Baseball Rabbit Hole: Happy Chris Saenz Day
Chris Saenz made his big league debut on April 24, 2004, and never threw another MLB pitch
I like to go down the Baseball-Reference rabbit hole. Who doesn’t? I’m recording some of those tangents and rabbit hole trips here.
Scrolling through Twitter this morning, I was greeted by this tweet from Milwaukee sports reporter Andrew Wagner:
Say no more. I remember Chris Saenz. He was called up for a spot start for the Milwaukee Brewers against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Saenz hurled six scoreless innings and struck out seven against three walks and two hits. The Brewers scored twice in the first inning and held on for a 3–1 win after the teams traded runs in the eighth.
A perfect 1–0 record and 0.00 ERA. Not a bad start to a career… or, I guess, for a career.
His Baseball-Reference page will give you the details of his career up until that point: 28th round draft pick by the Brewers in 2001 out of junior college, reached Double-A in 2003 and started there in 2004.
Saenz made two Double-A starts, going 1–1 with a 3.86 ERA and 16 K’s in 9.1 innings, for the Huntsville Stars. Then, Chris Capuano went on the DL and he got a call up to the Brewers for a spot start.
Facing a Cardinals team that went on to win 105 games and advance to the World Series, he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and never looked back. He allowed just three more base runners before being lifted in the seventh after a lead-off walk.
He allowed hits to Albert Pujols and Ray Lankford, but managed to strike out Scott Rolen and Mike Matheny. He also struck out Bo Hart three times for what it’s worth. Needless to say, he faced a legitimate lineup and escaped unscathed.
More information on Chris Saenz and his one day of dominance:
Courtesy of Internet Wayback Machine and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
According to Wikipedia, he was granted free agency after the season, re-signed, and missed 2005 and 2006 due to elbow surgery. That was, essentially, it.
You don’t need me to tell you the ballad of Chris Saenz. That doesn’t send me down a Baseball-Reference rabbit hole for more than a few minutes. What I wondered, as I generally do, was how rare is that?
Well, since 1904 (officially the “RetroSheet Era”), 92 pitchers (I cut out the Federal League guys) have made one career start as their only MLB pitching appearance. Of those, 26 threw six innings or more. A handful of those guys put together solid starts:
- The Brooklyn Superba’s Joe Koukalik was a tough-luck loser in a 3–0 defeat to the Cubs in 1904, surrendering just one earned run over eight innings.
- Ray Brown gave up two earned runs for the Cubs in a CG against the Phillies in 1909.
There have been some really tough luck guys that faced two batters and *poof*
- Pat McGehee walked the first batter he faced against the Tigers in 1912 and then was pulled after allowing a base hit to the next.
- In 1913, giving up a hit to Buck Weaver was alright, but when Jim Scoggins walked Joe Berger, Clark Griffith had seen enough.
As I often try to do, I have to figure out how the Brewer, one of MY Brewers, is the most special of the bunch.
For two glorious years, Manny Parra had the highest ERA (6.36 in 2009) for a pitcher in MLB history in a season in which he won 11+ games (11–11). John Lackey (12–12, 6.41 ERA in 2011) wears that crown now.
Still think “Wins” is a garbage stat now?
But, I digress. I have to admit, this search cannot result in a “best record in games on Tuesdays with a new moon and facing a team with a nickname that doesn’t end in ‘S’” type of stat. I mean, that would be ridiculous.
So…
- 92 guys. Good start.
- 26 tossed 6.0 innings or more. Good
- Seven guys picked up wins in their starts… closer.
- Three were not charged with an earned run… almost there…
I GOT IT. Chris Saenz, of my Milwaukee Brewers, is the only pitcher since 1904 to make a start on the mound in his only MLB appearance and get the win while allowing no runs.
I’m a sentimental guy, so the list of 92 pitchers is actually kind of depressing. They are all a variation of Moonlight Graham. Maybe they were injured. Maybe they were bad. Maybe World War II broke out. I don’t know the back story.
I’d be proud to have made the bigs, even for one start. EVEN if it meant surrendering 24 runs (15 earned) over eight innings to Home Run Baker and the 1912 Philadelphia Athletics. After all, Father Aloysius S. Travers, S. J., is the only Catholic priest ever to play in a major league game.
