Just the Beginning?
September 29, 2006


Before I get to some fun stuff, anyone else notice how quickly Barry Bonds season turned around?  On July 21, Bonds was batting .256 with 13 home runs in 207 at bats (1 every 15 at bats).  Since that date he has hit .292 with 13 dingers in 149 at bats (1 every 11.5).  Why is July 21 significant?  Because that's when Greg Anderson got out of jail for refusing to testify about Bonds' steroid use.  Since it was announced on August 28 Anderson would be going back to prison for refusing to testify, Bonds has hit 9 homers and has 25 hits in 69 at bats (.362).  Coincidence?  Maybe it was the Giants chances in the wild card hunt that got Barry's adrenaline flowing.  Still, they had gone only 15-13 in August so it's not like the team was on a tear coming into September.  Only federal investigators know for sure.


OK, onto a more enjoyable topic... what should we make of James Loney's 9-RBI game in Colorado?  Well, it was pretty good.  But long term it means that speculating on him is probably a good thing.  Here is a list of the guys who have had at least 9 RBI in a single game (courtesy of Retrosheet.org)

Player Name         Team  RBI    Date      AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF
Mark Whiten         STL N 12   9- 7-1993(2) 5  4  4  0  0  4  12  0  0   0  0   0  0
Reggie Jackson      OAK A 10   6-14-1969    6  2  5  1  0  2  10  1  0   1  0   0  0
Fred Lynn           BOS A 10   6-18-1975    6  4  5  0  1  3  10  0  0   0  0   0  0
Nomar Garciaparra   BOS A 10   5-10-1999    4  3  3  0  0  3  10  1  0   0  0   0  0
Alex Rodriguez      NY  A 10   4-26-2005    5  3  4  0  0  3  10  0  0   0  0   0  0
Heinie Zimmerman    CHI N  9   6-11-1911    4  4  4  0  0  2   9  0  0   0  0   0  1
Jim Gentile         BAL A  9   5- 9-1961    3  2  2  0  0  2   9  1  0   1  0   0  1
Tony Cloninger      ATL N  9   7- 3-1966    5  2  3  0  0  2   9  0  0   0  0   0  0
Roy Howell          TOR A  9   9-10-1977    6  4  5  2  0  2   9  0  0   0  0   0  0
Eddie Murray        BAL A  9   8-26-1985    5  3  4  0  0  3   9  1  0   0  0   0  0
Chris James         CLE A  9   5- 4-1991    5  3  4  0  0  2   9  0  0   0  0   0  0
Danny Tartabull     NY  A  9   9- 8-1992    5  3  5  1  0  2   9  0  0   0  0   0  0
Mike Greenwell      BOS A  9   9- 2-1996*   5  2  4  1  0  2   9  0  0   0  0   0  0
Ivan Rodriguez      TEX A  9   4-13-1999    5  2  4  0  0  2   9  0  0   0  0   0  0
Erubiel Durazo      ARI N  9   5-17-2002    5  3  4  1  0  3   9  0  0   1  0   0  0
Sammy Sosa          CHI N  9   8-10-2002    4  3  3  0  0  3   9  0  0   1  0   0  0
Bill Mueller        BOS A  9   7-29-2003    5  3  3  0  0  3   9  0  0   0  0   0  0
Vladimir Guerrero   ANA A  9   6- 2-2004    4  2  4  1  0  2   9  0  0   0  0   0  1
James Loney          LA N  9   9-28-2006    5  2  4  1  0  2   9  0  0   1  0   0  0


"Hard-hittin'" Mark Whiten spent most of his career as a fourth outfielder but did get a chance to play regularly in 1992 and 1993.  In 1993, he finished with 25 homers and 99 RBI.  His four-homer game came in a double header against Cincinnati starter Larry Leubbers and a pitching staff that had an ERA near 5.00.  The only bright spot that year for the Reds was Jose Rijo and his 2.48 ERA, his last healthy year.  Interesting factoid: had Jose Rijo retired after the 1993 season and not battled through 7 elbow surgeries beginning with one the following year and plaguing him for the next decade, he would have finished with the best career ERA in the National League since Grover Alexander retired in 1930.  His 2.56 ERA would have been better than that of Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Greg Maddux... anyone.  From 1988 (the year he was traded to Cincy from Oakland) to 1993, he never posted an ERA higher than 2.84 and was below 2.60 four times.  He also averaged nearly 8 strikeouts per game.  Not bad for a guy the Yankees traded away in a package to get Rickey Henderson.  The A's later traded him to the Reds to get Dave Parker.  How's that for a resume?  Anyway, back to the topic at hand...

Fred Lynn is the only Rookie of the Year to also win MVP the same year.  Had he played his entire career where it started - at hitter friendly Fenway Park - instead of the pitcher's parks he played in for 11 of his 17 seasons, he might have ended up in the Hall of Fame.  Still, he had a pretty solid career with the Red Sox, Angels, Orioles, Tigers and Padres, finishing with 306 homers and 1111 RBI. 

Heinie Zimmerman was one of the superstars of the early 20th century, missing out on the triple crown in 1912 by 3 RBI.  In 1916 and 1917, however, he did win the RBI titles.

Jim Gentile was the Orioles' first baseman in the early 60s and might have made a run at the triple crown in 1961 had Maris and Mantle not been around.  That year he hit .302 with 46 homers and 141 RBI.  He had a five-year stretch where he average 30 homers and 94 RBI when those kind of numbers were harder to come by.

Danny Tartabull and Mike Greenwell were both star-level outfielders in the late 80s and 90s.   Tartabull topped 30 homers three times and 100 RBI four times.  "Gator" wasn't as powerful as Tartabull, but he was twice an All-Star, challenged for a batting title three times and was an important offensive contributor on a Red Sox team that won division titles in 1988 and 1990. 

Chris James and Roy Howell seem misplaced on this list.  James was a fourth outfielder for the Phillies and Indians in the late 80s and 90s.   Howell was a third baseman/DH for the Blue Jays, Rangers and Brewers, never a star, rarely in the limelight.  Neither of these guys have the kind of pedigree normally associated with someone who makes history.  But it wouldn't be baseball if great players were the only ones to ever do great things.  Don Larsen is the perfect example of that. 

Tony Cloninger is seems even more out of place because he was a pitcher, and not a very good hitting one at that.  He finished his career with a .197 batting average and a .277 slugging percentage.  But in 1966 he was eating his Wheaties or something because he smacked 5 homers and drove in 23 in just 111 at bats that year.  Pro-rated over a full season, that would amount to 27 homers and 124 RBI.  His 9-RBI game came in a 17-3 white-washing of the San Francisco Giants, a team that featured Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda and Jim Ray Hart, four of the league's premier sluggers during that era.  However, that day it was Cloninger doing the slugging by mashing 2 grand slams against Giants pitchers not named Juan Marichal or Gaylord Perry.  Cloninger had some help that day from his catcher Joe Torre who had a homer and 3 RBI as well.  But it was the pitcher doing the heavy lifting with his bat and arm, throwing a complete game.  Ironically enough, one of the Giant's hurlers that Cloninger homered off, Ray Sadecki, did his own slugging by hitting a homer off Cloninger in that same game. OK, back on point...

The rest of the guys on the list - Reggie Jackson, Vlad Guerrero, Eddie Murray, Sammy Sosa, ARod, Nomar, etc - I'm sure you're probably familiar with them as well as their accomplishments.  So what makes Loney's performance so special?  Only Fred Lynn did it at a younger age than the 22-year old Loney.  Doing remarkable things at a young age is usually a sign of good things to come.  Not always mind you, but if the Dodgers are smart they will give serious consideration to turning the first base job over to Loney right out of spring training next year rather than bringing back Nomar.  They will get similar production (both guys have an .880 OPS this season) with a much better glove at one tenth the price.