Philadelphia Phillies bag three of top five pitching spots – MLB Update
The Philadelphia Phillies were believed to have the best pitching rotation on the circuit, but this assertion did not materialise much in the postseason, where the National League stalwarts were held by the Wild Card entrants St. Louis Cardinals in the first
stage of the playoffs.
The trio of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels was not an easy one to play against in the regular season, but the Cardinals found a solution against them in the National League Division Series, where the Redbirds won 3-2 in the five-game series.
Halladay was tipped to be the best among the trio, but it was Chris Carpenter who finally defeated Philadelphia’s ace when things mattered most. Even after the loss leading to elimination, Halladay was the top candidate to win the Cy Young Award and thus
defend his crown. However, it was Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw who won the top pitching honours after registering 21 wins in the regular season at a 2.28 earned-run average. An intriguing factor was Kershaw’s tally of strike-outs, which totalled just
two less than 250 during the course of the regular season.
The Phillies, nevertheless, dominated the balloting and grabbed three of the top five spots. Halladay finished runner-up in the voting and Lee stood behind his ace to round-up the top three positions. The point differential, nevertheless, was substantial
between the top three pitchers in the National League. While Kershaw bagged 207 points to bring the tenth Cy Young Award to the Dodgers, Halladay could manage only 133 to inflict a 74 point differential between the top two pitchers in the league. The difference
between Lee and Halladay was 43 points, highlighting the certainty of choices.
Nevertheless, the Phillies were exceptional throughout the regular season and rating the trio as the best in the Majors will not be an assertion too much. It is anticipated that the Phillies will try to hold the trio together for at least the next season,
after which Hamels will become a free agent, unless given an extension by the management. There has been no development on this as yet, but there are rumours that the Phillies might extend Hamels’ contract in January, before the spring training begins.
One question that loomed the voting was the absence of any pitcher who played in the World Series. Carpenter was the top pitcher for the Cardinals, but failed to earn a spot among the top ten pitchers when voting was done. It is either that playing, or for
that matter, winning the Fall Classic does not hold importance or does nor gain recognition by the authorities. Whatever the case is, these changes need to be incorporated when winners are plotted out for the annual honours.
Tags: