Mike Pelfrey has displayed the utmost kindness to Mets fans over his last two starts, sparing us the privilege of seeing the bullpen crumble. The last time a Mets starter went the distance in back-to-back starts was 2001, when Rick Reed (one of my personal favorites) did so in his first two starts of the season, both against the Braves. But, he lost the second game 2-0 to Greg Maddux, who allowed just one hit over seven innings. John Rocker recorded the save. For the last time a Mets starter won consecutive complete games we have to go back to June of 1995, when Bret Saberhagen beat Atlanta 4-2 and Florida 5-2, before the Mets dealt him to the Rockies at the trade deadline, for Juan Acevedo and, of course, Arnold Gooch.
But the Mets won't be trading Pelfrey anytime soon. At least not unless they bring back Dan Duquette as GM--Victor Zambrano anyone? Despite rumors that Pelfrey's work will be limited from here on out, the 24-year-old has gotten stronger and stronger as the season has worn on. His fastball had more life to it last night than at any point during his 2-6 April and May, and sinker-ballers usually get more downward action on their pitches with a little fatigue. That said, it would still be unwise to overwork Pelfrey in unnecessary situations, but lately he has been incredibly economical, throwing just 108 pitches in each of his last two starts. He has been throwing strikes early in the count and getting hitters to put the ball in play. It helps that the Mets' defense has been playing spectacularly over the last month or so, committing only four errors in the last 32 games. With John Maine back on the shelf with a bone spur in his pitching shoulder, the Mets will need all they can get out of Pelfrey down the stretch.
Baseball History Tidbit of the Week: Ruth vs. Cobb - Baseball's Earliest Rivalry?
Like Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds, or Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, or Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio, two of the best hitters of all time played at the same time in the early days of baseball. By 1919, when Babe Ruth decided to rest his pitching arm (his career pitching record was 80-41 to that point) and take up hitting full time, Ty Cobb was already at the top of the sport. His 10 batting titles between 1907 and 1918 were unmatched by anyone in history, he had already hit better than .400 in a season twice, he routinely led the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and hits, and he had led the majors in stolen bases six times. The Georgia Peach was, simply put, the best player of his time.
Until George Herman Ruth became an outfielder. When the Babe walloped a record 29 home runs in 1919, a new phenomenon in the game of baseball was born. Cobb's prowess in the arts of the bunt, hit-and-run, butcher-boy and stolen base, was now overshadowed by the Sultan of Swat and his unequaled ability to hit the ball over the fence. Who needs to steal or sacrifice when you can just smash the ball out of the park and jog around the bases?
Cobb was not only angered by the new breed of power hitters arriving on the scene; he was infuriated that such a hitter would contest his claim to the title of "greatest baseball player ever." He commonly boasted that he could hit more home runs (he did finish in the top five in homers seven times before 1919) if he wanted to, but he instead preferred the more scientific, "small-ball" strategy to hitting. On May 5, 1925, apparently to prove his point to reporters, Cobb went 6-6 against the St. Louis Browns, with three home runs, a double and two singles. The next day, the 38-year-old belted two more homers, but returned to his old strategy thereafter, and hit .378 that season. Not to be outdone, Ruth chided, "I could have hit .600 if I'd just tried for them dinky singles. The people were paying to see me hit home runs."
*Statistical information and gamelogs derived from www.baseball-reference.com.
**Historical information derived from www.baseball-reference.com's Bullpen (Ty Cobb), and Baseball Library (Ty Cobb).
Keywords: Alex Rodriguez, Arnold Gooch, Atlanta Braves, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Bret Saberhagen, Colorado Rockies, Dan Duquette, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Greg Maddux, Joe DiMaggio, John Maine, John Rocker, Juan Acevedo, Mickey Mantle, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Rick Reed, St. Louis Browns, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Victor Zambrano, Willie Mays
