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Minutiae Break: The Minutest Minutiae

I just installed a piece of software on my laptop that I've particularly enjoyed in the past, the 2006 edition of the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia. This computer program is an extraordinarily useful tool for people who do what I do. It is a statistical repository for baseball information dating back to the earliest days of the sport. It allows us to learn about the game and share that knowledge through forums such as these. It allows the dyingest diehard and the casualist follower to unite in breaking down the game in the most minute detail.

I tend to cater to that first group and shall do so again in this space. One of the great functions of the SBE is that it allows you to run customizable searches regarding past seasons and thus caters to the trivia buffs of the baseball world.

I used to write something for my college newspaper that a wise editor titled "Since you asked." Basically, it was a summary of silly trivia that I found particularly interesting that week. I realize that no one asked about the following goofy Mets factoids, but this is the place to come for them. Where else are you going to learn that...

The most career plate appearances for a Met, without hitting a HR for the team, is 798, by Alex Trevino. Current Met Steve Trachsel ranks 10th at 275.

The most hits by a Met, without hitting a triple for the team is 252, by Willie Montanez. Ramon Castro enters the season in 28th place with 51.

The most RBI by a Met in a season, by someone who didn't draw any walks that season, is 16 by Shawon Dunston in 1999.

The most singles for a Met, without hitting any extra-base hits, is 22 by Pat Zachry.

The only Met whose only Met hit was a HR is Chris Jelic, who went 1-for-11 with the 1990 Mets.

The most innings pitched by a Met in a single season, without allowing a HR, is 70 2/3 by Doug Sisk, in 1986. Juan Padilla made a valiant effort at this mark last season. He ranks second in team history with his 36 1/3 homerless innings.

The most strikeouts by a Met in a single-season, without walking a batter, is 7, by Tom Gorman in 1982.

The worst hits-per-9 inning ratio for any Met with 100 or more career innings pitched is 11.49 by Mike Bruhert.

The only Mets with double-digit ERA and at least one win are Tom Martin (10.06) and Mike Matthews (10.80)

Can you tell that I can't wait for some real games to write about?
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