http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseb...r_finds_himself_in_lofty_company_griffin.html
[h=1]Giants’ Bumgarner finds himself in lofty company: Griffin[/h][h=2]Before conceding him the title of greatest World Series starter ever, it’s worth examining six other pitchers over the past 30 seasons that have excelled on the same stage.[/h]
Jeff Roberson / The Associated Press
Giants starter Madison Bumgarner has been lights out against the Royals in this World Series.
By:Richard GriffinBaseball Columnist, Published on Tue Oct 28 2014
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KANSAS CITY—No doubt San Francisco Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner has been as close to a guaranteed win in this World Series as there is.
In two starts against the artist formerly known as Big Game James Shields, the 25-year-old Giant is 2-0, 0.56 ERA, allowing one run on seven hits in 16 innings, with a walk and 13 strikeouts.
He has heard the chants of MVP, calling them “fun.”
However, before conceding the title of the greatest World Series starter ever, it’s worth examining six other pitchers over the past 30 seasons that have excelled on the same stage. The list is confined to starters who have recorded at least two wins in a series and with ERAs under 2.00:
Bret Saberhagen, 1985 Royals
The 21-year-old right-hander, then in his second MLB season, went 2-0, 0.50 ERA in two starts against the Cardinals, pitching 18 innings, allowing one run on 11 hits, with one walk and 10 strikeouts.
Trailing 2-0 in the series, Saberhagen faced Joaquin Andujar in Game 3 and won 6-1, carried to victory by second baseman Frank White’s RBI double and two-run homer. Saberhagen’s wife gave birth to their first child on the day of Game 6 and the new father was handed the ball for Game 7. He responded with a brilliant five-hit shutout to complete the comeback after trailing 3-1 in games.
Orel Hershiser, 1988 Dodgers
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The 29-year-old right-hander who had ended the season with a record shutout streak of 59 straight innings, went 2-0, 1.00 ERA in two starts vs. the A’s, pitching 18 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, with six walks and 17 strikeouts.
This series is most remembered for the Game 1 ninth-inning heroics of an almost crippled Kirk Gibson, whose two-run limp-off homer against Dennis Eckersley still resonates.
But Hershiser pitched Game 2. The hymn-singing ace, who had won 23 in the regular season, tossed a six-hit shutout in a 6-0 win and went 3-for-3 at the plate. In Game 5, with the Dodgers leading the series 3-1, he won 5-2, propelled by two-run homers off the bats of Mickey Hatcher and DH Mike Davis. It was the Dodgers’ sixth World Series title.
Jose Rijo, 1990 Reds
The 25-year-old right-hander, who had posted a modest 14-win regular season, went 2-0, 0.59 ERA in two starts vs. the A’s, pitching 15 1/3 innings, allowing one run on nine hits, with five walks and 14 strikeouts.
The A’s were heavily favoured once again. The Reds had nobody with more than 25 homers of 86 RBIs while the A’s had the Bash Brothers and Rickey Henderson. Rijo faced Dave Stewart in the opener and beat the A’s 7-0 at Riverfront Stadium, with relief help from Rob Dibble and Randy Myers.
In Game 4, Rijo faced Stewart again and fell behind 1-0 in the first. The Reds rallied for a pair in the top of the eighth on RBIs by Glenn Braggs and Hal Morris. Rijo had retired 20 A’s in a row into the ninth, but was relieved by Myers who closed out the 2-1 win and an unlikely sweep by the Reds.
Jack Morris, 1991 Twins
The 36-year-old right-hander, named the pitcher of the decade of the 1980s, went 2-0, 1.17 ERA in three starts versus the Braves, pitching 23 innings, allowing three runs on 18 hits, with nine walks and 15 strikeouts.
The Twins finished last in their division the year before, then signed Morris and rebounded to win the West. The Twins won Game 1 at the Metrodome, behind seven strong innings from their ace. He started with no decision in Game 4 in Atlanta, in a 3-2 loss that tied the series.
A dramatic Game 6, back at the Dome, is remembered for Kirby Puckett’s heroics to force another day. That Game 7 will be remembered for the gutsy 10-inning shutout by Morris to clinch the Twins’ second title in five years.
Morris outduelled John Smoltz, who grew up worshipping his mound opponent. Morris pitched out of a jam in the eighth with runners on second and third and nobody out. The game and the series ended in the 10th on a walkoff single by Gene Larkin.
Randy Johnson, 2001 D’backs
The 36-year-old left-hander had signed just to play close to home, but two years later unexpectedly led the fourth-year expansion franchise to its first World Series. He went 3-0, 1.04 ERA in three games, two starts, against the Yankees, pitching 17 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on nine hits, with three walks and 19 strikeouts.
After Curt Schilling defeated the Yankees in Game 1, the Big Unit rode a three-run homer by Matt Williams to a 4-0 victory over Andy Pettitte. Headed back to New York, where the emotions of Sept. 11 were still raw and fresh, New York took all three games, with some intense drama played out by the likes of Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Derek Jeter and Scott Brosius.
Facing elimination back in the desert, Johnson started and the D’backs romped to a 15-2 victory, with the Unit removed after seven innings. Schilling started Game 7 and was tied through seven. Miguel Batista came on and gave up a run in the eighth. Johnson relieved him and finished the next four outs. Then came the Luis Gonzalez heroics against Mariano Rivera and Johnson had his third win.
Jon Lester, 2013 Red Sox
The 29-year-old left-hander went 2-0, 0.59 ERA in two starts against the Cardinals, pitching 15 1/3 innings, allowing one run on nine hits, with a walk and 15 strikeouts.
In Game 1 at Fenway Park, Lester outduelled Adam Wainwright on the way to an 8-1 win, pitching 7 2/3 scoreless innings. He also started against Wainwright at Busch Stadium in Game 5, with the series tied at 2-2 apiece. The Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first, but Matt Holliday tied it with a homer in the fourth. That was the only run he would surrender through 7 2/3 innings, eventually winning 3-1. The Sox clinched in Game 6 and celebrated a World Series clincher at home at Fenway for the first time since 1918.
[h=1]Giants’ Bumgarner finds himself in lofty company: Griffin[/h][h=2]Before conceding him the title of greatest World Series starter ever, it’s worth examining six other pitchers over the past 30 seasons that have excelled on the same stage.[/h]
Giants starter Madison Bumgarner has been lights out against the Royals in this World Series.
By:Richard GriffinBaseball Columnist, Published on Tue Oct 28 2014
<iframe id="policard" height="0" src="" frameBorder="0"></iframe>
KANSAS CITY—No doubt San Francisco Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner has been as close to a guaranteed win in this World Series as there is.
In two starts against the artist formerly known as Big Game James Shields, the 25-year-old Giant is 2-0, 0.56 ERA, allowing one run on seven hits in 16 innings, with a walk and 13 strikeouts.
He has heard the chants of MVP, calling them “fun.”
However, before conceding the title of the greatest World Series starter ever, it’s worth examining six other pitchers over the past 30 seasons that have excelled on the same stage. The list is confined to starters who have recorded at least two wins in a series and with ERAs under 2.00:
Bret Saberhagen, 1985 Royals
The 21-year-old right-hander, then in his second MLB season, went 2-0, 0.50 ERA in two starts against the Cardinals, pitching 18 innings, allowing one run on 11 hits, with one walk and 10 strikeouts.
Trailing 2-0 in the series, Saberhagen faced Joaquin Andujar in Game 3 and won 6-1, carried to victory by second baseman Frank White’s RBI double and two-run homer. Saberhagen’s wife gave birth to their first child on the day of Game 6 and the new father was handed the ball for Game 7. He responded with a brilliant five-hit shutout to complete the comeback after trailing 3-1 in games.
Orel Hershiser, 1988 Dodgers
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The 29-year-old right-hander who had ended the season with a record shutout streak of 59 straight innings, went 2-0, 1.00 ERA in two starts vs. the A’s, pitching 18 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, with six walks and 17 strikeouts.
This series is most remembered for the Game 1 ninth-inning heroics of an almost crippled Kirk Gibson, whose two-run limp-off homer against Dennis Eckersley still resonates.
But Hershiser pitched Game 2. The hymn-singing ace, who had won 23 in the regular season, tossed a six-hit shutout in a 6-0 win and went 3-for-3 at the plate. In Game 5, with the Dodgers leading the series 3-1, he won 5-2, propelled by two-run homers off the bats of Mickey Hatcher and DH Mike Davis. It was the Dodgers’ sixth World Series title.
Jose Rijo, 1990 Reds
The 25-year-old right-hander, who had posted a modest 14-win regular season, went 2-0, 0.59 ERA in two starts vs. the A’s, pitching 15 1/3 innings, allowing one run on nine hits, with five walks and 14 strikeouts.
The A’s were heavily favoured once again. The Reds had nobody with more than 25 homers of 86 RBIs while the A’s had the Bash Brothers and Rickey Henderson. Rijo faced Dave Stewart in the opener and beat the A’s 7-0 at Riverfront Stadium, with relief help from Rob Dibble and Randy Myers.
In Game 4, Rijo faced Stewart again and fell behind 1-0 in the first. The Reds rallied for a pair in the top of the eighth on RBIs by Glenn Braggs and Hal Morris. Rijo had retired 20 A’s in a row into the ninth, but was relieved by Myers who closed out the 2-1 win and an unlikely sweep by the Reds.
Jack Morris, 1991 Twins
The 36-year-old right-hander, named the pitcher of the decade of the 1980s, went 2-0, 1.17 ERA in three starts versus the Braves, pitching 23 innings, allowing three runs on 18 hits, with nine walks and 15 strikeouts.
The Twins finished last in their division the year before, then signed Morris and rebounded to win the West. The Twins won Game 1 at the Metrodome, behind seven strong innings from their ace. He started with no decision in Game 4 in Atlanta, in a 3-2 loss that tied the series.
A dramatic Game 6, back at the Dome, is remembered for Kirby Puckett’s heroics to force another day. That Game 7 will be remembered for the gutsy 10-inning shutout by Morris to clinch the Twins’ second title in five years.
Morris outduelled John Smoltz, who grew up worshipping his mound opponent. Morris pitched out of a jam in the eighth with runners on second and third and nobody out. The game and the series ended in the 10th on a walkoff single by Gene Larkin.
Randy Johnson, 2001 D’backs
The 36-year-old left-hander had signed just to play close to home, but two years later unexpectedly led the fourth-year expansion franchise to its first World Series. He went 3-0, 1.04 ERA in three games, two starts, against the Yankees, pitching 17 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on nine hits, with three walks and 19 strikeouts.
After Curt Schilling defeated the Yankees in Game 1, the Big Unit rode a three-run homer by Matt Williams to a 4-0 victory over Andy Pettitte. Headed back to New York, where the emotions of Sept. 11 were still raw and fresh, New York took all three games, with some intense drama played out by the likes of Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Derek Jeter and Scott Brosius.
Facing elimination back in the desert, Johnson started and the D’backs romped to a 15-2 victory, with the Unit removed after seven innings. Schilling started Game 7 and was tied through seven. Miguel Batista came on and gave up a run in the eighth. Johnson relieved him and finished the next four outs. Then came the Luis Gonzalez heroics against Mariano Rivera and Johnson had his third win.
Jon Lester, 2013 Red Sox
The 29-year-old left-hander went 2-0, 0.59 ERA in two starts against the Cardinals, pitching 15 1/3 innings, allowing one run on nine hits, with a walk and 15 strikeouts.
In Game 1 at Fenway Park, Lester outduelled Adam Wainwright on the way to an 8-1 win, pitching 7 2/3 scoreless innings. He also started against Wainwright at Busch Stadium in Game 5, with the series tied at 2-2 apiece. The Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first, but Matt Holliday tied it with a homer in the fourth. That was the only run he would surrender through 7 2/3 innings, eventually winning 3-1. The Sox clinched in Game 6 and celebrated a World Series clincher at home at Fenway for the first time since 1918.
I think they need to save him for game 8
