Tigers set all-time strikeout record

**Yoda** · 07-08-2012, 07:01 PM

DETROIT -- Coming into the season, the Tigers were expected to challenge hitting records. But with a third-inning strikeout by Max Scherzer in Sunday's game, the Tigers established a new American League record for collective strikeouts before the All-Star break.

Detroit tallied nine K's in Sunday's 7-1 victory against the Royals to push their first-half total to 715. The 2001 Yankees, with Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte, held the old mark of 710.

Tigers establish new first-half strikeout mark | tigers.com: News

Wow... I had no idea they were even close to this.

RIP - days of pitching to contact

**JayVee** · 07-08-2012, 07:03 PM

I knew they were striking out a lot of guys, but I had no idea it was at a historic level.

**ben9753** · 07-08-2012, 07:05 PM

Yeah, I heard them talking about this, but I figured they must mean the all time Tigers record. But to be the all time leader is pretty amazing. What's the record for SO in a season?

**Chili Mac Davis** · 07-08-2012, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by JayVee7777

I knew they were striking out a lot of guys, but I had no idea it was at a historic level.

Rod and Mario were tracking it. Good for them. Imagine what it might have been if we played the White Sox more in the first half with Adam Dunn and his 134 K's at the break. He's got to have some type of record for first half K's. And he's their #3 batter! Their lineup does not project well for the second half.

Granderson also high with first half K's, approaching 100 going into tonight. AJ has surpassed him as a player, at least for this year.

**Tigers4F4** · 07-08-2012, 07:33 PM

That is some great achievement!

Just read the article after skimming over the story most of the morning and thinking that it was a Detroit Tiger record - BUT NO - it is an American League achievement.

**Yoda** · 07-08-2012, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by Chili Mac Davis

Rod and Mario were tracking it. Good for them. Imagine what it might have been if we played the White Sox more in the first half with Adam Dunn and his 134 K's at the break. He's got to have some type of record for first half K's. And he's their #3 batter! Their lineup does not project well for the second half.

Granderson also high with first half K's, approaching 100 going into tonight. AJ has surpassed him as a player, at least for this year.

Adam Dunn still has a .360 OBP and 25 HR's. If the Tigers suddenly added him he'd be a huge boost to the offense.

**Chili Mac Davis** · 07-08-2012, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by Yoda

Adam Dunn still has a .360 OBP and 25 HR's. If the Tigers suddenly added him he'd be a huge boost to the offense.

Good point. Didn't realize he had that many walks. It's odd that he would be getting all those walks batting ahead of Paul Konerko. But regardless, at this pace, by year-end he may be the most effective .210 hitter with 250 K's in the history of the game. Who was better? Kudos to Ron Washington (or the players) for putting him on the all-star team.

**Mr. Bigglesworth** · 07-08-2012, 09:07 PM

Why is it odd? Dunn has walked often throughtout his career.

**potthole** · 07-08-2012, 09:27 PM

On Saturday's radio broadcast I remember Jim/Dan talking about how the team was on pace to set a single-season team record, but I had no idea they were also on pace to set this one as well!

**Gehringer_2** · 07-08-2012, 09:54 PM

Originally Posted by Chili Mac Davis

Good point. Didn't realize he had that many walks. It's odd that he would be getting all those walks batting ahead of Paul Konerko. But regardless, at this pace, by year-end he may be the most effective .210 hitter with 250 K's in the history of the game. Who was better? Kudos to Ron Washington (or the players) for putting him on the all-star team.

For his career Dunn as averaged a 130 point differential between his BA and OBP based on averaging 111 walks per season. He is an usual player - one of the few whose very high K rate is actually easy for a team to live with.

**tiger337** · 07-08-2012, 10:01 PM

Another amazing stat is that AL pitchers have struck out 7.3 batters per nine innings this year. That is the highest rate in the history of baseball by a lot. The previous high was 6.9 last year. So, it's not that surprising that the team in first this year would have the all time high. So, while the Tigers having the highest total ever is a great feat, I think the bigger story is the number of strikeouts all across baseball this year.

**sagnam** · 07-08-2012, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by tiger337

Another amazing stat is that AL pitchers have struck out 7.3 batters per nine innings this year. That is the highest rate in the history of baseball by a lot. The previous high was 6.9 last year. So, it's not that surprising that the team in first this year would have the all time high. So, while the Tigers having the highest total ever is a great feat, I think the bigger story is the number of strikeouts all across baseball this year.

I blame umpiring.

**tiger337** · 07-08-2012, 10:17 PM

Originally Posted by sagnam

I blame umpiring.

That could be part of it. It's possible the league has encouraged umpires to have larger strike zones as a reaction the the PED controversy. The K rate has been going up steadily, so it's not just a one year thing.

**Yoda** · 07-08-2012, 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by sagnam

I blame umpiring.

Remember in 2006 when the entire baseball world was talking about Joel Zumaya and his 100 MPH fastball? Look around, every team has one of those guys now. Pitchers are throwing really hard.

**Gehringer_2** · 07-08-2012, 11:19 PM

Originally Posted by Yoda

Remember in 2006 when the entire baseball world was talking about Joel Zumaya and his 100 MPH fastball? Look around, every team has one of those guys now. Pitchers are throwing really hard.

I wonder how much is pitchers throwing harder and how much is more sophisiticated radar hardware that measures speed over a shorter time of flight, and thus over a part of the flight closer the pitchers hand? IOW, the less of the pitch each generation of more sensitive radar needs to see, and the closer the part it is looking at is to the pitcher's release point, the higher the speed it will read. IIRC, the average pitch loses over 10 mph on its flight, so where you look at it makes a big difference.

You can look at FX charts and it appears that some ballparks read consistently higher than others due to the hardware they use.

**Yoda** · 07-08-2012, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by Gehringer_2

I wonder how much is pitchers throwing harder and how much is more sophisiticated radar hardware that measures speed over a shorter time of flight, and thus over a part of the flight closer the pitchers hand? IOW, the less of the pitch each generation of more sensitive radar needs to see, and the closer the part it is looking at is to the pitcher's release point, the higher the speed it will read. IIRC, the average pitch loses over 10 mph on its flight, so where you look at it makes a big difference.

You can look at FX charts and it appears that some ballparks read consistently higher than others due to the hardware they use.

True, but if that were making much difference, pitchers that have been in the league for a while would have been gradually increasing their pitch speeds as well, and I don't think that's very common.

My uneducated guess is that, after 2006, other teams started following the Dombrowski model and started focusing more on power arms rather than control pitchers. I could be wrong, though.

**Gehringer_2** · 07-08-2012, 11:30 PM

Originally Posted by Yoda

True, but if that were making much difference, pitchers that have been in the league for a while would have been gradually increasing their pitch speeds as well,...

Clemens?