Braves Stat of the Week: Eric Hinske's Rare Feat

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 11:35 AM EDT

In last night's game, the Braves entered the 9th inning up 2-1. Eleven batters later, they were up 10-1, and still only had one out (Martin Prado grounded into a double play to end the fun). Lost in all of this excitement was that Eric Hinske batted twice in the inning, and had two hits: a 2-run homer and an RBI single.

While 2-hit innings are not that rare, what makes Hinske's feat memorable is that he only appeared as a pinch-hitter. (He was replaced immediately after the half-inning by Cristhian Martinez, who pitched the bottom of the 9th.) I was curious about how often a player who only played as a pinch-hitter had 2 hits in a game. As it turns out, it's pretty rare. Here's the whole list (most recent first):

Rk	Player	Date	Tm	Opp	Rslt	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI
1	Eric Hinske	2011-04-19	ATL	LAD	W 10-1	2	2	1	2	0	0	1	3
2	Melvin Mora	2010-07-30	COL	CHC	W 17-2	2	2	2	2	1	0	0	1
3	Angel Pagan	2006-09-06	CHC	PIT	W 7-2	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	1
4	Julio Franco	2004-04-07	ATL	NYM	W 18-10	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	3
5	Brian Hunter	2001-06-16	PHI	BAL	W 14-6	2	2	1	2	0	0	1	2
6	Greg Norton	1996-08-19	CHW	DET	W 12-7	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	0
7	Oscar Azocar	1991-10-02	SDP	LAD	W 9-4	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	1
8	Dave Henderson	1987-05-17	BOS	MIN	L 8-10	2	2	1	2	0	0	1	2
9	Jeff Stone	1986-07-06	PHI	CIN	W 12-5	2	2	2	2	1	0	1	2
10	Chris Bando	1983-09-03	CLE	OAK	W 13-6	2	2	0	2	0	0	0	1
11	Duane Kuiper	1982-08-18	SFG	PIT	W 16-9	2	2	2	2	0	0	0	1
12	Bill Robinson	1982-08-14	PHI	MON	W 15-11	2	2	2	2	0	0	1	4
13	Ken Griffey	1980-08-04 (2)	CIN	SDP	W 11-2	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	1
14	Rick Auerbach	1980-06-15	CIN	STL	L 9-10	2	2	1	2	0	0	1	2
15	Cliff Johnson	1975-05-31	HOU	PHI	W 15-3	2	2	2	2	1	0	1	3
16	Russ Nixon	1962-05-04	BOS	CHW	W 13-6	2	2	2	2	0	0	0	2
17	Babe Young	1942-05-14	NYG	CIN	W 12-6	2	2	2	2	1	1	0	1
18	Jeff Heath	1939-07-25	CLE	PHA	W 12-8	2	2	1	2	1	1	0	3
19	Ray Pepper	1936-08-08 (2)	SLB	DET	W 10-5	2	2	1	2	1	0	0	1
20	Chubby Dean	1936-06-21	PHA	CHW	W 11-5	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	2
21	Harlin Pool	1934-06-30	CIN	STL	W 11-4	2	2	2	2	0	0	0	2
22	Pete Scott	1927-05-21 (2)	CHC	BRO	W 11-6	2	2	1	2	1	0	0	2
23	Harry Rice	1925-04-27	SLB	DET	W 10-8	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	0
24	Larry Gardner	1922-08-16	CLE	PHA	L 9-10	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	2
25	Larry Woodall	1922-07-07 (2)	DET	WSH	W 11-9	2	2	2	2	0	0	0	1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 4/20/2011.

This list does not include all the pinch-hitters with 2-hit innings; if a guy later played in the field, he wouldn't make the list. But Eric Hinske is only the 25th guy (since 1919) to appear only as a pinch hitter and record two hits. He's also only the 7th such player to have a homer among his 2 hits, and only the 2nd Brave to do it (after Julio Franco). Pretty cool.

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Comments

Wow. I’m surprised that it’s happened that often!

This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT

by justincredubil02 on Apr 20, 2011 11:39 AM EDT reply actions

dude

i knew i could count on you on this one…. i was looking for info on this, but you made so much simpler…

by Bizarros on Apr 20, 2011 11:41 AM EDT reply actions

it*

by Bizarros on Apr 20, 2011 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions

wow

Rec’d, +1000000000

GSO

"I'd rather jerk off a tiger in a phone booth than draft Cam"
-Mel Kiper, Jr.

you guys are like a bunch of pirahnas
by chop goes da weazel on Mar 31, 2011 12:32 PM PDT

by MikeTrain on Apr 20, 2011 11:41 AM EDT reply actions

Love it

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Apr 20, 2011 11:46 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

+1 for the doc.

Twitter: @Ben_Duronio Stop calling Tommy Hanson "Big Red"

by BenDuronio on Apr 20, 2011 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions

question on this does the Braves get credit for him collecting 2 pinch hits here? Since their Pinch Hitters were 0-for-25 or whatever coming in would this make pinch hitters 2-27 or 1-26

by yondaime4 on Apr 20, 2011 11:46 AM EDT reply actions

Hinske got 2 pinch-hits

so, yes.

THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com

by duwanis on Apr 20, 2011 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions

Apparently,

that second PA does not count as a PH appearance even though Hinske’s only listed position was “Pinch Hitter”. If you think of “Pinch Hitter” as a position (like DH), but “pinch hitting” as a particular occurrence, then you can see the distinction, but it is pretty confusing.

"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I now twitter as @junkstats and blog about made-up stats and general baseball stuff at JunkStats.

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions

Wait, wait, wait...

So he appeared as a pinch hitter, but it wasn’t a pinch hit appearance? In who’s mind does that make sense?

THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com

by duwanis on Apr 20, 2011 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions

I guess it means that a pinch hitter is always replacing somebody — and you cannot (by definition) be a pinch hitter if you are hitting for yourself.

Fangraphs, on Craig Kimbrel: "His strikeout rates look like they’re coming from a video game"

by carpengui on Apr 20, 2011 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Yup, that's the ticket.

It’s still weird b/c Hinske did not change positions to something other than “Pinch Hitter” for the 2nd AB even though he was clearly not pinch-hitting for anyone at that pont.

"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I now twitter as @junkstats and blog about made-up stats and general baseball stuff at JunkStats.

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions

And that’s the hole in the logic about this: even the second time ’round, he had no position to record… technically, I suppose, it might be “pitcher” if you had to scratch something in.

Fangraphs, on Craig Kimbrel: "His strikeout rates look like they’re coming from a video game"

by carpengui on Apr 20, 2011 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Personally,

I think they should just go ahead and count it as two pinch hits. But apparently that’s not what the official rules say to do.

"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I now twitter as @junkstats and blog about made-up stats and general baseball stuff at JunkStats.

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions

The vagaries of baseball

are beautiful and endless.

by KMarch on Apr 20, 2011 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, that doesn’t make sense. He was just STILL PHing for the pitcher.

If we can land [Stephen Drew], I will give FW a bj.
~justincredubil02

by king of games on Apr 20, 2011 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions

This.

Because if he hadn’t PH for the pitcher, it would’ve been the pitcher getting two PAs that inning. Having it count as two PHs is the only way that makes sense. Baseball rules really are screwy sometimes.

"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."

by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 20, 2011 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions

No he wasn’t, he was in the lineup already. His name was written in the lineup card and he came up again, so he wasn’t pinch-hitting for anyone. He just had not played a position. He was the pitcher. You can only pinch-hit if you are substituted for a player. So if you pinch-run for a player and your spot comes up later that inning, you aren’t also pinch-hitting.

Twitter: @Ben_Duronio Stop calling Tommy Hanson "Big Red"

by BenDuronio on Apr 20, 2011 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Hmm, good point. I didn’t really think of him as actually being the pitcher in that case. That’s why you make the big bucks.

If we can land [Stephen Drew], I will give FW a bj.
~justincredubil02

by king of games on Apr 21, 2011 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions

The Braves are now

2 for 27 as a PH, but that’s only because Conrad also had a PH earlier in the game. See here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/split.cgi?t=b&team=ATL&year=2011#defp

Hinske’s 2nd AB counts as “Other” in that breakdown.

"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I now twitter as @junkstats and blog about made-up stats and general baseball stuff at JunkStats.

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Weird..rules are rules, and rules usually suck anyways, so I guess it makes sense. I wonder what other types of defense positioning are classified as “Other”.

Lady: What?!? How did HE get to Heaven?

GOD: Oh, he was in a different area code, so technically it wasn't cheating..

by bwellnjonesco on Apr 20, 2011 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions

From what I can tell,

it’s just PHers in their second AB and pinch runners who come up to bat. I can’t find an actual definition, though, so I might be leaving something out.

"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I now twitter as @junkstats and blog about made-up stats and general baseball stuff at JunkStats.

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Request:

How often has the PR coming up to bat situation occurred? You’re good at finding obscure info like that.

"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."

by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 20, 2011 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't have exact splits,

but the “Other” category gets about 12-20 PAs each year. The pinch runners make up only a small part of that total, though; most are pinch hitters on their 2nd PA.

I can tell you that getting a hit as a “Pinch Runner” is very rare. See this post I just did: http://junkstats.com/?p=630

"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I now twitter as @junkstats and blog about made-up stats and general baseball stuff at JunkStats.

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Okay,

I did a broader search. Pinch Runners have had only 63 PA since 1919, so a bit less than 1 per year.

http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/1VbIS

"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I now twitter as @junkstats and blog about made-up stats and general baseball stuff at JunkStats.

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions

You're awesome.

Thanks for finding that. That sounds like one of the rarest feats in baseball.

"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."

by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 20, 2011 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions

I thought about this too

great stuff. Oh, and one more thing…

JUUUUU-LIOOOOO!

by KMarch on Apr 20, 2011 11:47 AM EDT reply actions

I ♥ Julio (in a platonic way)

Chicks dig the long ball.

DOB: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
Chipper: Is that possible?

by kimrob1 on Apr 20, 2011 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions

(imitating little kid)

na na na i’ve met him….

by Bizarros on Apr 20, 2011 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions

oh yeah!?! Well, I’ve met Brian McCann!!!! although, he was a nobody at the time and I had no idea who he was! BUT STILL!!

<|:-P

Chicks dig the long ball.

DOB: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
Chipper: Is that possible?

by kimrob1 on Apr 20, 2011 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions

I met Carlos Delgado when he was playing for the MB Hurricanes.

He wasn’t even my favorite player. Silly me.

THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com

by duwanis on Apr 20, 2011 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions

/consumed with jealousy

LIVE EDT

Tape-delayed for the West Coast

by TheLetter2 on Apr 20, 2011 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m sorry. You know, I ran across the baseball that he signed for me the other day, and the signature was pretty faded. If only I had known…

Chicks dig the long ball.

DOB: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
Chipper: Is that possible?

by kimrob1 on Apr 20, 2011 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions

i took a picture WITH b-mac

back in ’09

Wait - Kelly Johnson hits lefties better than righties? That just HAS to be backwards. - Bobby Cox as he looks at KJ's splits for his career

by Jareth Cutestory on Apr 20, 2011 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Did he ever find out you were there while he was showering?

If we can land [Stephen Drew], I will give FW a bj.
~justincredubil02

by king of games on Apr 20, 2011 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah

he was totally cool about it

Wait - Kelly Johnson hits lefties better than righties? That just HAS to be backwards. - Bobby Cox as he looks at KJ's splits for his career

by Jareth Cutestory on Apr 20, 2011 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Jerk.

LIVE EDT

Tape-delayed for the West Coast

by TheLetter2 on Apr 20, 2011 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions

I bet his guns are bigger than Uggla’s

by KMarch on Apr 20, 2011 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Never!

LIVE EDT

Tape-delayed for the West Coast

by TheLetter2 on Apr 20, 2011 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t know if anyone’s guns are bigger than Uggla’s.

Chicks dig the long ball.

DOB: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
Chipper: Is that possible?

by kimrob1 on Apr 20, 2011 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Don't doubt my guns

by KMarch on Apr 20, 2011 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t accept pictures of Julio Franco unless he is over the age of 49 in them.

Chicks dig the long ball.

DOB: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
Chipper: Is that possible?

by kimrob1 on Apr 20, 2011 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions

but

he looks exactly the same minus the flat-top and mustache!

by KMarch on Apr 20, 2011 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions

haha

this is true

Chicks dig the long ball.

DOB: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
Chipper: Is that possible?

by kimrob1 on Apr 20, 2011 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions

better?

by KMarch on Apr 20, 2011 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions

yes!! WOOOO!!!

Chicks dig the long ball.

DOB: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
Chipper: Is that possible?

by kimrob1 on Apr 20, 2011 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Best Stance Ever.

Chicks dig the long ball.

DOB: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
Chipper: Is that possible?

by kimrob1 on Apr 20, 2011 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Close, but dunno about that...

by KMarch on Apr 20, 2011 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions

btw:

that’s Craig Counsel, of course.

by KMarch on Apr 20, 2011 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions

professional Braves-killer.

by KMarch on Apr 20, 2011 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions

No No...

by Bizarros on Apr 20, 2011 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions

I wanted to slap him every time I saw this…

Chicks dig the long ball.

DOB: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
Chipper: Is that possible?

by kimrob1 on Apr 20, 2011 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions

This is true.

Julio Franco is secretly a Vampire. Anytime he stays in one place too long (like in baseball), people start getting suspicious about him not aging. At that point, he has to move on.

"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."

by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Apr 20, 2011 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions

dude..

i think you might be onto something… i’ve meet him a couple of times in winter ball, and he doesn’t wear a crucifix like most of the players do…

by Bizarros on Apr 20, 2011 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions

I see Greg Norton on the list...

THE Greg Norton? That guy actually got consecutive hits at one point in his career??

"I wasn’t thinking about it. That’s the worst celebration of all time. I didn’t know what to do. I got lost in the moment." - Brian McCann

by HansonManCrush on Apr 20, 2011 11:47 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

He was a pretty good bench guy

until that last season with the Braves. It’s unfair that we remember him only for that one season of futility, but oh well.

"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I now twitter as @junkstats and blog about made-up stats and general baseball stuff at JunkStats.

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Other interesting names on that list

include Brian Hunter and Russ Nixon.

Fangraphs, on Craig Kimbrel: "His strikeout rates look like they’re coming from a video game"

by carpengui on Apr 20, 2011 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions

And

Chubby Dean. That is the most “interesting” name.

"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I now twitter as @junkstats and blog about made-up stats and general baseball stuff at JunkStats.

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions

You’ve got me on that one.

Fangraphs, on Craig Kimbrel: "His strikeout rates look like they’re coming from a video game"

by carpengui on Apr 20, 2011 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Huh.... now that I've done a little research....

1. He was a pitcher (30-46 lifetime). Played for the Philly A’s and Indians.
2. Distant cousin of Dizzy and Daffy (wondered about that)
3. Originally from “Mayberry” — Mt. Airy, NC (yes, of the ‘Andy Griffith Show’)
4. After his baseball career, Mr. Dean was director of athletics for the Army at Fort Dix and for the European Command at Nuremberg, Germany.
5. Passed away at age 54.

Fangraphs, on Craig Kimbrel: "His strikeout rates look like they’re coming from a video game"

by carpengui on Apr 20, 2011 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions

So Chubby

worked at Fort Dix… No comment.

Interesting that a pitcher would make this list, though.

"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I now twitter as @junkstats and blog about made-up stats and general baseball stuff at JunkStats.

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions

I was going to comment on that very same thing. NM though, too easy.

by Sparhawk on Apr 20, 2011 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah

It really isn’t fair that people crucify him for his crappy 2009. This is still one of my favorite Norton moments from the even worse as a team, crappy 2008, where Norton was still a huge contributor.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Apr 20, 2011 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Didn’t he lead the league in pinch hitting the first year that he was with us?

Lady: What?!? How did HE get to Heaven?

GOD: Oh, he was in a different area code, so technically it wasn't cheating..

by bwellnjonesco on Apr 20, 2011 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions

I rec this post

Just because of the pic/caption.

Although the 2-pinch-hits-in-a-game thing is kind of cool, too.

THE NL WEST WILL NAIL YOU IN THE RUSTY GROIN WITH SOMETHING --TheLetter2
www.duwanis.com

by duwanis on Apr 20, 2011 11:54 AM EDT reply actions

That picture is priceless.

Chicks dig the long ball.

DOB: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
Chipper: Is that possible?

by kimrob1 on Apr 20, 2011 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions

Pretty cool.

Indeed.

"Curve: The loveliest distance between two points." ~ Mae West

by NCChopper on Apr 20, 2011 12:22 PM EDT reply actions

Fun Fact:

Hinske was not the only player to bat twice as a pinch hitter last night. Erick Almonte of the Brewers also did it. He struck out against Roy Halladay to start the 7th inning, and singled in 2 runs later in the inning off of Mike Zagurski.

"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I now twitter as @junkstats and blog about made-up stats and general baseball stuff at JunkStats.

by Jacob Peterson on Apr 20, 2011 1:00 PM EDT reply actions

how 'bout that

We haven’t talked very much about the Brewers dismantling of Halladay. Pretty fun to read about!

by KMarch on Apr 20, 2011 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions

yes..

but let’s be honest… that is a once in a year event… it just sucks that it wasn’t us…

by Bizarros on Apr 20, 2011 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Where is the optimism? I don’t think Halladay as looked as sharp this year and he has a history of getting roughed up every now and then. I think he has had 11 +5 runs scored start in the last couple of years.

We got next.

by GumpBrave on Apr 20, 2011 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions