The Mariners have used very few pitchers so far in 2011, but is that a good thing?
Posted by Andy on April 8, 2011
The 2011 Mariners have had just 14 pitching appearances through the first 5 games of the season. That includes starts plus total relief appearances. By comparison, the Marlins and Nationals lead the way in 2011 with 25 total appearances in their first 5 games.
The Mariners are actually tied for fewest pitching appearances in the first 5 games among all teams since 2000:
| Rk | Tm | Year | #Matching | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOS | 2001 | 14 | Ind. Games |
| 2 | BOS | 2000 | 14 | Ind. Games |
| 3 | KCR | 2009 | 14 | Ind. Games |
| 4 | KCR | 2000 | 14 | Ind. Games |
| 5 | SEA | 2011 | 14 | Ind. Games |
Let's check the full-season records of those other teams.
The 2001 Red Sox were 82-79 led by Hideo Nomo at 13-10. The 2000 Red Sox were 85-77 led by Pedro Martinez at 18-6. The 2009 Royals were 65-97 led by Zack Greinke at 16-8. The 2000 Royals were 77-85 led by, umm, I guess Jeff Suppan at 10-9.
Overall, that's a 309-338 record, a .478 winning percentage.
So, this stat doesn't seem to indicate a great team.
April 8th, 2011 at 9:50 am
Last night's Midwest League opener in Dayton, Ohio (hosting Bowling Green) was a full 9 inning game (54 outs), which saw the two pitching staffs record a combined 27 strikeouts. Half the outs were by K.
Can the play index locate how many times two MLB teams combined for 27 or more strikeouts in a nine inning game?
Thanks.
April 8th, 2011 at 10:22 am
Matt, I don't think the P-I can find that directly. It can find games in which each team reached a certain number, but it can't find combined totals for 2 teams.
I can tell you that there have been, at the very least, 10 games since 1919 in which the teams combined for 27 or more strikeouts, and probably far more.
April 8th, 2011 at 10:50 am
I think it was 1988, the Indians had about 50% of their innings at the All-Star break from Swindell, Candotti, and Farrell. They did improve by 17 games that year from the year before, but they were fading by the end and I think the heavy workload affected the pitchers in future years.
April 8th, 2011 at 11:49 am
Andy,
What parameters did you put in to show this stats for pitchers used through number of games. Kind of interesting.
April 8th, 2011 at 11:50 am
Just did a simply pitching game finder search (NOT team, but individual), limited to team's first 5 games of the season, and then grouped by most for a single team in a season. I didn't click anything as far as starter, reliever, etc.
Let me know if you want more detailed instructions.
April 8th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
[...] put themselves in bad company with only 14 pitching appearances through their first 5 games. Link Posted on Friday, April 8th, 2011 at 2:24 pm, Category: Baseball, Tags: . (No Ratings Yet) [...]
April 8th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
This is the kind of stuff that anti-stat people point to when they complain about stats. Meaningless drivel like this is a giant waste of time and energy.
Please tell me you're a volunteer, because if you're getting paid for this there's something wrong.
April 8th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
@7
Albert, gotta come to Andy's defense, even if he doesn't need it.
This is not about finding a cure for cancer or putting a man on Mars! The initial posts are discussions starters, nothing more. They generate discussion from intelligent(?) people that may uncover a nugget of "truth" about the game that is not intuituve to the casual fan.
Lighten up. No one is suggesting that the Mariners are doomed to a bad season because of their use of pitchers so far.
April 8th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
This is another indication that the steroid era is over and pitching has resumed its dominant place in the game. Refreshing.
April 9th, 2011 at 7:05 am
@Neil (8) LOL
@Kenh(9) I hope so!!!!!!!!!!!