Royals’ Cole Ragans matched quirky accomplishment last done by an MLB pitcher in 1911
Perhaps one day a future president will portray Royals pitcher Cole Ragans in a movie.
Stick with me on this one; that thought will make sense.
Ragans had another sensational start on Tuesday, allowing three hits in seven shutout innings in the Royals’ 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Kauffman Stadium.
With nine strikeouts Tuesday, Ragans finished the month of August with 53 punchouts in 36 2/3 innings pitched.
Ragans, who was acquired by the Royals in a June trade that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Rangers, had a previous high of 16 strikeouts in a month, as Opta Sports noted.
It’s been 112 years since a pitcher had a jump in strikeouts that rivaled Ragans.
This is from Opta Sports: “Cole Ragans of the @Royals struck out 53 men this month. He had never had more than 16 K in a month prior to that. Only one other MLB pitcher in the modern era has had a 50-K month after never previously having even a 20-K month: Hall of Famer Pete Alexander in May 1911 (54).”
That’s Grover Cleveland Alexander, who made his major-league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in April 1911. Alexander then got his 54 strikeouts in eight starts and one relief appearance.
In that rookie season, Alexander led the league with 28 wins, seven shutouts and 31 complete games. Alexander won five ERA titles in 20 seasons along with three pitching Triple Crowns (ERA, strikeouts and wins).
Alexander also helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the 1926 World Series.
A movie about Alexander was released in 1952. It’s called “The Winning Team” and starred Ronald Reagan as Alexander, and Doris Day was a co-star.
Nearly four decades later, Reagan was elected President of the United States, serving two terms in the 1980s.
This story was originally published August 30, 2023 at 10:58 AM.
