Stats Dork: What's The Difference Between the NL and AL?
Ben McGrath sent us his World Series two cents: “It’s all about Tommy Herr and Rob Deer. Tommy Herr, as you may recall, once had 110 RBI while only hitting 8 home runs. Rob Deer once hit 32 home runs and only had 64 RBI. Tommy Herr was a Cardinal. Rob Deer was a Tiger. Need I say more?”
Well, we’ll say more. In fact, we’ll invent a statistic to measure the percentage of runs batted in by home runs (RBIBHR percentage*). Herr had a .07 RBIBHR in 1985 for the Cards. Deer had an even .50 RBIBHR in 1992. (That must be a record!) If you think this distinction is a relic from the days before divisional series and inter-league play, think again. This lopsided run production still lingers in the year’s crop of Tigers and Redbirds. Detroit outfielder/DH Marcus Thames hit 26 homers and only drove in only 60 runs (.43 RBIBHR) during the regular season. The closest thing this Series has to Tommy Herr is Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. He hit only 6 home runs during the season, and drove in 49 runs (.12 RBIBHR).
A question poses itself: Are the Democrats just the same as the Republicans?
*Note: We’re simply dividing HR by RBI, not counting how many of the RBI came from homers with men on base. We ask your forgiveness for this statistical sloppiness.