By Rhonda
After seven innings, Clayton Kershaw was perfect. He was 80 pitches in, more than he had thrown at any point in the spring, and didn’t appear tired. Kersh had a chance to show this generation the single greatest achievement for any pitcher: a perfect game. There have only been 23 in the history of MLB. He would have thrown the 24th. NOPE. Dodger skipper Dave Roberts took him out and pissed off legions of baseball fans, including me. This kinda crap drives me legit crazy because the baseball nerds are running and ruining baseball. It wasn’t really Roberts’ decision though he took the brunt. He was just following orders from the metrics nerds.
Maybe it made sense in terms of health and workload – I guess – but that doesn’t mean I have to like it or even understand it. Kersh would have stayed in – he was at history’s doorsteps. Would workhorse Nolan Ryan have been pulled out? No way – he would have put his skipper in a headlock. Imagine removing Bob Gibson at 80 pitches while throwing a perfect game?
Imagine trying to remove Bob Gibson at 80 pitches while throwing a perfect game pic.twitter.com/lMHaVPrZ3l
— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) April 14, 2022
It’s a different game today ruled by stat nerds and sabermetrics. Pitching has changed so much that I am unsure if we will ever see a pitcher pitch a complete game again. Years ago, on the MLB network, Tom Seaver made the comment that every pitcher now has a limit of 100 pitches per game and at that point, they begin to look for the right time to take him out. Seaver pitched 20 years in the big leagues. From 1967 through 1979 the fewest innings he ever pitched was 215. He threw as many as 290 innings twice during that period. And he finished games. He averaged 15 complete games per season during that period. No sabermetrics needed. WOW – just wow!
Here’s a theory. The stat nerds are an undercover co-op CIA-type agency trying to preserve baseball stats? MLB has this sanctimonious attitude about their stats – so why wouldn’t they care about getting the 24th perfect game in history? Hmm. Will we ever see a perfect game again or another hit streak? Will they employ some type of load management a la the NBA? Consider this – the 100-RBI season has long been considered a benchmark of offensive excellence. Yet, Mike Trout, one of the best players ever, has accomplished the feat just three times since his 2012 Rookie of the Year season. Why? Metrics – stats like xwOBA, wRC+, and WAR. The common baseball fan doesn’t even know what those are.
At this point broadcasters are going to have to start talking about advanced metrics and abandon the conventional stats such as AVG and RBI for hitters or wins, ERA, and saves for pitchers – they are just going to be less important, sadly.
I guess it’s time to face it – the stat nerds won. Advanced metrics influence roster moves, player development, and gameday strategy for all 30 MLB teams. Clubs depend on saber stats now. And it was bound to happen. The “that’s the way we’ve always done it” mentality towards the use of conventional stats won’t help grow a sport in dire need of a fresher look and that’s what the MLB is going for. Revive baseball at any cost!
And if this is all confusing to you. It’s all about numbers. Your gut as a manager – throw that out the window. Gone are the days of “I know you got this.” It’s about running a game on numbers and summarizing relevant data to answer specific questions or take a pitcher out of the game. And I guess it’s time to get on board because I love baseball and I always will.
Picture Credit: Shutterstock
