The Captain's Blog

Print the Legend: Have Rangers’ Starters Been Throwing More Pitches?

October 14, 2010 by William Juliano

Ever since the Texas Rangers hired Nolan Ryan to serve as team President back in February 2008, the former Hall of Famer has made numerous headlines speaking out against pitch counts (here, here and here, for example). Ryan’s disdain for such limitations is only natural. After all, the ageless right handed fire baller threw over 5,300 innings in 27 seasons, and is believed to have regularly thrown over 150 pitches in a game.

I don’t blame the pitchers for not pitching longer, I blame baseball and management for that because we produced that. I mean that’s the course we set and so that’s what we have to deal with. And so we’re going to change that course, and we have to start it and it won’t be a process that comes overnight.” –Rangers’ part owner and Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, ESPN.com, October 4, 2010

Although Ryan has stated that stemming the pitch count tide would be a gradual process focused primarily on strength and conditioning, that hasn’t stopped many from trumpeting the success of the 2010 Texas Rangers as evidence of the early fruits of a revolutionary approach. On the surface, it does seem as if Ryan’s approach has had a dramatic effect. In 2008, when Ryan was hired, the Rangers ranked dead last in the American League with a 5.37 ERA, but over the last two seasons, the team has ranked fourth. The improvement has been substantial, but is pitching longer into games the main reason?

Rangers’ Starters, 2008 to 2010

Year	IP	IP/G	ERA	Starters	xFIP
2010	951 2/3	5.87	4.23	10	4.38
2009	949 2/3	5.86	4.61	10	4.69
2008	869 1/3	5.37	5.51	15	5.02

Source: Fangraphs.com

Over the last two seasons, Rangers’ starters have on average increased their innings per game by about two outs, while reducing runs allowed by approximately one and a quarter. A closer look, however, reveals that the Rangers have had much more stability in 2009 and 2010, allowing Ron Washington to use five fewer starters than in 2008. In other words, the quality of pitchers used is likely more responsible for the increase in workload than the simple act of pushing each starter a little longer. Furthermore, a good deal of the Rangers’ improvement in run prevention can be attributed to an increase in defensive efficiency, as illustrated by the rotation’s fielding independent statistics (which, although murky, point to a large improvement that can not be ignored).

He doesn’t want us to go out there and be satisfied with 95, 100 pitches, 105 pitches and feel like we’ve done our job. He wants us to go out there and feel like I can throw another 20 pitches and I can throw 130 pitches. That’s his type of background, his motivation for pitchers.” – Rangers’ starter Colby Lewis, ESPN.com, October 4, 2010

Even though Rangers’ starters have increased the number of innings thrown per game, the real focus has been on pitch counts. Once again, since 2008, Rangers’ starters have been successful in throwing more pitches per game. But, what about the 130 pitches per game mentioned by Lewis? As it turns out, the Rangers not only didn’t have a starter throw over 130 pitches this season, but they haven’t had one top that count since 2004. What’s more, the team only had five pitchers throw 120 or more pitches in each of the last two seasons. Where the team has seen a big increase is in games surpassing the 110 pitch threshold. In 2008, the Rangers had only 13 such games, but in 2009 and 2010 increased that total to 30 and 38, respectively. Once again, much of that increase likely stems from an overall improvement in the quality of pitchers, but considering the dramatic rise, at least some credit might be due Ryan’s new approach.

Rangers’ Pitch Counts (110 or greater), 1988 to 2010

Source: Baseball-reference.com

Although the Rangers have seen their starters throw more pitches this year than in the past, the league as a whole has also experienced the same increase. As a result, the Rangers only ranked tenth and ninth in 110-plus pitch games over the last two seasons, which seems to indicate that the teams’ increase is more of a normalization from extreme lows than the implementation of a new strategy. The two trends also seem to suggest that pitch counts may be more a product of the offensive environment than the toughness of pitchers, but that’s a study for another day (even though it does seem to be an obvious conclusion).

MLB Pitch Counts (110 or greater) vs. NL/AL Runs Per Game, 1988 to 2010

Source: Baseball-reference.com

For whatever reason, pitch counts decreased significantly after the 2000 season and then steadily declined before reversing course over the past two seasons. What happened to cause this sudden drop is hard to determine, but in 1998, Rany Jazayerli unveiled his Pitcher Abuse Points metric, so perhaps there was a trickle down as front offices started to pay closer attention to the details. High profile injuries like the one suffered by Kerry Wood probably also greased the skids (in his introduction to PAP, Jazayerli wrote about Wood, “At 21, he’s the youngest name on this list, and he’s in the middle of the pack as far as abuse goes. He hasn’t thrown more than 128 pitches in a game this year, but he has a number of outings in the 120+ range. I don’t think he’s in grave danger of injury – he’s a big guy with good mechanics, relies on his fastball, and doesn’t throw a splitter. But I do think that Jim Riggleman should take a little more care of the most prized arm of the decade.”).

Regardless of the reason why pitch counts declined at the beginning of the last decade, it seems as if the trend has now reversed, and the Rangers have definitely taken part. It’s hard to say whether Rangers’ starters have been throwing more pitches because of relative quality, a general decline in league wide offense, Ryan’s new philosophy, or some combination of the three, but you can bet as long as the team stays alive in the playoffs the legend of Ryan “toughening up” his pitchers will likely grow. Although it may not be true, is that really so bad? Ryan has long had the image of an old Texas gunslinger, so when the legend becomes fact, the media might as well print the legend

Posted in Baseball, Baseball History, Media, MLB, Statistical Analysis | 3 Comments »

This Date in History: The Killer Tarp and the Cardinals’ Strange 1985 Post Season

October 13, 2010 by William Juliano

The St. Louis Cardinals spent most of 1985 outrunning just about everyone and everything on a baseball field. In total, the Redbirds swiped 314 bags (this year, the Rays led the majors with 172 steals), but the centerpiece of the team’s running attack was a rookie outfielder named Vince Coleman, who stole a remarkable 110 bases in 135 attempts, a mark that remains the third highest total in major league history.

Vince Coleman lays in pain after being run over by an automated tarp before game 4 of the 1985 NLCS.

Over the first two games of the 1985 NLCS, however, the Los Angeles Dodgers managed to shut down the Cardinals’ speed-based offense, as Mike Scioscia gunned down three of four attempted base stealers, including Coleman. In game three, the Cardinals finally found their legs, using three stolen bases to score four runs and get on the board in the series. Despite the previous night’s victory, however, the Cardinals hopes for the pennant took a major hit before game four, thanks to one of the most bizarre injuries to ever occur on a baseball field.

October 13, 1985 was an overcast day in St. Louis. While the Cardinals were warming up before the game, it started to rain lightly, but nothing serious enough to put the evening’s game in jeopardy. One by one, the St. Louis players made their way back to the clubhouse, and included among them was Coleman. Before exiting the field, however, Coleman turned around to toss his glove to coach Dave Ricketts just as a button was pushed to activate the Busch Stadium automated tarpaulin. At over one-half ton and 180 feet in length, the “killer tarp”, as it would become known, arose from beneath the ground on the first base side of home plate and headed toward Coleman. Before the fleet footed centerfielder realized the impending danger, it was too late. Something had finally caught up to Vince Coleman.

“It kept going. When it hit his ankle, he went down. It went up over his knee. He screamed. He was in extreme pain. It must have been three seconds when a bunch of Cardinals players got there and lifted it off him.” – Los Angeles Dodgers bat boy Howard Hughett quoted by the Associated Press, October 14, 1985

An AP picture shows the level of pain in Coleman’s expression as he is tended to on the field (Photo: AP).

The overriding theme in all of the first hand accounts of the incident was the extent of the pain Coleman expressed in his screams. Cardinals’ third baseman Terry Pendleton stated, “I was just turning around [when] I heard this scream and the thing just swallowed him up,” while part timer Mike Jorgensen ironically figured that the grounds crew hadn’t realized what had happened because of all the screaming.

After the incident, initial examinations revealed no permanent damage, allowing Coleman to joke “I just don’t want to be charged with a caught stealing for this.” After a further examination, however, no one would be laughing. X-rays eventually revealed a small bone fracture in Coleman’s left knee, ending the speedster’s season.

Despite being widely viewed as a major setback, the Cardinals evened up the NLCS with a 12-2 blowout of the Dodgers, thanks in large part to Coleman’s replacement, Tito Landrum, who went 3-4 with three RBIs. St. Louis then went on to finish off the series with two last inning homers by Ozzie Smith and Jack Clark in games five and six. Ironically, just as the Cardinals lost their speed, they found their power, much to the dismay of Tom Niedenfuer, the Dodgers’ reliever who surrendered both game winning blasts.

The Cardinals eventually went on to lose the World Series to the Kansas City Royals in seven games, but not because they lost Vince Coleman. After compiling an .895 OPS in the NLCS, Landrum followed with a .920 OPS in the Fall Classic. Unfortunately for St. Louis, the combination of a bad umpire’s call in game six along with anemic offensive performance (only Landrum had an OPS above .737 in the series) conspired to end their season as runners up.

The 1985 post season was an odyssey for the St. Louis Cardinals. The team encountered improbable victory in game 5 of the NLCS, when Ozzie Smith belted a game winning homer (his first left handed round tripper in 3,009 at bats), but then suffered ignominious defeat when umpire Don Denkinger’s missed call in the ninth inning of game six opened the door for the Royals to win the series. Nothing, however, was more strange than what took place on October 13…the day the most instrumental part of the Cardinals’ running game was rundown himself by a Killer Tarp.

Posted in Baseball, Baseball History, MLB | Tagged Playoffs, World Series | 7 Comments »

Burnett Gives Yankees Best Chance to Beat Lee

October 13, 2010 by William Juliano

One of the ramifications of having to use Cliff Lee twice in the ALDS is the Rangers now can not pitch their ace against the Yankees until game three of the ALCS. As a result, the Rangers will need to rely on CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis to get the series off to a good start before unveiling Lee at Yankee Stadium.

Although being forced to hold Lee back until the series shifts to New York is a definite disadvantage, it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise if the Rangers can take one of the first two games of the series. Unfortunately for the Rangers, both pitching matchups will favor the Yankees, so getting a game at home could prove to be a difficult task. Should they be able to accomplish it, however, the formula for victory becomes clear: win one of the first two games, both of Lee’s starts and then beat AJ Burnett.

It is very likely that the Yankees will go with C.C. Sabathia in games one, four and seven (the last two on three day’s rest) and hand the ball to Andy Pettitte in games two and six, leaving one game a piece for Phil Hughes and AJ Burnett. It would be easy for the Yankees to simply “go in order” and have Hughes pitch game 3 and Burnett pitch game 5, but that could actually be playing right into the Rangers’ hands.

The idea of conceding game three to Cliff Lee by going with AJ Burnett has been kicked around, but that logic fails because you simply can not give away games in a short series. However, that doesn’t mean Burnett isn’t the one who gives the Yankees the best chance to win that game. As the old adage goes, the best way to beat an ace pitcher is to oppose him with one of your own. Obviously, no is going to mistake AJ Burnett for an ace, but at the same, just about everyone would acknowledge that he can pitch like one at any time.

Inconsistency has always been a Burnett hallmark, but in 2010 he trended even more greatly toward the lesser extreme. Of his 33 total starts, Burnett posted a game score below 35 in exactly one-third. On the flip side, he had 10 starts with a game score above 60, including five above 70. So, going on the assumption that Burnett is either going to pitch very well or very poorly, what should the Yankees do?

Cliff Lee’s average game score in 2010 was 60, but his median tally was 70, so the question becomes who is most capable of matching him: Burnett or Hughes? Although Hughes has been much more consistent and far less prone to having blow-up games, he has only topped a game score of 70 on three occasions. On that basis, Burnett seems to be the best option in game three. However, there is more to consider.

Even if you accept that Burnett is more likely than Hughes to pitch a great game, that doesn’t mitigate the risk of a stinker. However, the same would also be true if he was to start game five. Now, the question becomes, in what game would an AJ Burnett implosion be most damaging? The most obvious answer seems to be game five.

If the Yankees go with Hughes in game three and lose a low scoring game to Lee, the series could then hinge on the efforts of Burnett in game five. With C.J. Wilson pitching that game, the Yankees’ offense would presumably have a much greater say in the outcome, but if Burnett were to have one of his awful outings, it would be rendered moot. On the other hand, if Burnett was tapped for game three, not only would the Yankees have a better chance of matching Lee, but they would have much less risk heading into what could be a pivotal fifth game.

Another thing to consider is that if Hughes is scheduled for game five, he could be available for an inning in one of the first two games, which would follow a formula that has seemed to work well for him. Otherwise, his game three start would come on nine full days of rest, and Hughes has seemed to lose command under such circumstances.

Obviously, if the Yankees are not planning to go with Sabathia in three games, the equation changes. In that scenario, it would be more beneficial to have Hughes go earlier in the series so he could be ready to pitch a second game if needed. That doesn’t seem to be in the plans, however. Judging by Joe Girardi’s use of Sabathia in last year’s ALCS and World Series, it seems almost a given that the big lefty will work on three days rest. As a result, the best way to win the series and beat Cliff Lee could center on AJ Burnett, which probably isn’t how Brian Cashman figured it when he tried to acquire the Rangers’ ace back in July. Or, then again, maybe that’s exactly why he was so intent on getting him.

2010 Game Scores of Potential Game 3 and 5 Starters

Source: Baseball-reference.com

Posted in Baseball, MLB, Roster Analysis, Yankees | Tagged Playoffs | 1 Comment »

Rangers Look to Get Off the October Schneid

October 12, 2010 by William Juliano

In game five of tonight’s ALDS, the Rangers are not only seeking to avoid becoming the second team (2001 Oakland Athletics being the other) to lose a best of five post season series after winning the first two games on the road, but also win the organization’s first playoff series since its inception as the Washington Senators in 1961. If successful, the Rangers would also relinquish the dubious distinction of being the only major league franchise to not win an October series. The Rangers were left with that ignominious distinction when the Rays, the team they must beat tonight, bested the Chicago White Sox in the 2008 ALDS. Listed below is a list of each current major league franchise along with their first post season victory as well as the length of time they had to endure before breaking through with October success.

Waiting on History: Each MLB Franchise’s First Taste of Post Season Victory

AL Teams	First Series Victory	Length of Drought*	Year of Inception
Orioles	1966 World Series	63	1901
Rangers	NA	49	1961
Angels	2002 ALDS	41	1961
Tigers	1935 World Series	32	1901
Twins¹	1924 World Series	21	1901
Yankees	1923 World Series	20	1901
Mariners	1995 ALDS	18	1977
Indians	1920 World Series	17	1901
Blue Jays	1992 ALCS	15	1977
Royals	1980 ALCS	11	1969
Rays	2008 ALDS	10	1998
Athletics	1910 World Series	7	1901
White Sox	1906 World Series	3	1901
Red Sox	1903 World Series	0	1901
NL Teams	First Series Victory	Length of Drought*	Year of Inception
Phillies	1980 NLCS	77	1883
Dodgers	1955 World Series	52	1884
Astros	2004 NLDS	42	1962
Cardinals	1926 World Series	23	1882
Reds	1919 World Series	16	1882
Padres	1984 NLCS	15	1969
Rockies	2007 NLDS	14	1993
Braves	1914 World Series	11	1876
Brewers	1982 ALCS	13	1969
Nationals²	1981 NLDS	12	1969
Pirates	1909 World Series	6	1882
Mets	1969 NLCS	7	1962
Cubs	1907 World Series	4	1876
Marlins	1997 NLDS	4	1993
Giants	1905 World Series	2	1883
Diamondbacks	2001 NLDS	3	1998

*Since 1903, when the World Series was first played.
¹As Washington Senators
²As Montreal Expos
Source: Baseball-reference.com

Posted in Baseball, Baseball History, MLB | Tagged Playoffs | Leave a Comment »

Overrated: Comparing NFL, MLB Viewership Not the Only Way to Keep Score

October 11, 2010 by William Juliano

Even though the business of sports has evolved well beyond the realm of network television ratings, the national sports media still seems fixated on comparing the number of eyeballs watching playoff baseball to those tuning into the NFL’s regular season.

Every October, the narrative of each story basically remains the same. A primetime NFL game winds up significantly out-rating a baseball post season matchup, leading to the conclusion that the NFL has not only surpassed baseball as the national pastime, but rendered it a second class citizen of the nation’s sports fandom. This year, the perfect fodder for the meme was the juxtaposition of the Phillies’ NLDS game three against the Reds and the Eagles week five matchup versus the 49’ers, which were broadcast on NBS and TBS, respectively.

Keeping with the script, USA Today’s headline blared that the Eagles “crushed” the Phillies as a television draw, citing NBC’s 11.7 overnight rating, which was 200% better than TBS’ 3.9 tally. Aside from ignoring the fact that NBC still reaches more households than TBS (about 10% by many estimates), the article also failed to mention that the Phillies attracted more viewers (27.7 rating) than the Eagles (24.1 rating) in the Philadelphia market, according to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal.

Numbers aside, what constantly gets lost in these comparisons is that baseball is much more of a regional game. While baseball’s ratings are mostly driven by the local markets of teams playing in a particular series, the NFL caters to a much broader audience. Although the NFL doesn’t like to admit it, a significant amount of its appeal is as either a vehicle for gambling or background noise for social drinking. Baseball, on the other hands, seems to appeal more narrowly to those with a greater personal investment in the sport itself. Does that make football more popular as a network television property? Absolutely. It does not, however, make football the nation’s number one sport.

Over the past decade, baseball has enjoyed increasing revenue at a rate even greater than the NFL’s, thanks in large part to its wildly successful MLBAM internet arm as well as significant increases in revenue generated from local RSNs, particular those owned in part by the teams’ themselves. In other words, there are more ways to keep score than the television ratings of a single game (a criteria that necessarily favors the NFL because of its much shorter 16 game schedule), and baseball is doing very well on many of them.

Regardless of what gets reported, MLB would be wise to remember that ratings are not the end-all and be-all when it comes to measuring quality. Just ask the over five million viewers who tune in each week to watch Jersey Shore (or then again, maybe don’t).

Posted in Baseball, Business and Finance, Media, MLB, NFL | 3 Comments »

Yankees Have All the Answers in ALDS Sweep of Twins

October 10, 2010 by William Juliano

With all due respect to the Twins, the Yankees real battle in the ALDS was with themselves. As noted in an earlier post, there were five key questions surrounding the Yankees, and most of them were answered in the affirmative. As a result, the Twins really had no chance because the Yankees were just a much better team now playing at the top of their game.

The Yankees were all smiles after sweeping the Twins in the ALDS for the second year in a row (Photo:AP).

Heading into the ALDS, the biggest concern for the Yankees was the team’s rotation depth (or lack thereof), but as things turned out, the “worst” outing was turned in by C.C. Sabathia, who surrendered three earned runs in “only” six innings. After Sabathia, the Yankees were supposed to be vulnerable, but the Twins quickly found out that wasn’t the case. First, Andy Pettitte allayed fears about his health by throwing seven innings of two run ball, and then Phil Hughes did even better, shutting out the Twins in his seven frames. As a result, the Yankees can now look forward to the ALCS with confidence in the rotation.

Headlined by Mariano Rivera, the Yankees bullpen was expected to be a relative strength, and thanks to solid efforts by Kerry Wood and David Robertson, it certainly proved to be so. The biggest question, however, was would Boone Logan be able to be the same shutdown lefty as Damaso Marte was in last year’s post season. Although he only saw one inning of work, Logan retired three of the four lefties he faced, including a pivotal bases loaded pop up from Jason Kubel in the eighth inning of game three. Equally important was Logan responded to his first taste of October by throwing strikes. In the ALCS, Logan will undoubtedly face an even greater challenge, but his first crack at the post season was a success.

At times during last year’s post season, Alex Rodriguez seemed to single handedly lift the Yankees offense, so a natural concern was would he be able to shoulder the burden again. Well, in the ALDS, he didn’t have to. Despite getting only three singles from the cleanup hitter, the Yankees did not struggle to score runs. Among those picking up the slack was Mark Teixeira, whose game winning two run homer in the opener was one of the biggest hits of the series. Like Arod, Teixeira is capable of carrying an offense for an extended period, so the Yankees had to be heartened by the sight of their slugging first baseman coming through in the clutch.

Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui were a major part of the Yankees’ championship in 2009, so this year there were some pretty big shoes to fill. Replacing those two in the lineup were Curtis Granderson and the DH platoon of Marcus Thames and Lance Berkman, so the performance of those three players faced the most scrutiny. How did they do? Thames’ OPS of 1.089 was the lowest of the group, which pretty much says it all. In total, the trio went 9 for 22 with five runs, two homers and seven RBIs.

By sweeping the Twins, the ALDS provided some vindication for the Yankees’ brain trust of GM Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi. After taking some hits for his off season acquisition, all of Cashman’s additions contributed in a big way to the first round sweep. Meanwhile, Girardi was afforded an opportunity to say “I told you so”, as the crispness of the Yankees play and lack of a home field advantage seemed to justify his end of season approach.

The last out of the series was a microcosm of the matchup between the two teams. When Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer of all time, retired Danny Valencia, a 25 year old rookie third baseman, to close out the sweep, the disparity between the two teams was on display. Although much has been written about the Yankees being in Twins’ heads, the fact of the matter is they are simply a much better team. With all of the Yankees’ questions answered in a positive manner, the Twins really had no chance.

Yankees Top-10 Pitching Performances in the ALDS, by Game Score

Player	Date	G	Opp	Rslt	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	GS
David Wells	9/29/1998	1	TEX	W 2-0	8	5	0	1	9	80
O. Hernandez	10/5/1999	1	TEX	W 8-0	8	2	0	6	4	76
Andy Pettitte	9/30/1998	2	TEX	W 3-1	7	3	1	0	8	75
Phil Hughes	10/9/2010	3	MIN	W 6-1	7	4	0	1	6	74
David Wells	10/4/1997	3	CLE	W 6-1	9	5	1	0	1	74
Andy Pettitte	10/2/2003	2	MIN	W 4-1	7	4	1	3	10	72
Mike Mussina	10/13/2001	3	OAK	W 1-0	7	4	0	1	4	72
Dave Righetti	10/8/1981	2	MIL	W 3-0	6	4	0	2	10	72
Andy Pettitte	10/4/2000	2	OAK	W 4-0	7.2	5	0	1	3	71
Roger Clemens	10/9/1999	3	TEX	W 3-0	7	3	0	2	2	71

Source: Baseball-reference.com

Posted in Baseball, Game Recap, MLB, Yankees | Tagged Playoffs | 2 Comments »

Ankiel’s Wild Ride Comes Full Circle

October 9, 2010 by William Juliano

Before last night’s game winning homerun in the top of the 11th, Rick Ankiel’s playoff legacy was one of infamy. Ten years ago, Ankiel was one of the most promising pitching prospects in the game. In his 2000 rookie campaign, the young lefty went 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 175 innings, which was good enough for second place in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Unfortunately, however, what he did in the post season would completely overshadow his impressive first season and mark the beginning of the end of his pitching career.

After a disastrous post season in 2000, Rick Ankiel was forced to contemplate his future in the game (Photo: New York Times).

The 2000 Cardinals finished in first place in the NL Central, thanks in large part to the 20-win campaign of Darryl Kile. So, it wasn’t a surprise when the Tony LaRussa tapped the veteran ace to pitch the opener in game one of the ALDS against Greg Maddux and the Braves. In the press conference before the first game, Kile talked about his upcoming start, but in reality, LaRussa had another plan in mind. After the players had left the stadium upon the completion of their media responsibilities, LaRussa announced that Ankiel would be taking the ball in game one instead.

Although LaRussa’s tactics, which were presumably designed to shield the 21-year old Ankiel from media scrutiny, left a lot to be desired, the reasoning behind the decision was sound. LaRussa reasoned that the game two starter would be lined up for game five on three days rest, a task that Kile was better equipped to handle. What’s more, Ankiel had actually emerged as the Cardinals best pitcher, going 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA in five September starts. Still, many wondered how the rookie would handle the pressure of a game one post season start. The answer to that question would be as sad as it was shocking.

October 3, 2000 was an unseasonably warm St. Louis afternoon, but it took three innings before Ankiel started to wilt under the heat of the post season spotlight. Ironically, the early returns couldn’t have been more favorable to the Cardinals. Despite battling some wildness, Ankiel was able to work two scoreless frames, while the Cardinals’ offense was busy battering Greg Maddux for six first inning runs. That development was shocking enough, but the top of the third inning turned out to be more stunning.

Ankiel walked Maddux on four pitches to start the third inning, but retired the next batter on a foul pop. Then, all of a sudden, Ankiel not only lost the ability to throw strikes, but couldn’t even hit the catcher’s glove. Over the next six batters, Ankiel surrendered three more walks as well as two hits, but the most disturbing development was the major league record five wild pitches he had thrown in the inning.

The Cardinals rebounded to win both the game and sweep the series, but Ankiel never recovered. Although he laughed off his struggles, saying, “at least I set a record”, there would be no humor after his game 2 start against the Mets in the NLCS. In that outing, Ankiel lasted only 2/3 of an inning, walking three batters and throwing two more wild pitches in the process. Ankiel pitched once more in a game 5 blowout loss, but the results were no better. Two more walks and two more wild pitches in another 2/3 of an inning effectively marked the end of his pitching career.

What Rick’s going through these last two starts has been real tough to watch. We were really trying to pull him through it. . . . I thought the first one might’ve just slipped, but then after the second one I had to tell him to stop thinking the backstop is a Pitch-Back.” – Cardinals’ first baseman Will Clark, New York Daily News, October 13, 2000

Ten years after unraveling on the mound against the Braves, Rick Ankiel used his bat to give Atlanta a much needed playoff victory (Photo: Getty Images).

Sadly, Ankiel’s 2001 season picked up where he left off in the post season. In six games started at the beginning of that season, Ankiel walked 25 men and threw five more wild pitches in 24 innings before being demoted back to the Rookie league. Additional struggles and an elbow injury would further hamper Ankiel’s attempts to revive his shattered pitching career, which officially came to an end in March 2005, when the former CY Young prospect decided to pursue a career in the outfield.

Ankiel returned to the Cardinals as an outfielder in 2007, but never had a chance to redeem his post season failure…that is, until last night. Although Ankiel’s game winning blast can’t erase the infamy of his struggles 10 years ago, his post season legacy will now include a moment of triumph. After the game, Ankiel stated, “It’s been a long, fun journey and I appreciate everything that’s happened.” At 31, Ankiel’s journey is far from over, but with one trip around the bases, it does seem as if he has finally come full circle.

Rick Ankiel’s Post Season Pitching Statistics