Let's talk some fascinating baseball history

Wednesday 7/29/26

In his career, Carlton Fisk hit 188 home runs at home and 188 home runs on the road.

A baseball stat that has floored me ever since I encountered it as a kid: Ralph Kiner leading the league in homers for the first seven years of his career (1946-1952). And yet he didn’t get into the Hall of Fame until 1975 (and barely).

From 1972 to 1976, Joe Morgan had 47.8 WAR.

Ron Kittle: career OPS+ of 110. Kind of surprising, perhaps. Ichiro Suzuki: 107.

The first All-Star Game home run derby was held in 1985. My guy Carlton Fisk finished in a tie for second with Jim Rice, Dale Murphy, Eddie Murray, and Tom Brunansky (a real threat back then when 20 homers impressed). Dave Parker took that first title. Interesting that Ryne Sandberg competed. This was well before he led the National League in home runs. An outstanding all-around player--arguably the best in the world for a time there--but not someone you'd think of as a power hitter.

Ozzie Virgil participated in the 1987 home run derby. Ozzie Virgil! 1987 was a big year for homers. Balls were flying out of parks. Lots of guys had their career highs. Guys you wouldn't hear much from ever again looked like star power hitters. And there was Ozzie Virgil, a decent enough catcher, but not exactly Johnny Bench, in the home run derby. And he finished second.

Al Kaline finished in the top ten in homers in the American League eight times. His career high for a season was 29, which he achieved twice.

I watch a lot of old baseball games, I watch a lot of current baseball games. One big directorial difference: there's much more cutting now than there once was in broadcasts. Previously, shots were held longer. An image could really imprint itself on your brain. How a player wore his glove a bit higher up his hand than others might, or the between-pitch habits of a catcher (Carlton Fisk adjusting his chest protector, for example). As soon as we settle on something now visually, it's on to the next. It's the dumbing down of everything. Nothing can be organic, people can't be asked to observe, experience, take in, process. It's the internet effect. Click, click, click, click, click, click, click. Click into this, click out of. Baseball broadcast geared best as they have thus far figured them out for short attention spans.

Surprising stat from Roger Clemens’ 1986 season: he only had one shutout. Twenty-one AL pitchers had more.

Shoeless Joe Jackson was active from 1908 to 1920, when he was banned from baseball for his role (or his alleged role, if you prefer) in the Black Sox scandal of the year before. His career batting average of .356 is fourth all time. He won zero batting titles.

In 1911, Ty Cobb had 367 total bases…with 8 home runs.

Mickey Mantle only averaged 23 doubles per 162 games. People want to say it was his legs. Well, he played center field for most of his career, so you can't maintain it was that. Besides, doubles aren't a speed thing. Look at David Ortiz. Or David Ortiz in his last season.

He’s considered one of the greatest hitters and power hitters in baseball’s 150-year history. He’s never led the league in homers. Or batting average. He’s led the league in RBI once and topped 100 RBI in three seasons in a lengthy career. He averages more than a strikeout a game for his career. This would be Mike Trout.

Dale Murphy and Dave Kingman led the league in strikeouts the same amount of times.

Paul Molitor played every position in his MLB career except pitcher and catcher.

Willie Stargell played 8 games in center field.

Willie McCovey was intentionally walked 85 times from 1968 to 1969. 85 times!

Tom Herr had 110 RBI for the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals…with 8 home runs.

Lou Boudreau had 9 homers and 101 RBI for the Cleveland Indians in 1940.

Frank McCormick had 5 homers and 105 RBI for the Cincinnati Reds in 1938.

It’s crazy how many good catchers there were in the 1970s—the best decade ever talent-wise for the position. Darrell Porter led the league in walks as a catcher in 1979. He had a monster season.

It’s strange to think that Cal Ripken and Mark Belanger were teammates.

Also, Belanger and Luis Aparicio.

Also, Carlton Fisk and Rich Gedman.

Al Spalding went 52-16 with a 1.92 ERA in 617.1 innings for the 1874 Boston Red Stockings. Frustratingly, his ERA+ was only 111.

Ted Kluszewski: the least likely contact hitter in baseball history? Listed as 6’2"/225--and looked bigger--at a time when men were smaller, Big Klu had to cut off the sleeves of his jersey to fit in it. In 1954 he hit 49 homers, had 141 RBI, and batted .326…while striking out just 35 times. He never struck out more than 40 times in a season.

Hank Aaron never struck out 100 times in a season. He averaged 68 strikeouts per 162 games.

In 1959, Hank Aaron had arguably his best year. He hit 39 homers, drove in 123, led the league with a .355 average, 223 hits, 400 total bases, and a 183 OPS+. And yet, Ernie Banks won the MVP and deserved to. That’s how good Banks was at the time.

Both Dwight Evans and Wade Boggs led the league in OPS twice. I think most would be surprised that either did it once.

Dwight Evans easily could have won the 1981 AL MVP and maybe deserved to. Had he done so, you have to figure he’d be in the Hall of Fame. The award went to Rollie Fingers.

Red Sox pitcher Bob Stanley received MVP votes in three seasons. He finished seventh in Cy Young voting twice.

Gaylord Perry never led the league in ERA. Steve Carlton did it once. Luis Tiant, twice.

Fred Lynn finished in the top ten in home runs twice. One of those times was with his monster 1979 season. The other wasn't his MVP-winning rookie campaign of 1975. Nor was it any of his All-Star seasons in the early 1980s (like in 1983, when he hit the ASG's only grand slam). It was during his age thirty-six season in 1988 when he split time between the Orioles and Tigers and hit 25 homers in 353 at-bats...with 56 RBI. These were lean times for homers. 20 or so qualified you as a slugger.