Complete Games in the DH Era
Posted by Chris J. on September 3, 2007
Random thing to check on -- how to NL pitchers compare with AL pitchers when it comes to CG in the DH era? (That's 1973-2007 for those curious).
Well, looking at the rival leaderboards, American Leaguers complete far more than their NL counterparts.
Nearly twice as many have completed 100. Over twice as many (65-26) have completed 50. While 197 AL pitchers have completed 15, only 144 NL guys have.
Pretty dang substantial if you ask me.
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:42 am
This is interesting and I am probably gonna look more into NL vs. AL stats. For example, since 1973, 27 AL players pitched into their 40s (requiring 100 innings pitched. I got a feeling Wade Boggs doesn't count) compared to 29 in the NL. On the other hand, only 2 NL pitchers have pitched 500 innings after the age of 40, Roger Clemens with barely 500 and Niekro with over 1100. 7 AL pitchers have pitched past 500 and two past 1000.
September 3rd, 2007 at 4:00 pm
I would think the lesser number of CGs for NL pitchers would reflect the fact that they are often pulled for pinch hitters in close games. Performance and fatigue are usually the only factors that affect an AL pitcher's staying power.