The pitcher who allows the most walks in the league has the lowest ERA in the league. It doesn’t sound like it makes sense, but a former Cy Young Award winner is doing it.
The man is Blake Snell, 31, who is sharing the mound with Ha-Sung Kim for the San Diego Padres. Snell took the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ‘2023 Major League Baseball’ game at Petco Park in San Diego, California, on April 26 (KST).
Snell pitched like the team’s ace. He pitched six innings of two-hit ball, giving up one run on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts in a 5-1 win to improve to 7-0 on the season.
After the game, Optastats, a provider of specialized sports analytics and in-depth data, noted Snell’s special performance on social media. “Snell lowered his ERA to the lowest in the league in this start, but he also allowed the most walks in the league. Since ERA became an official record in 1913, no pitcher has recorded the lowest ERA and the most strikeouts in a regular season.”
The reason Snell’s record is so rare is simple. Pitchers with a lot of strikeouts are bound to leave a lot of runners on base, which naturally increases their chances of giving up runs. But Snell is different. He’s been able to keep the opposing offense in check without giving up a ton of runs, thanks to his unique command of the game. It may not seem like it, but he’s one of the cleanest pitchers in the game, even if he does give up a lot of runs.카지노사이트
Snell has been the team’s ace this year. While he has some ups and downs, including leaving a lot of runners on base, as discussed earlier, he has been able to overcome that with his strong stuff. In 21 games this season, he is 7-8 with a 2.61 ERA in 114 innings pitched, 147 strikeouts, and a 1.25 WHIP. It’s not quite the same as his 2018 campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays, when he went 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA in 180⅔ innings and won the American League Cy Young Award, but it’s still a potent pitch.
Snell, meanwhile, will be looking to build on his breakout season and win his second career Cy Young Award. If he also wins the National League, where San Diego is a member, he will become the first pitcher to win the award in both leagues.