When Roger Maris hit the then-record-breaking figure of 61 home runs in 1961, how many intentional walks did he receive? (I’ll tell you): Zero. That outcome illustrates a bigger storyline.
Yes, you read that right. But there was a very good reason for that. Nobody wanted to issue a free pass to Maris, who batted in the #3 slot, when he was followed by Mickey Mantle, who hit 54 home runs and might have also beaten Ruth’s record of 60 home runs … if he had not lost playing time in September due to a severe hip abscess caused by an infected injection.
Before analytics took over baseball, where the best hitter often bats second or even first to get more at-bats over the course of a season, teams traditionally batted the best hitter third. They “protected” him with a power hitter in the cleanup spot. The idea is that with a home-run slugger batting fourth, the pitcher will have to give the #3 batter good pitches to hit rather than walking him.
That worked out great for Maris, and it has done the same for other #3 hitters.
In his 1942 biography of Lou Gehrig, Paul Gallico wrote, “The boys who write the sports stories knew what was going on and who was doing what. On October 12, 1927, they voted Lou Gehrig the ‘Most Valuable Player’ in the American League. You see, it was Lou Gehrig who forced the pitchers to pitch to Babe Ruth.”
In 1927, Ruth hit 60 home runs. Ruth batted third, Gehrig fourth. Pitchers only issued Ruth three intentional walks. And Gehrig, even though he batted 60 times after Ruth had emptied the bases, still managed to drive in 173 runs, tops in the majors that season. He also hit 47 homers. Pitchers walked him on purpose nine times.
Bill Terry (photo courtesy Our Memphis Story)
In 1930, Hall of Famers Bill Terry and Mel Ott batted #3 and #4, respectively, for the New York Giants. Terry was issued zero intentional walks and led the majors in batting average (.401) and hits (254). Ott protected him, belting 25 home runs and knocking in 119 runs with a .349 batting average. That pattern continued until Terry retired after the 1936 season. In 1935, for example, Terry again had zero intentional walks, while Ott hit 31 home runs with 114 RBIs. Terry hit. 341. Ott was intentionally walked 12 times.
Gus Bell, who batted third for the Cincinnati Reds from 1953 through 1955, with Ted Kluszewski batting cleanup, could hit for power as well as average. He drove in over 100 runs in those three seasons, belting 30 homers in 1953. But Kluszewski was a terror. In 1954, he led the majors in homers (49) and RBIs (141) and drew 15 intentional bases on balls. Bell was the beneficiary. batting. 299 with 101 RBIs. He was intentionally walked just once.
From 1954 through 1965, Eddie Mathews generally batted third and Hank Aaron fourth for the Milwaukee Braves. Having Hammerin’ Hank backing him up greatly benefited Mathews, who ended up with 512 career home runs. In 1959, when Mathews led the majors with 46 home runs, he drew just two intentional free passes. Aaron supported him with 39 home runs and 123 RBIs. Not a bad combo. Aaron, by the way, drew 17 intentional walks.
Another interesting factor in the 1961 home run chase between Mantle and Maris is that Mantle led the majors with 126 walks, 32 more than Maris. That accounts for 32 of the 76 more at-bats Maris had than Mantle. Mantle was followed in the order by catcher Elston Howard, who hit 348 that year with 21 home runs. But Mantle was better protection for Maris than Howard was for Mantle. Given the choice, pitchers would rather face Howard than the Mick. And more walks to Mantle meant less opportunity for him to hit home runs.
Ryan Braun #8 and Prince Fielder #28 (photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images and NBC Sports)
The Milwaukee Brewers had a great three-four punch from 2008 through 2011 in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, respectively. In 2009, for example, nobody wanted to pitch to Fielder, who drew 110 walks, 21 of them intentional, and batted .299 with 46 home runs and an MLB-leading 141 RBIs. Braun, no slouch himself, reaped the benefits, hitting .320 with 32 round-trippers and 114 RBIs. He also led the league in hits with 203 and was issued just 57 walks, only one of them intentional.
When Fielder left the Brewers in free agency and joined the Detroit Tigers in 2012, Aramis Ramirez replaced him as the Brewers cleanup hitter. Although Ramirez had an excellent season, batting .300 with 27 home runs and 105 RBIs, pitchers apparently didn’t fear him as much as they had Fielder, as they issued 15 intentional passes to Braun. At the same time, Ramirez drew just three intentional bases on balls. However, the protection factor must have still been there, as it appears Braun got a lot of good pitches to hit. He led the league in homers (41) and runs scored (108), drove in 112 runs, and batted .319.
So what may seem like an insignificant statistic, the intentional walk, has been a good barometer of the hitting prowess of the traditional cleanup hitter.
If the number three guy doesn’t draw a lot of intentional walks, take a look at the number four guy. It’s probably Gehrig, Ott, Kluszewski, Aaron, Mantle, Fielder, or some other fearsome slugger nobody wants to throw to with a man on base.
