2008 is Looking Good For The Buckeyes
April 29, 2008Rivals.com Releases Heisman Trophy Field
April 29, 2008While it appears that C.C. Sabathia has finally got his game back, Indians fans can still glorify the fact that Cliff Lee is in the midst of one of the greatest starts in the history of baseball. We’ve discussed his stats several times on this site, so I’ll save you from the regurgitation.
Instead, head over to Unfiltered, the blog associated with The Baseball Prospectus. It seems as if Lee’s work on the mound has not only dropped the collective jaws of Tribe fans and opposing hitters, but those that long for baseball-related statistics day in and day out.
You can imagine the things being said elsewhere, but it’s even better when you attach some history to it.
Just focus on his last three starts. On three consecutive occasions Lee has pitched 8 innings or more, allowed no more than 3 hits, walked no more than one batter, and struck out at least 8 batters.
We have game logs going back to 1956, courtesy of Retrosheet and Baseball-Reference.com. Since 1956, do you know how many pitchers had made three straight starts with 8+ innings, <=3 hits, <=1 walk, and 8+ strikeouts? Here’s the list, which I have put in alphabetical order for your convenience:
Cliff Lee.
Here’s that list again, sorted by last name:
Lee, Cliff.
That’s it. Lee’s stretch of pitching is unmatched in at least 50 years, and quite possibly ever, when you consider that strikeouts tend to decrease in frequency as you go back in time.
Not too shabby, eh? Obviously, these numbers are bound to increase – even Lee knows it. Yes, the schedule has been his friend thus far, but as mentioned in the Unfiltered post, most pitchers in the majors wouldn’t be able to be this successful in a minor league stint let alone through the first month of the season in the bigs.
Lee takes the hill tomorrow against Jarod Washburn and the Seattle Mariners. Let’s see if he can keep this amazing start going.
Cliff Lee [Baseball Prospectus]
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6 Comments
great post scott. cliff for cy young!
wow. didn’t realize the start was that significant…
I forget which announcer said it last week(ish) when they referred to Lee as “the big left-hander”, but it was priceless. I’m guessing he went for the cream AND the clear…
Nice post…
If Cliff Lee stays anywhere close to such numbers over the course of the season and the real C.C. continues to show up from here on out, the Tribe will likely have the three best starters in the AL. That’s not anywhere near official statistics yet, but the mere possibility (which looks pretty fat at this point) is itself draw-dropping.
Moreover, they have 4 arms ready to fill out the 4 and 5 positions competently (including Sowers and Laffey).
If the bats start to warm up, and I am optimistic that they will, then this could be a very fun season, indeed.
Imagine if they could hit.
Cliff has been a stud on MLB2K this year, coicincidence?