Most PA for a pitcher in the DH era
Posted by Andy on March 31, 2009
Since 1973, here are the most career PA for an AL pitcher:
Cnt Player **PA** From To Ages G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS Positions Teams +----+-----------------+---------+----+----+-----+----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+---+----+---+---+---+---+----+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+---------+-----------+ 1 Mike Mussina 54 1991 2008 22-39 537 52 3 9 1 0 0 5 1 0 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 .173 .189 .192 .381 *1 BAL-NYY 2 Freddy Garcia 52 1999 2008 24-33 256 41 0 8 1 0 0 2 0 0 12 0 11 0 1 0 0 .195 .195 .220 .415 *1 SEA-TOT-CHW-DET 3 Jarrod Washburn 50 1998 2008 23-33 286 38 3 9 0 0 0 4 5 0 11 0 7 0 0 0 0 .237 .326 .237 .563 *1 ANA-LAA-SEA 4 Bartolo Colon 49 1997 2008 24-35 299 46 0 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 29 0 3 0 1 0 0 .109 .109 .109 .218 *1 CLE-CHW-ANA-LAA-BOS 5 Kenny Rogers 45 1989 2008 24-43 751 41 3 6 1 1 0 3 2 0 15 0 2 0 1 1 0 .146 .186 .220 .406 *1 TEX-NYY-OAK-TEX-MIN-DET 6 Mark Buehrle 43 2000 2008 21-29 293 36 1 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 20 0 6 0 0 0 0 .083 .108 .083 .191 *1 CHW 7 C.C. Sabathia 42 2001 2008 20-27 238 40 3 12 1 0 2 7 1 0 12 0 1 0 1 0 0 .300 .317 .475 .792 *1 CLE 8 Roy Halladay 39 1998 2008 21-31 281 37 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 16 0 2 0 1 0 0 .081 .081 .081 .162 *1 TOR 9 Andy Pettitte 38 1995 2008 23-36 352 34 0 3 1 0 0 2 1 0 15 0 3 0 0 0 0 .088 .114 .118 .232 *1 NYY 10 Tim Wakefield 37 1995 2008 28-41 506 30 1 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 20 1 5 0 0 0 0 .100 .156 .100 .256 *1 BOS 11 David Wells 37 1987 2006 24-43 584 35 1 4 1 0 0 1 0 0 10 0 2 0 0 0 0 .114 .114 .143 .257 *1 TOR-DET-BAL-NYY-TOR-CHW-BOS 12 Sidney Ponson 34 1998 2008 21-31 260 30 2 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 4 0 0 0 0 .133 .133 .200 .333 *1 BAL-NYY-MIN-TOT 13 Brad Radke 34 1995 2006 22-33 378 29 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 5 0 0 0 0 .103 .103 .103 .206 *1 MIN 14 Aaron Sele 34 1993 2005 23-35 342 28 3 4 1 0 0 1 1 0 5 0 5 0 1 0 0 .143 .172 .179 .351 *1 BOS-TEX-SEA-ANA 15 Johan Santana 32 2000 2007 21-28 251 31 3 8 1 1 0 3 1 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 .258 .281 .355 .636 *1 MIN 16 Barry Zito 32 2000 2006 22-28 222 29 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 0 3 0 0 0 0 .034 .034 .034 .068 *1 OAK
OK, so just about all of these PAs have come in interleague play. That's cheating.
So let's restrict the search to 1973 to 1996, before interleague play began in 1997.
Cnt Player **PA** From To Ages G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS Positions Teams +----+-----------------+---------+----+----+-----+----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+---+----+---+---+---+---+----+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+---------+-----------+ 1 Ken Brett 12 1976 1981 27-32 140 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .083 .083 .083 .166 *1 TOT-CAL-MIN-KCR 2 Ken Holtzman 3 1973 1978 27-32 176 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .333 .000 .333 *1 OAK-TOT-NYY 3 Frank MacCormack 3 1976 1977 21-22 12 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 /*1 DET-SEA 4 Cy Acosta 3 1973 1974 26-27 75 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 /*1 CHW 5 Mark Langston 2 1984 1996 23-35 378 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 *1 SEA-CAL 6 Hipolito Pichardo 2 1992 1996 22-26 207 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 *1 KCR 7 Rick Honeycutt 2 1977 1995 23-41 609 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 *1/D SEA-TEX-OAK-TOT 8 Bill Dawley 2 1986 1989 28-31 50 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 /*1 CHW-OAK 9 Rick Rhoden 2 1987 1988 34-35 61 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 /*1D NYY 10 Jamie Easterly 2 1981 1987 28-34 231 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 *1/D MIL-TOT-CLE 11 Ron Davis 2 1978 1986 22-30 430 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 *1 NYY-MIN 12 Tim Lollar 2 1980 1986 24-30 82 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000 /*1 NYY-TOT-BOS 13 Rollie Fingers 2 1973 1985 26-38 461 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 *1 OAK-MIL 14 Vida Blue 2 1973 1983 23-33 242 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 *1 OAK-KCR 15 Luis Tiant 2 1973 1982 32-41 271 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 *1 BOS-NYY-CAL 16 Fergie Jenkins 2 1974 1981 31-38 255 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000 *1 TEX-BOS 17 Catfish Hunter 2 1973 1979 27-33 215 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000 *1 OAK-NYY 18 Tom Murphy 2 1974 1979 28-33 270 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000 *1 MIL-TOT-TOR 19 Mark Littell 2 1973 1977 20-24 123 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 *1 KCR 20 Lindy McDaniel 2 1973 1975 37-39 125 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 *1 NYY-KCR
So Ken Brett is the only AL pitcher to get more than 3 PAs during the DH, non-interleague era. All of those came in 1976 with the White Sox, as Brett spent the rest of his post-1973 career in the NL, moving to the Phillies from the American League for the 1973 season.
March 31st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
The requirement for what is called a pitcher will change in the game finder, but I'll add this anyway.
Here are the pitchers to have plate appearances since 1997 in AL only games. (Does Wade Boggs really count?)
http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/w7jz
D'Angelo Jimenez is the only pitcher to have a PA in an interleague game at an AL park since 1997.
http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/tcqj
http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/376C
March 31st, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Even though he was just 1 for 12 that season with the White Sox, I can't fault Mgr Paul Richards for using Brett as a pinch-hitter (6x), or in the regular batting order (2x...once in the #8 position). He was a career .262 hitter with a .406 Slg percentage. Nonetheless, the next season, new White Sox Mgr Bob Lemon apparently didn't see it that way. Brett never batted in '77.
March 31st, 2009 at 5:17 pm
The requirement for what is called a pitcher will change in the game finder, but I’ll add this anyway.
Here are the pitchers to have plate appearances since 1997 in AL only games. (Does Wade Boggs really count?)
http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/w7jz
D’Angelo Jimenez is the only pitcher to have a PA in an interleague game at an AL park since 1997.
March 31st, 2009 at 7:43 pm
A bunch of Raphy's games make sense. Extra-inning games in which various pinch hitters and position switches led to the team losing its DH, and blowout games in which a regular got rested early or a position player came in to pitch.
A few (both '00 Boston games and a '97 Texas game, maybe one other) are a little tougher to figure out. Don't have time to look into the circumstances right now. I wonder if someone got hurt?
And Jimenez doesn't count as a real pitcher either.
March 31st, 2009 at 8:11 pm
I'll do one of them.
May 13th 2000- The Red Sox have 1 hit through 7 and trail 1-0. 1st baseman Brian Daubach singles with 1 out in the 8th and is promptly pinch run for. The Red Sox then explode for 5 runs on 3 home runs. DH Mike Stanley come in to play first for Daubach forfeiting Boston's DH for the game. By the time the pitcher's spot comes around closer Derek Lowe has already pitched 1 inning. He comes to bat with 2 out and nobody on in the ninth up 5-1. The Red Sox are clearly better off trading the out for another inning of Lowe. So Lowe watches 4 pitches, gets called out on strikes and closes out the game.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Roger Clemens and John Wetteland each had instances where they accidentally wound up batting -- and had hits. Clemens did it in 1996, then doubled against the Mets in 1997. I'll never forget the Wetteland game. The Rangers had Leyritz and I-Rod both in the lineup, and I don't remember if it was myself, my dad or John Sterling, but somebody pointed out that you should never have both of your catchers in the lineup as catcher and DH, in case the one catching gets hurt. Sure enough, an injury, and the other guy had to come in to catch. So, stuck in extra innings, Wetteland is on deck in a tight spot. But the batter before him had a big hit, giving them the lead, and they let him bat. He drove in a run, then scored. And got the win.
April 1st, 2009 at 12:11 am
Re not playing a catcher at DH -- I've heard that said before, but I think that's probably being too risk averse. The chances of the catcher getting knocked out of the game are small, and having the pitcher bat once most likely isn't going to cost you that badly. If you have a good hitting catcher like Posada or Mauer and you can steal a few more games of his bat without tiring him out behind the plate, it's probably a smart idea.