I have had enough. No, more than enough. I just finished up a Player of the Game interview and McTaggart from the Power Hour also asked me some questions.
For the last time and for the record. Some People think that rewards shouldn’t just go to winners, but to also-rans as well. As a starting pitcher, this impacts me in the area of “quality starts”. Now, I’ve talked about this before, but not when my quality start percentage was maxed. People think the answer will change when I’m sitting on a .500 record with an ERA just over 2.
This wouldn’t be so bad if Martin hadn’t mentioned my “quality starts” before the game. He and I have discussed this and I thought he understood me.
This is a team game. Sure, the W’s and L’s need to be assigned to someone. That someone is a pitcher and there is a formula. In baseball, everything is counted and there are formulas to figure the things that can’t be easily seen. Like ERA. Runs times nine divided by innings pitched.
There is also a formula for quality starts. Because you can’t measure “try”, you have to look at runs and innings and stuff. The point is, that some agent somewhere came up with the idea of quality starts to line his pocket. He wanted his clients to be rewarded with a cash bonus on the days they achieved mediocrity on the mound.
The truth is, if you pitch borderline so-called “quality” starts, you will not only have a fat ERA but you will also be in line for a role in middle relief.
I understand why people are enamored of the statistic though. It serves as a means of indicting the offense rather than the pitcher for a team loss. These people who want to acquit the pitcher of the responsibility really bother me. Because the truth is, a pitcher’s job is to keep the opposing team off the board.
I’m not going to pretend that all pitchers are equal or that even the greatest pitchers never give up a run or two. But if the team doesn’t win, it doesn’t win. At the end of the game and at the end of the day, *that* is what matters. Not how hard the pitcher tried, but how well the team succeeded.
Rose-colored glasses 