Starting pitcher goes 4 innings allowing no hits
Posted by Andy on July 6, 2011
Jon Lester pitched 4 innings last night, allowed no hits, and then left with an injury.
Here's an interesting list of starting pitchers to do the same:
| Rk | Player | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | App,Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ervin Santana | 2011-05-04 | LAA | BOS | W 5-3 | GS-4 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Sean Gallagher | 2008-09-10 | OAK | DET | W 5-2 | GS-4 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| 3 | Mike Mussina | 2006-06-30 | NYY | NYM | W 2-0 | GS-4 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Matt Clement | 2002-05-05 | CHC | LAD | W 3-0 | GS-4 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Hideo Nomo | 1995-05-12 | LAD | STL | W 8-4 | GS-4 | 4.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
| 6 | John Hope | 1993-09-16 | PIT | FLA | W 10-0 | GS-4 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | Bob Welch | 1992-09-13 | OAK | SEA | W 3-1 | GS-4 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Doug Drabek | 1986-06-15 | NYY | BAL | L 3-4 | GS-5 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | Matt Young | 1983-10-01 | SEA | CHW | L 3-9 | GS-4 ,L | 4.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Steve Renko | 1981-08-30 | CAL | BAL | W 7-1 | GS-5 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| 11 | John D'Acquisto | 1977-05-12 | STL | CIN | W 10-1 | GS-4 | 4.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| 12 | Mike Thompson | 1973-09-28 | STL | PHI | W 3-0 | GS-4 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 13 | Les Cain | 1971-06-22 (1) | DET | NYY | W 7-4 | GS-5 | 4.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| 14 | Monk Dubiel | 1949-05-29 (2) | CHC | CIN | W 10-2 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 | Tommy Bridges | 1934-09-30 (2) | DET | SLB | W 6-2 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
I suspect that a number of these guys were either injured or removed after a lengthy rain delay. In the case of Santana's game earlier this year, it was a rain delay.
And then there are games like Nomo's in 1995. He walked 7 and his defense also didn't play well behind him, leading to 3 runs (1 earned.)
July 6th, 2011 at 8:42 am
I believe that Sid Fernandez of the Mets once left a game after he had no-hit the opponents for six innings, because he had injured himself running out a triple.
July 6th, 2011 at 8:43 am
I remember that 1995 Dodgers/Cards game....
12 total errors by both teams! Yuck!
July 6th, 2011 at 8:44 am
Yet none of them eligible for the win!
July 6th, 2011 at 9:23 am
@2...and the 2 starting 3B in the game both had 3 errors!
July 6th, 2011 at 9:53 am
Bob Welch getting the hook after 46 pitches in that 1992 game vs. Seattle is a bit of a mystery.
It is unlikely he injured himself because he took his next three starts in his regular turn in the rotation.
Perhaps a third possibility for a quick hook is a pitcher coming off an injury and being on a strict, low pitch count. Welch's previous start, prior to Sept. 13th was Aug. 7th, suggesting he was returning off the disabled list.
Still, to be yanked after 46 pitches with a no-hitter going ........ I guess Tony LaRussa would be one of the few managers to do it without even blinking.
July 6th, 2011 at 10:15 am
Matt Young pitching 4 innings with no hits, walks, or HBP allowed, and still loses the game. Amazing. Back to back errors and a PB allowed a runner to score while he was on the mound and he gets the loss.
July 6th, 2011 at 10:24 am
Matt Young lost a no-hitter in 1990, too, if I recall. So I'm not too surprised by his name on there!
July 6th, 2011 at 10:47 am
1970 Clay Kirby replaced by PH Cito Gaston after pitching 8 innings of no-hit ball, losing 1-0. Final score 3-0
July 6th, 2011 at 10:59 am
Les Cain still gave up two earned runs without giving up a hit.
July 6th, 2011 at 11:05 am
@6 @7
Chris & Brian, Matt Young caught my eye on the list also since he was tagged with the loss. No one ever said baseball life was fair.
July 6th, 2011 at 11:12 am
For Welch in '92, was that about the time LaRussa was experimenting with (I want to say) a 3 man rotation, compensating for their lack of rest between starts by yanking them very early? Tony is a genius!?!?!
July 6th, 2011 at 11:16 am
Bridges won his game.
July 6th, 2011 at 11:17 am
so did Dubiel
July 6th, 2011 at 11:19 am
back in the day, starters didn't have to go 5 innings to get wins
July 6th, 2011 at 11:25 am
I was at the Mussina game...it was a rain delay and he didn't come back out for the fifth (if I remember correctly, they were also being cautious with a nagging injury). El Duque did return for the Mets and ended up going seven while Mussina/Villone/Proctor/Farnsworth/Rivera combined for a one-hitter.
July 6th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
@11
SL, good suggestion, but looking at Welch's gamelogs for September 1992 it looks like he pitched every fifth/sixth day. Ah, Tony LaRussa, love him or hate him. Why is there no neutral, middle ground?
July 6th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
In the 1977 game, the Cardinals had just tied the Reds 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth when manager Vern Rapp sent up a pinch hitter for John D'Acquisto. D'Acquisto had retired the Reds in order in the top of the fourth, striking out two, but had walked the bases loaded in the top of the third. I have the feeling that Rapp, a new manager in 1977 but by reputation a very old-school guy, had just had enough of this screwy starter who couldn't find the strike zone.
July 6th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
@1
Sid actually left the game after 5 -- he tripled in the bottom of the 4th, but came back out to pitch the 5th, thereby qualifying for the win.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN198705150.shtml
July 6th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
@1 @18
Ken S. and LLD. Now that must have been a pretty sight. A svelte (not) Sid Fernandez legging out a triple! 🙂
July 6th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
@10
I think baseball was fair to Matt "Boot" Young, considering that he shouldn't have been pitching in the majors in the first place.
Young was a horrible, horrible pitcher who somehow ended up with 10 years in the majors. His 55-95 lifetime record seems about right, and he has a fielding percentage of .878. Way to help yourself out.
It really cheapens a no-hitter when a guy like Matt Young has one. The baseball gods were forced to make Young lose it.
July 6th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
@7 Brian,
I believe you're thinking of Andy Hawkins rather than Matt Young. Hawkins was a bad pitcher too, and I mix the two up sometimes.
Young was worse than Hawkins, though. I don't care what ERA+ says.
July 6th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Three notes on Mike Thompson, #12 on Andy's list at top:
1. Career record of 1-15 nearly puts him in Terry Felton territory.
2. The listed game was the second started by Thompson in September 1973, when the Cardinals were fighting for a division title. You think he had a short leash on Sept. 28? On the 23rd, having been staked to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, he was removed after allowing a walk and a single to the first two hitters he faced.
3. Thompson started 29 major-league games and completed zero. I believe he held the record for a few years, from the mid-1970s until the early '80s, for most career starts without a complete game. Now, of course, he ranks in a tie for 130th most or something.
July 6th, 2011 at 5:25 pm
Interesting, Kahuna. Yes, Thompson did have that record from 1975-1980. It was topped by Ken Clay in '81.
The current leader is Tony Armas Jr, of Pedro-trade fame, with 167.
I see second place is Shawn Chacon, which surprises me because I have a memory of him throwing a CG for the Yankees when he had his great stretch for them in '05. I remember it being about 120-130 pitches but he didn't appear to be at all fatigued or stressed. After scanning his gamelog, I'm probably thinking of this game, in which he threw 127 pitches but was pulled after 8 with a 5-run lead:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA200508200.shtml
July 6th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
Seeing Ervin Santana's 7-K, 4-IP game atop the list got me to wondering about the most strikeouts in a start of less than 5 IP.
-- Ten Ks in less than 5 IP has been done 7 times since 1919, first by Koufax in '61 and next by Sam McDowell in '65. All 7 pitchers went 4.2 or 4.1 IP and got roughed up, allowing a total of 38 runs on 45 hits in 34.2 IP ... which simply means I found a bunch of games in which the starter got knocked out due to performance (Ks notwithstanding) rather than injury.
-- On June 19 of this year, KC's Danny Duffy started and faced 18 batters, getting 9 Ks in 3.2 IP. He threw 90 pitches and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN201106190.shtml
-- One of the most dominant starts shortened by injury was by Josh Beckett back in 2004: Coming off the DL, he fanned 8 in 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and no walks -- and went right back on the DL. He got a 65 Game Score, which is tied for 4th in the searchable era in starts of 4 IP or less. Tops is the 68 by E.Santana on top of the list above, followed by the 66 of Lester (last night) and Mussina, also on the list.
July 7th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Evil Squirrel, #2: I remember that 1995 Dodgers/Cards game.... 12 total errors by both teams! Yuck!
And only 6 total ROE by both teams! Three errant throws, two dropped foul pop-ups, and a rundown where the pitcher apparently missed the tag or dropped the throw. I know the teams missed spring training that season, but still, what a klutzy game! Dodgers coach Bill Russell must have been having flashbacks to 1972.
(Oh, how I wanted to make that description fit the meter of The Twelve Days of Christmas! Wouldn't have made sense, though.)
July 10th, 2011 at 10:16 am
@20 - that may have been the case, but one hitter Matt Young seemed to have no problem getting out was Wade Boggs. That's the first thing that comes to mind when I see his name...