One Hit Wonders

[weams]

Huge Eric Davis fan. Wow, I didn't know he had cancer in the midst of his career. I was very happy to have him as an Oriole and I was a big fan of him elsewhere too.

Huge fan.

[DrungoHazewood]

What was that guy's name? He had one hit shutout in Anaheim a few years back. Chris something? He was a rookie but a little older than the average rookie.

Waters.

Waters was the guy who had a 5-something ERA in Norfolk and got called up anyway due to a total lack of other reasonable options.

[DrungoHazewood]

Vern Stephens, 3rd baseman for 1954 Orioles. Led team in home runs with 8.

Of course Stephens had a prior life as a near-HOF-caliber SS for the Browns and Red Sox. Had the great luck to bat near Ted Williams in the Sox lineup when Fenway was one of the best hitters' parks in the league, and had consecutive seasons of 137, 159 and 144 RBI. Kind of the Miguel Tejada of the 1940s. Many worse players have plaques in Cooperstown.

[mdbdotcom]

Felix Pie hit for the cycle. I guess that made him a four-hit wonder that day.

[24fps]

Waters was the guy who had a 5-something ERA in Norfolk and got called up anyway due to a total lack of other reasonable options.

I went to that game only to be turned back at the gate. The Angles were good during that time and it was sold out. So I ended up watching the last four innings he pitched in a bar in Burbank with another expatriate Orioles fan I ran into and for one game I witnessed Chris Waters turn into Tom Glavine in front of a full major league stadium.

I wish I could have a memory even half that good.

[DrungoHazewood]

Felix Pie hit for the cycle. I guess that made him a four-hit wonder that day.

Remember when that happened and someone here, a reasonably long-time poster, went on a semi-profane rant about how Pie's cycle disrespected the careers of Brooks and Cal since they had been the only Orioles to do it? That was weird.

[mdbdotcom]

Remember when that happened and someone here, a reasonably long-time poster, went on a semi-profane rant about how Pie's cycle disrespected the careers of Brooks and Cal since they had been the only Orioles to do it? That was weird.

Bob Watson hit for the cycle in both leagues and never took batting practice. Didn't believe it was helpful. Think of all the coaches that disrespected.

[DrungoHazewood]

Bob Watson hit for the cycle in both leagues and never took batting practice. Didn't believe it was helpful. Think of all the coaches that disrespected.

The first MLB game I ever saw in person, at Memorial Stadium at the age of eight, was the game where Watson hit for his AL cycle and set the record you mention. September of 1979. Was also the game Yaz got his 3001st hit, and according to my Dad's note in the program the largest regular season crowd at Memorial Stadium up to that date.

[Gofannon]

Remember when that happened and someone here, a reasonably long-time poster, went on a semi-profane rant about how Pie's cycle disrespected the careers of Brooks and Cal since they had been the only Orioles to do it? That was weird.

Hadn't the pain of that already softened when Aubrey Huff disrespected Brooks and Cal with a cycle of his own two years earlier?

[DrungoHazewood]

Hadn't the pain of that already softened when Aubrey Huff disrespected Brooks and Cal with a cycle of his own two years earlier?

Did that really happen? I guess it did. I'd completely forgotten about that. But, yea, whoever that was totally ripped on Pie despite Huff's galling actions.

[mdbdotcom]

Did that really happen? I guess it did. I'd completely forgotten about that. But, yea, whoever that was totally ripped on Pie despite Huff's galling actions.

I saw Pie close up in batting practice in Sarasota. He was one of those "ball sounds different coming off the bat" guys. He was actually hitting balls into the street, which no one else was coming close to doing. It was easy to see why teams thought he would be great.

[LA2]

We need the year Huff gave us in 2008 or Luke Scott in 2010 (assuming we're going to lose Crush). Where can we find it?

[PeteU]

Craig Worthington had a solid rookie season in 1989 and never lived up to it again.

[Slappy]

Over Ballard?

He went 18-8 in 1989.

He finished 6th in the Cy Young voting.

He was 23-45 for the rest of his career.

If we did a poll Ballard would be my pick. Didn't he go like 2-12 the next year?

[DrungoHazewood]

If we did a poll Ballard would be my pick. Didn't he go like 2-12 the next year?

A fun list would be players with the worst careers who got Cy Young or MVP votes. Ballard's career was worth 2.6 fWAR. When Deivi Cruz was on the Tigers he got a couple MVP votes in a year where he hit .241/.263/.314. An old St. Louis Brown named Ken Wood once got two MVP votes in a year (1950) where he was two wins below replacement.