Four strikeouts in one IP
Posted by Andy on June 16, 2008
Here are the guys to do it since 1956:
Cnt Player Date Tm Opp GmReslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB **SO** HR Pit Str GmSc IR IS BF AB 2B 3B IBB HBP SH SF GDP SB CS Pk BK WP ERA +----+-----------------+-------------+---+----+-------+---------+----+--+--+--+--+------+--+---+---+----+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+--+--+---+--+--+--+--+--+------+ 1 Jon Rauch 2006-04-26 WSN CIN L 0-5 8-8 1 0 0 0 1 4 0 31 18 0 0 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 2 Mike Stanton 2004-08-03 NYM @MIL W 12-3 8-8 1 0 0 0 1 4 0 21 14 0 0 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 3 Octavio Dotel 2003-06-11 HOU @NYY W 8-0 8-8 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 20 15 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 4 Kazuhiro Sasaki 2003-04-04 SEA @TEX W 6-4 9-9f ,S 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 21 14 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 5 Jerry Spradlin 1999-07-22 SFG SDP L 7-8 7-7 1 1 1 0 0 4 0 24 18 0 0 6 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.00 6 Derek Wallace 1996-09-13 NYM ATL W 6-4 9-9f ,S 1 1 0 0 0 4 0 21 14 0 0 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 7 Bruce Ruffin 1996-07-25 COL CHC L 8-10 9-9f ,L 1 3 2 2 1 4 0 32 22 0 0 8 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 18.00 8 Mark Wohlers 1995-06-07 ATL CHC W 4-3 9-9f ,S 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 17 12 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 9 Paul Shuey 1994-05-14 CLE DET W 9-3 9-9f 1 0 0 0 2 4 0 35 21 0 0 6 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 10 Paul Assenmacher 1989-08-22 ATL STL L 5-10 5-5 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 20 16 2 1 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 11 Mike Stanton 1985-07-22 CHW DET W 9-4 8-9 1 0 1 0 3 4 0 1 0 7 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Note that this is 1 IP, 4 K's. It doesn't include any of the numerous cases where a guy pitched more than one inning and struck out four during one of the innings he pitched. There's no way to search for that with the PI.
June 16th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
As far as I can tell, the most anyone has pitched in a game (since 1956) and struck out more batters than he retired is 1.2 IP. This has only happened twice and amazingly both games occurred in a span of about a week.
http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/jgnR
June 16th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Baseball Almanac claims to have a complete list of 4 strikeout innings at
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats19.shtml
Some highlights: Chuck Finley is the only pitcher to do it more than once - and he did it three times. Orval Overall, 1908, is the only pitcher to do it in a World Series.
June 16th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Mike Stanton has a record! Only guy to do it twice since 1956.
June 17th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Believe it or not, it's two different Mike Stantons who did it.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
So, looking at the list from comment #2, the list posted above is actually a small subset. It actually happened 45 times, not 11.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:31 am
The original list may well be complete - within its stated parameters, namely,
1) it only goes back to 1956, and
2) it's only guys who pitched just one inning.
It's when you remove these restrictions that you may go from 11 occasions to 45.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Looking at the complete list in Comment 2 it hit me that this is a much more common "feat" than it was 40 years ago. We now see this about once a year. Factors in this "feat" being more common:
1. Expansion, therefore more opportunities.
2. Hitters swinging for the fences strike out more often than in days past.
3. Pitchers use more pitches with movement (splitter, slider, etc.) that can lead to a ball getting away from a catcher. Pitchers in the 70's and back relied more on the fast ball.
4. Pitching talent eroded, so there are more pitchers in the big leagues that would have been throwing wild pitches in AAA in the 60's. (Admittedly, this logic breaks down at the point where the AAAA pitchers we have now shouldn't be able to record a strikeout as easily.)
Missing from the list is former White Sox reliever Kelly Wunsch. Wunsch didn't turn this "feat" in the big leagues, but struck out 5 in an inning in the minors. Some company put out a card in the mid-90's commemorating this and I have it signed.