Micah Owings: Four hits in 5 at-bats, 2 homers, and 6 RBI. A good night for any hitter. A spectacular night for a pitcher.
Let's put this in perspective. Since 1957:
-only 25 starting pitchers have collected 4 hits or more in a game. Mel Stottlemyre went 5-for-5 in a game against the Senators in 1964. The other 24 had four hits, most recently Bobby Livingston on July 17 of this year, who went 4-for-4. Only six of the 25 hit a home run, and none hit two.
-only 31 starting pitchers have hit two home runs in a game. Dontrelle Willis did it most recently in a game last year at Shea Stadium. None of the 31 had four hits.
-only 4 starting pitchers have 6 RBI or more in a game. Tony Cloninger had a whopping 9 RBI in a 1966 game against the Giants. The only one since 1969 is Robert Person, who had 7 in a 2002 game. Cloninger and Person both had two homers, but neither had four hits.
So what are the odds of 4 hits and 2 homers and 6 RBI? I'm not a probability expert, so I don't know in terms of percentages.
What I do know is that no starting pitcher in the last 50 years has 4 or more hits, 2 or more homers and 6 or more RBI in a single game.
Owings may be the next Rick Ankiel.
