Tom Cheney--1963
Roger Clemens... Randy Johnson...
Kerry Wood... Tom Cheney....
Tom Cheney?
They are the answer to the trivia
question, "Who are the only pitchers in
Major League history to strikeout 20 or
more hitters in a game?"
It stumped all of us in the scout section
the other evening.
Tom Cheney?
The Washington Senator fanned 21
batters on September 12, 1962, a 2-1,
16-inning win over the host Baltimore
Orioles. The total represents a Major
League record that has stood for nearly
50 years, though many in Washington
may see the mark crumble beneath the
mighty arm of Stephen Strasburg.
Cheney would fan five players three
times each ranging from slugger Jim
Gentile to pitcher Dick Hall. He fanned 13
through nine innings. After Senator's first
baseman Bud Zipfel hit a solo home run
to give Washington what would be the
winning run; Cheney slipped a called
third strike past pinch-hitter, and future
Hall of Fame manager, Dick Williams for
the final out.
For his efforts, Cheney received a
$1,000 bonus.
It was a day before pitch counts, as the
skinny right-hander with a fastball that
had cut action, a curve ball and a
knuckler hurled an alarming 228 pitches
in the contest.
"I sat down in the locker room afterward,"
remembered Cheney in an April 1986
interview with Baseball Digest. "And in 15
minutes I was exhausted. The tension
had worn off. I didn't realize I was that
tired."
Cheney would go 7-9, 3.17 for the last
place Senators in 1962, logging a
career-high 147 strikeouts--- 21 of them
coming on a record-setting night in
Baltimore, that placed him a top elite
company.
Editor's Note: Cheney would develop
elbow problems in 1963 while pitching for
the Senators, that would derail his
career. He would retire in 1967 with a
19-29 record over eight seasons.
(6/28/10)
Kerry Wood... Tom Cheney....
Tom Cheney?
They are the answer to the trivia
question, "Who are the only pitchers in
Major League history to strikeout 20 or
more hitters in a game?"
It stumped all of us in the scout section
the other evening.
Tom Cheney?
The Washington Senator fanned 21
batters on September 12, 1962, a 2-1,
16-inning win over the host Baltimore
Orioles. The total represents a Major
League record that has stood for nearly
50 years, though many in Washington
may see the mark crumble beneath the
mighty arm of Stephen Strasburg.
Cheney would fan five players three
times each ranging from slugger Jim
Gentile to pitcher Dick Hall. He fanned 13
through nine innings. After Senator's first
baseman Bud Zipfel hit a solo home run
to give Washington what would be the
winning run; Cheney slipped a called
third strike past pinch-hitter, and future
Hall of Fame manager, Dick Williams for
the final out.
For his efforts, Cheney received a
$1,000 bonus.
It was a day before pitch counts, as the
skinny right-hander with a fastball that
had cut action, a curve ball and a
knuckler hurled an alarming 228 pitches
in the contest.
"I sat down in the locker room afterward,"
remembered Cheney in an April 1986
interview with Baseball Digest. "And in 15
minutes I was exhausted. The tension
had worn off. I didn't realize I was that
tired."
Cheney would go 7-9, 3.17 for the last
place Senators in 1962, logging a
career-high 147 strikeouts--- 21 of them
coming on a record-setting night in
Baltimore, that placed him a top elite
company.
Editor's Note: Cheney would develop
elbow problems in 1963 while pitching for
the Senators, that would derail his
career. He would retire in 1967 with a
19-29 record over eight seasons.
(6/28/10)
