26 May 2008: Strange But True

Monday, May 26 2008 @ 02:05 AM EDT

Contributed by: Magpie

I got forty red white and blue shoestrings
and a thousand telephones that don't ring
Do you know where I can get rid of these things?

Just some dumb lists to share before I head off to the ballpark.

In the happy buzz that surrounded Jon Lester's no-hitter, we were reminded regularly that the last Red Sox southpaw to throw a no-hitter was Mel Parnell, more than 50 years ago.

Nothing too unusual about that - after all, the Mets have never found anyone who could throw a no-hitter (at least not while they were working for the Mets, anyway.) But what really got my attention was the parenthetical note that Parnell is the Red Sox all-time leader in games started by a left-handed pitcher. He's also the last Red Sox southpaw to win 20 games in a season.

Mel Parnell? Who started 232 games for Boston? Their all-time leader? I'll bet the Blue Jays have someone who can beat that.

So I looked it up, and indeed they do. The Mariners, who also started up in 1977, actually have two southpaws who started more than 232 games for them. The only teams that who can't find a leftie who can beat Parnell's 232 starts for the Red Sox are: a) the four teams who started up in the 1990s; and b) two of the 1960s expansion group

Because of the Wall, the Red Sox have historically been leery about having left-handed pitchers around. There was that brief period in the 1980s when they actually employed three left-handed starters (Hurst, Tudor, and Ojeda), but all three were soon pitching (and pitching very well indeed) in the National League.

Whereas the Yankees have always looked at their ballpark, and said "send me some more southpaws."

The only teams that who can't find a LHP who can beat Parnell's 232 starts for the Red Sox are: a) the four teams who started up in the 1990s; and b) two of the 1960s expansion group

Here's that list.

Braves - Warren Spahn (635), Tom Glavine (522 and counting)
Phillies - Steve Carlton (499), Chris Short (301), Curt Simmons (263)
Tigers - Mickey Lolich (459), Hal Newhouser (373), Earl Whitehill (287), Frank Tanana (243)
Yankees - Whitey Ford (438), Andy Pettitte (329 and counting), Ron Guidry (323), Lefty Gomez (319), Herb Pennock (268), Fritz Peterson (265)
Twins - Jim Kaat (433), Frank Viola (259), Case Patten (237)
Giants - Carl Hubbell (431), Kirk Rueter (277), Mike McCormick (252)
Royals - Paul Splitorff (392)
White Sox - Billy Pierce (390), Doc White (301), Wilbur Wood (286), Mark Buehrle (244), Thornton Lee (232)
Baltimore - Dave McNally (384), Mike Flanagan (328), Scott McGregor (309), Mike Cuellar (283)
LA Angels - Chuck Finley (379)
Pirates - Wilbur Cooper (371), Ed Morris (307), John Candelaria (271), Bob Veale (255),
Reds - Eppa Rixey (356), Tom Browning (298), Johnny Vander Meer (278), Joe Nuxhall (274)
Mets - Jerry Koosman (346), Sid Fernandez (250)
Dodgers - Claude Osteen (335), Fernando Valenzuela (320), Sandy Koufax (314), Johnny Podres (310), Nap Rucker (273)
Mariners - Jamie Moyer (323), Randy Johnson (266)
Cubs - Hippo Vaughn (270), Dick Ellsworth (236)
Houston - Bob Knepper (267)
Athletics - Lefty Grove (267), Rube Walberg (266), Vida Blue (262), Alex Kellner (239)
Padres - Randy Jones (253)
Rangers - Kenny Rogers (252)
Toronto - Jimmy Key (250)
Cardinals - Bill Sherdel (242)
Boston - Mel Parnell (232)
Arizona - Randy Johnson (217 and counting)
Brewers - Mike Caldwell (217)
Marlins - Dontrelle Willis (162)
Rockies - Jeff Francis (125 and counting)
Rays - Scott Kazmir (105 and counting)
Nationals - Jeff Fassero (100)

Did anyone ever realize that the St Louis Cardinals have never had much in the way of left-handed pitching? Bill Sherdel? there's a trivia question answer for everyone.

And what's up with the Expos/Nationals? Dead last?

While I was doing this I got to wondering which teams had the most 20 win seasons from left-handed pitchers. I expected the answer to be Atlanta, mainly because Warren Spahn had more 20 win seasons by himself than a most franchises have received from every southpaw who ever worked for them, and lately they've had Tom Glavine as well. But no - the Braves come in second. Here's that list:

Athletics (27) - Eddie Plank (7), Rube Waddell (4), Lefty Grove (7), Rube Walberg, Alex Kellner, Bobby Shantz, Vida Blue (3), Ken Holtzman, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito
Braves (21) - Fred Klobedanz, Irv Young, Warren Spahn (13), Tom Glavine (5), Denny Neagle
Giants (18) - Cy Seymour, Hooks Wiltse (2), Rube Marquard (2), Ferdie Schupp, Art Nehf (2), Carl Hubbell (5), Cliff Melton, Johnny Antonelli (2), Mike McCormick, Ron Bryant
Yankees (17) - Herb Pennock (2), Lefty Gomez (4), Ed Lopat, Whitey Ford (2), Fritz Peterson, Ron Guidry (3), Tommy John (2), Andy Pettitte (2)
White Sox (16) - Nick Altrock (2), Doc White, Reb Russell, ClauDe Williams (2), Dickie Kerr, Thornton Lee, Billy Pierce (2), Gary Peters, Wilbur Wood (3), Jim Kaat (2)
Reds (14) - Ted Breitenstein (2), Noodles Hahn (4), Jake Weimer, Slim Sallee, Eppa Rixey (3), Jim Merritt, Tom Browning, Danny Jackson
Browns/Orioles (12) - Lefty Stewart, Steve Barber, Dave McNally (4), Mike Cuellar (4), Mike Flanagan, Scott McGregor
Dodgers (12) - Nap Rucker, Dutch Reuther, Watty Clark, Preacher Roe, Sandy Koufax (3), Claude Osteen (2), Al Downing, Tommy John, Fernando Valenzuela
Tigers (11) - Ed Killian (2), Harry Coveleski (2), Hal Newhouser (4), Billy Hoeft, Mickey Lolich (2)
Pirates (11) - Frank Killen, Jesse Tannehill (3), Lefty Leifield, Wilbur Cooper (4), John Candelaria, John Smiley
Red Sox (10) - Jesse Tannehill (2), Ray Collins, Babe Ruth (2), Lefty Grove, Dave Ferriss (2), Mel Parnell (2)
Cardinals (9) - Ted Breitenstein, Bill Sherdel, Howie Pollet (2), Harry Brecheen, Harvey Haddix, Ray Sadecki, Steve Carlton, John Tudor
Phillies (9) - Wiley Piatt (2), Eppa Rixey, Chris Short, Steve Carlton (5)
Cubs (9) - Jake Weimer (2), Jack Pfiester, Hippo Vaughn (5), Dick Ellsworth
Indians (8) - Otto Hess, Vean Gregg (3), Joe Shaute, Gene Bearden, Herb Score, Sam McDowell
Senators/Twins (5) - Earl Whitehill, Jim Kaat, Jerry Koosman, Frank Viola, Johan Santana
Mariners (3) - Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer (2)
Diamondbacks (2) - Randy Johnson (2)
Padres (2) - Randy Jones (2)
Brewers (2) - Mike Caldwell, Teddy Higuera
Mets (2) - Jerry Koosman, Frank Viola
Marlins (1) - Dontrelle Willis
Blue Jays (1) - David Wells
Expos/Nationals (1) - Ross Grimsley
Royals (1) - Paul Splitorff
Astros (1) - Mike Hampton
Angels (1) - Clyde Wright

As you might expect, I am only counting seasons since 1893, when the mound was moved back. This only affects two teams - the Braves who received a 20+ win season from Kid Madden, and the Cubs who got one from Gus Krock and five from Larry Corcoran. (Larry who? Larry Corcoran won 170 games over the five years 1880 to 1884, but won just seven more after his 25th birthday. According to BaseballLibrary.com, "Overwork, dissipation, and Bright's disease ended his career, and he was dead by the age of 32." I've noticed that Bright's Disease seems to have killed off a lot of old-time ballplayers. It's a now obsolete term for kidney disease, for an illness that would now be regarded as either chronic or acute nephritis.)

Anyway, three current franchises have never had a LHP win 20 games:

Senators/Rangers - record is 18 by Kenny Rogers
Rockies - record is 17 by Jeff Francis
Rays - record is 13 by Scott Kazmir

So if Warren Spahn had been a franchise, he'd rank seventh all-time.

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