Blackjack: 21 straight outs, both teams combined

Three consecutive triples? Five consecutive infield singles?

It has been an interesting few days for consecutive events in baseball. That got me looking for some other consecutive events in Retrosheet’s play-by-play data and one really stands out, at least to me.

On July 11, 1953, the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns had 21 consecutive OUTS in a game. Even more interesting, they had 34 plays that went:

Single, hit by pitch, two outs, a strikeout, six outs, a walk, 21 outs, then a double. Or, 32 non-base hits between hits. The Browns were up 5-0 before and made the score 7-0 right after the extend hitlessness. Wonder why you never here about this game when talking about great pitching duels? Oh wait. A lack of strikeouts.

From Baseball Reference:































































































































































































































































































































































INN OUTS ROB R/O @BAT Batter Pitcher Play Description
t2 2 N/A SLB D. Kokos S. Gromek Single to CF
t2 2 1– N/A SLB V. Wertz S. Gromek Hit By Pitch; Kokos to 2B
t2 2 -12 O SLB C. Courtney S. Gromek Groundout: P-1B
b2 0 O DET B. Souchock B. Cain Flyball: SS
b2 1 O DET J. Delsing B. Cain Strikeout
b2 2 O DET M. Batts B. Cain Flyball: 2B
t3 0 O SLB D. Kryhoski S. Gromek Foul Flyball: C
t3 1 O SLB J. Dyck S. Gromek Foul Flyball: C
t3 2 O SLB B. Hunter S. Gromek Flyball: SS
b3 0 O DET D. Lund B. Cain Groundout: 1B unassisted
b3 1 O DET S. Gromek B. Cain Groundout: 3B-1B
b3 2 N/A DET H. Kuenn B. Cain Walk
b3 2 1– O DET J. Priddy B. Cain Flyball: RF
t4 0 O SLB B. Cain S. Gromek Flyball: 3B
t4 1 O SLB J. Groth S. Gromek Flyball: RF
t4 2 O SLB B. Young S. Gromek Flyball: RF
b4 0 O DET R. Boone B. Cain Foul Flyball: 1B
b4 1 O DET W. Dropo B. Cain Flyball: CF
b4 2 O DET B. Souchock B. Cain Flyball: LF
t5 0 O SLB D. Kokos S. Gromek Flyball: 1B
t5 1 O SLB V. Wertz S. Gromek Flyball: CF
t5 2 O SLB C. Courtney S. Gromek Groundout: SS-1B
b5 0 O DET J. Delsing B. Cain Flyball: RF
b5 1 O DET M. Batts B. Cain Groundout: SS-1B
b5 2 O DET D. Lund B. Cain Flyball: CF
t6 0 O SLB D. Kryhoski S. Gromek Groundout: 2B-1B
t6 1 O SLB J. Dyck S. Gromek Groundout: 3B-1B
t6 2 O SLB B. Hunter S. Gromek Flyball: RF
b6 0 O DET B. Nieman B. Cain Flyball: RF
b6 1 O DET H. Kuenn B. Cain Flyball: CF
b6 2 O DET J. Priddy B. Cain Groundout: 3B-1B
t7 0 O SLB B. Cain B. Miller Groundout: SS-1B
t7 1 O SLB J. Groth B. Miller Groundout: P-1B
t7 2 N/A SLB B. Young B. Miller Double to LF


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Anon
12 years ago

OK, jus tpulling perfect games quickly:
– Kenny Rogers’ 1994 perfect game featured 19 straight outs from the 3rd to the 6th, then a single, then 19 straight non-hits to end the game (although 2 of those were walks)
– Dennis Martinez’s perfect game in 1991 featured 30 straight outs to start the game (both he and Mike Morgan were perfect through 5)
– Tom Browning’s in 1988 featured 36 straight non-hits to start the game including 26 straight outs from the 2nd to the 6th
– Sandy Koufax 1965 – 27 straight outs to start the game, then a walk, then another 14 straight outs for 42 straight non-hits to start the game (but a run in there on an error), then a double, then 10 straight outs to finish. Bob Hendley pitched 8 giving up only 1 hit & 1 walk

I’ll end there

rbj
12 years ago

Has there ever been a 27 batter one hitter. I.e, a game in which there was a base runner who got caught trying to stretch a single into a double (or 2x into a 3x) and that was the only batter not retired by the pitcher? Seems to me that would be even rarer than a perfect game.

Jim
12 years ago

On June 17, 2003, the Mets beat the Marlins 5-0 on a one-hitter behind Jae Seo and two relievers. The only baserunner singled and was later caught stealing.

The interesting thing is that this was the third straight one-hitter involving the Mets. Steve Trachsel beat the Angels 8-0 on June 15, and then on June 16 Dontrelle Willis shut them down 1-0 in only his eighth major league game.

rbj
12 years ago

Thanks guys. For some reason I thought it would be much rarer than even a perfect game.

Matt
12 years ago

I feel like such a nerd for finding this article interesting. But I still do … (even if it’s not the rarest ever of events). Good work.

Anon
12 years ago

Ahhhh, yes, I missed the “ball in play out” part of the article.

My bad

Well, actually I just re-read the article and nowhere does it really say anything explicitly about the 21 consecutive outs being on balls in play.

FWIW

Anon
12 years ago

rbj –

per b-ref, there have been 49 games since 1919 where the pitcher gave up at least one hit and faced the minimum 27 batters. John Candeleria in 1982 had the msot hits allowed in such a game with 4, however Bob MIlacki in 1989 gave up 5 baserunners (hits & walks) while facing the minimum.

Mat Kovach
12 years ago

At the SABR convention in 2006, the Mariners lost a game 2-0 to Josh Fogg. He gave up 2 hits, 1 BB, each retired on a double play. So, instead of 27 ABs, Seattle only had 26.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SEA/SEA200606300.shtml

And to Anon’s comments:

The bigger deal was that there were 21 straight ball in play ours. The perfect games you mentioned had several strike outs intermixed with the outs. In the case of the game I mentioned there was only one STRIKEOUT mixed in with the non-outs.

Think of it … 21 outs (3.5 half innings of balls being put into play and converted to outs).