and National League. The Rangers were the first A.L. team to 10 wins and made it to the World Series eventually losing to the St. Louis Cardinals. In the N.L., the Colorado Rockies were the first team to 10 wins; they ended the 2011 campaign at 73-89 and fourth place in the N.L. West.
Here’s a look at the last 10 years and which team(s) from each league was the first to win 10 games. (* means the team made the playoffs)
Note: If more than one team made it to 10 wins on the same day, both/all teams are listed. In the 10 years listed below, there are 13 teams listed in the American League and 13 teams listed in the National League.
2011: AL-Texas*; NL-Colorado
2010: AL-Tampa Bay*; NL-St. Louis
2009: AL-Toronto; NL-Florida
2008: AL-LA Angels*/Boston*; NL-Arizona/St. Louis
2007: AL-Minnesota; NL-LA Dodgers
2006: AL-Boston;NL-NY Mets*
2005: AL-Chicago White Sox*; NL-LA Dodgers
2004: AL-Oakland/Minnesota*; NL-LA Dodgers*/Florida
2003: AL-Kansas City/NY Yankees*; NL-San Francisco*
2002: AL-Cleveland; NL-San Francisco*/Arizona*
Here’s a few more stats about the teams that were first to 10 wins in a season in the American League and National League…
* Of the 26 teams listed above that were first to 10 wins, 22 (84.6 percent) ended the season with winning records. The four that did not: Colorado, 2011, 73-89; Minnesota, 2007, 79-83; LA Dodgers, 2005, 71-91; and Cleveland, 2002, 74-88.
* Ten of the 26 teams won their division that year.
* Twelve of the 26 made the playoffs that year.
* Four of the 26 went to the World Series that season: Texas in 2011, Chicago White Sox in 2005, NY Yankees in 2003, and San Francisco in 2002.
* The White Sox are the only team in the last 10 years to be the first team to 10 wins in their league and win the World Series that same season.
Which MLB team (if any) will lose 100 games this season?
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published multiple times weekly focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Houston Astros logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Last season the Houston Astros were the only team to lose 100 or more games in the majors. It was, however, the first time in the team’s history that they lost over 100 games in a season since they began playing in the National League in 1962.
The 2011 MLB season was the fourth consecutive year that at least one team lost 100 or more games. In the past 30 seasons, we have had 33 different teams lose 100 or more games; there have been 10 seasons since 1982 where no team has lost 100 or more games in a season.
Here’s a look at each of the 30 MLB teams and the last time they lost 100 or more games in a season.
Team, Last season they lost 100+ games (losses that year)
St. Louis… 1908(105)
New York Yankees… 1912(102)
Los Angeles Angels… (Have never lost 100+; franchise began in 1961)
Philadelphia… 1961(107)
Boston…1965(100)
Chicago Cubs… 1966(103)
Chicago White Sox… 1970(106)
Texas… 1973(105)
Oakland… 1979(108)
Toronto… 1979(109)
Cincinnati… 1982(101)
Minnesota… 1982(102)
San Francisco… 1985(100)
Atlanta… 1988(106)
Baltimore… 1988(107)
Cleveland… 1991(105)
Colorado… (Have never lost 100+; franchise began in 1993)
New York Mets… 1993(103)
San Diego… 1993(101)
Miami… 1998(108)
Milwaukee… 2002(106)
Detroit… 2003(119)
Arizona… 2004(111)
Kansas City… 2006(100)
Tampa Bay… 2006(101)
Washington… 2009(103)
Pittsburgh… 2010(105)
Seattle… 2010(101)
Houston… 2011(106)
So what are the chances of the Astros having a “better” season in 2012? Of the 30 teams that lost 100 or more games in a season from 1982-2011 and then played a full compliment of games the next season (162 games) 26 of those 30 teams lost fewer games the following season. Only five of those teams also lost 100 or more games the following season. Here’s a snaphot look at the six teams that lost 100 or more games in the past 30 seasons that had the biggest improvement the next season. (Note: Five of the 30 teams actually had a winning record the year after they lost 100+ games)
Team, 100+loss season, next year, difference
Baltimore… 107 losses in 1988; 75 losses in 1989 = 32-loss difference
Detroit… 119 losses in 2003; 90 losses in 2004 = 29-loss difference
Arizona… 111 losses in 2004; 85 losses in 2005 = 26-loss difference
Detroit… 109 losses in 1996; 83 losses in 1997 = 26-loss difference
Cleveland… 102 losses in 1985; 78 losses in 1986 = 24-loss difference
Seattle… 101 losses in 2008; 77 losses in 2009 = 24-loss difference
Which team is most likely to join the 100-loss club this season? Since 1982, the average team to lose 100 or more games in a season lost 89.4 games the previous season. Last season, the Colorado Rockies were the only team to lose 89 games. If they were to lose 100 or more games in 2012, it would be the first time in their history.
Sports Stats 'on Tapp' 