The Baseball Zealot

It’s nothing new even to the casual fan that complete games have taken a drastic dip in the last 15-20 years.  But it just occurred to me that statistically, 2009 was a landmark year.  With the retirement of Randy Johnson at the end of the year, we no longer will have an active pitcher who has at least 100 career complete games. 

Johnson retired at the end of 2009 with 100 complete games on the nose.  With his departure, Roy Halladay became the heir of the CG active leader throne.  Even at that, Halladay has a ways to go.  At this point in the season, Roy has 54 complete games in 13 seasons.  If you look to the second man on that list, it’s Livan Hernandez with 48. 

Certainly, by the end of 2010, we will end up with a active career leader in complete games under 100 games for the first time in major league history. 

If you want a good visual on the decline of complete games through baseball history, Baseball Reference’s Progressive Leaders page might be of help. 

Posted in: Statistics by The Baseball Zealot
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Randy Johnson has retired and we’ve lost one of this era’s best pitchers.  Given his age, probably last era’s, too. 

You’ve heard the big numbers on the Unit… five Cy Young awards, 303 wins, etc.  Here are a few lesser known ones:

…he was tops among active pitchers (well when he WAS active) in complete games.  And you know what?  It’s not even close.  His 100 is almost double of second place Tom Glavine’s 56.

…Led the majors in Strikeouts per 9 IP an amazing eleven times.

…Was baseball’s second oldest player at the time of his retirement at 46.  Most of us know that greybeard Jamie Moyer is the oldest (he’s 47).  And some of us might even make a guess at John Smoltz as the third oldest at age 42.  But who’s the fourth oldest?  Answer later.

…Back to Randy Johnson… he was the active leader in shutouts with 37. 

…All told he led the majors in 56 various (positive) stat categories throughout his career (not counting the times he led in walks or HBPs because he did that too).  Pretty impressive.

I had a friend (you know who are) who once felt the Big Unit wasn’t Hall of Fame-worthy.  Granted, this was five or so years ago but we had a discussion about it.  I’m wondering if he’s changed his mind by now.

Five years from now, I hope we’re not quibbling about whether Randy Johnson should be inducted into the Hall.  He had the rare combination of longevity and intensity.  The kind of pitcher that played for years but yet, was the kind that you wanted to pitch in the big game. 

Like him or not, he gets in.  For my money, if you could pit him against the current class, he gets in before any of them.

Posted in: Retirement by The Baseball Zealot
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Yovani Gallardo hit a three run homer off The Big Unit and as a result, outpitched him, allowing only two runs over six innings to pickup the victory. It was the first home run Randy Johnson has ever given up to the opposing pitcher in 506 at bats. Johnson tried to get Gallardo fishing on a two strike, two out, high heater, but he didn’t get it high enough, and this big fish was biting. Yovani got all of it & tattooed it out of the park. Gallardo was injured much of last year, but looks good to go!

Yovani Gallardo 1 for 2, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 run scored, 1 SO

Yovani Gallardo (1-0) 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

Posted in: Linescores of the Day by Teddy Ballgame
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Rumors of Randy Johnson coming to the Cubs.

I’m holding off on making a judgement (publicly) not because I don’t have an opinion but because others (not me) had similar opinions about Jim Edmonds earlier this year and I thought he fit in just fine. 

Let me mull it over.

Posted in: Cubs, Hot Stove by The Baseball Zealot
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