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 → |
With game 1 of 2015 NLCS in the books, with the Mets taking a quick lead against the Cubs, it’s time to take our first ever look at the pitching leaders from the 5 LCS games I’ve attended since 2003, featuring the White Sox, Cubs, Marlins, and Angels.
Wins
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Mark Buehrle | 1 |
| Brad Penny | 1 |
| Ugueth Urbina | 1 |
| Chad Fox | 1 |
| Paul Byrd | 1 |
Losses
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Jose Contreras | 1 |
| Mark Guthrie | 1 |
| Kerry Wood | 1 |
| Mark Prior | 1 |
| Kelvim Escobar | 1 |
ERA (> 4 IP)
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Jarrod Washburn | 0.00 |
| Mark Buehrle | 1.00 |
| Paul Byrd | 3.00 |
| Carl Pavano | 3.18 |
| Jose Contreras | 3.24 |
Strikeouts
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Josh Beckett | 8 |
| Continue reading → |
As the Cubs and Cardinals prepare to kick off their NLDS series later today, it’s time to take our first ever look at the pitching leaders from the 17 post-season games I’ve attended since the White Sox won the AL Central in 2000.
Wins
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Mark Buehrle | 2 |
| 15 tied with | 1 |
Losses
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Matt Clement | 2 |
| 15 tied with | 1 |
ERA (> 6 IP)
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Chad Billingsley | 1.35 |
| Mark Prior | 2.20 |
| Greg Maddux | 2.57 |
| David Wells | 2.70 |
| Jose Contreras | 2.81 |
Strikeouts
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Mark Prior | 13 |
| Continue reading → |
Three years ago, we took our first look at the single game statistical leaders for all of the games I have attended. Last week, we focused on the offensive side of the ball. Today, we shall look at the pitchers, keeping in mind that in some cases, leading a category can be a bad thing.
Innings Pitched
| Name | Total | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 55 with | 9 | Most recently on 7/12/2015 |
Hits
| Name | Total | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Homer Bailey | 15 | 7/26/2008 |
| Jose Lima | 13 | 5/2/2000 |
| Glendon Rusch | 13 | 5/12/2003 |
| Carlos Silva | 13 | 4/23/2006 |
| Mark Buehrle | 13 | 7/2/2006 |
| Carlos Zambrano | 13 | 8/14/2007 |
| Tommy Hanson | 13 | 6/22/2010 |
| Gavin Floyd | 13 | 9/9/2010 |
| Edwin Jackson | 13 | 9/11/2010 |
| Roy Oswalt | 13 | 7/3/2012 |
Runs
| Name | Total | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Buehrle | 11 | 7/2/2006 |
| Jeff Suppan | 11 | 4/30/2008 |
| Roy Oswalt | 11 | 7/3/2012 |
| Jose Lima | 10 | 5/2/2000 |
| Clay Hensley | 10 | 4/16/2007 |
Earned Runs
| Name | Total | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Buehrle | 10 | 7/2/2006 |
| Continue reading → |
Last week, we took our first look at the offensive leaders per season since 2011. Today, we do the same with the pitchers for all of the games I’ve attended from 1984 through the 2014 season. As with the hitters, there is little change from our first look after the 2011 season, but the time was right for another perusal of the stats. We start with that most maligned pitching stat:
Wins
| Year | Name | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Mark Buehrle | 8 |
| 2003 | Matt Clement | 6 |
| 2006 | Freddy Garcia | 6 |
| 2003 | Mark Prior | 6 |
| 2004 | Greg Maddux | 6 |
| 2005 | Mark Buehrle | 6 |
| 2008 | Gavin Floyd | 6 |
Losses
| Year | Name | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Kerry Wood | 6 |
| 2008 | Javier Vazquez | 6 |
| 2003 | Matt Clement | 5 |
| 2004 | Greg Maddux | 5 |
| 2011 | Gavin Floyd | 5 |
| 2005 | Greg Maddux | 5 |
ERA (> 8 IP)
| Year | Name | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Continue reading → |
7 seasons after his last major league appearance, former Cub phenom Mark Prior called it a career on Monday. The second overall pick in the 2001 draft, Prior quickly rose to the major leagues, making his debut on May 22, 2002, earning the victory against the Pirates. He excelled the following year, as a surprising Cubs team won their division and came within 5 outs of making their first World Series since 1945. Prior finished the year 18-6, was named to the All Star team, finished third in Cy Young award voting and was ninth in voting for the MVP award.
2003 was also the start of Prior’s injury issues. He hit the disabled list after colliding with Marcus Giles in a game in early July. Thanks to the All Star break, he only missed 3 starts, but he never pitched a full season after that point. He missed the first 2 months of the 2004 season due to an achilles injury. In 2005, he again started the season on the disabled list and went back on after suffering a broken elbow after getting hit by a line drive off the bat of Brad Hawpe. 2006 marked the third straight season that Prior would start the season on the DL, where he would stay until June 18. Less than a month later, he would return to the DL with a strained oblique suffered during batting practice. On August 10, Prior made his final start of the season, going 3 innings and picking up the loss to the Brewers. Four days later, he was placed on the DL for the third and final time that season, due to tendinitis. He would never pitch in the major leagues again.
Prior left the Cubs following the 2007 season, and, since then, he has attempted comebacks with the Padres, Rangers, Yankees, Red Sox, and, most recently, the Reds, where he had to be shut down as a result of continuing shoulder problems after just 7 relief appearances in Triple A. You couldn’t help but feel for him, a once in a lifetime stud pitcher who should have led the Cubs rotation for years and, instead, flamed out after 5 seasons. Entire books could be written on what might have been, and now Mark Prior will have his summers free to read them.
Prior’s numbers in a Cub uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →
After taking 2 out of 3 games in Florida, the Cubs returned home needing to win 1 game to go to their first World Series in 58 years, and their top two starters, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, were scheduled to take the bump for games 6 and 7. Prior was dominant in Game 6, giving up only 3 hits heading in to the 8th inning. The crowd was starting to anticipate that, after years of futility, their team was about to make it to the promised land. With only 5 outs standing between the Cubs and the World Series, Luis Castillo came up to bat against Prior and hit a foul ball down the left field line.
That’s when things started to fall apart, and one man’s life was, at least temporarily, destroyed.
Tonight is the 10 year anniversary of what has become known as the Steve Bartman game. From my vantage point in the upper deck down the left field line, I couldn’t see the play as it happened. The ball disappeared as the 400 section blocked my view, but, based on the crowd’s reaction, you could tell instantly that something could happen. The replays quickly showed what we had missed, that a young man, decked out in a goofy sweatshirt, Cubs hat, and bulky Walkman headphones, tried to catch the foul ball, getting in the way of left fielder Moises Alou, who was not exactly hiding his displeasure. The crowd grew angry and, as we would later learn, Bartman had to be escorted from the stadium for his own safety.
Monday we looked at the single game leaders in offensive stats for games I have attended. Let’s look at the pitchers, keeping in mind that in some cases, leading a category can be a bad thing.
| Name | Total | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 45 with | 9 | Most recently on 4/28/2012 |
| Name | Total | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Homer Bailey | 15 | 7/26/2008 |
| Jose Lima | 13 | 5/2/2000 |
| Glendon Rusch | 13 | 5/12/2003 |
| Carlos Silva | 13 | 4/23/2006 |
| Mark Buehrle | 13 | 7/2/2006 |
| Carlos Zambrano | 13 | 8/14/2007 |
| Tommy Hanson | 13 | 6/22/2010 |
| Gavin Floyd | 13 | 9/9/2010 |
| Edwin Jackson | 13 | 9/11/2010 |
| Roy Oswalt | 13 | 7/3/2012 |
| Name | Total | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Buehrle | 11 | 7/2/2006 |
| Jeff Suppan | 11 | 4/30/2008 |
| Roy Oswalt | 11 | 7/3/2012 |
| Jose Lima | 10 | 5/2/2000 |
| Clay Hensley | 10 | 4/16/2007 |
| Name | Total | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Buehrle | 10 | 7/2/2006 |
| Continue reading → |
Following up on Wednesday’s look at the offense, here are the pitching stat leaders per season for the all the games I’ve attended from 1984 – 2011.
| Year | Name | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Mark Buehrle | 8 |
| 2003 | Matt Clement | 6 |
| 2006 | Freddy Garcia | 6 |
| 2003 | Mark Prior | 6 |
| 2004 | Greg Maddux | 6 |
| 2005 | Mark Buehrle | 6 |
| 2008 | Gavin Floyd | 6 |
| Year | Name | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Kerry Wood | 6 |
| 2008 | Javier Vazquez | 6 |
| 2003 | Matt Clement | 5 |
| 2004 | Greg Maddux | 5 |
| 2011 | Gavin Floyd | 5 |
| 2005 | Greg Maddux | 5 |
| Year | Name | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Continue reading → |