And this is what drives me nuts about Verlander. It isn’t about him. It’s about me. Am I just not seeing it? Is everyone else right about Marilyn Munster? Am I going cynical and cold … turning into exactly the sort of sportswriter I never wanted to become? When a Brilliant Reader warned me to get ready for more Verlander Is Awesomeness Personified narrative, I posted Verlander’s postseason 5.31 ERA on Twitter (Lord knows, Fox didn’t mention it) and one of my favorites in the business, the New York Times Tyler Kepner, countered with this:
“True but you’ve gotta consider the circumstances. Thin bullpen today. LDS Game 3 and this game, allowed 2 runs late w/big lead.”
Um, OK, one at a time. Thin bullpen today? Is this what Justin Verlander has become? A bullpen saver? The guy might be the league MVP. Joe Buck continuously calls him “the best pitcher in the world,” as if that’s his official title. He was pitching on full rest, at home, in a must-win game. I would think the thin bullpen would be the last thing on anyone’s mind. He’s Justin Bleepin’ Verlander. The Tigers shouldn’t even NEED a bullpen.
As for the big lead thing, well, in Game 3 of the League Division Series, he gave up two runs in the seventh inning to TIE THE GAME. That’s not exactly a big lead. As for Thursday night, it’s true, the Tigers did have a five-run lead when he gave up those final two runs. But this gets to that pitching-to-the-score nonsense that people go to whenever they’ve run out of points they can prove. And those final two runs allowed were hardly irrelevant. That cut the margin to three, and the Rangers actually sent the winning run to the plate in the ninth inning. Giving up runs, any time, is not a good thing for a pitcher.
The maddening thing about seeing sports through the eyes of statistics is that it can be awfully hard to stop. And that's not a bad thing. Give me "actually good" over "gritty" any day.
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