The Best and Worst “Three True Outcome” Games

We’ve discussed the concept of “Three True Outcomes” (TTO) before, with the calculation of TTO percentage based on walks, strikeouts and homers divided by plate appearances. Now I thought it would be fun to research which games in major league history featured the highest and lowest TTO percentage.

Many teams have had a game in which they didn’t accrue a walk, hit or homer and thus had a TTO% of zero. Here are the top five instances in order of most total plate appearances:

On April 25th of 2007, the Arizona Diamondbacks set the single team record for highest TTO% in a game, at 72.7%. They won the game 3-2 in walk-off homer fashion. They amassed only four hits, but two of them left the yard. In addition to their two taters, they also struck out 18 times and walked four times against Padre pitching, for a total of 24 TTOs in 33 plate appearances.

The record for highest combined TTO % in a game is 58.1%, accomplished during Max Scherzer’s 17-K, 2-0 no-hitter in the second game of a double-header against the Mets on October 3rd of last season. Matt Harvey and three Met relievers combined to (also) strike out 17 Nationals, and Mets pitchers allowed only five hits of their own. Neither team walked a batter, and one of the only two runs scored came on a solo homer. The teams tallied 36 TTOs in 62 plate appearances.

There have only been two instances of BOTH teams compiling a zero TTO% in the same game, and those games each took place over 90 years ago.