Sports by the Numbers MLB Stat of the Week

12 The Royals, Mariners, and Rockies are battling it out as the second full month of the season draws to a close to see who can play the worst baseball - the Rockies have the lowest winning percentage in baseball, but the Royals get the prize after having lost (12) straight as action begins on the final day of May. This is a team that blew a five run lead in the ninth on Wednesday, and then made a huge base-running blunder on Friday that cost them a chance to tie the game - the team deserves to be 21-34, but the Royals' fans who remember better days with guys like Brett, White, Balboni, Quisenberry, Saberhagen, Black, and McRae deserve better.

1 Giants relief pitcher Keiichi Yabu came on against the Padres in the eighth inning on Friday night with runners on first and second and no outs - but he used only (1) pitch to get out of the inning. Padres 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a sharp grounder on Yabu's first pitch that third baseman Jose Castillo fielded near the bag. Castillo stepped on third to force out Brian Giles, fired to second to force out Adrian Gonzalez, and then second baseman Ray Durham relayed the ball to first baseman John Bowker for a 5-4-3 triple play. Yabu later said, "I was thinking groundball and double play, then we turned the triple play - unbelievable"

118 The Braves have a (.118) winning percentage after posting a paltry 2-15 record in games decided by a single run so far this season. Atlanta is doing a great job playing at home - they are 22-7 at Turner Field, which is the best home record in baseball - but they have no hope of contending if they do not start playing better on the road, where they are only 7-19, and if they do not start winning one run ballgames.

176 We like Joe Mauer, and we hate for it to seem like we keep picking on the guy - but the Twins' catcher has now batted (176) times this season and he has yet to hit a homerun. He is batting .318, but Joe, you are a 6' 5" 230 lb catcher - swing harder.

409 Chipper Jones is baseball's leading hitter with a (.409) average as May comes to a close - but he still needs two big flies for career homerun number 400. He has 12 on the season, and Braves' fans hope he stays healthy because his numbers this season so far are mind-boggling: among N.L. leaders he is 1st in average, 1st in on-base percentage, 4th in slugging, 2nd in OPS, 1st in hits, 3rd in times on base, and 6th in total bases.

625 The Chicago Cubs will begin June with a (.625) winning percentage after posting a 35-21 record during the first two months of the season - the best in baseball. The Cubs got some help on Friday when they came back from an 8-0 deficit against the Rockies, rallied for six runs in the seventh inning, and escaped with a 10-9 victory over the team with the worst winning percentage in baseball for the first two months of the season.

 

5 The Yankees carry a (5) game winning streak into the last week of May - it is their longest streak of the season to date, and it coincides with the return of A-Rod to the line-up. The club lost his first game back from the DL, but broke out of an offensive slump in a big way by scoring 41 runs as they won their next five games.

9 Jason Giambi is only hitting .230 but he does lead the club with (9) homeruns - a total that is currently the seventh best in the league. There are a couple of ways to look at Giambi though - one, he has four RBI in his last seven games, or two, all four of those RBI came on two swings of the stick, and in his last ten games those are the only runs he has driven in.

75 New York fell (7.5) games back on May 22, which makes talk of Willie Randolph's job being in jeopardy fairly interesting - and makes me wonder how long the Yankees can stay a .500 club until Joe Girardi starts to feel a little bit of heat..

333 A-Rod hit (.333) during his first six games back from the DL - going 7 for 21, with two doubles, two homeruns (should have been one double and three homeruns, but that's another story), five RBI, and six runs scored. He got at least one hit and scored at least one run in five of his first six games back.

439 Mike Mussina beat Seattle on Saturday for his sixth win in seven starts - and his ERA now stands at (4.39) as he improved his record to 7-4 overall. He is also the team leader in victories, having passed Chien-Ming Wang, who started the year 6-0, but who has now lost his last two decisions and hasn't won in his last four starts.

531 Just thought I'd mention it - but Joe Torre has a (.531) winning percentage in LA after posting a 26-23 record out west during his first 49 games with the Dodgers. His club is in second place, only 3.5 back of the Diamondbacks, despite dealing with several key injuries of their own.

Mike Piazza Career Retrospective

By David Horne, Sports by the Numbers co-author

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Mike Piazza released a statement announcing his retirement yesterday. Piazza, who is a lock for the Hall of Fame, said that, "It has been an amazing journey - I walk away with no regrets."

Come on Mike, not even one? Like not winning the 2000 World Series?

Still, what a career he had - and the accolades are pouring in from some pretty elite players. Tom Glavine, who was both a teammate and an adversary of Piazza's, said that, "He was certainly the greatest hitting catcher of our time - and arguably of all time."

Mets manager Willie Randolph said, "It's the end of a Hall of Fame career" - and Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, "To put yourself in the same ballpark with what a guy like Roy Campanella did is saying something - and Mike is definitely up there with what Roy did."

Braves catcher Brian McCann, who can swing a pretty big stick himself, said that, "If I'm half the hitter he was, I'll have a pretty successful career."

No arguments here - Piazza was a great player.

Take a look at his career using Sports by the Numbers:

1 The number of shots (1) he got at a title. He made it to the Fall Classic as part of the Subway Series in 2000, but his Mets lost to the Yankees - and now he joins a long list of great players who never got a ring.

2 The number of times (2) he placed second in league MVP balloting - in consecutive seasons, 1996-97. He never won the award.

8 He hit only (8) triples in his career - so if you saw him leg one out in person, it was a rare sight indeed. Only twice did he hit two triples in a season - 1993 and 2002.

10 He made (10) consecutive starts for the N.L. in the All-Star game - and was selected for the mid-summer classic 12 times overall. He also won (10) Silver Slugger Awards.

17 Only slightly more frequent than legging out a three-bagger was the number of times he swiped a bag - (17) in all during his 16 major league seasons. He stole a career high five bases in 1997 - and he was thrown out stealing 20 times in his career.

31 Piazza's jersey number - now who should retire it first, the Dodgers or the Mets?

40 He hit a career high (40) homeruns for the Dodgers in 1997 - and then he did it again in 1999. He hit 30 or more homeruns nine times.

62 He was drafted in round (62) of the 1988 June Draft - as a favor to his dad, who was friends with Tommy Lasorda. Only seven players drafted in round 50 or higher that season made it to the majors.

80 His career RBI total is among the top (80) in baseball history - Piazza drove home 1,335 runs. Six times he broke the century mark in a season - including a career high 124 runs twice, in 1997 and 1999.

201 He got a career high (201) hits in 1997. His total was third among league leaders - and for all the big numbers he put up in his career, the only times he led the league in anything at all were in 1995 and 1999. He posted a league best 13.6 at bats per homerun ratio in 1995, which was a good thing, and he hit into a league high 27 double plays in 1999, which was not such a good thing.

273 He hit (.273) in his only World Series appearance - and he went deep twice. He hit six career post-season homeruns - but he also made the last out of the 2000 World Series.

308 He retires with a lifetime (.308) average - high enough to rank among the top 15 for all active players in the game today.

318 He hit (.318) as a rookie for the Dodgers in 1993 - and earned N.L. Rookie of the Year honors.

362 He hit a career high (.362) in 1997 but only placed third in the batting title race behind Tony Gwynn and Larry Walker - he did, however, tie Bill Dickey's major league record for the highest average in a season for a catcher.

396 He hit a major league record (396) homeruns as a catcher.

427 He hit (427) homeruns in his career - a total that places him among the top 40 in major league history.

545 No doubt about it - he was a slugger, as his (.545) career slugging percentage indicates.

638 He posted a career high (.638) slugging percentage in 1997 - the same season he posted a career high 355 total bases.

Good luck Mike, glad you went out scandal free.

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43 Last season after (43) games the Yankees were 20-23 - the exact same record the club has after 43 games this season. The big difference is last season the club trailed the Boston Red Sox by 9.5 games - which was frustrating - and this season they trail the Tampa Bay Rays by five games, which is . . . embarrassing.
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2 New York has been on top of their division for only (2) days all season - by comparison, the Blue Jays have spent one day in first, the Rays have now spent ten days on top, the Orioles have been on top for 14 days, and the Red Sox have been in first for 33 days.

15 Alex Rodriguez took (15) at bats during a simulated game on Saturday and used one of them to hit a grand slam. He has not played for the big club since April 28, but hopes to rejoin his teammates this Tuesday.

257 Alberto Gonzalez is batting (.257) with one RBI in 16 games playing third base in place of the injured A-Rod - but nah, Yankee fans aren't anxious to see the reigning MVP return to a line-up that is struggling to score runs.

468 On a positive note, Jason Giambi now has a (.468) slugging percentage after hitting three homeruns in his last eight games - including one against Johan Santana on Saturday. Okay, so he is batting .193, but he does lead the team with eight big flies.

476 There are not a lot of real positive numbers for the Yankees at the moment - and this one is going to be a negative as well. The club is only 10-11 for a (.476) winning percentage against teams in their own division so far this season - and that hurts. So far the Yankees are 1-2 against the Orioles, 2-3 against the Red Sox, 5-5 against the Rays, and 2-1 against the Blue Jays.

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557 The ERA (5.57) for Giants pitcher Jesse Burkett in 1890. Burkett began that season 0-8, and in 21 games posted a record of 3-10 on the year. Barry Zito lost to the White Sox on Saturday to become the first pitcher since Burkett to begin a season 0-8 for the Giants. In case you are wondering, Burkett became an outfielder in 1891 (in Cleveland) and went on to enjoy a Hall of Fame career. At least Zito and his $126 million contract are back in the starting rotation.

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Honorable Mentions

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11 Brandon Webb has won (11) consecutive starts dating back to last season - and he has won his first nine starts of this season. He improved to 9-0 after picking up an 8-5 victory over the Rockies this past Thursday. Webb said after the game, "It's getting to be amazing - things are just happening." He has won all nine starts on the season, a total that is the highest in baseball since Andy Hawkins won his first ten starts for the Padres in 1985.

49 Josh Hamilton has (49) RBI for the Texas Rangers. Yes, we double-checked. That Josh Hamilton, yes - the former #1 pick of the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays. He reemerged in baseball last season with Cincinnati and hit 19 homeruns with 47 RBI in 90 games, but this season he is just ridiculous. He has ten homeruns and his 49 RBI in 43 games leads the majors - and he has three homeruns and 13 RBI in his last eight games.
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136 Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer has never been a big power guy - only 29 homeruns the last three seasons - but this year has been a real power outage for him. The former A.L. batting champion has not hit a homerun through his first (136) at bats of the season. This isn't a slap hitting second basemen either - the guy is 6-5 and weighs 230.
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412 Chipper Jones leads the majors in batting with a (.412) average as the third weekend in May draws to a close. In case you are wondering, the N.L. average right now is .263, and his former teammate Andruw Jones is currently batting .172 for the Dodgers. Chipper only needs three more big flies to join the 400-homerun club.
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581 The Tampa Bay Rays have a (.581) winning percentage after posting a 25-18 record through 43 games. The Rays are actually tied with the Boston Red Sox on top of the A.L. East standings - on May 18 - but perhaps the most obscene number of them all is the five games the Rays lead the Yankees by in the standings.

Greg Maddux Career Retrospective

Greg Maddux was drafted out of Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nevada by the Chicago Cubs in the second round of the 1984 June Draft. Thirty players were drafted ahead of Maddux.

The Mets chose outfielder Shawn Abner with the first pick. Abner hit only .227 with 11 homeruns during 840 career at bats.

The Mariners used the second pick to select Bill Swift as the first pitcher in the draft. Swift won 21 games in 1993, but placed second in Cy Young Award balloting to none other than Greg Maddux. Swift also got one shot at a title, but his Rockies lost to Maddux and the Braves in the 1995 division series.

There were some big names taken ahead of Maddux - most notably Mark McGwire, who went tenth overall - but no one drafted that year carved out their place in history the way Mad Dog did.

On Saturday night, Maddux beat the Colorado Rockies to become the ninth player in history to reach 350 career wins. Roger Clemens hit that number last season, but after Maddux did it Saturday night, with fans seeing that milestone reached for the second consecutive season, it will be at least a decade or two before we see anyone reach it again - that is, if anyone ever does.

Take a look at the leading victory totals among active players: Tom Glavine (303), Randy Johnson (286), Mike Mussina (255), Jamie Moyer (232), Curt Schilling (216), Kenny Rogers (213), John Smoltz (210), Pedro Martinez (209), and Andy Pettitte (204).

None of those guys can get there.

Tim Hudson is the first name you get to who you expect to have some good seasons ahead of him - but he only has 140 career wins. Hudson would have to win 20 games a season for the next decade just to get to 340.

Roy Oswalt has 115 wins, Roy Halladay has 114, and then . . . who, Barry Zito with 113?

None of those guys are going to put up the numbers Maddux has - but then very few players have ever put up Maddux-type numbers.

His Hall of Fame selection will be a mere formality. Take a look at his career using Sports by the Numbers:

1 The number of World Series titles (1) won by Greg Maddux. He gave up only nine hits in 16 innings as the Braves beat Cleveland in the 1995 World Series.

2 The number of 20-win seasons (2) for Maddux - they came consecutively, in 1992-93. He also won 19 games in five different seasons.

4 He won (4) consecutive Cy Young Awards from 1992-95. He also earned The Sporting News N.L. Pitcher of the Year four consecutive seasons from 1992-95.

5 The number of career homeruns (5) for Maddux. He hit two for Atlanta in 1999, the same season he hit his first career triple. Maddux got a career high 19 hits for the Cubs in 1988.

8 Only (8) players in history have more career victories. Maddux will almost certainly surpass the 354 total held by Roger Clemens - and there is an outside chance he can get to the 361 total held by Kid Nichols.

11 He won (11) games in the post-season. His total is tied with Curt Schilling for the fifth most in baseball history. Maddux won one game in 11 different playoff series.

15 The number of pitchers (15) selected ahead of Greg Maddux in the 1984 June Draft. He wasn't even the first pitcher drafted by the Cubs - Drew Hall was. Hall, the third overall pick, was 9-12 in his career with five saves.

17 He has won the Gold Glove (17) times - every season except for one, in fact, from 1990-2007. Mike Hampton won the award in 2003.

109 Maddux tossed (109) complete games - including a career high ten in 1994 and 1995. He has thrown 35 shutouts.

143 The approximate dollar amount in the millions ($143) that Maddux has earned in his career. He is getting an even $10 mil from the Padres this season.

156 He posted a career best (1.56) ERA in 1994 - it was the second of four seasons that he led the league in ERA.

176 He has (176) career sacrifice bunts - the third highest total among active players.

181 He has only given up (1.81) walks per nine innings for his entire career - one of the top 60 ratios in baseball history.

204 He struck out a career high (204) batters in 1998 - and his career total of 3,299 is among the top 15 in history.

218 He posted a (2.18) ERA during his first Cy Young season in 1992. It was only the third best ERA in the league, but it was the first of seven consecutive seasons that Maddux posted an ERA under 2.75 and placed among the top three league leaders.

258 The career batting average (.258) for Cesar Izturis. The light-hitting infielder is only getting into the Hall of Fame like the rest of us - if he buys a ticket - but he can lay claim to something no one else in the game can, as he is the only player Greg Maddux was ever traded for.

268 He tossed a career high (268) innings in 1992 - and his career total of more than 4,860 innings is among the top 20 in history.

334 The post-season ERA (3.34) for Maddux. He did even better in the World Series, where he posted a 2.09 ERA in five starts.

350 It took Maddux five starts after he won number 349 to get career win number (350) - but if the Padres can get some offense going this season Maddux might make a run at 360. He did, after all, win 14 games last year - and he has won 13 or more games a record 20 consecutive seasons. If Maddux wins 13 this season, he will finish the year at 360 on the number.

617 He is among the top 75 in history with a (.617) career winning percentage.

811 Maddux was 19-2 in 1995 and he led the league with an (.811) WHIP. His .905 winning percentage that season led the league and remains the sixth best in history - and his WHIP also led the league and remains the fifth best in history.

350 Greg Maddux became only the ninth player in major league history to win (350) games when he beat the Rockies on Saturday. It took him five starts to get the milestone, and after winning he admitted, 'It was kind of cool." It was probably unbelievable for his backstop - catcher Luke Carlin was making his big league debut. He caught Maddux and Trevor Hoffman - the guy with more wins than any active player in the game, and the guy with more saves than any player in baseball history.
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4 Jon Lieber gave up (4) homeruns against the Reds on Wednesday - in the second inning. He became only the second player in Chicago Cubs history to give up four homeruns in one inning, which is a bit surprising considering the club plays half their games at Wrigley Field. Phil Norton gave up four homeruns in one inning to the Dodgers in only the second start of his big league career back in 2000 (Lieber and Norton were briefly teammates back then)--but Lieber and Norton both got lit up on the road, as no Cubs pitcher has ever given up four homeruns in one inning at Wrigley Field.

8 The number of players (8) to hit for the cycle with the Twins: Rod Carew, Cesar Tovar, Larry Hisle, Lyman Bostock, Mike Cubbage, Gary Ward, Kirby Puckett, and Carlos Gomez, who did it this past Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox. He led the game off with a homerun, hit a triple in the fifth, a double in the sixth, and a single in the ninth. Gomez, who plays centerfield, as did Kirby Puckett, said later, "It's amazing - something that Kirby Puckett did. I can't explain it to you, it's unbelievable."

23 The number of players (23) to hit three homeruns in one game for the Cincinnati Reds. Joey Votto did it on Wednesday, becoming the first since Aaron Boone on May 8, 2003. Votto had a chance to hit four, and when asked about it he replied, "I'm not going to lie - it was in the back of my head. I thought if I got a good swing, on a good pitch . . ." He grounded out to short in the eighth.

105 The number of pitches (105) for White Sox starter Gavin Floyd against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. He held the Twins hitless through 104 pitches, and was only two outs from pitching immortality before Joe Mauer connected for a double in the ninth inning to break up the no-hit bid. Floyd lost a no-hitter against the Tigers in the eighth inning of a game back on April 12.

727 Atlanta is 8-3 for a (.727) winning percentage during games that are a blowout this season - having outscored their opponents 82-44 during those 11 games. The Braves are only 1-10 during one-run games, however, and the club lost their first nine games of the season that were decided by only one run. Atlanta was the last team in the majors to win a one-run game when they did it this past Thursday against the Padres for their season high sixth straight win, but they came right back on Friday night and lost a one-run game to the Pirates.

349 The number of career victories (349) for Greg Maddux. He got win number 349 back on April 13, but he has given up 16 earned runs in 26 innings and is 0-3 in his last four starts while trying to become just the ninth player in history to record 350 victories - and that includes seven scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Giants. He lost Sunday to the Marlins, and when asked about the milestone being put on hold yet again he replied in typical Maddux fashion, "Enjoy the off day on Monday and get ready to play on Tuesday - there is no big picture in baseball." His next start is Friday at home against Colorado.

11 Ken Griffey, Jr. has now gone (11) consecutive games without hitting a homerun as he remains three big flies shy of becoming just the sixth member of the 600-homerun club. He nearly got number 598 on Monday, but Cubs outfielder Felix Pie brought one back from above the wall in straight away center - something that Junior has been known to do to opposing hitters a time or two throughout his career.

13 Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Max Scherzer made his major league debut last Tuesday in perfect fashion - he retired all (13) batters he faced, including seven by strikeout, in a relief appearance against the Houston Astros. He said after the game, "I was so anxious to get out there, so prepared to finally make my major league debut." On Monday, Scherzer made his first start - and gave up nine base runners in four innings as the Phillies tagged him for his first big league loss.

54 Boston third baseman Mike Lowell drove home 120 runs last season - but he began this season by going (54) consecutive at bats without an RBI. He hit a two-run homerun against Detroit on Monday to get on the board, but after placing fifth in the league in RBI last season, he was the last player in baseball with at least 50 at bats to get an RBI this season.

396 Chipper Jones hit his tenth homerun of the season on Tuesday night - it was also long ball number (396) for his career as he moves closer to becoming just the third switch-hitting member of the 400-homerun club. The others are, of course, Hall of Fame legends Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray - and one would guess Chipper has reached that point in his career where talking about Cooperstown seems appropriate.

667 The Diamondbacks boast a 22-11 record for a (.667) winning percentage - the best in baseball as the season is fully into week six. Brandon Webb is one of the main reasons for Arizona's success, having won all seven games he has started. The Red Sox, Angels, and Cardinals also have 22 wins - but they also have lost more games so far than the D-Backs.

Sports by the Numbers NYY Stat of the Week

17 The season is fully five weeks old and the Yankees have finally surpassed the Rays in the victory column after winning their third straight on Sunday for win number (17) on the season. The Yanks begin week six 3.5 back of the Red Sox, but they remain tied with Tampa for second in the division because New York has one more loss than Tampa as well.
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Honorable Mentions

6 Chien-Ming Wang now has (6) wins in seven starts this season and is tied for the league lead after beating the Mariners 5-1 in his last outing on May 2. He has yet to suffer a loss, but in his only no-decision he gave up eight earned runs in only four innings of work against the Red Sox - though the Yanks won 15-9 anyway. In his six wins, Wang has given up only seven earned runs total.

324 Hideki Matsui leads the club with a (.324) batting average and a .411 on-base percentage. Matsui and Derek Jeter both have 35 hits so far, trailing the 38 by Bobby Abreu for the team lead.

515 The winning percentage (.515) for manager Joe Girardi and the Yankees after posting a 17-16 record through 33 games. So far the Yankees have not been more than two games above or two games below .500 the entire season - they have yet to spend a day on top of the division standings, and the 3.5 games they trail the Red Sox by as of today is their largest deficit of the year thus far.

527 Johnny Damon leads the club with a (.527) slugging percentage - yes, that Johnny Damon. His average is up to .295 after a slow start and he leads the club with 17 extra-base hits.
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563 The winning percentage (.563) for manager Joe Torre and the Los Angeles Dodgers after posting an 18-14 record through 32 games. LA is three full games back of the Diamondbacks, but the Dodgers are just coming off an eight-game win streak and have won nine out of ten overall.