By Bill Chuck
CSNNE.com
Its a long season and when you spend as much time looking under the covers at stats you begin to focus on certain things. Lately, Ive been thinking about one run and Ive turned it into a series of my versions of one-run games.
For example, the home run with no one on base is a one-run homer. The Sox this year have hit a total of 141 homers and 86 have come with the bases empty. The most significant of these solo homers was Jacoby Ellsburys on August 3 against Cleveland, when he hit the only walkoff homer of the season for Boston.
Here are the Sox soloists:
Jacoby Ellsbury14 solo homers
Adrian Gonzalez13 solo homers
Dustin Pedroia - 12
David Ortiz - 12
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 8
Josh Reddick - 4
Jason Varitek - 4
Carl Crawford - 4
Kevin Youkilis - 4
Mike Cameron - 3
J.D. Drew - 3
Darnell McDonald - 2
Marco Scutaro - 2
Yamaico Navarro1
Just so you dont take homers with runners on base for granted, after last night the San Francisco Giants have hit 19 straight solo home runs, which ties the major league record set by the deadball 1914 Philadelphia Phillies. Their last homer with a runner on base was on July 6.
Homers are one means of scoring one run but there are many others from sac flies to a grounder when there is a runner on third and less than two outs. Admittedly its not easy to drive in a run, but it is easier to pick up an RBI when a runner is in scoring position. Thats why I like to exclude home runs and then see how many times a batter has driven in a run when there is only one runner on base and that runner is on first. So far this season the Sox have driven in a solo runner from first 25 times.
Boston Red Sox
Here are the guys whove done it multiple times this season:
Adrian Gonzalez four times with two doubles and two triples.
David Ortiz four times with four doubles.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia three times with three doubles.
Kevin Youkilis three times with two doubles and a triple.
Carl Crawford twice with two doubles, one a walkoff.
Dustin Pedroia twice with two doubles.
Now to pull this off you need a combination of a well-hit ball, a good read by the runner on first, and good coaching at third. Interestingly, the runner has only been Ellsbury once and surprisingly Gonzo three times. Carl Crawford has done it three times, so has Youk. Tek and Reddick have done it twice each but you know who has done it most frequently, dont you? The Muddy Chicken, Dustin Pedroia, has scored from first six times this season on a hit and what makes it even more delicious is that four of the times there were less than two outs, so he wasnt off at contact.
Pitchers are part of my one run games as well. Sox pitchers have given up 107 homers this season and while a pitcher never wants to give up a gopher ball its at least better when its a solo shot and Sox pitchers have given up 67 of them.
Heres a look at how Sox pitchers have done limiting the damage of a homer:
Jon Lester has given up 16 homers, 14 have been solos.
Tim Wakefield has given up 18, 12 solo
John Lackey1510
Clay Buchholz - 108
Josh Beckett126
Alfredo Aceves65
Daniel Bard54
Matt Albers all 3 gophers were solos.
Daisuke Matsuzaka -42
Andrew Miller - 52
Jonathan Papelbon - 31
Franklin Morales has given up two homers, neither a solo while Bobby Jenks, Felix Doubront, and Kyle Weiland each gave up one homer and each had at least one runner on.
Heres another version of my one run game: scoring one run in a game. The Sox have scored one run 10 times and have won two of the games. The Sox pitchers have allowed just one run 11 times and have won 10 of the games.
Then theres the one run in an inning variation.
On 173 occasions this season, the Sox have scored exactly one run in an inning.
Heres the breakdown:
1st inning: 18 times they have scored one run
2nd inning: 20 times they have scored one run
3rd: 22 times they have scored one run
4th: 22 times they have scored one run
5th: 14 times they have scored one run
6th: 18 times they have scored one run
7th: 22 times they have scored one run
8th: 17 times they have scored one run
9th: 15 times they have scored one run
10th: 1 time they have scored one run
11th: 2 times they have scored one run
12th: Have not scored one run in this inning
13th: Have not scored one run in this inning
14th: 1 time they have scored one run
15th: Have not scored one run in this inning
16th: 1 time they have scored one run
On 164 occasions this season, the Sox have allowed exactly one run in an inning.
Heres the breakdown:
1st inning: 19 times they have allowed one run
2nd inning: 14 times they have allowed one run
3rd: 14 times they have allowed one run
4th: 19 times they have allowed one run
5th: 22 times they have allowed one run
6th: 20 times they have allowed one run
7th: 20 times they have allowed one run
8th: 17 times they have allowed one run
9th: 17 times they have allowed one run
10th: 1 time they have allowed one run
11th: 1 time they have allowed one run
12th: Have not allowed one run in this inning
13th: Have not allowed one run in this inning
14th: Have not allowed one run in this inning
15th: Have not allowed one run in this inning
16th: Have not allowed one run in this inning
The one-run games that everybody else tracks are more ordinary, more mundane and more simplistic: the Sox are 16-11 in one-run games outscoring the opposition, 94-89.
I like to think Nation STATion can have fun with even one run. The more you know, the more you understand about the game, and the more you appreciate your team.
See you next week.
