Game 6: That's a Wrap
Before getting into the hit-by-pitch, the decision, the bomb and Dusty’s destiny, I want to show you something that might be a bit tedious. But there’s a point to be made. Here are all the pitchers who have won World Series MVP awards, with their basic numbers (you are more than welcome to skip ahead to the rest of this essay, or you can take a little walk down memory lane):
2019, Stephen Strasburg: 2-0, 2.51 ERA, 14 1/3 innings, 14 Ks, 3 walks
2014, Madison Bumgarner: 2-0, 0.43 ERA, 21 innings, 17 Ks, 1 walk
2008, Cole Hamels: 1-0, 2.77 ERA, 13 innings, 8 Ks, 3 walks
2003, Josh Beckett: 1-1, 1.10 ERA, 16 1/3 innings, 19 Ks, 5 walks
2001, Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson: 4-0, 1.40 ERA, 38 2/3 innings, 45 Ks, 5 walks*
*Whew!
1999, Mariano Rivera: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 2/3 innings, 3 Ks, 1 walk, 2 saves*
*Really?
1997, Lívan Hernández: 2-0, 5.27 ERA, 13 2/3 innings, 7 Ks, 10 walks*
*Double really?
1996, John Wetteland: 0-0, 2.08 ERA, 4 1/3 innings, 6 Ks, 1 walk, 4 saves
1995, Tom Glavine: 2-0, 1.29 ERA, 14 innings, 11 Ks, 6 walks
1991, Jack Morris: 2-0, 1.17 ERA, 23 innings, 15 Ks, 9 walks
1990, Jose Rijo: 2-0, 0.59 ERA, 15 1/3 innings, 14 Ks, 5 walks
1989, Dave Stewart: 2-0, 1.69 ERA, 16 innings, 15 Ks, 2 walks
1988, Orel Hershiser: 2-0, 1.00 ERA, 18 innings, 17 Ks, 6 walks
1987, Frank Viola: 2-1, 3.72 ERA, 19 1/3 innings, 16 Ks, 3 walks
1985, Bret Saberhagen: 2-0, 0.50 ERA, 18 innings, 10 Ks, 1 walk
1974, Rollie Fingers: 1-0, 1.93 ERA, 9 1/3 innings, 6 Ks, 2 walks
1968, Mickey Lolich: 3-0, 1.67 ERA, 27 innings, 21 Ks, 6 walks
1967, Bob Gibson: 3-0, 1.00 ERA, 27 innings, 26 Ks, 5 walks
1965, Sandy Koufax: 2-1, 0.38 ERA, 24 innings, 29 Ks, 5 walks
1964, Bob Gibson: 2-1, 3.00 ERA, 27 innings, 31 Ks, 8 walks
1963, Sandy Koufax: 2-0. 1.50 ERA, 18 innings, 23 Ks, 3 walks
1962, Ralph Terry: 2-1, 1.80 ERA, 25 innings, 16 Ks, 2 walks
1961, Whitey Ford: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 14 innings, 7 Ks, 1 walk
1959, Larry Sherry: 2-0, 0.71 ERA, 12 2/3 innings, 5 Ks, 2 walks
1958, Bob Turley: 2-1, 2.76 ERA, 16 1/3 innings, 13 Ks, 7 walks
1957, Lew Burdette: 3-0, 0.67 ERA, 27 innings, 13 Ks, 4 walks
1956, Don Larsen: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 10 2/3 innings, 7 Ks, 4 walks*
*It’s not well-remembered but Larsen actually made TWO starts in the 1956 World Series. He obviously threw his perfect game. But three days earlier, he started and didn’t get out of the second inning. He officially pitched 1 2/3 innings, gave up a hit, walked four and gave up four runs, though none of them were earned.
1955, Johnny Podres: 2-0, 1.00 ERA, 18 innings, 10 Ks, 4 walks
OK, so that’s it — the 27 pitchers who have won World Series MVP awards. Those are the most epic pitching performances since they started giving out the award in 1955, and you will undoubtedly see some of your favorites — Koufax in the Yom Kippur season, Gibson in ’67, Saberhagen for those unlikely ’85 Royals, Morris for pitching that incredible Game 7 against the Braves, that unbeatable Schilling-Johnson combination, Maddy Bumgarner in 2014, all the best.
Now, let me show you one more stat line.
0-0, 0.84 ERA, 21 1/3 innings, 28 Ks, 8 walks, 2 saves.
That was the Houston relief pitchers in this World Series.
If you want to include the whole playoffs, well, our friend Sarah Langs has you covered: The bullpen threw 54 1/3 innings and here’s how they did, compared to all the other bullpens in all the other postseasons.
0.83 ERA (lowest ever)
.126 opponents batting average (lowest ever)
.214 opponents on-base percentage (lowest ever)
.208 opponents slugging percentage (lowest ever)
0.75 WHIP (lowest ever).
So, yeah, that happened.
But, I don’t want to focus on the whole postseason. And I actually don’t want to focus on the whole bullpen, either. Luis Garcia, who gave up the game-winning run in Game 1, is generally a starter. So is Jose Urquidy, who was terrific coming out of the pen. I also want to move reliever Ryne Stanek to blind CC because for some reason Dusty Baker lost faith in him and barely pitched him (even though Stanek had the best ERA among relievers in the American League).
No, I want to focus on the World Series and Houston’s four core relievers: Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, Héctor Neris and Ryan Pressly.