Jackin’ Zach Britton, the ace of pitchers’ hittin’

Posted by John Autin on July 5, 2011

[Some of this appeared in Monday Mentions, but I'm doing a separate post in a blatant play for the outside world's attention....]

With interleague play done for this year and little chance of further batting by AL pitchers, Baltimore's Zach Britton has likely set a number of season batting records for an American League pitcher in the DH era (1973-present). (Minimum 4 AB for all rate stats.)

Hits, 5
Total Bases, 9 (old record was 6)
Batting Average, .625
Slugging Average, 1.125
OPS, 1.750

Britton, who never batted in 5 minor-league seasons and didn't attend college, had at least 1 hit in all 3 of his games in NL parks, and was the only AL pitcher to hit a home run this year (complete list of AL pitchers' HRs below). He also he tied the DH-era record with 2 extra base hits, done by three others.

Hits

Rk	Player	H	Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	AB	R	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	GDP	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos
1	Zach Britton	5	2011	23	BAL	17	8	8	3	1	0	1	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.625	.625	1.125	1.750	*1
2	Eric Milton	4	1998	22	MIN	32	9	9	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.444	.444	.444	.889	*1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/5/2011.

Total Bases

Rk	Player	TB	Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos
1	Zach Britton	9	2011	23	BAL	17	8	8	3	5	1	0	1	2	0	1	.625	.625	1.125	1.750	*1
2	Josh Beckett	6	2006	26	BOS	33	7	7	2	3	0	0	1	3	0	2	.429	.429	.857	1.286	*1
3	CC Sabathia	6	2005	24	CLE	31	6	6	1	2	1	0	1	4	0	1	.333	.333	1.000	1.333	*1
4	Bobby Witt	6	1997	33	TEX	35	6	6	1	2	1	0	1	2	0	1	.333	.333	1.000	1.333	*1
5	Johan Santana	5	2007	28	MIN	33	8	7	2	2	1	1	0	1	1	0	.286	.375	.714	1.089	*1
6	Omar Olivares	5	1997	29	TOT	35	5	5	2	3	0	1	0	2	0	1	.600	.600	1.000	1.600	*1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/5/2011.

Batting Average

Rk	Player	BA	AB	Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SH	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos
1	Zach Britton	.625	8	2011	23	BAL	17	8	3	5	1	0	1	2	0	1	0	.625	1.125	1.750	*1
2	Mike Mussina	.600	5	2002	33	NYY	33	6	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.600	.600	1.200	*1
3	Jarrod Washburn	.600	5	2001	26	ANA	30	6	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	.667	.600	1.267	*1
4	Omar Olivares	.600	5	1997	29	TOT	35	5	2	3	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	.600	1.000	1.600	*1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/5/2011.

Slugging Average

Rk	Player	SLG	AB	Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SO	SH	GDP	BA	OBP	OPS	Pos
1	Zach Britton	1.125	8	2011	23	BAL	17	8	3	5	1	0	1	2	1	0	0	.625	.625	1.750	*1
2	Mark Buehrle	1.000	4	2009	30	CHW	33	5	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	0	.250	.250	1.250	*1
3	CC Sabathia	1.000	6	2005	24	CLE	31	6	1	2	1	0	1	4	1	0	0	.333	.333	1.333	*1
4	Mark Hendrickson	1.000	4	2003	29	TOR	30	4	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	1	.250	.250	1.250	*1
5	Omar Olivares	1.000	5	1997	29	TOT	35	5	2	3	0	1	0	2	1	0	0	.600	.600	1.600	*1
6	Bobby Witt	1.000	6	1997	33	TEX	35	6	1	2	1	0	1	2	1	0	0	.333	.333	1.333	*1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/5/2011.

OPS

Rk	Player	OPS	AB	Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	Pos
1	Zach Britton	1.750	8	2011	23	BAL	17	8	3	5	1	0	1	2	0	1	.625	.625	1.125	*1
2	Omar Olivares	1.600	5	1997	29	TOT	35	5	2	3	0	1	0	2	0	1	.600	.600	1.000	*1
3	CC Sabathia	1.333	6	2005	24	CLE	31	6	1	2	1	0	1	4	0	1	.333	.333	1.000	*1
4	Bobby Witt	1.333	6	1997	33	TEX	35	6	1	2	1	0	1	2	0	1	.333	.333	1.000	*1
5	Josh Beckett	1.286	7	2006	26	BOS	33	7	2	3	0	0	1	3	0	2	.429	.429	.857	*1
6	Jarrod Washburn	1.267	5	2001	26	ANA	30	6	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	2	.600	.667	.600	*1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/5/2011.

Home Runs by AL Pitchers in the DH Era

Rk	Player	Year	HR	Age	Tm	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	SH	GDP	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos
1	Zach Britton	2011	1	23	BAL	17	8	8	3	5	1	2	0	1	0	0	.625	.625	1.125	1.750	*1
2	Josh Beckett	2009	1	29	BOS	32	5	5	1	1	0	1	0	3	0	0	.200	.200	.800	1.000	*1
3	Mark Buehrle	2009	1	30	CHW	33	5	4	1	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	.250	.250	1.000	1.250	*1
4	CC Sabathia	2008	1	27	CLE	18	3	3	1	1	0	1	0	2	0	0	.333	.333	1.333	1.667	*1
5	Felix Hernandez	2008	1	22	SEA	31	2	1	1	1	0	4	0	0	1	0	1.000	1.000	4.000	5.000	*1
6	Josh Beckett	2006	1	26	BOS	33	7	7	2	3	0	3	0	2	0	0	.429	.429	.857	1.286	*1
7	Jon Garland	2006	1	26	CHW	33	7	5	2	1	0	2	0	3	2	0	.200	.200	.800	1.000	*1
8	Kris Benson	2006	1	31	BAL	30	9	9	1	1	0	2	0	3	0	0	.111	.111	.444	.556	*1
9	Zack Greinke	2005	1	21	KCR	33	2	2	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.500	.500	2.000	2.500	*1
10	CC Sabathia	2005	1	24	CLE	31	6	6	1	2	1	4	0	1	0	0	.333	.333	1.000	1.333	*1
11	Jason Johnson	2005	1	31	DET	33	2	2	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.500	.500	2.000	2.500	*1
12	Jason Davis	2004	1	24	CLE	26	5	5	1	1	0	1	0	2	0	0	.200	.200	.800	1.000	*1
13	Mark Hendrickson	2003	1	29	TOR	30	4	4	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	.250	.250	1.000	1.250	*1
14	Esteban Yan	2000	1	25	TBD	43	2	1	1	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	1.000	1.000	4.000	5.000	*1
15	Dwight Gooden	1999	1	34	CLE	26	3	2	1	1	0	2	1	1	0	0	.500	.667	2.000	2.667	*1
16	Dave Burba	1998	1	31	CLE	32	6	6	1	1	0	2	0	1	0	0	.167	.167	.667	.833	*1
17	Bobby Witt	1997	1	33	TEX	35	6	6	1	2	1	2	0	1	0	0	.333	.333	1.000	1.333	*1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/5/2011.

Extra-Base Hits

Rk	Player	XBH	Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos
1	Zach Britton	2	2011	23	BAL	17	8	8	3	5	1	0	1	2	0	1	.625	.625	1.125	1.750	*1
2	Johan Santana	2	2007	28	MIN	33	8	7	2	2	1	1	0	1	1	0	.286	.375	.714	1.089	*1
3	CC Sabathia	2	2005	24	CLE	31	6	6	1	2	1	0	1	4	0	1	.333	.333	1.000	1.333	*1
4	Bobby Witt	2	1997	33	TEX	35	6	6	1	2	1	0	1	2	0	1	.333	.333	1.000	1.333	*1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/5/2011.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

23 Responses to “Jackin’ Zach Britton, the ace of pitchers’ hittin’”

John R Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Not sure what search you're using to determine AL pitchers that hit home runs in the AL DH era, but it missed Esteban Yan for the Devil Rays in 2000.
John Autin Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
@1, John R -- Thanks for the reality check. I'll try to find the source of the error.
Dan Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
Also Bobby Witt for the Rangers in 1997?
JDV Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Thank you for finding a bright spot in yet another miserable year for Oriole fans. I hope Britton can develop into a reliable long-term starter...for the Orioles, that is, not for a National League team looking for more offense.

Meanwhile, the team gets worse...their 27-game splits are 13-14; 12-15; 11-16. Following that trend, they would finish 63-99. I really thought .500 was realistic this season.

So, I was thinking, what is the longest career for a player who has never played on a .500 team? Brian Roberts is at 1,233 G and counting when he returns.
John Autin Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
@1 / @3 -- I have corrected the list of pitchers' HRs.
John Autin Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
I'll have to correct all the lists -- I was affected by a site-wide bug this morning -- all players with last names alphabetically after "Stine" were temporarily unavailable in all modes. I don't think it's going to affect any of Britton's records, but we'll have to see....
Thomas Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Does that Andy Sonnanastine number include that game where he had to bat 3rd because of 2 players being listed as third basemen in an AL game?

I just vaguely remember that happening so it might not even be the right year... but I think he even doubled in that game. Not that it really matters, he's only on the first list...
John Autin Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
All the lists have been corrected now. Lucky me, none of the "record" claims were affected by the glitch.
John Autin Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
@7, Thomas -- I think you were referring to Sonnanstine on the Total Bases list; he had 4 in 2009, and yes, that included his game batting 3rd, when he went 1-for-3 with a double.

BTW, I've trimmed some of the tables, so Sonnanstine no longer appears on the Total Bases list.
Mustachioed Repetition Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Great question JDV.

The Phillies were under .500 1918-31 and 1933-48, but I don't immediately see anyone with a longer career than Roberts who fit in one of those pockets.

Jack Wilson has played 1298 games. He was with the Pirates from '01 and Seattle the last two seasons. He was traded from PIT to SEA in '09. Seattle was over .500 that year, and I think they were over .500 while Wilson was there, but overall his teams were under .500 for the season. Depending how you phrase your question, he could beat Roberts.

Kevin Young had 1205 games of losing with PIT and KC.

I don't see anyone during the Browns' losing streaks of '30-'41 and '46-'56.

The old Senators never had a really long losing streak.
Mustachioed Repetition Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
There may be someone who timed their move to a new team just wrong so they endured losing for many years with multiple franchises, but that's not so easy to search quickly.
John Autin Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
The Mariners began in 1977 and had 14 straight losing seasons, so maybe some long-term Mariner topped Roberts' streak.
John Autin Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
Dan Meyer had a 12-year career, all with losing teams (DET 1974-76, SEA 1977-81, OAK 1982-85). That's 1 year longer than Roberts (even assuming the O's finish sub-.500 this year), but his 1,118 games is less than Roberts.
John Autin Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
@4, JDV -- I don't know if this will bring you cheer or gloom, but....

Bruce Bochte played 12 seasons and 1,538 games without ever playing for a winning team; both the years & the games are more than Roberts.
-- CAL 1974-77
-- CLE 1977
-- SEA 1978-82
-- OAK 1984-86
(He was retired during 1983.)

Team record in their respective starts:
-- Bochte, 592-800, a .425 W%.
-- Roberts, 520-662, a 440 W%.
JDV Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 4:37 pm
Thanks for all the follow-ups. Here's hoping that Roberts comes back healthy, remains an Oriole for a good long time, and never challenges Bochte.
JDV Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
...and a bright spot for both...the 1985 Athletics were above .500 in games in which Bochte played, while the 2002 and 2010 Orioles were above .500 in games in which Roberts played.
Nash Bruce Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 8:02 pm
Between 1974 and 1982, when he retired the first time, Bruce Bochte had an OPS+ of 115.
Over the course of his career, he also played with Nolan Ryan, Gaylord Perry, Jose Canseco, and Mark Mcgwire.
Maybe the devil is in the details, but still.......
Timmy p Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
On the flip side of the equation, fans of the Royals and White Sox were denied the opportunity to see Carlos Zambrano hit because of the DH rule. I would like to see an end to the DH.
John Autin Says:
July 5th, 2011 at 10:40 pm
Just as an experiment, I'd like to see one year with the rule that the home team decides whether the DH is in effect or not.
Mustachioed Repetition Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 12:30 am
Do you mean in interleague games, or all games? If just interleague, I'm pretty sure the teams would go with what they know best. We know managers don't like to take too many chances.
John Autin Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 1:39 am
@20, M-Rep -- No, I meant all games, in both leagues. Obviously, it's just a pipe dream, but I think it would be fun.
Brendan Says:
July 7th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Um... has Britton been tested for PED use yet? Those stats look suspicious.
Kahuna Tuna Says:
July 7th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Um... has Britton been tested for PED use yet? Those stats look suspicious.

Settle down, Brendan. Before 2011, the three Brittons who had played in the majors were a combined 7 for 67, with no walks and 23 strikeouts. Even Zach's 5 for 8 this season brings the family's batting average up to only .160!

(-;þ

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