Ace’s of the 2011 Major League Baseball season
In the age known as the Era of the Pitchers, it is blatantly obvious that there must be countless pitchers in the world of baseball who put up excellent numbers and don’t falter. To choose the best out of the best is never an uneasy task, but listed below
are some pitchers who are have achieved more than what was thought to be possible when on the mound and established new heights in the world of pitching. Their performance this season is worth applauding.
Roy Halladay, informally known as the Doc is the biggest part of Philadelphia Phillies Four Aces, which is widely recognised as one of best pitching rotations in all of Major League Baseball history. He boasts a 175-89 Win-Loss record and has a staggering
1800 strike-outs to his name since he began in 1998 with the Toronto Blue Jays. Doc has pitched 62 complete games and delivered an astounding 19 shut-outs throughout his career. Halladay’s pitching capabilities can be proved by the fact that he pitched a post-season
no hitter in 2010 and a perfect game in May of the same year. The seven All Star selections that he has bagged are all credited to his pitching capabilities which he has proved time and again. He has become a constant fixture at the top of the all of National
League pitching categories and is a leader in the WHIP and ERA categories.
Tim Lincecum of the reigning World Series Champions, the San Francisco Giants has already drawn comparisons to pitching greats like Halladay and Cliff Lee of the Phillies. It has barely been four years in the Major Leagues for him. Lincecum was one of the
reasons why the Giants could capture the World Series in 2010. He was more than reliable as a pitcher and tackled League leader like Lee in the Division Series and managed to win. In his still young career he has managed 16 wins while maintaining a 1.182 WHIP
and an average of 10 strike-outs per game. His latest achievement that left the entire stadium in a state of shock was when he retired 21 Oakland Athletic batters and seemed unfazed even after doing so. In his past three seasons he has averaged at 16.5 wins
per season and quite an average of 252 strike-outs. Tim has been selected for All Star thrice and captured the esteemed National League Cy Young Winner twice.
Clayton Kershaw is relatively new to the world of pitching, but that in no way means that he doesn’t possess what it takes to be on par with the top pitchers. At the age of 22, things will only get better for the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher who has gotten
many League leading teams already interested in him. This season his win-loss record is at 32-26 with an ERA of 3.09 along with 584 strike-outs under his belt. May 29 saw him pitching his second complete game of his career where he struck-out 10 and won a
two hitter, stunning the audiences, coaches and team-mates from both sides.
The difference between these pitchers and just good pitchers is the kind of control they have over the ball and the pace at which they realise the opposing hitter’s style, strength and weaknesses. Good communication with catchers is essential for a pitcher
to be successful and all three of the above mentioned aces have mastered that. These pitchers get down on the field with a clear mind to be more than just a thrower and have perfected the mechanics involved which include finding the right balance and posture.
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