No Runs to Start the Season
On each of the next three days there will be a pitcher trying to match the longest streak (post 1956) of starts without a run allowed to begin the season. The three pitchers who have not allowed a run in their first two starts of 2008 are Oliver Perez, Kyle Lohse and Ben Sheets. This in itself is unremarkable. There have been 82 pitchers who have accomplished this since 1956. However, if they can do it one more time, then they would join a small group of five pitchers to have done it for 3 starts to start a season . Lohse is scheduled to pitch on Friday, Sheets on Saturday and Perez on Sunday.
Here is the list of such streaks.
These are the five pitchers who have started a season by not allowing a runs in their first 3 starts.
StreakStart Streak End Games W L GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HBP WP BK Teams +-----------------+-----------+-----------+-----+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Woody Williams 2003-04-02 2003-04-18 3 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 19.2 11 0 0 3 13 0 0.00 1 0 0 STL Ryan Jensen 2002-04-04 2002-04-15 3 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 14.1 9 0 0 4 10 0 0.00 0 0 0 SFG Tommy Greene 1991-05-01 1991-05-28 3 3 0 3 2 2 0 0 24 5 0 0 9 24 0 0.00 1 0 0 PHI Luis Tiant 1966-04-17 1966-05-03 3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 27 14 0 0 8 25 0 0.00 0 0 0 CLE Don Larsen 1958-04-15 1958-05-13 3 3 0 3 2 2 0 0 23 15 0 0 10 11 0 0.00 0 0 0 NYY
Interestingly enough, Luis Tiant is the only one to have actually thrown 3 shutouts in those starts.
1. Ryan Jensen’s third start only lasted 2/3 of an inning. Whatever happened to him, anyway? Injuries?
2. Tommy Greene had a few relief appearances to start the season, a 6 inning start, a few more relief appearances. Then he had a no-hitter (walking 7) and a 3-hitter (walking none) back-to-back. That’s the most variety in these starts.
Comment by mmayes — April 11, 2008 @ 8:32 am
Here’s the list with pitchers who only started (eliminating Tommy Greene).
Comment by Raphy — April 11, 2008 @ 10:15 am
[...] The Red Sox and the homers they hit, from Me and Pedro. An excellent chuckle (at least for Sox fans). Since 1956, only 5 pitchers have gone their first three starts without giving up a run. Today, tomorrow, and Sunday, three pitchers will try to match this feat—Ben Sheets, Oliver Perez, and Kyle Lohse. Get the details from Baseball Reference’s Stat of the Day. [...]
Pingback by TGIF Reading: Drunk and belligerent | umpbump.com — April 11, 2008 @ 10:50 am
Take Lohse off the list. A run in the 2nd and a run in the 4th (so far) and he got off lucky with the OF throwing out 2 guys at the plate.
Comment by mmayes — April 11, 2008 @ 10:40 pm
[...] now that all 3 pitchers (see No Runs to Start the Season) failed in their attempts to start the season with three consecutive runless starts, our attention [...]
Pingback by Stat of the Day » Fernando’s Wild Ride to Start ‘85 — April 16, 2008 @ 7:58 am