This got me interested in pinch runs: those instances where a run is scored by someone other than the player who reaches base. I've never heard the specific instance of a pinch runner scoring referred to so I'm not sure if the term "pinch run" is a real one but for the rest of this post I will assume that it is.
Who were the greatest pinch runners? And on the other side of the coin, what players missed out on the most runs by being pinch run for? Using the available Retrosheet data, I examined all games with play-by-play data between 1950-2010.
Here is a graph of the number of pinch runs during this time period. Rather than the raw number of pinch runs, I've listed Pinch Runs per Team to account for the increase in the number of teams. The lower numbers pre-1955 can be attributed to the lack of complete play-by-play data for those years. The two major dips are caused by strike-shortened season. Overall, it seems the number of pinch runs are gradually declining.
Who were the greatest pinch runners? And on the other side of the coin, what players missed out on the most runs by being pinch run for? Using the available Retrosheet data, I examined all games with play-by-play data between 1950-2010.
Here is a graph of the number of pinch runs during this time period. Rather than the raw number of pinch runs, I've listed Pinch Runs per Team to account for the increase in the number of teams. The lower numbers pre-1955 can be attributed to the lack of complete play-by-play data for those years. The two major dips are caused by strike-shortened season. Overall, it seems the number of pinch runs are gradually declining.
Most Pinch Runs
The following list contains the players that scored the most pinch runs, made up primarily of fast guys with long careers who played before 1980. I'm not exactly sure why pinch runs have decreased over time. Perhaps because the addition of pitchers to the active roster has limited the number of bench players? I'm really not sure.
| Player | Pinch Runs | Years |
| Matt Alexander |
89
| 1973-1981 |
| Otis Nixon |
69
| 1983-1999 |
| Miguel Dilone |
56
| 1974-1985 |
| Dick Schofield |
51
| 1953-1971 |
| Sandy Alomar |
51
| 1964-1978 |
| Al Weis |
49
| 1962-1971 |
| Allan Lewis |
44
| 1967-1973 |
| Ted Martinez |
43
| 1970-1979 |
| Gene Stephens |
42
| 1952-1964 |
| Sammy Esposito |
42
| 1952-1963 |
| Gerald Williams |
42
| 1992-2005 |
Highest % Pinch Runs (Min 10)
These players are sorted by the percentage of career runs which were pinch runs. Fast guys with short careers make up the majority of the list. I find the top 4 particular interesting in that these players never scored a single run by reaching base themselves. Herb Washington had 0 plate appearances, 33 runs, 31 stolen bases and 17 caught stealing in 105 career games. My brother Scott loves pure speed guys; you can bet he would've loved to watch Herb Washington.
| Player | Pinch Runs | Career Runs | Pinch Run % | Years |
| Herb Washington |
33
|
33
|
100.0
| 1974-1975 |
| Don Hopkins |
25
|
25
|
100.0
| 1975-1976 |
| Rodney McCray |
13
|
13
|
100.0
| 1990-1992 |
| Miguel Mejia |
10
|
10
|
100.0
| 1996-1996 |
| Allan Lewis |
44
|
47
|
93.6
| 1967-1973 |
| Bobby Henrich |
12
|
13
|
92.3
| 1957-1959 |
| Luis Ugueto |
21
|
23
|
91.3
| 2002-2003 |
| Mike Dimmel |
10
|
11
|
90.9
| 1977-1979 |
| Herman Hill |
10
|
12
|
83.3
| 1969-1970 |
| Matt Alexander |
89
|
111
|
80.2
| 1973-1981 |
Runs Lost Because Batter Was Pinch Run For
These players had the most runs scored by a pinch runner who was inserted for them. As expected, the list contains a bunch of slow guys who got on base a lot, making it unsurprising that Edgar Martinez is in the top 10. With bigger names than the pinch runner lists, this one is naturally a little more interesting to look through so I included the top 100. I also included a % of their total runs which the "lost" runs comprised. It certainly seems significant that Smokey Burgess lost 1 run for every 5 that he scored. I don't know much about Smoky Burgess but given this percentage, his listed size of 5'8" 185 lbs is no surprise.
Notable nicknames from this list of slow guys: "the Bull", "Big Mac", "Pops", "Big Daddy", "Le Grand Orange", "Big Klu", "Penguin", "Muscles", "Bull", "Moose", "Big Hurt", "The Big Cat", "Big Papi".
Notable nicknames from this list of slow guys: "the Bull", "Big Mac", "Pops", "Big Daddy", "Le Grand Orange", "Big Klu", "Penguin", "Muscles", "Bull", "Moose", "Big Hurt", "The Big Cat", "Big Papi".
| Player | Runs Lost | Career Runs | Lost Run % | Years |
| Greg Luzinski |
86
|
880
|
9.77
| 1970-1984 |
| Willie McCovey |
84
|
1229
|
6.83
| 1959-1980 |
| Smoky Burgess |
79
|
485
|
16.29
| 1949-1967 |
| Ted Williams |
73
|
1798
|
4.06
| 1939-1960 |
| Harmon Killebrew |
66
|
1283
|
5.14
| 1954-1975 |
| Edgar Martinez |
66
|
1219
|
5.41
| 1987-2004 |
| Harold Baines |
63
|
1299
|
4.85
| 1980-2001 |
| Tony Perez |
62
|
1272
|
4.87
| 1964-1986 |
| Joe Adcock |
60
|
823
|
7.29
| 1950-1966 |
| Jason Giambi |
60
|
1176
|
5.1
| 1995-PRESENT |
| Frank Howard |
59
|
864
|
6.83
| 1958-1973 |
| Jeff Burroughs |
59
|
720
|
8.19
| 1970-1985 |
| Willie Stargell |
58
|
1195
|
4.85
| 1962-1982 |
| Vic Wertz |
57
|
867
|
6.57
| 1947-1963 |
| Cecil Fielder |
55
|
744
|
7.39
| 1985-1998 |
| Rusty Staub |
54
|
1189
|
4.54
| 1963-1985 |
| Rico Carty |
54
|
712
|
7.58
| 1963-1979 |
| Willie Horton |
54
|
873
|
6.19
| 1963-1980 |
| Richie Zisk |
54
|
681
|
7.93
| 1971-1983 |
| Mike Piazza |
52
|
1048
|
4.96
| 1992-2007 |
| Sherm Lollar |
50
|
623
|
8.03
| 1946-1963 |
| Ken Singleton |
50
|
985
|
5.08
| 1970-1984 |
| Pat Burrell |
50
|
750
|
6.67
| 2000-PRESENT |
| Ted Kluszewski |
47
|
848
|
5.54
| 1947-1961 |
| Stan Musial |
46
|
1949
|
2.36
| 1941-1963 |
| Wes Covington |
45
|
355
|
12.68
| 1956-1966 |
| Lee May |
45
|
959
|
4.69
| 1965-1982 |
| Billy Williams |
44
|
1410
|
3.12
| 1959-1976 |
| Deron Johnson |
44
|
706
|
6.23
| 1960-1976 |
| Ron Cey |
43
|
977
|
4.4
| 1971-1987 |
| Cliff Johnson |
43
|
539
|
7.98
| 1972-1986 |
| Mickey Mantle |
42
|
1677
|
2.5
| 1951-1968 |
| Bob Watson |
42
|
802
|
5.24
| 1966-1984 |
| Bill Buckner |
42
|
1077
|
3.9
| 1969-1990 |
| Manny Ramirez |
42
|
1544
|
2.72
| 1993-PRESENT |
| Kevin Millar |
42
|
648
|
6.48
| 1998-PRESENT |
| Tony Oliva |
41
|
870
|
4.71
| 1962-1976 |
| Matt Stairs |
41
|
766
|
5.35
| 1992-PRESENT |
| John Mayberry |
40
|
733
|
5.46
| 1968-1982 |
| Paul Konerko |
38
|
971
|
3.91
| 1997-PRESENT |
| Boog Powell |
37
|
889
|
4.16
| 1961-1977 |
| Bob Boone |
37
|
679
|
5.45
| 1972-1990 |
| Jim Thome |
37
|
1534
|
2.41
| 1991-PRESENT |
| Billy Goodman |
36
|
807
|
4.46
| 1947-1962 |
| Milt May |
36
|
313
|
11.5
| 1970-1984 |
| Willie Aikens |
36
|
301
|
11.96
| 1977-1985 |
| Pedro Guerrero |
36
|
730
|
4.93
| 1978-1992 |
| Julio Franco |
35
|
1285
|
2.72
| 1982-2007 |
| John Olerud |
35
|
1139
|
3.07
| 1989-2005 |
| Walt Dropo |
34
|
478
|
7.11
| 1949-1961 |
| Gene Woodling |
34
|
830
|
4.1
| 1943-1962 |
| Gus Triandos |
34
|
389
|
8.74
| 1953-1965 |
| Jerry Lynch |
34
|
364
|
9.34
| 1954-1966 |
| Jim Pagliaroni |
34
|
269
|
12.64
| 1955-1969 |
| Tommy Davis |
34
|
811
|
4.19
| 1959-1976 |
| Dave Magadan |
34
|
516
|
6.59
| 1986-2001 |
| Tony Clark |
34
|
629
|
5.41
| 1995-PRESENT |
| Bob Nieman |
33
|
455
|
7.25
| 1951-1962 |
| Roy Sievers |
33
|
945
|
3.49
| 1949-1965 |
| Hal McRae |
33
|
940
|
3.51
| 1968-1987 |
| Terry Kennedy |
33
|
474
|
6.96
| 1978-1991 |
| Frank Thomas |
33
|
1494
|
2.21
| 1990-2008 |
| Johnny Mize |
32
|
1118
|
2.86
| 1936-1953 |
| Joe Torre |
32
|
996
|
3.21
| 1960-1977 |
| Bo Diaz |
32
|
327
|
9.79
| 1977-1989 |
| Chili Davis |
32
|
1240
|
2.58
| 1981-1999 |
| Alvin Davis |
32
|
568
|
5.63
| 1984-1992 |
| Mark McGwire |
32
|
1167
|
2.74
| 1986-2001 |
| Bengie Molina |
32
|
457
|
7
| 1998-PRESENT |
| Hank Aaron |
31
|
2174
|
1.43
| 1954-1976 |
| Ed Kranepool |
31
|
536
|
5.78
| 1962-1979 |
| Joe Rudi |
31
|
684
|
4.53
| 1967-1982 |
| Ron Hassey |
31
|
348
|
8.91
| 1978-1991 |
| Andre Dawson |
31
|
1373
|
2.26
| 1976-1996 |
| Mike Stanley |
31
|
625
|
4.96
| 1986-2000 |
| Al Kaline |
30
|
1622
|
1.85
| 1953-1974 |
| Sal Bando |
30
|
982
|
3.05
| 1966-1981 |
| Steve Braun |
30
|
466
|
6.44
| 1971-1985 |
| Tony Gwynn |
30
|
1383
|
2.17
| 1982-2001 |
| Barry Bonds |
30
|
2227
|
1.35
| 1986-2007 |
| Darrin Fletcher |
30
|
377
|
7.96
| 1989-2002 |
| Duke Snider |
29
|
1259
|
2.3
| 1947-1964 |
| Ed Bailey |
29
|
432
|
6.71
| 1953-1966 |
| Mike Scioscia |
29
|
398
|
7.29
| 1980-1992 |
| Ryan Klesko |
29
|
874
|
3.32
| 1992-2007 |
| Dmitri Young |
29
|
648
|
4.48
| 1996-2008 |
| Daryle Ward |
29
|
242
|
11.98
| 1998-2008 |
| Ray Jablonski |
28
|
297
|
9.43
| 1953-1960 |
| Reggie Jackson |
28
|
1551
|
1.81
| 1967-1987 |
| Gary Carter |
28
|
1025
|
2.73
| 1974-1992 |
| Kevin Seitzer |
28
|
739
|
3.79
| 1986-1997 |
| Jim Leyritz |
28
|
325
|
8.62
| 1990-2000 |
| Carl Sawatski |
27
|
133
|
20.3
| 1948-1963 |
| Carl Yastrzemski |
27
|
1816
|
1.49
| 1961-1983 |
| Don Mincher |
27
|
530
|
5.09
| 1960-1972 |
| Graig Nettles |
27
|
1193
|
2.26
| 1967-1988 |
| Ted Simmons |
27
|
1074
|
2.51
| 1968-1988 |
| Mike Hargrove |
27
|
783
|
3.45
| 1974-1985 |
| Bob Horner |
27
|
560
|
4.82
| 1978-1988 |
| Bobby Bonilla |
27
|
1084
|
2.49
| 1986-2001 |
| David Ortiz |
27
|
975
|
2.77
| 1997-PRESENT |
