On Wednesday, Jacob deGrom went seven strong innings, allowing just two hits and one walk with 14 strikeouts over seven innings of shutout ball against the Marlins. He also took Miami’s starter, Trevor Richards deep, in his first at-bat, for the second home run of his big league career.
In doing so, deGrom became just the eighth pitcher during the modern era to strike out at least 14 batters during a game in which he contributed to his team’s offense with a big fly.
Let’s take a look at the other seven…
On Aug. 16, 2015, Giants’ Madison Bumgarner tossed a complete game shutout, striking out 14 batters, going 2-for-3 at the dish with a double off Nationals’ starter Joe Ross and a homer, in the 7th inning, off relief hurler Casey Janssen. Box score courtesy of baseball-reference.
On Aug. 21, 1977, Steve Carlton led the Phillies to victory, tossing a complete game with 14 strikeouts, hitting a home run off Astros’ reliever Gene Pentz in the 6th inning. Carlton, though, allowed two home runs in that game, both to Enos Cabell – representing the lone multi-homer game of Cabell’s career. Box score courtesy of baseball-reference.
On May 29, 1973, Mets’ Tom Seaver struck out 16 San Francisco Giants in a complete game win. He went 2-for-3 at the plate, hitting a 5th inning go-ahead home run off Jim Barr. Seaver allowed one homer in the game, to Willie McCovey. It was the 394th home run of McCovey’s career. Box score courtesy of baseball-reference.
On Aug. 30, 1972, Bob Gibson tossed a complete game, allowing just three earned runs, with 14 strikeouts, hitting a game-tying 6th inning home run off Jim Willoughby. For his efforts, he earned a loss, as the Cardinals faltered to the Giants, 3-2. Box score courtesy of baseball-reference.
On July 31, 1963, the Indians and Angels played two and in the Game 2, Pedro Ramos got the nod. Ramos would strike out 15 batters, but allowed five runs, including home runs to Lee Thomas and Leon Walker. Ramos, though, hit a pair of his own. His first was a game-tying home run, off Eli Graba, in the third inning. His second was the second of back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs off Paul Foytack in the 6th inning. Cleveland won the slugfest, 9-5. Box score courtesy of baseball-reference.
Stats aside: the July 31, 1963 instance became just the second time in history that a team had hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs, one of eight times overall. The first, came just two seasons prior, when Braves’ Eddie Mathews, Henry Aaron, Joe Adcock, and Frank Thomas hit four-straight against the Reds. This instance, though, was the first time that a team did so off a single pitcher.
On May 1, 1959, Early Wynn tossed a one-hit shutout, with 14 strikeouts, over the Red Sox. Wynn upped the ante in this one, not only by out-hitting their entire lineup, two-to-one, but by hitting a go-ahead, solo home run, off Tom Brewer, with the game tied at zeros to leadoff the bottom of the 8th inning. Oddly, Brewer had just one strikeout in the game; Wynn closed out the 9th inning, setting the Red Sox down 1-2-3, with a pair of strikeouts. Box score courtesy of baseball-reference.
On June 14, 1952, Warren Spahn gave the Braves 14 innings of one-run ball. He added a go-ahead home run in the 6th inning, off Willie Ramsdell…and yet, it was not enough. Chicago got the best of Spahnny in the top of the 15th, scoring a pair on a Hal Jeffcoat triple. Spahn finished with 18 strikeouts on the hill and zero at the dish, earning himself a loss. Box score courtesy of baseball-reference.
On July 20, 1925, Dazzy Vance spun ten innings of three-run ball, striking out a career-high 17 batters. Dazzy did just about everything himself that day, hitting a game-tying two-run home run, off Duster Mails, in the 5th inning, and then a walk-off single, again off Mails, in the 10th inning. Brooklyn bested St. Louis, 4-3. Box score courtesy of baseball-reference.
Your move, Max…
