As the Cubs and Giants prepare to kick off their NLDS series later today, it’s time to take our updated look at the pitching leaders from the 20 post-season games I’ve attended since the White Sox won the AL Central in 2000.
Wins
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Mark Buehrle | 2 |
| 18 tied with | 1 |
Losses
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Matt Clement | 2 |
| 18 tied with | 1 |
ERA (> 6 IP)
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Chad Billingsley | 1.35 |
| Clayton Richard | 1.42 |
| Mark Prior | 2.20 |
| Greg Maddux | 2.57 |
| Jacob deGrom | 2.57 |
Strikeouts
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Mark Prior | 13 |
| Continue reading → |
After finally breaking through and finally making it back to the playoffs last season, the Cubs have once again toned down their season ticket package for 2016, letting the product on the field speak for itself. We start, as usual, with the box, which highlights the expected stars of the 2016 season, including Cy Young award winner Jake Arrieta, Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant, and free agent signing Jason Heyward.
Inside the box, aside from the tickets themselves, were a few goodies as has been the custom the last few years. The highlight is a collection of replica lineup cards, highlighting some of the memorable games from the 2015 season. In addition to that, there was a commemorative season holder pin, a W car flag, and some new ticket lanyards.
Finally, the tickets themselves. The Cubs have continued with the action shots of players for this years tickets, but have switched the ticket orientation from portrait to landscape, which I do enjoy. Continue reading →
The Baseball Writers of America have announced the finalists for their awards for the just completed baseball season. It is a good bet that few of my original predictions for the winners will be accurate. Hopefully, these new predictions will be slightly better, especially since I’ll have a 33% chance of being right.
Most Valuable Player: Lorenzo Cain, Josh Donaldson, Mike Trout
Mike Trout, who won last year’s award, was my pre-season selection to win again this year. While I think Josh Donaldson will get plenty of support, I’m going to stick with Trout to win.
Cy Young Award: Sonny Gray, Dallas Keuchel, David Price
Well, the one year I didn’t pick David Price as my pre-season pick, he makes his way into the top 3. That said, I’m thinking Dallas Keuchel, of the upstart Astros, will take home the award.
Manager of the Year: Jeff Banister, A.J. Hinch, Paul Molitor
Once again, I didn’t make any predictions for this award prior to the season. The three nominees all lead surprising teams into contention for most of the year. My guess is A.J. Hinch wins the award for leading the Astros to the post-season for the first time since 2005.
Rookie of the Year: Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Miguel Sano
Another award I didn’t predict prior to the season. This one should be a no-brainer, with Carlos Correa taking home the award.
Last Friday, we looked at the leaders in the 39 games I attended this year on the offensive side of the ball. It’s now time to wrap up our look back at the 2015 season with the pitching leaders, starting with everyone’s favorite pitching statistic:
Wins
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Chris Sale | 5 |
| Jake Arrieta | 3 |
| Carlos Rodon | 2 |
| John Danks | 2 |
| Zach Duke | 2 |
| David Price | 2 |
| Kyle Gibson | 2 |
Losses
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Jose Quintana | 4 |
| Chris Sale | 3 |
| Jeff Samardzija | 3 |
| John Danks | 2 |
| Jon Lester | 2 |
ERA (> 10 IP)
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Kyle Gibson | 0.57 |
| David Robertson | 0.68 |
| David Price | 1.13 |
| Chris Sale | 2.89 |
| Jake Arrieta | 2.95 |
Strikeouts
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Chris Sale | 76 |
| Continue reading → |
Six months ago, as the 2015 baseball season was scheduled to kick off at Wrigley Field, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what. Now that the regular season has come to an end, it is time revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.
East: Blue Jays
After a middling first half, the Blue Jays turned things around after the All Star break, especially after acquiring David Price and Troy Tulowitzki at the trade deadline, earning them their first division title since 1993.
Central: Indians
Well, I correctly predicted the end of the Tigers reign after four seasons, but I wrongly assumed that the Royals would regress after their World Series appearance last year. Instead, they went and ran away with the AL Central crown while the Indians struggled to stay out of the cellar.
West: Angels
It came down to the final day, but the Rangers, who finished in last place in 2014, managed to hold off the Astros and the Angels to win the division.
Wild Cards: Tigers, Mariners
I completely missed the boat here, as both teams failed to live up to their pre-season expectations. The Yankees return to the post-season and so do the surprise Astros.
AL Champion: Angels
Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
MVP: Mike Trout
Only one of these seems like a possible choice at this point, with Mike Trout the frontrunner for the MVP award. The Cy Young award is up in the air at this point.
Yesterday, we looked at the leaders in the 21 games I attended in the first half of this year on the offensive side of the ball. With the second half slated to kick off today, let’s look at the first half pitching leaders:
Wins
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Chris Sale | 4 |
| Zach Duke | 2 |
| Carlos Rodon | 2 |
| 13 tied with | 1 |
Losses
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Jose Quintana | 3 |
| Jon Lester | 2 |
| 16 tied with | 1 |
ERA (> 6 IP)
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Mark Buehrle | 0.00 |
| Tommy Milone | 0.00 |
| David Robertson | 0.00 |
| Jake Arrieta | 1.00 |
| David Price | 1.00 |
| Corey Kluber | 1.00 |
Strikeouts
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Chris Sale | 52 |
| Continue reading → |