Sabermetrics: Magnum Start Value, Cy Young Controversy and Combimetrics

September 2016

Rick Porcello

9/3 @ Oakland Athletics: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 ER: 3.0 (W, Red Sox win 11-2)

9/9 @ Toronto Blue Jays: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 ER: 2.5 (W, Red Sox win 13-3)

9/14 vs Baltimore Orioles: 8 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 1 ER: 5.5 (L, Red Sox lose 1-0)

9/19 @ Baltimore Orioles: 9 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 ER: 9.7 (W, Red Sox win 5-2)

Justin Verlander

9/5 @ Chicago White Sox: 7 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 2 ER: 2.5 (ND, Tigers win 5-3)

9/17 @ Cleveland Indians: 7 IP, 1 H, 4 BB’s, 0 ER: 3.0 (ND, Tigers lose 1-0)

9/27 vs Cleveland Indians: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 0 ER: 3.64 (W, Tigers win 12-0)

Corey Kluber

9/11 @ Minnesota Twins: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB’s, 0 ER, 1 E: 3.0 (W, Indians win 7-1)

Here is where Porcello may have won himself the Cy Young award, in September. Anytime a pitcher goes out and shuts down a lineup when it counts, he earns countless votes. Another aspect of this process is whom he did it against.

Three of his starts were against the Blue Jays and Orioles (postseason clubs), and to top it off he faced Baltimore in back-to-back starts meaning their hitters had just seen him. Even though Verlander dominated twice versus the eventual American League champs, Porcello’s four Magnum Starts to his three might have been the difference in the race.