a 20-game winner four times and an all-star every year from 1933 to 1939, gomez led the league twice each in wins, winning percentage and era; he was a three-time league leader in shutouts and strikeouts. in the first major league all-star game (july 6, 1933), gomez was the winning pitcher for the american league (al) and drove in the first run of the game. this was out of character for him; he was notorious for poor hitting even by al standards. late in life, gomez commented, "i never even broke a bat until last year when i was backing out of the garage." his career ops+ of -7 is the fifth-worst in baseball history among players with at least 1,000 plate appearances. gomez holds the record for the most innings pitched in a single all-star game (six, in 1934).