Two Factoids Recall The 1884 Season (Why Don't Modern Players Write Poems About Beer?)

Last Tuesday, May 29, the Yankees beat the Astros 6-5 in 10 innings despite striking out 17 times and committing five errors.

The only other team to win a game with that many whiffs and errors was the Providence Grays, who, on June 14, 1884, struck out 18 times and made seven errors, but edged the Boston Beaneaters 4-3 in 15 innings.

Tampa Bay starter Blake Snell tied an American League record Sunday by striking out the first seven batters he faced. The AL mark was set by two White Sox pitchers: Joe Cowley (1986) and Carlos Rodon (2016).

The major league record for strikeouts to begin a game is nine: Mickey Welch, New York Gothams, August 28, 1884. Welch's Wiki entry states that he is credited with helping form baseball's first players union and being the first pinch-hitter in baseball history. Although Welch did not drink hard liquor, he wrote poems about beer, which he would often recite for sportswriters or fans.