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Atlanta Braves Opening Day countdown: 30, plunks

By Benjamin Chase

SAN DIEGO, CA - AUGUST 2: Ervin Santana #30 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park August 2, 2014 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - AUGUST 2: Ervin Santana #30 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park August 2, 2014 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /
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While the Atlanta Braves have had plenty of elite arms over the years, now and then, one comes along that struggles to keep the ball over the plate.

One of the most impactful moments of the 2018 Atlanta Braves season was the way the team and manager all came together after top rookie outfielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. was hit by a Jose Urena pitch.

Could you imagine a pitcher actually hitting 30 batters in one season?! How about that same pitcher hitting 59 over two seasons? That is what happened with Vic Willis in 1898-1899.

Willis was a big man for his era, standing 6’2″ and listed at 185 pounds. The righty made his debut with Boston in 1898 and was a rookie when he plunked 29 hitters along with 9 wild pitches. He also walked 148 over 311 innings that season.

It was his 1899 season that would set a standard for Atlanta Braves franchise pitchers as he plunked 30 batters that season, hurled 12 wild pitches, and walked 117 over 342 2/3 innings. Incredibly, in spite of all those control issues, Willis led the league in ERA in 1899, going 27-8 with a 2.50 ERA.

Willis would go on to pitch 8 seasons for Boston, with arguably his best season coming in 1902 when he went 27-20, leading the league with 51 appearances, 46 starts, and 45 complete games. He also paced the circuit with 410 innings and 225 strikeouts, though he still hit 14 hitters, had 12 wild pitches, and walked 101 batters.

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Incredibly, over 8 seasons with Boston, Willis would tally 151 wins on some bad Boston clubs, sporting a 2.82 ERA over 2,575 innings. He’d end up with Braves career totals of 133 hit batsmen, 73 wild pitches, and 808 walks. He has 15 more hit batsmen than any pitcher in team history.

For an example of just how incredible these numbers are, compare Willis and Atlanta Braves legendary knuckleballer Phil Niekro:

  • Over Braves career:
  • Walks plus Hit By Pitch plus Wild Pitch: Willis 1,060; Niekro 1,766
  • Batters faced: Willis 10,644; Niekro 19,238
  • Percentage of BB+HBP+WP per BF: Willis 9.96%, Niekro 9.18%

Willis’ devastating curveball likely led him to a Hall of Fame career as he went on to win 20 games four seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates after leaving Boston, winning a World Series title in 1909.

Next. Opener countdown 31, Maddux. dark

A great comparison to consider is that the top hitter in Atlanta Braves franchise history was hit 29 times in one season. That was also in the same era as Willis.

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