This month, we’re
going to take a look at a topic, both in keeping with the advent of
beautiful spring weather (giving you less time to need to sit at
your computer reading this article and more time to go outside and
enjoy it) and with an annual event that goes hand in hand with the
return of the spring.
With apologies to gardens, flower beds, trees in bloom, and rabbits
leaving eggs in hidden locations, we’re referring to the imminent start
of baseball season. The smaller topic is to alert you to a Web site
we’ve recently found which we suspect will find the favorites folder of
everyone from casual baseball observers to hard-core followers of the
game.
That site is
www.baseball-reference.com. This is one of the most, if not the
most, comprehensive site devoted to the national pastime that is to be
found anywhere on the Internet. Just about any record you could imagine
of any type of information pertaining to baseball is available at this
address.
For starters, the players section contains records for just about every
player who played the game. Did you just come across the name Frank
Gabler and wonder what his claim to fame was? You can find it on this
site. In addition to having the records for each player, the site also
gives you some rather hard-to-find-elsewhere statistics. Want to know
how many times Hank Aaron was intentionally walked the year that he
broke Babe Ruth’s career home run record? You can find that here as
well.
A nice tool that also comes with the site is the play index. You can
use this to match up certain players between 1957 and the present, find
batting or pitching events for particular players or teams, or find any
streaks in those categories. Ever wondered how Rod Carew did against
Jim Palmer over their respective careers? With this site, you don’t
have to wonder.
There are also records for every team that has ever played the game.
Are you curious about the lifetime record of the Chicago Cubs? It’s
here. You can see the overall records for each team and see an in-depth
look at each individual season that team has played, with statistics for
batting, pitching, and fielding, as well as a grid of team leaders.
Which pitcher led the 1980 Baltimore Orioles in home runs allowed? The
answer is only a few clicks away here.
That information also isn’t just available for the teams we know of
today. There is a comprehensive list of every team that ever played in
a recognized professional league with information about their
performance for any particular year. What was the story with the 1884
Kansas City Cowboys? You’ll find out here. If your team has made
multiple jumps from city to city (such as the Philadelphia/Kansas
City/Oakland Athletics or the Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves), each
year in each city is separately chronicled on this site.
All of this so far may seem good and pretty comprehensive, but not
spectacular. But now let’s talk games—and here’s where it really gets
good. This site has the box score of every regular season or postseason
game played since 1957. Said box scores aren’t just limited to the
statistics either; they include the play-by-play descriptions from every
inning so you can really see the course of a game. What happened when
the Phillies played the Dodgers on July 26, 1966? How did Thurman
Munson do in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series? Both answers are
available here.
You can look at leader boards to see career leaders in almost every
batting and pitching category. You can see league leaders in the same
categories for every year the league was in existence. Who led the
American League in doubles in 1976? You’ll find out here. You can see
a list of every manager who ever managed a team along with his complete
record. How did Honus Wagner do as a manager? It’s here.
Any follower of baseball, from the casual fan to the hardcore
enthusiast, will spend hours on end checking out this site. Enjoy it,
and enjoy another season of the national pastime.
And now, the answers to the questions we’ve been asking throughout the
article.
1.
Frank Gabler was a right handed pitcher who pitched four seasons
between 1935 and 1938 for the Giants, Braves, and White Sox. His career
record was 16 wins and 23 losses with an earned run average of 5.26, and
his main claim to fame was appearing in two games of the 1936 World
Series, both in relief.
2.
In 1974, the year
Aaron passed Ruth for most career home runs, he drew a surprisingly low
total of
6 intentional bases on balls.
3.
In 108 lifetime plate
appearances against Palmer, Carew was a
.358 hitter with 10 walks and 4 strikeouts.
4.
Long-suffering Cubs
fans may be surprised to hear this, but the team has a lifetime winning
record of
9900 wins against 9382 losses as of the end of the 2006 season.
5.
In 1980,
Mike Flanagan was the Oriole pitcher most familiar with the habits
of gophers, surrendering 27 home runs over the course of the season.
6.
Perhaps the story of
the
1884 Kansas City Cowboys is best left untold, but they compiled a
season record of 16 wins and 63 losses under three different managers
and finished 11th in the 12-team Union Association.
7.
On the date in
question, the
Dodgers pulled out a 3-2 victory with two runs in the last of the 9th,
the winning run scoring with one out on an Al Ferrara single. Movie and
television fans may be interested to know that Bob Uecker was the
Phillies’ catcher that night and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, hit
into a double play, and allowed a passed ball.
8.
In Game 6 of the 1977
Series, Yankee catcher Munson was 1 for 4 with a run scored, a
strikeout, six putouts, and a passed ball. Some may recall that his
performance was a bit overshadowed by the player who followed him in the
batting order . . . Reggie Jackson, who hit three home runs that night.
Note: you have to click to a separate link on
retrosheet.org for this information.
9.
Amos Otis of the Kansas City Royals paced the American League with
40 doubles in 1976.
10.
Hall of Fame
shortstop Wagner managed the Pittsburgh Pirates for 5 games as a
player/manager in 1917, compiling a career record of
1 win against 4 losses.
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