My four favorite (incredibly odd) sports stats

How did this happen?

Last month, Derek Thompson submitted The Most Amazing Statistical Achievement in U.S. Sports History. He then had Ryen Russillo on his podcast to discuss the topic.

Thompson’s work reminded me of some sports statistics that I’ve personally found amazing. But while Thompson’s uses “amazing” in the sense “great” or “insanely good,” what I mean by “amazing” is “surprising” or “incomprehensible.”

Or, incredibly odd.

Here are my four favorites that I’ve encountered. They all happen to be football or baseball, but when I find more from other sports, especially from hockey and basketball, I’ll write about them. Send your suggestions!

In no particular order:

4. George Blanda, quarterback, Houston Oilers, 1962

42 interceptions, team record: 11–3.

The Oilers lost the AFL championship in double-overtime. You got that right: a quarterback who averaged three interceptions per game during the regular season nearly led his team to the league crown.

One might say, “It was a different era.” Well, it’s true that decades ago, rules protecting quarterbacks and receivers were less stringent than today and interceptions were more common. But three…