The random weird stat thread

[Frobby]

I decided we need a thread for weird, anomalous stats we come across from time to time.   Here’s a few I’ve seen in the last couple of days:

- The 2020 Royals finished 26-34 and their bullpen had a 3.84 ERA, but somehow they had a 95% save rate (19/20).

- The 2020 White Sox had a .143 BABIP at DH, and the Angels had a .187 BABIP there.    

[OFFNY]

o

 

The St. Louis Cardinals franchise has been around since 1882. That's 139 seasons.

In all of that time (1882-present), who holds the all-time Cardinals franchise record for most consecutive strikeouts in a game?

Is it Bob Gibson ??? Grover Cleveland Alexander ??? Jesse Haines ??? Dizzy Dean ???

No.

While those superstars shined brightly for many years and many games for the Redbirds (especially Gibson and Haines), none of them holds the franchise record (1882-present) for the most consecutive strikeouts in a game.

If not one of them, then who ??? Perhaps Bob Forsch, Steve Carlton, Mort Cooper, or John Tudor ???

Nix again.

Believe it or not, it is none other than JOHN SMOLTZ.

In 2009, in the twilight of his career and well past his prime, future Hall-of-Famer Smoltz struck out 7 consecutive batters on August 23rd against the Padres ........ IN HIS VERY FIRST GAME AS A CARDINAL.

And mind you, this WAS NOT vintage John Smoltz. This was a 42 year-old pitcher who was hanging on at the end of his storied career, probably for no other reason than wanting to get every inch of love out of the game that he had been playing for the better part of his life. In fact, previous to the Cardinals signing him as a free agent that August, Smoltz has been absolutely dreadful pitching for the Red Sox (which is why they released him in the first place), going 2-5 with an 8.33 ERA.

Smoltz pitched 6 more games for the Cardinals, and retired at the end of the season.

Strange, but true.

 

o