A younger player with five hits in a game

[charlieoscar]

While I did not check every name, I did use bb-ref's Play Index to pull up players with at least 5 hits in a game during their first 50 games. Unfortunately, this only goes back to 1913 but I did find a former Red Sox player, then with the Indians who got five hits in his 12th career game: Joe Vosmik, April 18, 1931. He was born April 4, 1910.

I didn't feel like going through all 92 names, especially as there were so many prior years missing.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Red Sox Notes‏ @SoxNotes 2h2 hours ago
At 22 years old, Andrew Benintendi is the youngest Red Sox player with 5+ hits in a game since Tony Conigliaro on 4/16/67 at NYY.

 

[Mugsy's Jock]

As a 21 year-old in 1894, Fred Clarke had a 5-hit game in his major league debut. He went on to have a fine career, with a career average of .312 on 2672 hits and would enter the Hall of Fame as a Veterans' Committee nominee in 1945. Despite his great batting average, Clarke would never win a batting title -- despite hitting .390 in 1897, the batting crown would go to Wee Willie Keeler, who hit .424.

In his first major league game in 1933, nineteen year-old Cecil Travis got hits in each of his first five at bats. Travis went on to have a fine career, including three All-Star appearances in 1938, 1940 and 1941. In an odd echo of Clarke's career, Travis never won a batting title with his best average, .359 in 1941, coming in a distant second to Ted Williams' .406.

 

[snowmanny]

Red Sox Notes‏ @SoxNotes 2h2 hours ago
At 22 years old, Andrew Benintendi is the youngest Red Sox player with 5+ hits in a game since Tony Conigliaro on 4/16/67 at NYY.

That game was 18 innings long, by the way.

 

[E5 Yaz]

ESPN Stats and Information
Andrew Benintendi is the youngest player in Red Sox history to go 5-for-5 or better in a game (age 22). The previous youngest is Babe Ruth (age 23). (Via Elias Sports Bureau).

 

[Brand Name]

That game was 18 innings long, by the way.

Benintendi is the youngest BoSox with 5 hits in a 9-inning game since Dalton Jones, 7/9/65, Game 2.

 

[uk_sox_fan]

ESPN Stats and Information
Andrew Benintendi is the youngest player in Red Sox history to go 5-for-5 or better in a game (age 22). The previous youngest is Babe Ruth (age 23). (Via Elias Sports Bureau).

How'd his career turn out?

 

[Sox and Rocks]

How'd his career turn out?

Fat, drunk, and slow, which is no way to go through life, son.

Though I will accept the same fate for Benintendi if the middle part of his career is similar.

 

[Al Zarilla]

Benintendi is the youngest BoSox with 5 hits in a 9-inning game since Dalton Jones, 7/9/65, Game 2.

Jones was 5 for 6.

 

[Al Zarilla]

Red Sox Notes‏ @SoxNotes 2h2 hours ago
At 22 years old, Andrew Benintendi is the youngest Red Sox player with 5+ hits in a game since Tony Conigliaro on 4/16/67 at NYY.

Conig was 5 for 7 and Yaz was 5 for 8. Rico had 4 hits but the Sox lost to the Yankees 7-6 in 18 innings.

 

[Al Zarilla]

A lot of guys have gotten 5 or more hits in a game. Rennie Stennett has the record with 7. But, Benintendi looks like the real, real deal. Sweet swing, hits to all fields, hits like a considerably stronger guy than you'd think when you hear he's 5'10, 180. The walks per strikeouts will probably come down with a lot more ABs. What else to prove/show except to get beyond small sample sizes?

 

[brandonchristensen]

It's kinda crazy how the Sox and Yankees young players are hitting so well.

Might we have another Yankee/Sox rivalry like the early 2000s again?

 

[patoaflac]

It's kinda crazy how the Sox and Yankees young players are hitting so well.
Might we have another Yankee/Sox rivalry like the early 2000s again?

Yeah, Benintendi's batting resembles Freddy. Judge´s and Sanchez's strength, neck and muscles remind me of Arod

 

[Joe Shlabotnick]

Yeah, Benintendi's batting resembles Freddy. Judge´s and Sanchez's strength, neck and muscles remind me of Arod

With or without the steroids?

 

[aksoxfan]

Yeah, Benintendi's batting resembles Freddy. Judge´s and Sanchez's strength, neck and muscles remind me of Arod

His forearms look pretty thick. Strong wrists like Hank Aaron.

 

[chrisfont9]

Three of the five hits were not well struck. So I wouldn't compare this to Lynn's legendary game in Tiger Stadium or whatever. I'd say 3/5 was probably a more deserving outcome, but apart from luck he's putting the ball in play and his speed is an asset.

 

[patoaflac]

With or without the steroids?

Well, well, I don´t know how pure exercise and a good nutrition with a high protein intake, makes those yankees so strong (Sanchez's neck circumference is very big) , we shall see down the road.
Regarding Benintendi I said it reminds me of Freddy, not isolating the Detroit game; I said it in general. He pulls the ball with power and he goes to the oposite field as Lynn did.

 

[charlieoscar]

A lot of guys have gotten 5 or more hits in a game. Rennie Stennett has the record with 7.

When the Baltimore Orioles beat the St. Louis Browns 25-4 on June 10, 1892 in nine innings, catcher Wilbert Robinson went 7 for 7 with 11 RBI (National League--according to the rules at the time, the home club could choose whether to bat first or second and the Orioles led-off).

For extra-inning games, the record is nine hits held by Johnny Burnett, ss for the Cleveland Indians who got them in 11 AB in an 18-inning game against the Philadelphia Athletics on July 10, 1932. Unfortunately, Burnett left the winning run on 2nd when he made the third out in the bottom of the 17th. Future Red Sox pitcher Wes Ferrell pitched 11.1 innings in relief and got a (retroactive) blown save and the loss (and as a side note, Ferrell hit as many home runs (9) in 1931 as Burnett hit in his 9-year career).

Rocky Colavito, Cesar Gutierrez, and Brandon Crawford all managed to get 7 hits in extra-inning games.

 

[Al Zarilla]

...according to the rules at the time, the home club could choose whether to bat first or second...

I did not know that. Guess I wasn't paying attention at the time. The other three major sports in this country use a coin flip, jump ball and face-off to determine first possession. Baseball dictates it.

 

[charlieoscar]

I did not know that.

Actually, the rule giving the home team the choice of batting first or last was not changed until 1950; although, except for modern times when cancellations have led to games being made up in the opponent's park, I don't think it has actually happened since the 'teens.

 

[glasspusher]

Actually, the rule giving the home team the choice of batting first or last was not changed until 1950; although, except for modern times when cancellations have led to games being made up in the opponent's park, I don't think it has actually happened since the 'teens.

Fascinating tidbit. A year or so ago an older friend of mine was frustrated with computers and said "what would it be like if there were new rules in a certain sport every year?". I pointed out to him the changes to MLB rules from, say, 1880 to 1910 (comparable to the first 30 years of PC use). He got the point.

1950, though? Wow.

 

[charlieoscar]

1950, though? Wow.

To quote the 1950 Spink Official Baseball Guide published by The Sporting News:

Playing Rules Completely Recodified
A complete revamping of the playing rules of the game that represents the most drastic changes effected since their adoption in 1904 was made official for 1950 by the Rules Committee. Included with the code is complete set of scoring rules, which heretofore were largely individual league interpretations.

...No change were made in the game itself, nor in the ball and bat. New specifications for gloves were given, the height of the mound established at 15 inches above home plate [previously it was varied by club--co], the strike zone defined as that space over home plate between the batter's armpits and the top of his knees, seven-inning games authorized for one part of a doubleheader [I'm not certain this was applied outside the minors--co, runners penalized for taking out fielders to prevent double plays [the actual rules are not written quite that specifically--co], and umpires are given added authority. Other provisions are clarified and clauses added to cover unusual situations.

There were others things like uniformity in official scoring throughout Organized Ball, the qualification for batting championship being set at 400 AB in the majors or appearing in at least two-thirds of a team's games in the minors, and the like. There were 71 Rules in 1949 but only 10 in 1950 (but with many sub-paragraphs.

Just as an aside to this: I have official guides going back into the 1940s that I mostly found on eBay. I collected the guides because the data was not available on-line and they also contained minor-league stats. And I have reprints of some guides, which also contain rules, from prior to 1900.

 

[Kun Aguero]

the strike zone defined as that space over home plate between the batter's armpits and the top of his knees,

And 1950 was the last and ONLY year it was called that way, if they even called it that way back then. The strike zone in MLB is a joke. High pitches are strikes one day, balls the next. Strikes to one batter, balls to the next batter. Low balls are balls one day, strikes the next. Inside, outside, etc. If we have the technology to get an accurate strike zone electronically, I'm all for using it. And never mind the "human element" removal bullshit. We're not removing humans from the game. If it's a strike today, it should be a strike tomorrow. And next week, and forever. I have seen the EXACT same location called a strike and a ball in the same at bat. It's fucking ridiculous, and needs to stop.

Sorry to be o/t. I saw this line and it just made me laugh.

 

[Saints Rest]

And 1950 was the last and ONLY year it was called that way, if they even called it that way back then. The strike zone in MLB is a joke. High pitches are strikes one day, balls the next. Strikes to one batter, balls to the next batter. Low balls are balls one day, strikes the next. Inside, outside, etc. If we have the technology to get an accurate strike zone electronically, I'm all for using it. And never mind the "human element" removal bullshit. We're not removing humans from the game. If it's a strike today, it should be a strike tomorrow. And next week, and forever. I have seen the EXACT same location called a strike and a ball in the same at bat. It's fucking ridiculous, and needs to stop.

Sorry to be o/t. I saw this line and it just made me laugh.

I agree wit you 100%. Strike zone seems to be now, from belly button to top of shin.