Four pitchers have registered an infinity ERA for a season in the long, storied history of the Pittsburgh Pirates. One achieves this statistical oddity by taking the mound and not recording an out while surrendering at least one run. The record books show the ERA as infinity under the theory that if the pitcher kept pitching, he’d continue to give up runs forever without retiring a batter. Mathematicians say the infinity ERA is more correctly reflected as “undefined.” They note that when a pitcher is credited with zero innings, the calculation for determining the ERA would include a zero denominator. Therefore, the ERA is considered undefined. For this article, we’ll go with infinity.
Four Pirates Pitchers Had Infinity ERAs for a Season
Never on Sunday
Billy Sunday began his major league career in 1883. He played for the Chicago White Stockings, Allegheny City (or colloquially, the Alleghenys, known today as the Pirates), and Philadelphia Phillies. The left-handed-hitting outfielder had a career slash line of .248/.300/.317. Known for his speed, he stole 246 bases from 1886-90. Stolen bases weren’t tracked from 1883-85. He may be one of the most famous .248 baseball players in history. That’s because he later became an influential evangelist. Interestingly, he didn’t believe that baseball should be played on Sunday.
Amidst reports that Sunday was retiring from baseball after the 1890 season to begin a job with the Chicago Young Men’s Christian Association as an assistant secretary, the Alleghenys traded him to the Phillies in August of that year. Of Sunday’s plans, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “The stories wired from Pittsburg that Bill Sunday is to leave the diamond after this year are fakes pure and simple.” (Sound familiar?) Sunday did indeed retire after the season. He viewed the job at the YMCA as training for the ministerial career that was to ensue.
Baseball coverage was sporadic during his time. Thus, we don’t know exactly when or why Sunday took the mound one day in 1890. The official statistics say that he pitched one game and faced two batters. Both got hits and scored. With that being his only appearance toeing the rubber, he became the first Pirates pitcher to record an infinity ERA for a season.
“Tried an Amateur”
That was the headline in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of September 28, 1899, the day after Jay Parker pitched for the Pirates in the second game of a doubleheader against the Chicago Orphans. Almost nothing is known about Parker. We do know he was the brother of major league pitcher Harley Parker. On September 9, 1899, the Pittsburgh newspapers, describing him as a “local amateur,” reported that he signed with the New York Giants as an outfielder. How he came to pitch for the Pirates 18 days later is lost to history.
It seems Pirates manager Patsy Donovan was in dire straits for pitchers on that day. Chummy Gray started the first game for Pittsburgh, losing to Chicago, 4-1. Parker took the hill to start the second game. The uncredited Post-Gazette writer reported, “The local amateur faced but two men, giving them both bases on balls, and Gray, in spite of the trying ordeal of the first contest, was promptly substituted.” Gray pitched the rest of the second game, allowing Parker’s runs to score. This was Parker’s only major league game. Thus, he has the distinction of being the only Pirates pitcher with a career ERA of infinity.
The second game ended in a 7-7 tie before it was called on account of darkness after eight frames. The official record says that Parker faced three batters in that game, walking two and hitting another with a pitch. That doesn’t jibe with the newspaper account. According to the paper’s box score, two Chicago batters were hit by pitches: Bill Bradley and George Magoon. Bradley and Magoon hit sixth and seventh, respectively, in the Chicago batting order. Thus, it wouldn’t have been possible for Parker to plunk either of them. Your correspondent went with the eyewitness account over the official record here.
“Would Somebody Please Answer Why Bob Owchinko is Anywhere Near a Pirate Uniform?”
That was a question in a September 12, 1983, letter to The Pittsburgh Press sports editor by Pirates fan Gary Brant. (Remember letters to the sports editor? Or letters to anybody?)
The Pirates acquired Bob Owchinko from the Cleveland Indians as part of a package of “never-weres” in exchange for disgruntled pitcher Bert Blyleven after the 1980 season. The Pirates then exiled Owchinko to the Oakland Athletics in the spring of 1981 before the regular season began. He made his way back into the Pirates system in 1983. The Pirates called him up in September under the then-existing rules that provided for expanded 40-man September rosters.
The Pirates entered Labor Day in first place in the National League East Division and with a doubleheader in St. Louis against the Cardinals. It was a tight race, with the Phillies, Montreal Expos, and Cardinals all breathing down the Pirates’ collective necks. The Pirates lost the first game, 7-4, making the second game a must-win.
Pittsburgh took a 6-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Left-handed batters Andy Van Slyke and Darrell Porter were due up for St. Louis. Pirates skipper Chuck Tanner used his top left-handed reliever, Rod Scurry, for 2 2/3 innings in the first game. Thus, Tanner had no choice but to turn to Owchinko to start the ninth. Owchinko promptly served up an inside fastball that Van Slyke crushed for the tying home run. After Porter doubled, Tanner relieved Owchinko. The Pirates lost in 10 innings, 7-6. Owchinko’s Pirates career was over, finishing with a stat line that includes an ERA of infinity.
Giving It the College Try
Pitcher Daniel McCutchen came to the Pirates from the New York Yankees in a 2008 trade deadline deal. From 2009-11, he pitched in 107 games with Pittsburgh, 15 of which were starts. His record during that stretch was 8-10 with a 4.67 ERA and 1.484 WHIP.
Fast forward to 2012. McCutchen was one of the last players cut from the Pirates’ squad in spring training. In Triple-A Indianapolis, he worked on throwing his curveball more and pitching multiple innings out of the bullpen. Meanwhile, on August 19, the Pirates played a 19-inning game in St. Louis. Their worn-out bullpen needed a fresh arm. Thus, McCutchen was recalled on August 21. “That’s exactly why he is here, for some needed length if the occasion arises,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle told Bill Brink of the Post-Gazette.
If by “length,” Hurdle meant two batters, then he got what he wanted. That evening in San Diego against the Padres, McCutchen entered the game to start the 10th inning of a 5-5 tie. The first batter, Will Venable, walked. The next batter, Chase Headley, touched up McCutchen for a walk-off home run to deep right field. Three days later, the Pirates picked up pitcher Hisanori Takahashi on a waiver claim. McCutchen was sent back to Indianapolis, never to return to the Pirates. He’s the most recent Pirates pitcher to record an infinity ERA in a season.
McCutchen’s time with the Pirates was worth it for him, however. When the Pirates acquired A.J. Burnett from the Yankees in the spring of 2012, McCutchen gave up his No. 34 to the veteran. In exchange, Burnett started a College America 529 plan for McCutchen’s daughter.
Photo Credit: © GABY VELASQUEZ/EL PASO TIMES / USA TODAY NETWORK
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