Most Batters Faced with No CG
Posted by Chris J. on September 6, 2007
This is just a fun one: who has faced the most batters in a single season without completing a game?
Let's go backwards in time on that list and see who the record holders used to be among pitchers who started in at least 60% of their appearances.
Right now it's Rick Helling with 963, a mark he set in 2000.
Before that it was Joey Hamilto, with 958 in 1998. (To be fair, I think all 958 PA came in one start - rimshot!)
Before that it was Wilson Alvarez with 946 in 1996.
You have to go all the way back to Kevin Brown in 1991 with 934 for the previous record holder.
Before then it was Steve Bedrosian - Steve Bedrosian?!? - in 1985 when he was made into a starter. 907 TBF, now only 26th on the list.
In the pre-Bedrosian days, you have to scroll all the way down to #114 on the list to see Milt Wilcox at 814 in 1984. Man, Bedrosian just SHATTERED that mark, didn't he?
There's no one in the top 200 before 1984. Wow.
OK, I'm curious. Let's do a new search.
In 1978, Fred Norman had 777 TBF under Captain Hook without a complete game. It's worth noting that Milt Wilcox in '84 was also under Sparky Anderson.
Before that you have to go back to 1966, when Bill Hands faced 698 under Leo Durocher. And that includes 124 guys faced as a reliever.
Then it's Ken McBride with the 1964 Angels way down at 533. It's possible/likely that every team in baseball this year will have one pitcher face more than 533 batters without recording a complete game.
In 1961, Earl Francis faced 458 batters with the defending champs.
The year before Don Larsen - yup, that Don Larsen - had 381 in KC.
That just edged him past Jack Kraus, who had 377 TBF for the doormat Phillies in 1945.
Unless I missed someone, that's the first time anyone faced 300 batters without a CG. Hell, it's the first time anyone faced 200 without a complete game while startin 60% of the time or more.
In 1935, Flint Rhem had 195 TBF. He only had 6 stinkin' starts.
In 1928 Garland Buckeye had 188 TBF in his 6 starts and 4 relief appearances.
In 1923, Frank Miller faced 180.
The year before Epp Sell - quit laughing, that's really his name - faced 149 batters in 5 starts and a duce of relief apperances.
Actually, he tied a mark set by the immortal Bernie Boland the year before.
Time for a new search. (sigh, & I thought this would be a quick, easy post. This PI thingee really sucks you in).
Back to the deadball era:
1917: Earl Torkelson (sounds like a cartoon character's name, don't it?) faced 121.
In 1909 Harry Otis became the first man to ever face 100 batters without a CG (and at least 60% of all apperances being starts): 113 to be exact. Three stinking starts.
In 1906 Ambrose Puttman (sounds like s Civil War golfer) faced 87
That broke the record of an actual good pitcher - Tommy Bond who in his two incomplete starts in 1882 faced 62 men.
That appears to be the earliest year the site has complete TBF info for.
Rick Helling: carrying on the proud tradition of Tommy Bond, Don Larsen and Civil War golfers.