Tag: Sam McDowell

Twins pitchers with 15 or more K’s in a game

Historically the Minnesota Twins have not had a lot of pitchers that were strikeout pitchers. I was curious as to just how many times a Twins pitcher has struck out 15 or more in a single game. Turns out that a Twins pitcher has accomplished this feat just six times in 9,095 games from 1961-2017 and no Twins pitcher has done it more than once.

Johan Santana
Results
Rk Player Date Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R SO Pit Str
1 Johan Santana 2007-08-19 MIN TEX W 1-0 GS-8, W 8.0 2 0 17 112 83
2 Francisco Liriano 2012-07-13 MIN OAK L 3-6 GS-8, L 8.0 4 4 15 112 75
3 Bert Blyleven 1986-08-01 MIN OAK W 10-1 CG, W 9.0 2 1 15    
4 Jerry Koosman 1980-06-23 MIN KCR W 4-1 CG, W 9.0 10 1 15    
5 Joe Decker 1973-06-26 MIN CHW W 4-0 SHO, W 9.0 4 0 15    
6 Camilo Pascual 1961-07-19 (1) MIN LAA W 6-0 SHO, W 9.0 5 0 15    
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 3/11/2018.
Francisco Liriano
Bert Blyleven
Jerry Koosman
Joe Decker
Camilo Pascual

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you look at the entire American League during the time period of 1961 to current the leaders are Nolan Ryan with 23 such games, Randy Johnson with 17, Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens with 10 and Sam McDowell with 6, no one else had done it more than three times. 

This Day in Twins History – November 6

Jim Perry
Jim Perry

11/6/1970 – Minnesota Twins pitcher Jim Perry wins the American League Cy Young award in a close race. Perry receives 55 points to edge out Dave McNally (47), Sam McDowell (45), and Mike Cuellar (44). Perry is the first Twins Cy Young award winner.

Bill Campbell11/6/1976 – After having a career year with the Twins, reliever Bill Campbell becomes one of the first players to cash in on the new free-agent system. The reliever signs with the Red Sox for big money, a four-year, one-million dollar contract with an option for a fifth season.

11/6/2001 – MLB owners vote 28-2 to contract two teams before the 2002 season.  They tell the players’ association that the Minnesota Twins and the Montreal Expos are the targeted teams.  It was determined later that Carl Pohlad, the Twins owner voted for contraction.

11/6/2009 – The Twins trade outfielder Carlos Gomez to the Milwaukee Brewers for shortstop J.J. Hardy.

According to ELIAS

Mark Buehrle 2015The Twins ended Mark Buehrle‘s streak of 35 consecutive innings without allowing Minnesota an earned run early and with emphasis last night, scoring four runs, all earned, in the first inning. But then Buehrle slipped back into form, the Blue Jays pecked away and the veteran left-hander wound up going the distance to earn a 6-4 victory. Only two major-league pitchers over the last 30 years have earned a complete-game win, going nine or more innings, after having allowed four or more runs in the first inning¿and even they were long ago. In 1995, Seattle’s Tim Belcher downed Cleveland, 11-5, after allowing four in the first, and in 1986, Fernando Valenzuela went the route after yielding four in the first to help the Dodgers top the Phillies, 11-4.

Sam McDowellBuehrle’s streak, crafted over five games dating back to 2011, was the longest by any big-league pitcher against an opposing team since Zack Greinke held Seattle without an earned run over 38 innings from 2008 to 2010. It was the longest such streak crafted by a starting pitcher against the Twins since Sudden Sam McDowell sailed through 48 innings without allowing the Twins an earned run over 1968 and 1969. Source: ELIAS