Greatest Pitching Seasons

“The Great Game: The Online Book of Baseball” decreed that Greg Maddux pitched the greatest two seasons in baseball history. Not sure how Bob Gibson didn’t make this list. I actually found this tidbit buried in a note about another pitcher.

1. 1994 16-06 1.56 Greg Maddux

2. 1995 19-02 1.63 Greg Maddux

3. 1913 36-07 1.14 Walter Johnson

4. 2000 18-06 1.74 Pedro Martinez

5. 1931 31-04 2.06 Lefty Grove

6. 1915 31-10 1.22 Pete Alexander

7. 1999 23-04 2.07 Pedro Martinez

8. 1908 40-15 1.42 Ed Walsh

9. 1930 28-05 2.54 ERA Lefty Grove

10 1940 27-11 2.61 ERA Bob Feller

1995: Maddux won 19 games, one of five times he won 19 games in his career. His two losses were the lowest in history for a pitcher with 19 or more wins. He was 18-0 on the road, with a 1.12 ERA. Only one pitcher allowed a higher batting average than Maddux’s .220 on base percentage allowed, which was the lowest in modern history. He also led all NL pitchers in assists and fielding percentage – a perfect 1.000.

1994: Maddux won 16 games even though the season ended in August, with a third of the season to go. He’d been on pace to win 23. He put up a 1.56 ERA in a year when Tony Gwynn pursued a .400 average, and several sluggers were threatening to break Roger Maris’ single season home run record. His ERA was the third lowest since the end of the deadball era – an ERA almost half that of the second-place finisher. In his last eight starts before the work stoppage, Maddux’s ERA was 0.93. On June 1st he threw 8 shutout innings in San Francisco (including Barry Bonds & Matt Williams) despite walking a career high six batters. In 1994 Maddux became the first major leaguer to win three straight Cy Young Awards. In 1995 he made it four straight.  

Seven foot Sixers center Embiid had 42 points, with 19 out of 19 free throws last night. You gotta like a guy who makes all his foul shots. I read Jeff Schultz’s article about Hawks owner Tony Ressler. It was on The Athletic so I couldn’t forward it. Ressler seems to be an intense guy, and as Schultz said, you often see that in the uber successful businessmen.

Guy at work asked me for Masters tickets. As if I had access to any. I’ll add him to my list of people I’d take with me. I know you wouldn’t go, but others would want to: Ceil, Will, Lang, Hurt, Reid, and now my coworker.

A turkey greeted Ceil as she drove through the neighborhood.

Monday: on the way to small group I stopped by Taco Bell. Couldn’t read the sign so I ordered two $2.79 beefy burritos that were no better than the $1.79 chicken burritos I usually get. Not many good fast food options these days. Perhaps that's a good thing. With C headed to the Table tonight, I ate black bean burritos.

Good discussion at small group on I John chapter two. Didn’t get home until almost nine. Was in bed before ten.

Lifted weights at the gym this morning.