12/04/2024

Classic in the Fall Classic


Just a couple of days ago, I browsed X(Twitter). A tweet truly drew my attention and it was about a pitcher’s performance in the postseason. That pitcher surely dominated on the mound this postseason, in particular, he did a great job in the World Series.

 

After reading the tweet, I was thinking about a question. Over the last 15 years, which pitchers did pitch excellently in the Fall Classic? To solve my doubt, I decided to check on the great Fangraphs website.

 

Earned Run Average
(World Series, 2010~2024, min IP: 10)

Player

ERA

Madison Bumgarner

0.25

Walker Buehler

0.47

Jose Urquidy

1.23

Kelvin Herrera

1.54

Zack Greinke

1.80

Rich Hill

1.80

Jaime Garcia

1.80

Matt Cain

1.84

Alex Wood

1.93

David Price

1.98

Joe Kelly

2.03

 

Firstly, Madison Bumgarner only gave up 1 run in 36 innings in the World Series. He made 4 starts and 1 relief appearance in the Fall Classics. All those 4 starts became quality starts. Opponents only hit .121 against Bumgarner in the World Series and that truly tells us how great he was in the Fall Classic.

 

In addition, Walker Buehler didn’t allow any runs in the 2024 World Series. So far in his career, Buehler made 3 starts and 1 relief appearance in the Fall Classic. He only gave up 1 run in 19 innings. Opponents only batted .117 against Buehler and he has a 0.53 WHIP. He certainly likes to pitch in the World Series.

 

Moreover, Jose Urquidy made 2 starts and 3 relief appearances in the World Series. He threw 14.2 innings with a 1.23 ERA. Opponents hit .200 against him in the World Series. Furthermore, Kelvin Herrera was a key pitcher to help the Royals win the 2015 World Series. He made 3 relief appearances for the Royals in the 2015 World Series without allowing a run. Herrera pitched for the Royals in the 2014 World Series as well. He gave up 2 runs over 6.2 innings.

 

Finally, Rich Hill and Zack Greinke each owned a 1.80 ERA over 15 innings in the Fall Classic. Zack Greinke made 3 starts in the World Series for the Astros, giving up 3 runs. Opponents hit .245 against him in the Fall Classic. Rich Hill made 3 starts in the World Series as well. He did pitch well in the World Series and opponents only batted .154 against him. Additionally, Jamie Garcia made 2 starts for the Cardinals in the 2011 World Series, giving up 2 runs over 10 innings. Furthermore, Matt Cain and Alex Wood each had an ERA below 2 in the Fall Classic. David Price pitched well in the 2018 World Series, giving up 3 runs over 13.2 innings.

 

Looking back at the World Series over these 15 years, Madison Bumgarner’s performance was so impressive. He allowed just one run in 36 innings. His great performance was a key reason why the Giants won 3 times in the Fall Classic. Nonetheless, we can’t ignore Walker Buehler’s performance. He gave up only 1 run in 19 innings and his dominant performance was classic. Also, it’s worth mentioning Jose Urquidy’s performance. He only gave up a walk in 14.2 innings. Additionally, Rich Hill and Zack Greinke each pitched their first World Series game after playing 10+ seasons in the majors. At age over 35, they showed that they can still pitch effectively in the Fall Classic. That really showed us how unique they are.

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