Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins came into the Sunday, June 14 battle against the Philadelphia Phillies and Cy Young candidate Christopher Sánchez with an intriguing 4-for-4 line, with two doubles, against the lefty.
Perkins added to that total with a three-run homer and another double in the Brewers’ 4-0 win.
Perkins has twice as many hits against Sánchez (six) than any other pitcher he’s faced in his career, along with five RBIs, all in seven at-bats. Though he has a career .634 OPS, it’s one of those statistical quirks over a small sample that makes baseball a strange and enjoyable game.
Though it’s not easy to develop a comprehensive list, here’s a look at other intriguing batter-vs.-pitcher oddities in Brewers history. Feel free to suggest another at jr.radcliffe@jrn.com.
Ned Yost, Bill Schroeder vs. Tommy John
The former Brewers backup catcher and manager had 10 hits in 14 plate appearances against elite starter Tommy John (granted, he’s known more for the surgery now), good for an .833 batting average and a 2.202 OPS, with two homers and a double.
Another Brewers backstop (and longtime announcer) Bill Schroeder, meanwhile, finished with seven hits in 23 plate appearances, including a double and two homers, with a .984 OPS against John.
Jim Gantner vs. Frank Viola
Gantner wasn’t an elite hitter by any means, but he did have 15 hits in 40 at-bats against one of the best of his era, Frank Viola, with three doubles, a triple and a homer, along with a .950 OPS.
Keon Broxton, Luis Urias vs. Adam Wainwright
The flashy outfielder was 7-for-9 in 10 plate appearances, with two doubles, a triple and two homers against the St. Louis Cardinals ace, good for a bonkers 2.689 OPS. Toward the end of Wainwright’s career, infielder Luis Urías made the most of his 19 plate appearances against Wainwright, with six hits and three of them going for home runs. That’s good for a 1.475 OPS.
Hernán Pérez vs. Cole Hamels
The Phillies Hall of Fame candidate had a hard time getting the Brewers utility man, yielding 11 hits in 22 plate appearances, including two doubles, a triple and home run, good for a 1.403 OPS. The majority of that damage happened when Pérez was a Brewer, except for one single and a walk with Detroit.
Gabe Gross vs. Greg Maddux
It’s late-era Greg Maddux, but the Hall of Famer had a lot of trouble getting the Brewers outfielder out in 2006 and 2007. Gross went 6 of 10 with two doubles, a triple and a home run.
José Valentín vs. Orel Hershiser
The switch-hitting Brewers shortstop had nine hits in 34 plate appearances against the Los Angeles Dodgers great, with five homers, seven RBIs, four walks, two doubles and a 1.249 OPS. He only hit more home runs in his career against one other pitcher. Another Brewers player who hit very well against Hershiser was catcher Mike Matheny (1.051 OPS).
Matt Mieske vs. Randy Johnson
Mieske hit three career homers and had seven hits against the Hall of Fame lefty in 31 plate appearances. It’s the only pitcher he took deep three times. Mieske also had two doubles, three walks and a 1.022 OPS.
Jeff Cirillo vs. Andy Pettitte
Cirillo is obviously a very good hitter, but he was particularly good against borderline Hall of Fame candidate Andy Pettitte, with 16 hits in 38 plate appearances, two homers, a double, triple and five walks. That’s good for a 1.310 OPS. Some of that damage came with Seattle (four singles and a walk).
Charlie Moore vs. Fergie Jenkins
This was near the end of the Hall of Fame Cubs pitcher’s career, and he was pitching with Boston and Texas, but Moore reached an even 10 of 20 times against the star righty, with two homers, six RBIs and a 1.300 OPS. Sixto Lezcano was also a career .328 hitter against Jenkins (four homers, three doubles, 20 hits in 61 plate appearances), though some of that came while Lezcano was with the San Diego Padres in Jenkins’ final seasons in the big leagues.
Adrian Houser vs. Daniel Castano
OK, Castano isn’t a household name or anything, but it’s still wild that Houser, a Brewers starting pitcher, hit two career home runs and hit them a week apart (April 27 and May 8, 2021) both against Miami Marlins pitcher Castano.
This story was updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Unexpected Brewers success against star pitchers, like Blake Perkins
Reporting by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
