Los Angeles, CA– After being swept in Atlanta, with their two best pitchers, Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer going in the first two games, the Mets have made it near impossible to win their division now. One that they were on top of for 90% of the season. They only needed to win one game! Will Timmy Trumpet have to play taps?
But the big elephant in the room is starting pitching. What happened to deGrom and Scherzer happens sometimes to really good pitchers. But how many times have we seen great outings by the top starters lost because they are not allowed to throw a complete game?
Here’s an example. Less than two weeks ago, I watched a brilliant performance by Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen against the big bad Dodgers. He had them walking back to the dugout shaking their heads all night. They could not figure him out. He was matched up against 2021 Latino Sports National League MVP pitcher of the year, Julio Urías, Culiacan Rosales, Sinaloa, Mexico, in a 1-1 game. Urías left when he got to his pre game plan of 5.1 innings and 89 pitches. Gallen on the other hand finished his night with a line of 8 innings, 2 hits 1 run, no walks 13 strikeouts and 98 pitches. 77 for strikes! He had reached his pre determined limit for the night.
Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks /Getty Images
He could have completed that last inning and given his team a win after they went up 2-1 in the top of the 9th inning. But nope, in came the bullpen who stunk up the joint and gave the Dodger hitters something they hadn’t seen for eight innings, meatballs over the middle of the plate. Allowing them to score twice and win in a walk off.
Be prepared to see this in the post season a few times. The most abused players in baseball today are the relievers. Overused all season and now being asked to save games in the all important playoffs while starters have well rested arms.
The game has changed because it is run by brilliant young front office people who are dictating the rules about pitching. I guarantee you there is not one former big league pitcher among them. There have been only 35 complete games over 4770 games pitched by starters this season. Nestor Cortes, Surgidero de Batabano, Cuba, is the only Yankee this year with a complete game. That is how the front office analytical rocket scientists want it.
This just covers the starting pitching problem. The whole game has changed and the state of baseball today. It is not ever going back to the way it was.
