Wednesday, August 23 For Helton, pursuing .400 a full-time job ESPN.com news services |
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DENVER -- Colorado Rockies manager Buddy Bell will give Todd Helton every opportunity in his quest to hit .400.
Bell said Tuesday that Helton probably will get only one or two days off in Colorado's final 36 games of the season.
"I wouldn't expect him to be happy if I decided he wasn't going to play because he didn't hit this guy or that guy very good. He's hit everybody," Bell said. "I think he has a better chance to hit .400 playing every day. Every time he goes up there he has a chance to get a hit."
Helton, who has missed just two games this year, was 1-for-4 in Colorado's 7-6, 12-inning win Tuesday night over the Atlanta Braves, dropping his average one point to .397. He is seeking to become the first player to break the .400 barrier since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.
Williams had 185 hits in 456 at-bats when he accomplished the feat. Helton ended the game with 179 hits in 451 at-bats and already had enough plate appearances (534) to qualify for the batting title.
Facts and figures Since Williams hit .406 in 1941, here are the top 10 single-season averages:
1. Tony Gwynn, 1994, .394
The previous chasers
From the calendar year of August 12, 1993 through the strike, Gwynn hit .392 in 131 games. Consider that Gwynn had hit .399 from July 1, 1993 to August 11, 1994 and it's easy to see that he could have threatened the .400 barrier. He was also hot at the time -- he hit .423 after the All-Star break and .475 (19-for-40) in August. However, Gwynn had a history of tailing off a bit down the stretch, so he may have fallen short regardless.
George Brett, 1980
Amazingly, Brett was hitting just .255 on May 23. However, he went on a tear and raised his average to .339 by June 10. He then sprained an ankle and was out until the All-Star break. In July, Brett began a 30-game hitting streak, during which he hit .467. He reached .400 on August 17 and at the end of the streak on August 18, Brett was hitting .404. He entered September hitting .403. He missed 10 games with tendinitis in his right hand, but on September 20 was hitting .3995 -- .400 after you round up. Brett then slumped for a week (4-for-28) and his chance at .400 was over. By the way, Brett had 118 RBI in 117 games that year. How? He hit .469 with runners in scoring position. |
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