The 2023 Fall Classic just came to an end. The Rangers won the first World Series title in franchise history. It’s an interesting World Series, in particular, for the Rangers fans. A few days ago, a friend indicated that the key to winning the World Series is pitching. Well, that makes me think about a question.
This postseason, which pitchers had been very reliable on the mound? To understand a little bit more, I went to check on the MLB website.
In the postseason, we have seen that several times, some managers decided to make a pitching change because they didn’t want to let a starter face the same batter for 3 times. However, this postseason, there are some pitchers who have shown that they don’t have the “third-time-through-the-order” problem.
Firstly, Nathan Eovaldi made 6 starts in the 2023 postseason. In the first 4 starts, he each went at least 6 innings and all those 4 starts were quality starts. However, he only tossed 4.2 innings in Game 1 of the 2023 World Series. But, in Game 5 of the World Series, Eovaldi went 6 innings and didn’t allow a run. This postseason, he did a fantastic job, posting a 2.95 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP through 36.2 innings. During the regular season, Eovaldi made 25 starts, posting a 3.63 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He had 11 quality starts in the regular season.
In addition, the Phillies fans must be very delighted to see Zack Wheeler’s performance this postseason. In the 2023 postseason, Wheeler made 4 starts, which were all quality starts, and 1 relief appearance, which he didn’t allow a run. His performance this postseason was fantastic. Wheeler owned a 1.95 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP over 27.2 innings. During the regular season, Wheeler posted a 3.61 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP across 192 innings.
Meanwhile, Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen each had 2 quality starts this postseason. Merrill Kelly was outstanding in NLDS Game 1, tossing 6.1 innings without allowing a run. In Game 2 of the 2023 World Series, he punched out 9 batters and didn’t allow a walk over 7 innings. Kelly had a 2.25 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP this postseason. Gallen had ups and downs this postseason, but he did pitch well in Game 5 of the World Series, allowing 1 run over 6.1 innings.
At the same time, Jordan Montgomery made 2 scoreless starts this postseason. In Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, he didn’t allow any runs against the Rays and in Game 1 of the ALCS, he didn’t let the Astros score a run over 6.1 innings.
Finally, Aaron Nola made 4 starts this postseason and 2 of those starts were quality starts. In the meantime, Justin Verlander, a 3-time Cy Young award winner, made 3 starts in the 2023 postseason and 2 of them were quality starts. These 2 pitchers each owned an ERA below 3.00 this postseason.
In the playoffs, making a right pitching change is a tough decision for MLB managers. However, some pitchers already showed that letting them pitch third time through the order isn’t a bad decision. In particular, Zach Wheeler’s performance was outstanding in the 2023 playoffs. He didn’t allow more than 2 earned runs in each start this postseason. Moreover, Nathan Eovaldi’s performance in the playoffs showed that the Rangers front office made a good decision to sign him.
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