CINCINNNATI (WKRC) – After Cincinnati Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott tossed seven scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs on Friday he became one of the best in franchise history for a month’s performance in over 100 years and moved into rarified company in MaJor League Baseball history.
According to Reds statistician Joel Luckhaupt, Abbott became the fifth pitcher in franchise history since 1913 who threw at least 30 innings in a month and finished with an ERA of under 0.60. Abbott posted a 0.56 ERA in May. John Franco had a 0.30 ERA in August 1985, while Dolf Luque posted a 0.50 ERA in June 1923, Wayne Simpson had a 0.58 ERA in May 1970 and Eppa Rixey posted a 0.60 ERA in August 1932.
He also became one of only three pitchers in Major League Baseball history to post eight starts among the first nine of a season allowing one earned run or less. The others: Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets and Kevin Gausman of the San Francisco Giants, both in 2021.
One more nugget from Luckhaupt: Since 1920, Abbott is third in lowest ERA for a Reds pitcher over a 6-start span. Luque (1923) and teammate Hunter Greene (2024) both posted an ERA of 0.48.
Matt Wilkes also put Abbott’s numbers in historical perspective.
Lowest ERA for a Reds starting pitcher through 9 starts in the live-ball era (since 1920):
Dutch Ruether, 1.23 (1920)Johnny Cueto, 1.25 (2014)Edinson Volquez, 1.33 (2008)Bucky Walters, 1.36 (1944)Andrew Abbott, 1.51 (2025)José Rijo, 1.57 (1989)