Johnny Sain facts

[Frobby]

From Fangraphs’ David Laurila:

Johnny Sain had four seasons with 20 or more wins pitching for the Boston Braves. Over his 11-year career, Sain came to the plate 857 times. He had 190 hits and struck out 20 times. As colleague Tess Taruskin pointed out, Sain was also the first MLB pitcher to face Jackie Robinson, and the last to face Babe Ruth.

[WillyM]

Babe Ruth's final MLB game was in 1935.  Johnny Sain's first MLB game was in 1942.

Unless he faced the Babe in a barnstorming exhibition game somewhere, it doesn't seem correct that Sain could have been the last MLB pitcher to face Ruth.

[Frobby]

On 5/31/2021 at 8:20 PM, WillyM said:

Babe Ruth's final MLB game was in 1935.  Johnny Sain's first MLB game was in 1942.

Unless he faced the Babe in a barnstorming exhibition game somewhere, it doesn't seem correct that Sain could have been the last MLB pitcher to face Ruth.

Found this on Wikipedia:
 

Sain had the distinction of being the first pitcher in the Major Leagues to face Jackie Robinson. In 1943, while participating in a benefit game for the Red Cross, Sain became the last man to pitch against Babe Ruth in organized baseball.

I agree the quote in Fangraphs was a little misleading.   I was more interested in the fact that he only struck out 20 times in 857 PA.   That’s pretty amazing for a pitcher, even back in that era     

 

[WillyM]

You're right that Sain was a good-hitting pitcher, with a lifetime regular season batting average of .245.

He was actually called upon to pinch-hit for a position player in a World Series game.  That occurred in Game 3 of the 1952 Series, when Sain pinch-hit for first baseman Joe Collins, who was having an absolutely dreadful series at the plate.  Sain flied out.

Sain's World Series batting average was .182, with two hits in eleven at-bats.  If he played nowadays with reply review, he would have gone 3 for 11 and his average would have been .273.  I once saw an action photograph in the Fireside Book of Baseball showing Sain with his foot smack on first base while Gil Hodges stretched for the ball, which was clearly visible about five feet from his mitt.  Sain was called out on the play.