The Legend of Frank Tanana and Rick Reuschel
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Frank Tanana and Rick Reuschel will never go down as two of the greatest pitchers ever, and while they both recorded over 200 wins in the majors, it was more due to longevity than ability.
The two share some similarities, both led their respective leagues in shutouts (Tanana in 1977, Reuschel in 1987) and both shared the dubious honor of leading the league in losses (Reuschel in 1975, Tanana in 1982).
But the one thing the two share with each other than no other pitcher can share with them is something that is also a testament to their longevity: they are the only two pitchers ever to serve up home runs to both Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds.
Despite the time span between Aaron's retirement and Bonds' debut (10 years), the possibility of this feat is not entirely improbable. Aaron and Bonds both played in the National League much of their careers (Aaron was the only to play in the American League), and many pitchers during this age had long careers, ones that could easily span the 10 year gap.
But it turned out more improbable than one would expect.
Reuschel was the easier target for the two. His career lasted 19 years and was spent mostly in the National League, except for a 12-game cup of coffee with the New York Yankees in 1981. He finished his career with 214 wins and 191 losses and a 3.85 ERA and was a three-time All-Star.
Reuschel actually gave up two homers to Aaron, the first coming on June 16, 1973, during Reuschel's second year in the majors.
Bonds saw limited success against Reuschel, going 4-for-18 against him lifetime but did draw six walks. All four hits went for extra bases, however, including two doubles, a triple and a home run that came in Bonds' final game against Reuschel on May 27, 1990.
Tanana, on the other hand, was quite an anomaly. Tanana appeared in 638 games in the major leagues and only 29 of them were in the National League. Aaron played in 3,298 games and only 222 of them were in the American League.
During his 21 year career, Tanana boasted a record of 240 wins and 236 losses with a 3.66 ERA. He was also a three-time All-Star and led the league in ERA in 1977 (2.54) and strikeouts in 1975 (269).
Aaron's home run off of Tanana was his 748th and came on June 14, 1976 while Tanana was with the California Angels, where he was a teammate of Dick Drago, the man who gave up Aaron's final home run.
While the Aaron home run came in Hammerin' Hank's last year, Bonds' home run came in Tanana's last year. And though Tanana only played 29 games in the National League, it was long enough for history to be made.
Barely.
Bonds faced Tanana only nine times in 1993 while Tanana was with the New York Mets and hit his 201st home run in his final at-bat ever against Tanana on July 17.
Thus, one of the greatest trivia questions was created: Who are the only two pitchers ever to give up home runs to both Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron?
