Pitcher-Hitting Futility Between Legendary Babe and Revolutionary Ohtani

March 13th, 2024 - 18:32

When it came to major league pitchers excelling as batters until rule change a couple of seasons ago, there were only a few pitcher/hitters resembling Babe Ruth and Shohei Ohtani. Facing the cold hard facts, it was textbook futility for nearly 50 years as N.L. pitchers tried to hit MLB hurlers. The gap between pitchers' hitting and remainder of MLB players grew exponentially over the years. A couple of years removed from the N.L. joining the designated-hitter fold as part of MLB's latest CBA (A.L. embraced DH since 1973), it turned out that 2021 was final trip around the bases for N.L. hurlers.

Versatile former college basketball players - majority of them from small schools - were among the minority of big-league pitchers who knew how to handle a bat (only a handful of them since the 1950s). In the aftermath of adopting a universal DH, it might be a good time amid Ohtani switching leagues to not only adjust to a pitch clock but also remember the following alphabetical list of perhaps the 20 best-hitting MLB pitchers previously playing college basketball (including a couple from Swarthmore PA):

Ex-College Hooper School(s) Summary of MLB Pitcher's Batting Prowess
Elden Auker Kansas State Collected two homers and five RBI in single game in mid-August 1937 en route to 30 extra-base hits and 72 RBI in 10-year career. He had three 3-hit games in 1936 with the Detroit Tigers.
Ray Benge Sam Houston State Seven straight seasons from 1928 through 1934 with at least a dozen hits. Went 4-for-4 with Philadelphia Phillies vs. Chicago Cubs in mid-August game in 1931.
Jack Coombs Colby ME Collected total of 15 extra-base hits in 1908 (nine doubles/five triples/one homer). Switch-hitter posted .319 batting average in 1911 en route to A.L.-leading 28 victories for Philadelphia Athletics. Went 4-for-4 with three RBI and scored three runs in mid-May 1911 game against the Detroit Tigers en route to posting A.L.-leading 28 victories. Managed 23 RBI in both 1908 and 1911.
Jean Dubuc Saint Michael's VT/Notre Dame Minimum of 20 hits in each of five straight seasons with the Detroit Tigers from 1912 through 1916 (including high of 36 in 1913 when amassing nine two-hit outings). Posted .230 batting average in nine-year career.
George Earnshaw Swarthmore PA Hit .230 in nine-year career with more than 25 hits three consecutive campaigns for Philadelphia Athletics from 1930 through 1932. Contributed four hits in each of back-to-back games in June of 1931.
Boo Ferriss Mississippi State Hit .250 in six-year career with Boston Red Sox featuring at least 24 hits in each of his first three seasons from 1945 through 1947.
Bob Gibson Creighton Contributed 24 HRs (one of them in 1967 World Series) and 144 RBI in 17-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals. While posting microscopic 1.12 ERA in 34 starts in 1968, Gibby allowed opposing hitters to reach base at precisely the same rate he got on base himself. Hammered five HRs in 1965 and 1972 (also six doubles). Provided 19 RBI in 1965 and 1970 plus 20 ribbies in 1963. Registered .303 batting average with 12 multiple-hit games in 1970.
Vern Kennedy Central Missouri State Lefthanded swinger hit .244 in 12-year career with seven different franchises. Posted batting average of .283 or higher three times in A.L. in a five-year span (1936-38-40). He had three safeties in back-to-back games in 1935 and hit safely in seven straight starts the next year with the Chicago White Sox.
Thornton Lee Cal Poly Assembled eight-game hitting streaks with Chicago White Sox in 1940 and 1941. Posted batting averages over .250 three times in four-year span with more than 90 plate appearances (1938-40-41). Collected four HRs and 16 RBI in 1938.
Ted Lyons Baylor Switch-hitter hit .233 with 63 extra-base safeties and 149 RBI in 21-year career with the Chicago White Sox. Compiled .311 batting average with 38 safeties in 1930 to cap off streak of five straight seasons with at least 20 hits. Assembled eight-game hitting streak in 1942 with five of them including multiple safeties. Supplied three three-hit games in span of a month in 1928. He had four hits in a single game in back-to-back seasons (1940 and 1941).
Christy Mathewson Bucknell Career batting average of .215 with 69 extra-base hits and 167 RBI. Posted batting average of at least .263 in three seasons with the New York Giants (1906-09-12). Provided 20 RBI in 1903 and eight extra-base hits in 1904. He had six multiple-hit games in last seven weeks of 1912.
Curly Ogden Swarthmore PA Hit .244 in five-year A.L. career. In 1924, he hit safely in nine of 12 starts for the Washington Senators from end of May to late August.
Claude Passeau Millsaps MS Pounded 15 career HRs in 13-year N.L. career. Hit .282 as Philadelphia Phillies rookie in 1936. His grand slam in mid-May 1941 was first of three homers in span of five starts. A year later, he homered in back-to-back starts for the Chicago Cubs.
Jim Perry Campbell Compiled eight-game hitting streak as rookie starter for the Cleveland Indians in 1959 through all of August until mid-September, provided eight two-hit outings in 1960 with the Tribe and posted a .556 batting average in six of his starts for the Minnesota Twins in June of 1970.
Gary Peters Grove City PA Lefthander collected 19 HRs and 102 RBI in 14-year career. Belted multiple HRs in six different seasons (1963-64-67-68-69-71). He had 19 RBI along with 11 extra-base hits (seven doubles and four HRs) in 1964. Homered in nine consecutive campaigns from 1963 through 1971. Eleven-game hitting streak as starting pitcher with the Chicago White Sox in 1966.
Nelson "Nels" Potter Mount Morris IL/Manchester IN Eight multiple-hit games with the St. Louis Browns in 1945 when posting a .304 batting average (28-of-92).
Hal Schumacher St. Lawrence NY Accumulated 15 homers and 102 RBI in 13-year career with the New York Giants. Smacked six HRs in 1934 along with six other extra-base hits. Hit safely in all but one of 12-game starting span in mid-season of 1935. Provided pair of homers and five RBI in a game early in 1934.
Joe "Lefty" Shaute Mansfield PA Eight-game hitting streak in 1924, igniting a streak of hitting over .300 for the Cleveland Indians three times in a four-year span with at least 20 safeties. Also had eight-game hitting streak in 1926. Posted .258 batting average in 13-year career.
Wilfred "Sonny" Siebert Missouri Secured six HRs and 15 RBI while posting .266 batting average in 1971 as All-Star with the Boston Red Sox. Went "batty" against the Baltimore Orioles in two games in 1971 with five RBI in late-June game before smacking pair of round-trippers just over two months later in early September.
Tom Zachary Guilford NC Hit .226 in 19-year career with annual average of 19 safeties in seven-season span from 1920 through 1926. Manufactured six-game hitting streak in 1928. Went 4-for-4 with the Washington Senators in a game in back-to-back seasons (1921 and 1922).