Wait a minute. Some stuff just don't compute.

Batters in the nineteenth century just were not the type to strike out often.
These were "put it into play ... and allow the fielders to screw up" crowd.
Sometimes it was problems with the ball, the field, the lack of gloves or a host of other things.
But they were contact hitters.
Yet in 1884 Both One Arm Daily and Charlie Sweeney both struck out 19 batters in a game, one month apart. This record, although tied by Feller, would not be broken until 1986
(102 years) by Roger Clemens.

Certainly the following can be dismissed because it can not ever happen. As we know, the lack of gloves, poor field conditions and other inadequacies prohibit the possibility of a pitcher pitching a "perfect game", until about 1964 when Jim Bunning pitched the third NL Perfect Game. But prior to Bunning's masterpiece, John Lee Richmond, and John Montgomery Ward hurled similar Masterpieces in 1880.

What is with this duplication of the impossible in the nnineteenth century?

But wait. This is a recourring theme. For example, players rarely get three hits in an inning. It has happened twice since the nineteenth century, and only once in the nineteenth century. Most recently, the players who achieved three hits in an inning were Gene Stephens in 1953, and J. Damon in 2003. Yet in 1883 three Chicago players each achieved three hits in a contest against the Wolverines in the same inning. That is: Fred Pfeffer obtained three hits in the seventh inning of that game, Tom Burns also obtained three hits in the seventh inning of that game, and in the same 7th inning of the same game, Ned Williamson also attained three hits. This totalled 18 runs, in a 26-6 blowout.


So, the question is: What is your favorite color?

Schroedenger's Cat

[quote="ItsOnlyGil]So, the question is: What is your favorite color?[/color][/quote]

Blue... I mean Yelloooooooooooow

Wow Gil. That's one of the most interesting posts I've seen in a long time. I think the perfect games in the 19th are especially odd, for all the reasons you give.

The only one that has even a reach-for-it answer that I can think of is the three guys getting three hits. Since they were all in the 7th inning, then maybe there was a particularly bad pitcher on the mound for the 7th, all the hitters had a chance, and by the time the dust settled three guys had three hits.

But the other two - 19 strikeouts that doesn't happen again until Clemens and the perfect games - are simply bizaare.

Joann