You wouldn't know it by the way the Rays' pitching performed over the past three games, but this is a GREAT time to be a pitcher. Jayson Stark wrote a really interesting piece for ESPN yesterday detailing just that.
Things that shocked me:
- At their current pace teams will score four thousand fewer runs than in 2000.
- At their current pace teams will roughly nine hundred fewer home runs than in 2000
Growing up in the height of that steroid era, those figures sound insane to me. That's all fine and dandy but what really floored me? There are currently 35 pitchers averaging 95mph or higher on their fastballs. There were 11 in 2007. ELEVEN. All of this information goes along with the Rays Tank from Tuesday about how advanced metrics for pitchers and defenses are bringing down the offensive game. I don't know how anyone gets a hit anymore.
Do you enjoy the game more now than you did five or ten years ago? I know the Rays are likely a better team because of it, but have these changes impacted your enjoyment of baseball as a whole?
Links:
- Dusty Baker and Derek Lowe really don't like each other.
- The best pitching performances on the same night, inspired by Matt Cain and R.A. Dickey.
- The Cubs' official twitter feed doesn't like Koyie Hill, apparently.