Express GM Tim Jackson details baseball during pandemic in August meeting

The general manager of the Round Rock Express joined our monthly meeting yesterday to share how the club has endured the pandemic without a Triple-A season.

Tim Jackson, who’s been with the Express for 10 years, the last five as general manager, explained how devastating 2020 has been on the club and minor league baseball to 14 SABR members who took part in our fifth consecutive virtual meeting via Zoom.

With 95 percent of revenue generated from Express games, Jackson said the club had to make the hard decision to lay off half its staff in late May. As a result, the Express explored other ways to maintain community relations amid an unprecedented pandemic.

“This place is much bigger than 70 Express baseball games,” Jackson said, adding that Dell Diamond has hosted movie nights, concerts and the Texas Collegiate League. The wood-bat league featured amateur players from the University of Houston and Baylor, among other area programs. Jackson estimated they had about 500 people at the stadium with social distancing and mask rules at the beginning. By the end of the home schedule of about 12 games, Jackson said they had 1,200 to 1,500 people attending games. The last two home games were canceled after a few players tested positive for COVID-19 while asymptomatic.

Jackson was also a guest speaker at our Bill Gilbert Winter Meeting last January at Texas State University in San Marcos. With regard to the stalemate between MLB and MiLB, he said not much has changed with MLB’s plan to contract the number of minor league teams. He expects the current agreement between the entities to expire in September and is unsure what may happen next.

While he’s hopeful there will be a way to save the threatened minor league clubs, he’s worried about them.

“It’s as grim as I thought it looked in January,” Jackson said.

Meanwhile, Jackson said, the club is exploring other ways to connect with the community by offering a range of events, including a drive-in event on Aug. 29 in which participants can enjoy a Metallica concert broadcast on screens around the Dell Diamond parking lots and audio broadcast on FM radio.

More information about this concert and other events can be found on the Round Rock Express website: https://www.milb.com/round-rock

We’re very grateful for Tim Jackson’s time and candor. We look forward to catching up with him again and hope it’s in better circumstances.

Jim Baker created a number-centric quiz challenging us to name significant numbers in baseball history, some of which, he said, all baseball fans should know. One in particular — most career no-hitters thrown by a pitcher — is one that everyone in Texas should know. Out of 100 total points, Cy Morong pounded the field with 72 points. Jerry Miller was second with 50 points and Jan Larson had 46. Take your swings at Baker’s quiz below (answer follow the questions).

We also had a few poll questions to consider which first- or second-place teams were our favorites to win league pennants, and which last-place team might manage to rebound and make the playoffs. The Dodgers were nearly unanimous as the NL pennant winner (one vote for the Cubs). The AL picture is more competitive in our voting; five chose the Yankees, three chose the A’s, and one vote apiece came for the Rays and Indians. As for which last-place teams might yet rebound and make the playoffs, our group favored the Nationals and the Tigers (though the Angels got some love, too).

When asked about the new rules implemented this season, such as the universal DH, the reliever three-batter rule, and the runner-on-second extra innings rule, most of our group disliked them, two voted neither like nor dislike, and one hated them.

Are our members watching more games or fewer games? It turns out that most are watching about the same number of games, while one voted more and one voted fewer.

In light of the recent discussion about Fernando Tatis Jr. swinging away on a 3-0 count with his team leading by seven runs in the eighth inning, we asked our members how they felt about a batter in this situation. Six voted that it’s the batter’s prerogative to swing away, two said the unwritten rules were more important and should result in no swing, and one voted that it depends (allowable in some situations but not all).

This was the 165th consecutive month in which the chapter has met.

Details for next month’s meeting will be forthcoming early in September.

NUMBER, PLEASE

By Jim Baker

This quiz will ask you to name famous baseball numbers that represents extreme accomplishments or failures to accomplish. You don’t need to know who achieved these numbers, nor do you need to know when they occurred. If you do, that’s great—but it won’t get you extra credit on this particular quiz. All numbers must be exact unless otherwise specified and all numbers apply to the Major Leagues only.

The quiz is broken into four sections: Game, Streaks, Season and Career. There are 50 numbers that need to be named. Each is worth two points.

GAME

  1. The most RBI by a player in a game.
  2. The number of players who have done this.
  3. The most hits by a batter in a 9-inning game.
  4. The most batters struck out by a pitcher in a 9-inning game.
  5. The number of pitchers who have done this.
  6. Most consecutive batters struck out by a pitcher in a single game.
  7. Most consecutive batters retired by a pitcher in one game.
  8. The most runs scored in an inning by one team (since 1901).
  9. The most runs scored in a game by one team (since 1901).
  10. The most runs scored in a game by both teams (since 1901).
  11. Most runs scored by a player in a 9-inning game (since 1901).
  12. The most total bases by a player in a single game.

STREAKS

  1. Most consecutive games with a hit.
  2. Most consecutive games with a hit by a National Leaguer (within one).
  3. Most consecutive games with a home run.
  4. Number of players who have done this.
  5. Most consecutive games with a home run by a pitcher.
  6. Most consecutive league home run titles by a player.
  7. Most consecutive wins by a team (since 1901, tie games excluded).
  8. Most consecutive team losses (since 1901).
  9. Most consecutive losses to one team. (Hint: If the Tigers had been swept by the Indians in their weekend series of 8/21 to 8/23/20, they would have tied this record.)
  10. Most consecutive team losses in the playoffs. (This is a current streak.)
  11. Most consecutive wins by a pitcher without a charged loss.
  12. The second-most consecutive games played by a player.

SEASON

  1. The most pitching victories in a season (since 1946).
  2. The most pitching victories in a season (since 2000).
  3. The most saves in a season by a pitcher.
  4. The most team victories in a 154-game scheduled season since 1904.
  5. The most team victories in a 162-game scheduled season.
  6. The fewest team victories in a 154-game scheduled season.
  7. The fewest team victories since 1961, excluding strike-shortened seasons.
  8. Most hits by a player in a season.
  9. Most doubles by a player in a season.
  10. Most triples by a player in a season.
  11. Most home runs by a player in a season.
  12. Most runs scored by a player in a season (since 1901; within two).
  13. The most RBI in a season by a player (within two).
  14. The number of plate appearances per team game played required for a player to qualify for a batting title. (No rounding.)
  15. The number of innings pitched per team game played required for a pitcher to qualify for the ERA title.

CAREER

  1. The most career pitching victories.
  2. The most career pitching losses (within one).
  3. The most no hitters pitched by one pitcher.
  4. The most career shutouts by one pitcher.
  5. The most consecutive seasons played with one team.
  6. The most grand slams.
  7. The most three-homer games. (This record was tied in 2020.)
  8. The highest career batting average (within .001).
  9. The most doubles.
  10. The most triples.
  11. Most World Championships (team).

TIEBREAKER

  1. The number of stitches in a baseball. (Either the individual or double-stitch number is acceptable.)

ANSWERS

GAME

  1. 12
  2. 2: Jim Bottomley on 9/16/24 and Mark Whiten on 9/7/1993
  3. 7: Wilbert Robinson 6/10/1892 and Rennie Stennett on 9/16/1975
  4. 20
  5. 4: Roger Clemens on 4/29/86 and 9/18/96, Kerry Wood on 5/6/98, Randy Johnson on 5/8/01 and Max Scherzer on 5/11/16
  6. 10: Tom Seaver, Mets; 4/22/1970 vs. Padres
  7. 36: Harvey Haddix, Pirates; 5/26/1959 vs. Braves
  8. 17: Red Sox vs. Tigers, 6/18/1953
  9. 30: Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles, 8/22/2007
  10. 49: Cubs 26 Phillies 23 on 8/25/1922
  11. 6: By 15 players. Joe Randa was the last. Mel Ott did it twice. Guy Hecker scored 7 in a game in 1887.
  12. 19: Shawn Green, LA Dodgers on 5/23/2002

STREAKS

  1. 56: Joe DiMaggio in 1941
  2. 45: Wee Wille Keeler (one game in 1896, 44 in 1897) and Pete Rose (44 games in 1978)
  3. 8
  4. 3: Dale Long in 1956, Don Mattingly in 1987, Ken Griffey, Jr., in 1993
  5. 4: Ken Brett, Philadelphia Phillies in 1973
  6. 7: Ralph Kiner, 1946 to 1952
  7. 26: 1916 New York Giants
  8. 23: 1961 Philadelphia Phillies
  9. 23: Also 23. In 1969, the Royals beat the Orioles in their first-ever encounter and then lost the next 23 games to them, losing 11 in 1969 and getting swept 12-0 in 1970. The Yankees currently have an 18-game streak against the Orioles.
  10. 14: Minnesota Twins
  11. 24: Carl Hubbell, NY Giants from 7/8/1936 to 5/27/1937. He went 26-6 and 22-8, leading the NL in winning percentage both seasons.
  12. 2,130: Lou Gehrig

SEASON

  1. 31: Denny McLain, 1968 Tigers
  2. 24: Randy Johnson, D’backs, in 2003 and Justin Verlander, Tigers, in 2011
  3. 62: Francisco Rodriguez, 2008 Angels
  4. 116: 1906 Chicago Cubs, 116-36
  5. 116: 2001 Mariners, 116-46
  6. 36: 1916 A’s, 36-117
  7. 40: 1962 New York Mets, 40-120
  8. 262: Ichiro Suzuki, 2004 Mariners,
  9. 67: Earl Webb, 1931 Red Sox
  10. 36: Owen Wilson, 1912 Pirates
  11. 73: Barry Bonds, 2001 Giants
  12. 177: Babe Ruth, 1921 Yankees
  13. 191: Hack Wilson, 1930 Cubs
  14. 3.1, normally 502 in a typical season
  15. 1, normally 162 in a typical season

CAREER

  1. 511: Cy Young
  2. 315: Cy Young
  3. 7: Nolan Ryan
  4. 110: Walter Johnson
  5. 23: Brooks Robinson (Orioles) and Carl Yastrzemski (Red Sox)
  6. 25: Alex Rodriguez
  7. 6: Mookie Betts, Johnny Mize, Sammy Sosa
  8. .366: Ty Cobb
  9. 792: Tris Speaker
  10. 309: Sam Crawford
  11. 27: New York Yankees

TIEBREAKER

108/216: There are 108 double stitches on a baseball, or 216 individual stitches.