The Sabr Baseball List and Record Book

by Lyle Spatz

From the authority on baseball research and statistics comes a vastand fascinating compendium of uniquebaseball lists and records.The SABR Baseball List & Record Book is an expansive collection of pitching, hitting, fielding, home run, team, and rookie records not available online or in any other book. This is a treasure trove of baseball history for statistically minded baseball fans that's also packed with intriguing marginalia. For instance, on July 25, 1967, Chicago's Ken Berry ended Game Two of a doubleheader against Cleveland with a home run in the bottom of the sixteenth inning -- Chicago's second game-winning homer of the day. The comprehensive lists include Most Career Home Runs by Two Brothers (Tommie and Hank Aaron have 768), Most Seasons with 15 or More Wins (Cy Young and Greg Maddux each have 18), and Highest On Base Percentage in a Season by a Rookie (listing every rookie above .400).Unlike other record books that only list the record holders -- say, most RBI by a rookie, held by Ted Williams with 145 -- SABR details every rookie to reach 100 RBI. Other record books might note the last pitcher in each league to steal home; here SABR has included every pitcher to do it. The book also includes a number of idiosyncratic features, such as a rundown of every player who has hit a triple and then stolen home, or every reliever who has won two games in one day. Many of the lists include a comments column for key historical notes and entertaining trivia (Bob Horner hit four home runs in a 1986 game, but his team lost). This is a must-have for every fan's library.Edited by Lyle Spatz, Chairman of the Baseball Records Committee for SABR

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, Reference

473 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2007

Reviews

[Mark Desrosiers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most Home Runs by a Pitcher in a season: 9 (Wes Ferrell in 1931) (though Mike Hampton hit *seven* for Colorado in 2001)

Best career strikeout-to-walk ratio: Curt Schilling (4.38) followed by Pedro Martinez (4.28)

Fewest wins by a pitching triple crown winner: 19, by Johan Santana in 2006

Most consecutive scoreless innings: 59.0, Orel Hershiser, August-September 1988

Most years spent with one franchise: 23 (Brooks Robinson & Carl Yastrzemski, tie)

etc. etc. etc., just fascinating!

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book produced by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). This is, as the book says (page vii), "intended to fill what we in SABR feel is a void in the reference publications that fans and media depend upon." It is not intended to replace standard sources of statistics, The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia. It provides other lists, not appearing in standard references. For instance, the Introduction remarks that some reference sources include records for most RBIs by a rookie, this volume lists "every rookie who batted in at least 100 runs."

The book covers the time frame 1876-2006. And comparing statistics across these periods is extraordinarily difficult!

Records are listed in numerical order from 001 to 740 (thus, there are 740 records examined). 001 is Most career games played (Pete Rose is # 1 with 3562); 740 is "Families with 3 or more brothers who played in the major leagues" (the Delahanty's are # 1 with 5 brothers playing in the bigs). By the way, both records are in the The Baseball Encyclopedia, if memory serves. But what records are included in between!

Some random picks: Worst fielding average by a first baseman since 1946. One player dominates with 3 of the 4 crummiest fielding averages. Any guess? Dr. Strangeglove--Dick Stuart (1961, 1963, 1964). Here's something exotic: Pinch-hit home run and one other home run in a game: This has happened 26 times (all with 1), the most recent being Jeff Salazar (Chicago White Sox) in 2006. What about most homers in a season without winning the home run title? Sammy Sosa, of course, with 66 in 1998.

Another intriguing hitting record: Most career RBIs without a 100 RBI season. Pete Rose ranks # 1 here. Others in the top 10 include Eddie Collins, Craig Biggio, Sam Rice, and Julio Franco. And how's this? Game-ending extra-inning home runs (16th inning and later)? The most recent is Ramon Martinez in 2006; the earliest was Charley ("Old Hoss") Radbourne, in 1886.

One last tidbit. Best stolen base duo in a season? With 246 steals, Arlie Latham (129) and Charlie ("Old Roman") Comiskey (117) in 1887. From1898 to the present? Vince Coleman (110) and Willie McGee (56), for a total of 166 in 1985.

Anyhow, this book is a hoot for those who like offbeat statistics. Despite the book's claim, you will find some of these statistics elsewhere. But there are some interesting off-the-beaten-path stats.

[Michael Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The major issue is the formatting of the book for kindle was horrible... made it hard to read at times... other than that it is a very interesting book

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, I will always love a book like this

[Billy Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barry Foote came up 22 times without a hit in 1981. Picture a million factoids like this. I love this book.

[Jonathan M. Eisenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why does this book come to the top of my list of books when sorted alphabetically by authors?