Expert: Tom Schott - 8/5/2008

Question
My son, Chris Volstad, 21 yrs old, has pitched 91 innings in AA as well as 27.2 innings in MLB so far this year (total 118.2 inns) and given up just 1 home run. (Aramis Ramirez--in inning number 110 this year).  How does this compare to this years pitchers and past years' pitchers for allowing so few HR's?     Thanks     Ken Volstad

Answer
There have been many pitchers since 1901, the beginning of the modern era, who have given up one or no homers with over 118.2 innings pitched. Here's the list of the top 20:

INNINGS PITCHED >= 118.2
HOMERUNS <= 1

INNINGS PITCHED               YEAR     IP      HR     
1    George Mullin            1904    382.1    1   
2    Walter Johnson           1910    370      1   
3    Walter Johnson           1916    369.2    0   
4    Frank Smith              1909    365      1   
5    George McQuillan         1908    360      1  
6    George Mullin            1907    357.1    1   
7    Jack Coombs              1910    353      0   
8    Wild Bill Donovan        1901    351      1   
9    Three Finger Brown       1909    342.2    1   
10   Joe McGinnity            1906    340      1   
11   Walter Johnson           1915    336.2    1   
12   Togie Pittinger          1904    335      1   
13   Nap Rucker               1908    333.1    1   
T14  Bill James               1914    332      0   
T14  Roscoe Miller            1901    332      1   
T14  Scott Perry              1918    332      1   
17   Ed Killian               1904    331.2    0   
18   Harry Howell             1908    324.1    1   
19   Babe Ruth                1916    323.2    0   
20   Vic Willis               1906    322      0

When you look at the more modern era, say from 1950 to 2006 (the last year I can get numbers for) only two pitchers make the cut:

INNINGS PITCHED        YEAR     IP      HR    
    Bob Miller               1964    138      1   
    Bill Fischer             1957    124      1

Of course all of the these are major league innings, not a combination of major and minor league performances.