Lorenzo Cain
Ruth, Gehrig, Jeter ... and Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Cain

Ruth, Gehrig, Jeter ... and Lorenzo Cain

Published Jul. 20, 2015 12:42 p.m. ET

Lorenzo Cain is in good company. It's just him and three Yankee legends.

In his last eight games, the Kansas City Royals' All-Star center fielder has done a little bit of everything -- and in some cases, more than a little bit. In that span, Cain has 15 hits, four doubles, four home runs, nine RBIs, nine runs scored and two stolen bases, all while leading Kansas City to seven wins. Since RBI became an official statistic in 1920, only three other American League players can make the same claim.

The AL players who did it prior to 2015: Babe Ruth in 1920, Lou Gehrig in 1927 and Derek Jeter in 2004.

And now, LoCain.

ADVERTISEMENT

Cain and the Royals will host the Pittsburgh Pirates for three games this week, and both have strong interleague records. Over the past three seasons, in fact, the Royals and Pirates have been two of baseball's best in interleague contests.

The Royals are 9-1 in their last 10 interleague games.

BEST RECORD IN INTERLEAGUE GAMES SINCE 2013

Team Record Winning percentage
Oakland Athletics 31-16 .660
Pittsburgh Pirates 36-19 .655
Kansas City Royals 33-20 .623
Toronto Blue Jays 32-21 .604
Boston Red Sox 31-21 .596

Although his record doesn't show it, Royals starter Yordano Ventura is pitching much better against National League opponents than against AL teams in 2015.

ROYALS IN THEIR LAST 10 INTERLEAGUE GAMES

Statistic Royals Opponents
Wins 9 1
Runs per game 4.8 1.9
ERA 1.97 5.31
Batting average .303 .225
Batting average with runners in scoring position
.378
.191
Slugging percentage .436 .286
Home runs 7 1
Stolen bases 12 3
Pitcher strikeouts 67 38

PIRATES IN THEIR LAST 10 INTERLEAGUE GAMES

Statistic Pirates Opponents
Wins 9 1
Runs per game 5.0 2.3
ERA 2.18 4.75
Batting average .307 .196
Slugging percentage .454 .276
Home runs 10 5
First-inning runs 8 0

YORDANO VENTURA VS. AL AND NL IN 2015

Statistic Vs. American League
Vs. National League
Record 3-4 1-2
ERA 5.77 2.63
Opponent batting average .280 .200
Opponent OPS .815 .518
WHIP 1.47 0.88
Strikeout/walk ratio 1.85 5.25

ACTIVE PLAYERS, HIGHEST CAREER ON-BASE PERCENTAGE IN INTERLEAGUE GAMES

Player Current team
On-base percentage
Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates .413
Albert Pujols Los Angeles Angels .406
Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins .402
Joey Votto Cincinnati Reds .401
Nick Markakis Atlanta Braves .396
share


Lorenzo Cain
Get more from Lorenzo Cain Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more