The strange but true facts of MLB 2014

[John]

Strange But True feats of 2014 / Strange but true postseason feats

There were 37 players who scored four runs (or more) in a game at least once in 2014. Our man Jose Molina, on the other hand, scored four runs all year. In 80 games. And in 247 trips to the plate. Do you even have to ask how many other players in history got that much playing time and scored that few runs in a season? That would be none. Of course.

... the strangest but truest hitting streak of them all was Kevin Kouzmanoff's 12-gamer that ended in April -- because it took him 932 days to complete it. He got hits in his final two games for the 2011 Rockies, spent the next two years sitting on that streak in the minor leagues, then picked right up where he left off by hitting in his first 10 games for the 2014 Rangers. If it makes him feel better, his streak lasted 869 days longer than Joe DiMaggio's!

... The Indians turned a July 2 triple play against the Dodgers that was so strange but true that both managers challenged it. Terry Francona went to the replay to get Yasiel Puig called out at second. Then Don Mattingly challenged the out call on Dee Gordon at the plate (but lost). "I don't know if we'll ever see one like that again," said the Indians' David Murphy. Wow. Let's hope not!

... Did [Madison Bumgarner] really pitch 52⅔ innings in a single postseason? Sandy Koufax only pitched 57 postseason innings in his whole career. Warren Spahn pitched 56. Juan Marichal and Rube Marquard pitched just 50⅔ postseason innings in their careers as Giants combined. And Madison Bumgarner just went 52⅔ innings in ONE postseason. He was scored on in precisely four of those innings by the way.

... there ever been a team that had two position players on its World Series roster who got zero hits for that team during the entire regular season? Well, the Royals had both Jayson Nix (0 for and Terrance Gore (0 for 1, with 5 SBs and 5 runs scored) on their World Series roster. You can look it up.

Hit the links for a bevy of additional strange but true MLB 2014 trivia. Which fact do you find most bizarre of all?

[Borealis]

Awesome Stuff John!!! All the ridiculous Giants 'facts' about the post-season is just that - ridiculous!!!

GEAUX Tigers!!!
(Harbough... )

[Bill]

heh...fun stuff. The Jose Molina runs stat reminds me of the year Luis Castillo had trouble getting to double digit RBI. (2000, apparently he ended up with 17 per bbref)

[Leones]

Matt Cain's circus act (grabbing a dropped knife in mid-air; with the obvious result of laceration) brought a chuckle. Never heard of anybody trying that before.

[Borealis]

Matt Cain's circus act (grabbing a dropped knife in mid-air; with the obvious result of laceration) brought a chuckle. Never heard of anybody trying that before.

Oh... Check out Jeremy Affeldt's injury history...

[Arroyos]

Did [Madison Bumgarner] really pitch 52⅔ innings in a single postseason? Sandy Koufax only pitched 57 postseason innings in his whole career. Warren Spahn pitched 56. Juan Marichal and Rube Marquard pitched just 50⅔ postseason innings in their careers as Giants combined. And Madison Bumgarner just went 52⅔ innings in ONE postseason. He was scored on in precisely four of those innings by the way.

Koufax, Spahn, Marichal and Marquard pitched their 50+ innings entirely in World Series games, prior to the invention of the extended playoff season. So Bumgarner's accomplishment can't really be compared to theirs. He needs several more World Series appearances to even be mentioned in the same sentence as those other stalwarts.

[John]

Koufax, Spahn, Marichal and Marquard pitched their 50+ innings entirely in World Series games, prior to the invention of the extended playoff season. So Bumgarner's accomplishment can't really be compared to theirs. He needs several more World Series appearances to even be mentioned in the same sentence as those other stalwarts.

Gotta admit he's off to a rip-roaring start, though.

[Borealis]

Koufax, Spahn, Marichal and Marquard pitched their 50+ innings entirely in World Series games, prior to the invention of the extended playoff season. So Bumgarner's accomplishment can't really be compared to theirs. He needs several more World Series appearances to even be mentioned in the same sentence as those other stalwarts.

Gotta admit he's off to a rip-roaring start, though.

Yeah... 36 IP in three World Series with only a single run allowed ain't too shabby....