Lohse Could Join Exclusive Club Tonight
Kyle Lohse was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1996 and signed his first professional contract with them in May of 1997. He would never pitch for the parent club and instead made his MLB debut in 2001 as a member of the Minnesota Twins following a trade in 1999.
Lohse won 51 games against 57 losses as a Twin before a mid-2006 trade sent him to the Cincinnati Reds and the National League. Another trade deadline deal the following year changed his address to Philadelphia before being granted free agency following the ’07 season. In March of 2008 he would sign with the St. Louis Cardinals where he would enjoy a career rejuvenation under the tutelage of Dave Duncan. Then this past off-season he signed with Milwaukee.
All that, you may have already known.
Along the way Lohse has managed to win a total of 119 games, including one so far this season.
What I noticed at the beginning of the season when researching the Brewers’ most recent acquisition, and what you may not be aware of, is that those 119 Wins have come against 29 opponents. In other words, tonight Kyle Lohse has the opportunity to join the one dozen other men in the history of the game who have beaten all 30 active franchises.
He would join a list that includes Al Leiter, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling and more.
(For the complete list, check out my pal Chris Jaffe’s column here: Lohse Goes for Pitching History Tonight )
Here are how Lohse’s victories break down by team:
Arizona Diamondbacks — 3
Atlanta Braves — 3
Baltimore Orioles — 3
Boston Red Sox — 1
Chicago Cubs — 4
Chicago White Sox -8
Cincinnati Reds — 3
Cleveland Indians — 8
Colorado Rockies — 5
Detroit Tigers — 7
Miami Marlins — 5
Houston Astros — 10
Kansas City Royals — 6
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — 4
Los Angeles Dodgers — 2
Milwaukee Brewers — 6
New York Mets — 2
New York Yankees — 1
Oakland Athletics — 1
Philadelphia Phillies — 3
Pittsburgh Pirates — 9
San Diego Padres — 4
Seattle Mariners — 2
San Francisco Giants — 3
St. Louis Cardinals — 2
Tampa Bay Rays — 5
Texas Rangers — 3
Toronto Blue Jays — 2
Washington Nationals — 4
That’s 29 defeated teams with the Minnesota Twins conspicuously absent from the list.
So root for a victory tonight for the team, root for Lohse to make it out healthy, but also throw one in for the little slice of history that you could witness tonight.
(And should Lohse not win the day, he’s under contract with the Brewers for the next two years and Milwaukee plays Minnesota each season so just keep this tidbit tucked away.)
