MVP favorites doing MVP things among 10 wild stats from the week
Here’s our weekly take a look at 10 mind-blowing notes from the final week in baseball (July 28-August 3).
More historical past for Acuña: On Sunday, Ronald Acuña Jr. stole his fiftieth base of the season, changing into the primary participant in MLB historical past with no less than 20 homers and 50 stolen bases earlier than August in a season. Then on Wednesday, he hit his twenty fifth house run. He has the twelfth particular person season in MLB historical past with no less than 25 homers and 50 stolen bases and first since Hanley Ramirez in 2007. Acuña reached the marks in 106 video games performed, the fewest of anybody on the checklist.
Framber’s day: Framber Valdez threw the sixteenth no-hitter in Astros franchise historical past on Tuesday and was fairly environment friendly. Valdez’s 93 pitches had been the third-fewest in a no-hitter since pitch counts have been tracked (1988), behind solely Darryl Kile’s 83 on Sept. 8, 1993, additionally for the Astros, and David Cone’s 88 in his good recreation on July 18, 1999.
And his catcher and supervisor: Martín Maldonado has now caught three no-hitters, tied for the third-most in MLB historical past, behind solely Carlos Ruiz and Jason Varitek, with 4 every, in response to the Elias Sports Bureau. He’s the 18th participant to be the beginning catcher in no less than three no-hitters. And Dusty Baker has now managed 5 no-hitters, tied for fourth-most in MLB historical past with Fielder Jones, Connie Mack, Leo Durocher and Bruce Bochy, in response to Elias. Only Walter Alston (seven), A.J. Hinch (six) and John McGraw (six) managed extra.
Patty pop time: The Giants gained on Tuesday due to a game-ending pickoff at first base by Patrick Bailey. He had a 1.39-second pop time to first on the play. That’s tied for the quickest pop time to first tracked by Statcast (since 2015) and is the quickest pop time to first on a profitable pickoff in that span.
More Soto homers: On Tuesday, Juan Soto recorded his fifteenth profession multi-homer recreation. That’s tied for fifth-most earlier than turning 25, behind solely Eddie Mathews (19), Hal Trosky (18), Mel Ott (17) and Bob Horner (17). And as at all times, it’s price noting that Soto’s pre-25 profession consists of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Breaking data: Spencer Strider reached 200 strikeouts on the season Tuesday. He did so in 123 1/3 innings, the fewest to 200 strikeouts in a single season because the mound was moved to its present distance in 1893. He broke his personal document of 130 innings from final season. Strider induced 31 swings and misses within the recreation, his third outing with no less than 30 this 12 months. That’s probably the most video games with no less than 30 swings and misses in a single season within the pitch-tracking period (since 2008, together with playoffs). He broke a tie at two with Jacob deGrom in 2020 and Clayton Kershaw in 2015.
Good begin: Josh Bell, one of many Marlins’ Trade Deadline acquisitions, made a robust first impression on Wednesday with 4 hits. That’s tied for probably the most hits by a participant in his Marlins debut, with JB Shuck (April 13, 2018), Emilio Bonifacio (April 6, 2009), Carlos Delgado (April 5, 2005) and Jeff Conine (April 5, 1993) within the first recreation in franchise historical past. That additionally means it is probably the most by an in-season acquisition Marlin in his debut.
And nonetheless unswept: Teams enter every sequence making an attempt to win the sequence, however even simply avoiding being swept is price noting. To that finish, the Orioles have now gone 74 straight sequence with out being swept, coming into the weekend. That’s tied with the 1904-06 A’s for fourth-most consecutive sequence of a number of video games with out being swept, per Elias. They path solely the 1942-44 Cardinals (125), 1903-05 Giants (106) and 1922-24 Yankees (83).
Mounted fairly the trouble: Part of how the Orioles prolonged that streak of their most up-to-date sequence in opposition to the Blue Jays was a robust displaying from Ryan Mountcastle, who went 11-for-13 with three walks and two sac flies over the 4 video games. That .846 batting common was the second-highest in a sequence of no less than 4 video games since 1900, in response to Elias (minimal 15 plate appearances). Only Adalberto Mondesi had the next common, at .857 in a 2020 sequence in opposition to the Tigers.
Another distinctive Ohtani day: Shohei Ohtani threw 4 scoreless innings on Thursday earlier than his pitching day was minimize brief attributable to cramping in his hand. But as a result of he’s Ohtani, he was nonetheless within the recreation as DH and stole a base and homered. Ohtani turned the primary participant with a house run and a stolen base in a recreation he began on the mound since Mudcat Grant on May 7, 1964. With his pitching outcomes, it will get even rarer. Ohtani turned the third participant since 1900 with a house run, stolen base and scoreless pitching outing in the identical recreation, per Elias. He joined Pablo Sandoval (May 6, 2019, 1 IP) and Christy Mathewson (May 23, 1905, 9 IP).
