Red Sox: Baseball minutia and trivia including a few Boston tidbits

Red Sox and baseball trivia tidbits

Hugh Daily became the first pitcher to toss back-to-back one-hitters. In 1950 the Red Sox scored 1,027 runs. They finished third. Imagine having the name Lady as a player. Lady Baldwin earned the honor thanks to his virtuous behavior – no booze, babes, or foul language. The perfect “lady” to his contemporaries.

Duke Farrell was a great defensive catcher back in baseball’s primitive days. He holds the record of eight caught stealing in a game. Conversely Branch Rickey – noted baseball executive – was a catcher, but a better executive. Rickey holds the dubious distinction of allowing 11 steals in a game.

In 1914 former Red Sox outfielder Gavvy Cravath led the NL with 19 home runs. All at home. The Red Sox own the AL record with most hits in an inning – 14 against the Tigers in 1953. The Red Sox also have the most consecutive hits in an inning with 10. Tied with several.

Red Barrett tossed a complete game with just 58 pitches. Shortest night game (1:15) in history? Barrett’s 58 pitch game. Bruce Sutter (68-71) is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Maybe the 300 saves have something to do with it?

And poor Tommy John (288-231, 3.34) is absent from the HOF. Bobby Mathews has more wins (298) than any pitcher not in the HOF. Tom Connolly and Bill Klem were the first umpires inducted into the HOF. Former Red Sox Sam Horn had a remarkable game with the O’s whiffing six times.

Dave Orr was a career .342 hitter but only played eight seasons. At 30-years-old Orr suffered a stroke and never played again. Jimmy Ryan hit .308 over 18 seasons with 2,513 hits and is not in the HOF. Jim Devlin had an outstanding 1877 season from the mound. Devlin pitched every inning of every game. 622 IP in 68 games.

Gee Walker played 15 seasons and was a wild man on the bases. How wild? Walker was once picked off base twice in one inning. Helen Britton was the first female owner when she inheriting the Cardinals. Britton owned the Cards for seven years. Joe Borden is credited with tossing the first no-hitter.

The Baker Bowl in Philadelphia had a small hump running through the outfield which was the result of an underground train tunnel. Guy Hecker had a great season on the mound in 1886 going 26-23. Oh….and Hecker also won the batting title at .341

Joe Nuxhall pitched in a game when he was 15-years-old. Satchel Paige pitched in a game when he was 60-years-old. Paul Hines is the first recorded Triple-Crown winner.

The Oakland A’s swiped 341 bases in 1976 for an MLB record. The Washington Senators stole just 13 bases in 1957 for another record.

Candy Cummings reportedly is the first pitcher to master a curveball. Larry Corcoran, Tony Mullane, and Ice Box Chamberlain all pitched ambidextrously in a game. Shibe Park (1909) was the first concrete and steel stadium. Burleigh Grimes was the last spitballer allowed to pitch. He retired in 1934.

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• Red Sox greatest relief pitcher bargains in franchise history
• Boston Red Sox greatest position players from 2004-Present

Stan Musial had 1,950 career hits on both home and road. Joe Sewell struck out 114 times in 7,132 at-bats. The Giants once defeated the Phillies in a 6-1 game that took just 51 minutes to play. Evar Swanson of the Reds was timed at 13.3 seconds going around the bases.

Oh, Vey! Lip Pike is reported to be the first Jewish player and also the first Jewish manager. He set the stage for Hank Greenberg by leading the league four times in home runs. Mazel Tov! Arlie Latham had been retired 10 years but got into a game at the end of the 1909 season and stole a base. Oldest player to get an SB.

Bid McPhee led all second basemen in double plays 11 seasons and fielding percentage nine seasons. The last season he led in fielding was his first wearing a glove. Jack Quinn was almost 46-years-old when he became the oldest pitcher to hit a home run. Joe DiMaggio had 361 career home runs and 369 career strikeouts.

Babe Ruth had a five-hit game as a pitcher and never as a position player hitter. Dean Chance was a great pitcher but as a hitter Chance hit .069 with 420 whiffs. Rabbit Maranville got his nickname from hopping around the field like a rabbit.

The Reds’ Sam Crawford hit 12 inside the park home runs in 1901. Ty Cobb hit nine for the 1909 Tigers. The 1899 Cleveland Spiders lost 134 games. Dazzy Vance is in the HOF for winning 197 games. All accomplished after the age of 31. 17-year-old Japanese Eiji Sawamura struck out four future HOF players in a row in 1934. Dwight Eisenhower played nine minor league games (.355) in 1911 under an assumed name. Common for college athletes at the time, but a cadet violation.