Best games scores with no strikeouts
Posted by Andy on May 13, 2009
Reader Dan H suggested this Stat of the Day: best game scores by a pitcher with no strikeouts in the game.
Here the leaders from 1956 to present:
Cnt Player Date Tm Opp GmReslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit Str **GmSc** IR IS BF AB 2B 3B IBB HBP SH SF GDP SB CS Pk BK WP ERA +----+-----------------+-------------+---+----+-------+---------+----+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--------+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--+--+---+--+--+--+--+--+------+ 1 Ken Holtzman 1969-08-19 CHC ATL W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 0 0 0 3 0 0 84 30 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 2 Neil Allen 1986-07-20 CHW @NYY W 8-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 0 0 83 29 29 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 3 Barry Moore 1967-04-30(2) WSA MIN W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 2 0 0 83 29 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 4 Doyle Alexander 1984-09-02 TOR MIN W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 0 0 82 31 30 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 5 Frank Lary 1955-08-03 DET @WSH W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 0 0 82 28 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 6 Walt Terrell 1985-06-29 DET TOR W 8-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 0 0 81 30 28 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 7 Jerry Augustine 1976-08-24 MIL @TEX W 1-0 SHO10 ,W 10 5 0 0 1 0 0 81 35 34 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 8 Al Fitzmorris 1974-06-04 KCR @BAL W 8-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 0 0 0 81 29 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 9 Jim McGlothlin 1970-05-21 CIN @HOU W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 0 0 81 28 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0.00 10 Moose Haas 1983-08-10 MIL @KCR W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 1 0 0 80 31 30 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 11 Rick Honeycutt 1983-06-07 TEX @SEA W 10-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 1 0 0 80 28 27 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 12 Ken Holtzman 1976-07-16 NYY @TEX W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 3 0 0 80 33 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 13 Don Wilson 1974-09-28(1) HOU @ATL W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 3 0 0 80 31 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0.00 14 Rollie Sheldon 1966-05-01(1) KCA @NYY W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 1 0 0 80 31 30 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 15 Warren Hacker 1955-05-21 CHC @MLN W 2-1 CG 9 ,W 9 1 1 1 1 0 1 80 29 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.00
A no-hitter by Ken Holtzman leads the way. It's tough to get a great game score with no strikeouts since K's count in the game score itself.
In the last 10 years, nobody's even cracked 80:
Cnt Player Date Tm Opp GmReslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit Str **GmSc** IR IS BF AB 2B 3B IBB HBP SH SF GDP SB CS Pk BK WP ERA +----+-----------------+-------------+---+----+-------+---------+----+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--------+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--+--+---+--+--+--+--+--+------+ 1 Scott Erickson 2002-04-28 BAL @KCR W 13-0 SHO9 ,W 9 4 0 0 2 0 0 124 70 77 32 30 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 2 Steve Sparks 2001-06-19 DET NYY W 7-1 CG 9 ,W 9 3 1 1 2 0 0 84 54 75 28 26 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 1.00 3 Chien-Ming Wang 2006-05-12 NYY OAK W 2-0 GS-8 ,W 8 3 0 0 2 0 0 85 52 74 25 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 4 Jamie Moyer 2001-07-18 SEA @KCR W 2-0 GS-8 8 4 0 0 1 0 0 73 51 73 28 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 5 Steve Trachsel 2007-05-28 BAL @KCR W 9-1 CG 9 ,W 9 5 1 1 3 0 0 104 62 70 33 30 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.00 6 Chris Sampson 2006-06-07 HOU CHC W 1-0 GS-7 ,W 7 3 0 0 1 0 0 86 55 70 25 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 7 Justin Verlander 2006-05-17 DET MIN W 2-0 GS-8 ,W 8 6 0 0 0 0 0 103 64 70 30 29 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 8 Brad Radke 2002-05-08 MIN KCR W 3-1 CG 9 ,W 9 5 1 1 3 0 0 106 64 70 32 29 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.00 9 Vicente Padilla 2008-07-20 TEX @MIN W 1-0 GS-7 ,W 7 3 0 0 2 0 0 80 49 69 23 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0.00 10 Reid Cornelius 2000-06-10 FLA @TBD W 5-1 GS-8 ,W 8 3 1 1 3 0 0 104 59 69 30 27 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1.12
And here are the leaders so far in 2009:
Cnt Player Date Tm Opp GmReslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit Str **GmSc** IR IS BF AB 2B 3B IBB HBP SH SF GDP SB CS Pk BK WP ERA +----+-----------------+-------------+---+----+-------+---------+----+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--------+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--+--+---+--+--+--+--+--+------+ 1 Joel Pineiro 2009-04-22 STL NYM W 5-2 GS-8 ,W 8 6 2 2 2 0 0 91 53 60 30 27 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.25 2 Braden Looper 2009-04-22 MIL @PHI W 3-1 GS-6 ,W 6 5 0 0 2 0 0 107 65 60 24 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 3 Koji Uehara 2009-04-08 BAL NYY W 7-5 GS-5 ,W 5 5 1 1 1 0 0 86 54 52 22 21 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1.80 4 Andy Pettitte 2009-04-21 NYY OAK W 5-3 GS-7 ,W 7 9 2 2 0 0 0 105 67 51 29 28 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.57 5 Daniel Cabrera 2009-04-19 WSN FLA L 4-7 GS-5 5 3 2 2 4 0 0 92 49 49 22 18 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3.60 6 Mike Pelfrey 2009-05-07 NYM PHI W 7-5 GS-7 ,W 7 8 3 3 1 0 1 105 59 48 28 27 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 3.86 7 Darren Oliver 2009-04-18 LAA @MIN L 2-9 GS-4 4 5 1 1 1 0 0 62 38 47 17 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2.25 8 Jair Jurrjens 2009-05-02 ATL HOU L 1-5 GS-2 2 4 1 1 0 0 1 36 29 44 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4.50 9 Jeff Niemann 2009-05-07 TBR @NYY W 8-6 GS-4 3.1 3 2 2 4 0 0 78 42 42 17 12 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 5.40 10 Kyle Davies 2009-04-30 KCR TOR W 8-6 GS-6 ,W 5.2 7 3 3 3 0 1 89 52 40 23 20 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 4.76
It was the Pelfrey game (#6) that just happened a few days ago that made Dan H write in about this stat. You'll notice that many of the starts on this most recent list aren't all that impressive...no strikeouts is usually not a great recipe. It's pretty rare, as the earlier lists show you, to have a great game with no K's.
Tomorrow, I'll look at starting pitchers who got the win despite no strikeouts.
May 13th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I remember that Verlander game, from his first full season. He really stands out on these lists as a guy with devastating stuff; how could HE pitch such a good game and yet not manage to strike anyone out?