Jim Thome 9 home runs off Rick Reed in 27 at bats. NINE! One home run every 3 AB. THREE! 2002: 7 HR in 16 AB.

 "500" home run hitters biggest victims home runs per at bats. Tuesday, September 15, 2020

The 29 hitters with at least 493 career home runs hit them against 3,405 different pitchers. Partly because of scheduling changes and almost twice as many teams (30 to 16) and starting pitchers throwing way more innings and complete games in the 1920s, ... old timers hit many more home runs against fewer pitchers...

Mays has the most home runs off a pitcher, the 18 off Spahn. But is that partly due to Mays facing Spahn many times? Among the 29 leaders in career home runs Mays has the most at bats (AB) against the pitcher against whom he hit the most home runs: 223. In the table below Mays is number 23 in %Dif, the HR/AB ratio off his biggest victim (most home runs) compared to his ratio for all his home runs. Dif: all-victim. %Dif: Dif/all...

Sorted descending on %Dif.

	Name	HR	AB	HR/AB	Pit Max	HR	AB	HR/AB	Dif	%Dif	Name
1	Jim Thome	612	8,422	13.76	Rick Reed	9	27	3.00	10.76	78.20%	Jim Thome
2	Gary Sheffield	509	9,217	18.11	Jamey Wright	6	27	4.50	13.61	75.15%	Gary Sheffield

_________________________

Jim Thome's HR rate against Rick Reed is 78.2% higher than against all pitchers, including Reed.

I tried to run this more universally, not just for the top career home run hitters against the pitchers who gave up the most home runs to them but could not find a way. Anecdotally:

Babe Ruth: From 1916 to 1935, (requiring HR>=9 and AB<=70), Regular Season only, Sorted by AB ascending

Name	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	SH	SF	IBB	HBP	GDP	missG
Jake Miller	67	60	25	3	0	9	23	6	10	.417	.470	.917	1.386	1	0	0	0	1
Hod Lisenbee	76	62	25	2	1	10	20	14	7	.403	.513	.952	1.465	0	0	0	0	0	2
Tom Zachary	73	63	28	3	0	9	31	10	10	.444	.521	.921	1.441	0	0	0	0	0	8
George Earnshaw	79	65	19	1	0	10	25	13	14	.292	.405	.769	1.174	0	1	0	0	1
Hooks Dauss	92	69	25	5	1	10	17	23	13	.362	.522	.899	1.420	0	0	4	0	0	6

The fewest AB Ruth had a against a pitcher against whom Ruth hit at least 9 home runs was 60, more than twice the Jim Thome number against Reed.

Babe Ruth: From 1916 to 1935, (requiring HR>=11), Regular Season only, Sorted by AB ascending

Name	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	SH	SF	IBB	HBP	GDP	missG
Tommy Thomas	97	79	36	4	2	11	30	17	4	.456	.546	.975	1.521	0	1	2	0	1	2
Lefty Stewart	116	87	30	4	1	12	28	28	10	.345	.500	.828	1.328	0	1	0	0	4	2
Milt Gaston	115	93	34	5	0	13	30	20	12	.366	.470	.839	1.308	0	2	0	0	1	2
Howard Ehmke	147	109	33	5	1	11	26	38	12	.303	.483	.670	1.153	0	0	8	0	1	4
Rube Walberg	168	132	37	3	0	17	39	31	15	.280	.405	.689	1.094	0	5	0	0	1	1
George Uhle	197	158	60	8	1	11	29	39	31	.380	.503	.652	1.154	0	0	6	0	2	2

Jim Thome: at least 6 home runs against pitchers sorted by AB:

Name	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	SH	SF	IBB	HBP	GDP	missG
Rick Reed	30	27	12	1	0	9	18	3	8	.444	.500	1.481	1.981	0	0	0	0	0
Roger Clemens	70	59	22	7	0	8	19	9	15	.373	.457	.898	1.355	0	1	0	1	3
Justin Verlander	66	52	14	2	0	7	11	14	15	.269	.424	.712	1.136	0	0	2	0	0
Bobby Witt	32	24	10	0	2	6	16	7	7	.417	.531	1.333	1.865	0	1	0	0	0
Mike Mussina	59	53	14	1	0	6	15	6	13	.264	.339	.623	.962	0	0	1	0	2
Eric Milton	43	37	13	0	0	6	12	6	14	.351	.442	.838	1.280	0	0	0	0	0

Thome picked on one Hall of Fame pitcher, Mussina, and two HoF calibre pitchers: Clemens and Verlander. But the AB total anywhere near the 27 Thome had against Reed is 24 against Witt who gave up 6 home runs. 9 is 50% more than 6. Thome's home run rate against Reed is one home run every 3 AB. THREE! Thome's home run rate against Witt is one home run every 4 AB. 4 is 33% more than 3.

Thome's damage against Reed is concentrated and while Thome played for Cleveland and Reed for Minnesota in 2001 and 2002:

https://stathead.com/baseball/batter_vs_pitcher.cgi?batter=thomeji01&pitcher=reedri01&post=0

1992 pitching for Kansas City: 0 for 2

1993 pitching for Texas: 0 for 2

2001 2 HR in 7 AB, 3 SO

2002 7 HR in 16 AB, 3 SO, plus a double

That's 9 HR in 23 AB while Reed was pitching for Minnesota. What the heck?

2001 Minnesota Twins:

Record: 85-77, Finished 2nd in AL_Central (Schedule and Results)

Manager: Tom Kelly (85-77)

Pythagorean W-L: 81-81, 771 Runs, 766 Runs Allowed

Reed appeared in 12 games, all starts: 4-6, 5.19 ERA, 12 HR in 67.33 innings

Thome hit 49 HR, 45 off righties like Reed. 47 off starters like Reed. Off Twins 8 HR in 71 AB. In Minnesota 3 HR (1 off Reed) in 37 AB.

2002 Minnesota Twins:

Record: 94-67, Finished 1st in AL_Central (Schedule and Results)

Postseason:
    Lost AL Championship Series (4-1) to Anaheim Angels
    Won AL Division Series (3-2) over Oakland Athletics

Manager: Ron Gardenhire (94-67)

Pythagorean W-L: 86-75, 768 Runs, 712 Runs Allowed

Reed at age 37 led Minnesota in innings pitched: 188.

Games: 33

Starts: 32

HR: 32

ERA: 3.38

ERA+: 118

Home Runs

1.	Ortiz • ANA	40
2.	Byrd • KCR	36
3.	Sturtze • TBD	33
4.	Suppan • KCR	32
	Reed • MIN	32
	Wright • CHW	32
7.	Garcia • SEA	30
8.	Wilson • TBD	29
9.	May • KCR	28
	Moyer • SEA	28

Thome hit 52 HR, 7 off Reed, 4 in Minnesota. 40 against righties. 11 against Minnesota in 63 AB. 7 in Minnesota in 31 AB.

So what happened between Thome and Reed in 2002?

Max Kepler vs. Trevor Bauer: 5 home runs in 9 AB in 2019. Sunday, September 20, 2020