vnueva’s challenge below led me to the roster of the 1991 Red Sox, that year being selected at random from the post-1990-but-early-’90s, when Sox pitching staffs were particularly old and ineffective. And there I re-discovered Tony Fossas, whose longstanding ineptitude is deserving of comment. In 12 big league seasons, Fossas’ 415 innings of relief for seven teams yielded 434 hits and an inexcusable 180 walks, for a WHIP of 1.48. Twelve years! In 1999, after which MLB owners finally determined that that season should be his last, Fossas appeared in just 5 games with the Yankees, all over a two-week period in May. Total innings pitched: 1.0. ERA: 36.00. (Insult to injury: in his 12 seasons, Fossas had a single at-bat. He grounded into a DP.)
When I went to look up Bruce Chen on Baseball Almanac, I clicked by mistake on Chin-Fing Chen. Fortuitous mistake — Chen-Fing had a four-year career this decade and collected all of two hits, in 22 at-bats, for a lifetime average of .091.
Unrelated: today we had a visitor to the blog who reached Vnueva’s post “Maddux pi QED” by entering the Yahoo search “what is the fraction closest to pi?”
–E.H.
vnueva
Will Jones
sadfatman
Professor A
Frisman Jackson, Jr.
hrmelvin
Cool, a visitor!!!!!!! We’re on our way!!!!!!!!!!!! Watch out GOOGLE!!!!