Who Struck Out Tony Gwynn? (Quiz)

[Zvon]

5 K in 74 PA (RHP: Phillies 1983-88, Expos 1989-90, Dodgers 1991-94, AL 95-97. 14-12, 3.72 in 39 G vs Mets. Everything about him is average. In thirty starts vs Mets, gave up at least five hits in all but two, yet somehow shut out the 1986 Mets in September at the Vet. Biggest career comp: Steve Trachsel.)

Gross. Kevin Gross.

[Edgy MD]

Tudor didn't suck enough for my tastes. He was part of the impenetrable 1988 staff that carried a lousy offense and stole the Mets' Twizzlers.

[seawolf17]

Boom!

9 K in 67 PA -- Nolan Ryan (.302/.328/.333)
6 K in 77 PA -- Dwight Gooden (.243/.312/.314)
6 K in 62 PA -- Ron Darling (.441/.452/.593 -- so when Gwynn wasn't tattooing him, Ronnie was striking him out)
6 K in 48 PA -- John Fucking Tudor (.348/.375/.543, two home runs: an eighth-inning game winner in '84 and an eighth-inning game-tying shot in '86 which was followed by a Kevin McReynolds game-winning HR.)
6 K in 41 PA -- John Smiley (.205/.244/.282 -- only Jose DeLeon and Don Robinson had better OPS+ vs Gwynn among pitchers w/at least 40 PA. All three played together with the Pirates in the mid-80s, interestingly enough.)
5 K in 84 PA -- Fernando Valenzuela (.321/.349/.410)
5 K in 74 PA -- Kevin Gross (.371/.438/.532)
5 K in 63 PA -- Darryl Kile (.304/.381/.393)
5 K in 56 PA -- Jose Rijo (.294/.339/.410)
5 K in 46 PA (Expos, Mariners, 6 others. Faced the Mets in 1991 with MON, in 2006 with Giants. K'ed Todd Hundley as a Met 9 times in 18 AB. Pitched a CG W vs Mets in September 1996, mostly because Hundley was in the cleanup spot and couldn't hit this guy with a paddle.)
5 K in 18 PA -- Randy Johnson (.111/.111/.167 -- only a single and a double in 18 AB!)
5 K in 18 PA -- Rob Dibble (5-for-16, two walks)
5 K in 15 PA -- Mike Madden

wrong guesses:
G Maddux (0 in 107 PA)
O Hershiser (2 in 88 PA)
C Schilling (2 in 43 PA)
P Martinez (0 in 36 PA)
R Sutcliffe (3 in 53 PA)
M Scott (3 in 95 PA)
K Brown (0 in 26 PA)
S Fernandez (2 in 58 PA)
M Langston (0 in 3 PA)
A F Hammaker (1 in 38 PA)
D Eckersley (1 in 19 PA)
M Soto (3 in 37 PA)
J Andujar (0 in 31 PA)
T Browning (4 in 92 PA) - also four home runs, more than Gwynn hit against any other pitcher - nobody else gave up more than 2
Nakedguy Trafficcone (2 in 38 PA)
O Daal (2 in 26)
J Reardon (0 in 8)
O Oliveras (1 in 26)

The last guy, a journeyman lefty, did nothing of note that I can find. Is a member of the Springfield, IL Sports Hall of Fame anyway.

[Zvon]

Dennis Martinez? Nah, cauze you'd mention his perfecto.

[seawolf17]

9 K in 67 PA -- Nolan Ryan (.302/.328/.333)
6 K in 77 PA -- Dwight Gooden (.243/.312/.314)
6 K in 62 PA -- Ron Darling (.441/.452/.593 -- so when Gwynn wasn't tattooing him, Ronnie was striking him out)
6 K in 48 PA -- John Fucking Tudor (.348/.375/.543, two home runs: an eighth-inning game winner in '84 and an eighth-inning game-tying shot in '86 which was followed by a Kevin McReynolds game-winning HR.)
6 K in 41 PA -- John Smiley (.205/.244/.282 -- only Jose DeLeon and Don Robinson had better OPS+ vs Gwynn among pitchers w/at least 40 PA. All three played together with the Pirates in the mid-80s, interestingly enough.)
5 K in 84 PA -- Fernando Valenzuela (.321/.349/.410)
5 K in 74 PA -- Kevin Gross (.371/.438/.532)
5 K in 63 PA -- Darryl Kile (.304/.381/.393)
5 K in 56 PA -- Jose Rijo (.294/.339/.410)
5 K in 46 PA (Expos, Mariners, 6 others. Faced the Mets in 1991 with MON, in 2006 with Giants. K'ed Todd Hundley as a Met 9 times in 18 AB. Pitched a CG W vs Mets in September 1996, mostly because Hundley was in the cleanup spot and couldn't hit this guy with a paddle.)
5 K in 18 PA -- Randy Johnson (.111/.111/.167 -- only a single and a double in 18 AB!)
5 K in 18 PA -- Rob Dibble (5-for-16, two walks)
5 K in 15 PA -- Mike Madden

wrong guesses:
G Maddux (0 strikeouts in 107 PA)
O Hershiser (2 in 88 PA)
C Schilling (2 in 43 PA)
P Martinez (0 in 36 PA)
R Sutcliffe (3 in 53 PA)
M Scott (3 in 95 PA)
K Brown (0 in 26 PA)
S Fernandez (2 in 58 PA)
M Langston (0 in 3 PA)
A F Hammaker (1 in 38 PA)
D Eckersley (1 in 19 PA)
M Soto (3 in 37 PA)
J Andujar (0 in 31 PA)
T Browning (4 in 92 PA) - also four home runs, more than Gwynn hit against any other pitcher - nobody else gave up more than 2
Nakedguy Trafficcone (2 in 38 PA)
O Daal (2 in 26 PA)
J Reardon (0 in 8 PA)
O Oliveras (1 in 26 PA)
D Martinez (1 in 52 PA)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

That last guy... Kirk Rueter?

[seawolf17]

9 K in 67 PA -- Nolan Ryan (.302/.328/.333)
6 K in 77 PA -- Dwight Gooden (.243/.312/.314)
6 K in 62 PA -- Ron Darling (.441/.452/.593 -- so when Gwynn wasn't tattooing him, Ronnie was striking him out)
6 K in 48 PA -- John Fucking Tudor (.348/.375/.543, two home runs: an eighth-inning game winner in '84 and an eighth-inning game-tying shot in '86 which was followed by a Kevin McReynolds game-winning HR.)
6 K in 41 PA -- John Smiley (.205/.244/.282 -- only Jose DeLeon and Don Robinson had better OPS vs Gwynn among pitchers w/at least 40 PA. All three played together with the Pirates in the mid-80s, interestingly enough.)
5 K in 84 PA -- Fernando Valenzuela (.321/.349/.410)
5 K in 74 PA -- Kevin Gross (.371/.438/.532)
5 K in 63 PA -- Darryl Kile (.304/.381/.393)
5 K in 56 PA -- Jose Rijo (.294/.339/.410)
5 K in 46 PA (Expos, Mariners, 6 others. Faced the Mets in 1991 with MON, in 2006 with Giants. K'ed Todd Hundley as a Met 9 times in 18 AB. Pitched a CG W vs Mets in September 1996, mostly because Hundley was in the cleanup spot and couldn't hit this guy with a paddle.)
5 K in 18 PA -- Randy Johnson (.111/.111/.167 -- only a single and a double in 18 AB!)
5 K in 18 PA -- Rob Dibble (5-for-16, two walks)
5 K in 15 PA -- Mike Madden

wrong guesses:
G Maddux (0 strikeouts in 107 PA)
O Hershiser (2 in 88 PA)
C Schilling (2 in 43 PA)
P Martinez (0 in 36 PA)
R Sutcliffe (3 in 53 PA)
M Scott (3 in 95 PA)
K Brown (0 in 26 PA)
S Fernandez (2 in 58 PA)
M Langston (0 in 3 PA)
A F Hammaker (1 in 38 PA)
D Eckersley (1 in 19 PA)
M Soto (3 in 37 PA)
J Andujar (0 in 31 PA)
T Browning (4 in 92 PA) - also four home runs, more than Gwynn hit against any other pitcher - nobody else gave up more than 2
Nakedguy Trafficcone (2 in 38 PA)
O Daal (2 in 26 PA)
J Reardon (0 in 8 PA)
O Oliveras (1 in 26 PA)
D Martinez (1 in 52 PA)
K Rueter (1 in 23 PA)

The entirety of Missing Pitcher's Wikipedia page:

Montreal Expos
Mystery Pitcher was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 22nd round of the 1984 amateur draft, but he bounced around in the minors for several years until he joined the Montreal Expos in 1991. At 28, MP was somewhat old for a rookie, but pitched well for the team and eventually made it to the starting rotation by the 1993 season. That same year he posted an impressive ERA of 2.29.

Seattle Mariners
MP was traded to the Seattle Mariners after the 1996 season in exchange for Chris Widger and Trey Moore, MP had one of his best seasons for the Mariners in 1997. That season he posted a 16-9 won-loss record with a 3.61 ERA in 35 starts.

Rangers, Red Sox, Cubs, Cardinals
MP enjoyed some stability during his time with the Mariners, but after a mid-season trade to the Texas Rangers in 1999 he would wind up playing on eight different teams in only seven seasons. He proved to no longer be effective as a regular starter, so he was moved into the bullpen. While with the St. Louis Cardinals, MP made a few starts in the 2003 season, and would make occasional starts until the end of his career.

Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks
While with the Colorado Rockies in 2004, MP got into a dispute with Colorado management when he was called on to make a spot start on short notice. MP said that he would not be ready in time, and was subsequently released by the Rockies due to what then-manager Clint Hurdle called "philosophical differences".

He almost immediately signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but he only made one appearance with the team, pitching one perfect inning in relief.

San Francisco Giants
MP signed with the Giants on December 15, 2004, and remained on the team until May 8, 2006 when the Giants designated MP for assignment. The move cleared room on the team's roster for left-handed starting pitcher Noah Lowry.

On February 9, 2007 he announced his retirement. In the winter of 2008, though, MP pitched with Mayos de Navojoa in Liga Mexicana del Pac�fico before he finally retired for good.

Minor League Coach
MP was hired in December 2009 as the pitching coach for the Boise Hawks, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs in the Class 'A' short-season Northwest League.

For the 2011 season, MP was promoted to pitching coach of the Peoria Chiefs in the Midwest League.

MP received a promotion to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies (Chicago Cubs) for the 2012 season.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I looked it up. Had no idea Mystery Pitcher had such a long and distinguished career.

[seawolf17]

Is it guessable? He's pretty anonymous. I'll give it until noon.

[MFS62]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I looked it up. Had no idea Mystery Pitcher had such a long and distinguished career.

Me, too.
Crimey! Who woulda' thunk it?

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

seawolf17 wrote: Is it guessable? He's pretty anonymous. I'll give it until noon.

He's not un-guessable, I guess. But yeah, an under-the-radar guy that's for sure. Pitched till he was 43!

[Edgy MD]

Really interesting that the three top performers against Tony Gwynn were all Pirates of the mid-late-80s. They played on the rug which should've helped him. They didn't have particularly high-performing defenders on the left side of the infield. What did they have?

My guess is that Tony Pe�a had him figured out.

[Edgy MD]

Mike Morgan.

[seawolf17]

Your missing journeyman lefthander is the Ageless Jeff Fassero.

9 K in 67 PA -- Nolan Ryan (.302/.328/.333)
6 K in 77 PA -- Dwight Gooden (.243/.312/.314)
6 K in 62 PA -- Ron Darling (.441/.452/.593 -- so when Gwynn wasn't tattooing him, Ronnie was striking him out)
6 K in 48 PA -- John Fucking Tudor (.348/.375/.543, two home runs: an eighth-inning game winner in '84 and an eighth-inning game-tying shot in '86 which was followed by a Kevin McReynolds game-winning HR.)
6 K in 41 PA -- John Smiley (.205/.244/.282 -- only Jose DeLeon and Don Robinson had better OPS vs Gwynn among pitchers w/at least 40 PA. All three played together with the Pirates in the mid-80s, interestingly enough.)
5 K in 84 PA -- Fernando Valenzuela (.321/.349/.410)
5 K in 74 PA -- Kevin Gross (.371/.438/.532)
5 K in 63 PA -- Darryl Kile (.304/.381/.393)
5 K in 56 PA -- Jose Rijo (.294/.339/.410)
5 K in 46 PA -- Jeff Fassero (.295/.326/.341)
5 K in 18 PA -- Randy Johnson (.111/.111/.167 -- only a single and a double in 18 AB!)
5 K in 18 PA -- Rob Dibble (5-for-16, two walks)
5 K in 15 PA -- Mike Madden

wrong guesses:
G Maddux (0 strikeouts in 107 PA)
O Hershiser (2 in 88 PA)
C Schilling (2 in 43 PA)
P Martinez (0 in 36 PA)
R Sutcliffe (3 in 53 PA)
M Scott (3 in 95 PA)
K Brown (0 in 26 PA)
S Fernandez (2 in 58 PA)
M Langston (0 in 3 PA)
A F Hammaker (1 in 38 PA)
D Eckersley (1 in 19 PA)
M Soto (3 in 37 PA)
J Andujar (0 in 31 PA)
T Browning (4 in 92 PA) - also four home runs, more than Gwynn hit against any other pitcher - nobody else gave up more than 2
Nakedguy Trafficcone (2 in 38 PA)
O Daal (2 in 26 PA)
J Reardon (0 in 8 PA)
O Oliveras (1 in 26 PA)
D Martinez (1 in 52 PA)
K Rueter (1 in 23 PA)
M Morgan (1 in 50 PA)

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: [The Pirates] played on the rug which should've helped [Gwynn].

Why? Does artificial turf reduce strikeouts?

[seawolf17]

Edgy MD wrote: Really interesting that the three top performers against Tony Gwynn were all Pirates of the mid-late-80s. They played on the rug which should've helped him. They didn't have particularly high-performing defenders on the left side of the infield. What did they have? My guess is that Tony Pe�a had him figured out.

I want to address this, because it's a fascinating deduction.

Pena went to the Cardinals from 1987-1989.

1987: Gwynn OPSed .716 vs Cardinals, WORST against any team in the league.
1988: Gwynn OPSed 1.146 vs Cardinals, BEST against any team in the league. (Doubly interesting, because Jose DeLeon led the Cards with 225 IP. But the Cardinals were terrible in 1988.)
1989: Gwynn OPSed .461 vs Cardinals, WORST against any team in the league.

You might have something there.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Pena was the best defensive catcher of his era, FWIW. Maybe he was a great pitch framer, too, stealing strikes from Gwynn.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Talking about Tony Pena and strikeouts reminds me of a fun baseball memory from the 1980's: seeing Dwight Gooden strike out Tony Pena. It seemed that Doc would have him totally off balance; I distinctly remember seeing Pena laughing at his futility.

So I looked it up: in his time with the Mets, Gooden fanned Pena 13 times in 39 at bats. Gooden never walked Pena, but Pena did manage four singles and one triple. .128/.128/.180. Pena's strikeout percentage, if such a thing exists, is .333.

[Frayed Knot]

Pena always took such viscous hacks anyway -- he used to wear a pad on his back to cushion himself from the follow-through.
One can only imagine that having to dial it up in order to catch Gooden's fastball or, maybe even worse, looking for the fastball but getting the curve, just added to the comedy.