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Didja see that? Didja? Didja?
May. 19th, 2008 11:06 pmJon Lester, of the Boston Red Sox, just threw the first no-hitter of the 2008 season! Wahoo!
Some people will focus on the fact that he's only 24, and has clinched a World Series and has now pitched a no-hitter. Some people, because this is an Olympic year and NBC infects sports-writers with "the human interest angle", will focus on the fact that he was diagnosed with cancer his rookie season and he beat that, and has made some major accomplishments.
But I'd like to point out something else entirely: up until this point, his season has been fairly mediocre. He's been having control problems, only averaging 5.2 innings per start. Of his first 10 starts, he was the pitcher-of-record in only four of them. His ERA is below the league average (which is good), but his WHIP ("Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched") is significantly above the league average (which is bad).
By all the signs, he was doing well to stay in the majors, and not be sent down to the minors for re-grooving.
But tonite, he pulled everything together. There was only one spectacular defensive play behind him (Jacoby Ellsbury's diving catch to prevent a hit); everything else was routine or well-placed strike-outs (he had 9 tonite, well over his previous average of 3.3 per game).
This is why we watch: baseball is a chaotic game, "a game of inches", where normal guys sometimes reach deep down and pull up something awesome.
Some people will focus on the fact that he's only 24, and has clinched a World Series and has now pitched a no-hitter. Some people, because this is an Olympic year and NBC infects sports-writers with "the human interest angle", will focus on the fact that he was diagnosed with cancer his rookie season and he beat that, and has made some major accomplishments.
But I'd like to point out something else entirely: up until this point, his season has been fairly mediocre. He's been having control problems, only averaging 5.2 innings per start. Of his first 10 starts, he was the pitcher-of-record in only four of them. His ERA is below the league average (which is good), but his WHIP ("Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched") is significantly above the league average (which is bad).
By all the signs, he was doing well to stay in the majors, and not be sent down to the minors for re-grooving.
But tonite, he pulled everything together. There was only one spectacular defensive play behind him (Jacoby Ellsbury's diving catch to prevent a hit); everything else was routine or well-placed strike-outs (he had 9 tonite, well over his previous average of 3.3 per game).
This is why we watch: baseball is a chaotic game, "a game of inches", where normal guys sometimes reach deep down and pull up something awesome.
