Now that the All Star Game is behind us and we await tomorrow’s start of the second half of the season, let’s take a look at the first half leaders on the defensive side of the ball for the 20 games I attended:
Wins
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Lucas Giolito | 2 |
| Jon Lester | 2 |
| 16 tied with | 1 |
Losses
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| James Shields | 3 |
| Kyle Hendricks | 2 |
| 15 tied with | 1 |
ERA (> 6 IP)
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Danny Duffy | 0.00 |
| Jon Lester | 0.00 |
| Jon Gray | 1.29 |
| Jace Fry | 2.79 |
| Nick Kingham | 2.84 |
Strikeouts
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Lucas Giolito | 19 |
| Continue reading → |
With Game 1 of the 2017 NLCS between the Cubs and Dodgers in the books, it’s time to take an updated look at the pitching leaders from the 9 LCS games I’ve attended prior to last night since 2003, featuring the White Sox, Cubs, Angels, Marlins, Dodgers, and Mets.
Wins
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Jacob deGrom | 1 |
| Paul Byrd | 1 |
| Brad Penny | 1 |
| Chad Fox | 1 |
| Mark Buehrle | 1 |
| Bartolo Colon | 1 |
| Ugueth Urbina | 1 |
| Kyle Hendricks | 1 |
| Aroldis Chapman | 1 |
Losses
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Jason Hammel | 1 |
| Mark Prior | 1 |
| Jose Contreras | 1 |
| Trevor Cahill | 1 |
| Kerry Wood | 1 |
| Kelvim Escobar | 1 |
| Mark Guthrie | 1 |
| Joe Blanton | 1 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 1 |
ERA (> 4 IP)
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Jarrod Washburn | 0.00 |
| Mark Buehrle | 1.00 |
| Jon Lester | 1.50 |
| Kyle Hendricks | 1.59 |
| Steven Matz | 1.93 |
Strikeouts
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Kyle Hendricks | 10 |
| Josh Beckett | 8 |
| Continue reading → |
With the NLDS between the Cubs and the Nationals tied at a game a piece, it’s time to take our updated look at the pitching leaders from the now 26 post-season games I’ve attended since the White Sox won the AL Central in 2000.
Wins
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Mark Buehrle | 2 |
| Jon Lester | 2 |
| 22 tied with | 1 |
Losses
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Matt Clement | 2 |
| 23 tied with | 1 |
ERA (> 6 IP)
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Aroldis Chapman | 0.00 |
| Johnny Cueto | 1.13 |
| Chad Billingsley | 1.35 |
| Jon Lester | 1.35 |
| Clayton Richard | 1.42 |
Strikeouts
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Mark Prior | 13 |
| Continue reading → |
The Baseball Writers of America have announced the finalists for their awards for the just completed baseball season, which will be announced next week. 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: Jose Altuve, Mookie Betts, Mike Trout
Mike Trout was my pre-season selection to win the award this year and, sadly, I think the failure of the Angels to compete has left his accomplishments unappreciated. My guess is Mookie Betts gets rewarded for the division-winning Red Sox.
Cy Young Award: Corey Kluber, Rick Porcello, Justin Verlander
If the voting had taken place after the post-season, then Corey Kluber would likely get more love for leading the Indians within a game of winning the World Series. So, I’m going to assume Rick Porcello, with his gaudy win total, will take home the award.
Manager of the Year: Jeff Banister, Terry Francona, Buck Showalter
Once again, I didn’t make any predictions for this award prior to the season. I’m guessing Terry Francona will win the award for the second time.
Rookie of the Year: Michael Fulmer, Gary Sanchez, Tyler Naquin
Another award I didn’t predict prior to the season. I imagine that Michael Fulmer will be taking home the award.
For the first time since 1945, the Cubs are champions of the National League after defeating the Dodgers 5-0 in game 6 of the NLCS. Behind a two hitter from Kyle Hendricks, the Cubs put to rest the painful memories of the collapse of 1969, the failure to win one of three in San Diego in 1984, and the Steve Bartman-fueled fiasco of 2003. They move on to face the Indians in the World Series, who have the second longest title drought in baseball. Combined, the two teams have played 174 seasons without winning a World Series.
The 2016 World Series starts on Tuesday in Cleveland, before returning to Chicago on Friday for 3 games.