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Baseball 2012: The game's best off-beat, under-the-radar statistics and trivia

Fascinating baseball firsts and notable statistics can easily be missed in the playing of more than 2,000 big-league games each year. Here are the most intriguing developments that possibly escaped your notice.

8. Oh so close

  • By Ross Atkin Staff writer

Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney tied the major-league record of 141 straight errorless games, but was charged with an eighth-inning error on Sept. 21 at Wrigley Field that prevented him from breaking the record.

Backstory: In late August, Barney first set a new National League record with his 114th consecutive errorless game after an error initially charged to him was given instead to third baseman Luis Valbuena. That occurred after the scorekeeper reconsidered his decision on a second-to-third-base throw that got away from Valbuena. 

Several weeks later the streak was in danger of being snapped at 135 games when Barney attempted to complete a difficult play with a throw from shallow right field that bounced in front of first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo made the catch off the bag, but if it had gotten away from him it would have been ruled a throwing error. 

In the potentially record-breaking 142nd game of the streak, Barney again attempted another awkward throw with his momentum carrying him away from first base. This time Rizzo wasn’t able to scoop up the skipped throw, and because a runner scored on the play an error had to be charged. Though Barney was hugely disappointed to miss the record, he was philosophical when he said afterward: “My job is to make plays regardless of taking risk and I think I've done that through this whole little run. That's just how you play the game. You can't hold that ball right there."

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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