2010 – Year of the Pitcher

The pitching achievements during the 2010 Major League Baseball (MLB) season were like no other year during my lifetime. It was as though we had traveled back in time to the 1960s when Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson dominated major league batters. No-hitters and perfect games dominated the countryside, starting with Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay’s perfect games in May. Ubaldo Jimenez, Edwin Jackson, Matt Garza and Halladay again added 4 more no-hitters.

The 2010 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is being referred to as the year of the pitcher. The year saw 3 perfect games (unofficially) in less than one month. Roy Halladay’s no-hitter vs. Reds was only the second post season no-hitter in baseball history. The other one being the perfect game pitched by Don Larson in the 1956 World Series. Not to take anything away from Halladay’s no-hitter, but I think Larson’s perfect game is more impressive. Pitching in game 5 with the Series tied at 2 games apiece, Larson was under tremendous pressure. The Yankees only scored 2 runs in that game. Had the Yankees lost that game the Series probably would have gone to the Dodgers. They had won games 3 and 4 and came back and won game 6. Halladay’s impressive performance was in game one of the National League Division Series. Importance and pressure were certainly there, but I don’t think they were as high as a World Series game 5.

We didn’t have to wait long (April 17^th) before the pitching gems started. The following is a recap of the “Year of the Pitcher”.

Ubaldo Jimenez’s no-hitter vs. Braves – 4/17/10

Once Ubaldo Jimenez found the strike zone, the Atlanta Braves had no chance — and the Colorado Rockies had their

first no-hitter in the Rockies’ 18-year history, and the majors’ first this season. It seems as thou during every no hitter there is at least one spectacular play. The catch by Dexter Fowler in the seventh inning helped preserve the no hitter in a 4-0 win over the Braves. There was nothing in Jimenez’s past that would suggest he was capable of this kind of performance. But for the first few months of the season, Jimenez was putting up numbers that made Zack Greinke‘s 2009 season look pedestrian. Eventually, Jimenez cooled off, but still won 19 games.

Dallas Braden’s perfect game vs. Rays – 5/9/10

Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in major league history. He shut down the Rays the majors’ hottest team at that time.

Dallas Braden was just one of the young arms the Athletics have stockpiled, but hadn’t really stood out from the rest of the pack. However, that changed on April 22, when he took offense to Alex Rodriguez trotting back to first base on a foul ball, walked across the mound. This story escalated to the point where Braden became known as the “Get Off My Mound” guy. The A’s, not wanting to miss a marketing opportunity produced “Get Off My Mound” T-shits. I know of one that sold on eBay for $132.51.

Roy Halladay’s perfect game vs. Marlins – 5/29/10

The Philadelphia Phillies‘ ace threw the 20th perfect game in major league history, beating the Florida Marlins 1-0. Continuing a season of dominance by pitchers around the majors, Roy Halladay delivered the second perfect game this season — but only the 20th in major league history. Halladay, known as “Doc” (a  Gunfight at the O.K. Corral reference),  surgically cut through the Blue Jays lineup.

6/2/10 Armando Galarraga’s perfect game robbery

Armando Galarraga lost a chance for the season’s third perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning on a call that the first base umpire, Jim Joyce later admitted he got wrong. Tigers’ first baseman Miguel Cabrera fielded the Indians’

Jason Donald’s grounder to his right and threw to Galarraga covering the bag. The ball was there in time, but Joyce signaled the runner safe, stealing baseball immortality from Galarraga.

Commissioner Bud Selig was the only one who could have put Armando Galarraga’s perfect game back together. Selig could have overturned the blown call, but he chose not to. So it was another bad call against Armando Gallaraga. Selig could have made this right with his best-interest-of-the-game powers. Best interests of a perfect game. He chose not to. The way Galarraga handled the situation was remarkable. Galarraga is truly a man of character. This should have only the 21^st perfect game in baseball history. Overturning Joyce’s call would have been the right thing to do, but this Commissioner blew it. In 21 subsequent starts, Galarraga was 2-8 and gave up 130 hits in 123.1 innings. How much of these statistics can be attributed the disappoint Galarraga carried with him for the remainder of the season.

Edwin Jackson’s no-hitter vs. Rays – 6/25/10

Jackson’s no hitter was remarkable in the sense that he threw 149 pitches and walked eight. According to STATS LLC, the 149 pitches were the most by an individual in a complete-game no-hitter since at least 1988.  STATS LLC reports that Tampa Bay is first team since the 2001 Padres to be no-hit twice in the same season and the second ever to be on the wrong end of a no-hitter and perfect game in the same season. I would think that no other team has ever been the victim of two no hitters and produced a no hitter in the same season. Ironically, Edwin Jackson played for the Rays from 2006 through 2008 before being traded to Detroit.

7/26/10 Matt Garza’s no-hitter vs. Tigers

The Tampa Bay Rays finally wound up on the right side of a memorable pitching performance. Matt Garza threw the first no-hitter in franchise history and at the time, the fifth in the major leagues this

season, beating the Detroit Tigers 5-0.

Roy Halladay’s no-hitter vs. Reds – 10/6/10

Roy Halladay pitched the first no-hitter in National League post season history today when he shutout the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 in the 1st game of the 2010 NLDS at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Halladay gave up only a 3rd inning walk to CF Jay Bruce and threw 104 pitches (79 for strikes) in the process.  He also struck out 8 batters and faced only one batter over the minimum (28) en route to one of the greatest pitching performances of all time in MLB history. Halladay becomes the last pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1973 to throw two no-hitters in one year. He also is the last Nation League pitcher to do it since Reds’ righty Johnny Vander Meer threw back-to-back no-hitters in consecutive starts in 1938.

One-Hitters

You may not be aware of the fact that there 9 one hitters, 10 if you count Armando Galarraga’s perfect game during 2010 MLB season. You probably can’t count Ted Lilly’s one hitter because he didn’t finish the 9^th inning. Image what might have been.

May 11 Johnny Cueto, Reds at Pirates, 9-0, Ronny Cedeno 3rd inning infield single

May 13 Mat Latos, Padres at Giants, 1-0, Eli Whiteside 6th inning infield single
May 28 Matt Cain, Giants vs Diamondbacks, 5-0, Mark Reynolds 2nd inning double
June 10 Jonathon Niese, Mets vs. Padres, 3-0, Chris Denorfia 3rd inning double

June 13 Ted Lilly, Cubs took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before pinch-hitter Juan Pierre led off with a single
July 8 Roy Oswalt, Astros vs. Pirates, 2-0, Neil Walker 1st inning single
July 29 Anibal Sanchez, Marlins at Giants, 5-0, Pablo Sandoval, 5th inning single
August 8 Brandon Morrow, Jays vs. Rays, 1-0, Evan Longoria two outs in the 9th inning infield single
August 13 R.A. Dickey, Mets vs. Phillies, 1-0, Cole Hamels, 6th inning single
August 16 Shaun Marcom, Blue Jays at Athletics, 3-1, Conor Jackson, 7th inning leadoff homer

A Few More Pitching Performances During the 2010 Season.

May 30 Max Scherzer, Tigers, struck out 14 in five and two-thirds shutout innings, becoming the first pitcher since 1900 with as many strikeouts pitching five and two-third innings or fewer.

Only Brandon Morrow of the Jays had a game with more strikeouts this season, whiffing 17 Rays on August 8, when he lost a no-hitter with two down in the 9th. Bud Norris of Houston had a 14 strikeout game, against the Pirates. Twice during the season, Scherzer struck out eight in five and two-third innings.

June 2

June 8 Stephen Strasburg, Nationals, struck out 14 in his highly anticipated major league debut against the Pirates.

Strasburg made 11 more starts before having season-ending Tommy John surgery Sept. 3. Strasburg ended up with 92 strikeouts in 68 innings.

June 27 Jamie Moyer, Phillies, gave up his record-breaking 506th home run, passing Robin Roberts for first on the career list.

Moyer ended his season having given up a career total of 511 homers. Of the 511, seven were grand slams, 298 were with the bases empty, and he has surrendered only one walk-off. Okay, so this isn’t a record you would be proud of.

Aug. 25 Felix Hernandez, Mariners, became the fourth-youngest pitcher to reach 1,000 strikeouts (24 years 139

days). Bob Feller (22-179), Bert Blyleven (23-121) and Dwight Gooden (23-249) did it at a younger age.

King Felix became the 10th pitcher in major-league history with 1,000 strikeouts at age 24. Blyleven finished his career with 3,701 career strikeouts, Feller with 2,581 and Gooden with 2,293.

Sept. 7 Trevor Hoffman, Brewers, baseball’s career saves leader, earned his 600th save.

Hoffman finished the season, and perhaps his career, with 601 saves and 76 blown saves. He appeared in 1035 games, all in relief, and finished 856, which is also a record.