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In baseball statistics, a double play (denoted as DP) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. One double play is recorded for every defensive player who participates in the play, regardless of how many of the outs in which they were directly involved, and is counted in addition to whatever putouts and assists might also apply. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. [1] The pitcher is the player who pitches the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. The pitcher is often considered the most important player on the defensive side of the game, playing the most difficult and specialized position, and as such is regarded as being at the right end of the defensive spectrum. Pitchers play far less than players at other positions, generally appearing in only two or three games per week; only one pitcher in major league history has appeared in 100 games in a single season. There are many different types of pitchers, generally divided between starting pitchers and relief pitchers, which include the middle reliever, lefty specialist, setup man, and closer. In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1.
Pitchers typically record double plays by ground balls hit to the pitcher. Most of the time, these double plays will go 1-6-3 (pitcher to shortstop to first baseman), though sometimes these double plays will go pitcher 1-4-3 (pitcher to second baseman to first baseman).
Greg Maddux is the all-time leader in career double plays by a pitcher with 98; [2] [3] [4] he is the only pitcher to reach nearly 100 career double plays.
Rank | Rank amongst leaders in career putouts. A blank field indicates a tie. |
Player (2024 DPs) | Number of recorded double plays during the 2024 Major League Baseball season |
Throws | Denotes right-handed (R) or left-handed (L) pitcher |
MLB | Total career putouts as a pitcher in Major League Baseball |
* | Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame |
---|---|
Bold | Denotes active player [lower-alpha 1] |
Player | Throws | Double plays as a pitcher | Other leagues, notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MLB | American League | National League | |||
Mike Mussina* | R | 37 | 37 | 0 | |
Eddie Plank* | L | 37 | 33 | 0 | Includes 4 in Federal League |
Steve Carlton* | L | 36 | 3 | 33 | |
Jack Morris* | R | 36 | 36 | 0 | |
Red Faber* | R | 35 | 35 | 0 | |
Amos Rusie* | R | 35 | 0 | 35 | |
Kid Nichols* | R | 34 | 0 | 34 | |
Jesse Haines* | R | 32 | 0 | 32 | |
Ed Walsh* | R | 32 | 32 | 0 | |
John Smoltz* | R | 30 | 1 | 29 | |
Albert Spalding* | R | 29 | 0 | 7 | Includes 22 in National Association |
Dazzy Vance* | R | 29 | 0 | 29 | |
Vic Willis* | R | 29 | 0 | 29 | |
Jack Chesbro* | R | 28 | 21 | 7 | |
Bob Feller* | R | 28 | 28 | 0 | |
Tim Keefe* | R | 28 | 0 | 21 | Includes 5 in American Association, 2 in Players' League |
Juan Marichal* | R | 27 | 0 | 27 | |
Rube Marquard* | L | 27 | 0 | 27 | |
Nolan Ryan* | R | 27 | 16 | 11 | |
Lefty Grove* | L | 26 | 26 | 0 | |
Joe McGinnity* | R | 25 | 3 | 22 | |
Charles Bender* | R | 24 | 16 | 5 | Includes 3 in Federal League |
Rollie Fingers* | R | 23 | 22 | 1 | |
Mickey Welch* | R | 23 | 0 | 23 | |
Clark Griffith* | R | 22 | 7 | 14 | Includes 1 in American Association |
Ferguson Arthur "Fergie" Jenkins CM is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher and coach. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1965 to 1983 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox.
Gregory Alan Maddux, also known as "Mad Dog" and "the Professor," is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. He won the 1995 World Series with the Braves over the Cleveland Indians. Maddux was the first pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young Award four consecutive years (1992–1995), matched by only one other pitcher, Randy Johnson. During those four seasons, Maddux had a 75–29 record with a 1.98 earned run average (ERA), while allowing less than one baserunner per inning.
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field the position well. The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket.