Steve Carlton and Today's Game
Lefty Completed Thirty Games. Roy Halladay Completed Seven in 2007
Forget comparing players of the early and mid-1900s to modern players. It is impossible to validly compare players from as recently as the 1970s to players today. In 1972, Steve Carlton had one of the greatest seasons of any pitcher in the history of baseball. Pitching for the last place Phillies, Carlton had 46 percent of his team’s wins when he won 27 and lost 10.
Starting Pitchers Work Much Less Today
Steve Carlton started 41 games and completed 30. In 2007, Dontrelle Willis led the majors with 35 starts and Roy Halladay completed the most games with 7. In 1973, Carlton pitched 8 shut outs, which was one less than league leader Don Sutton. In 2007, Brandon Webb led pitchers with 3 shut outs. In 1972, Carlton led the National League with 346 1/3 innings pitched, but Wilbur Wood, the knuckle–balling White Sox left hander, led the majors with 376 2/3 innings. Carsten Charles Sabathia led the majors in 2007 with 241 innings.
The contrast between 1972 and 2007 is enormous because the game is managed differently today. Carlton averaged 8.4 innings a start. Sabathia averaged 7 innings a start. Today, starting pitchers are expected to pitch 6 or 7 innings and turn the game over to the bullpen. Carlton, especially considering his ability and his team, was expected to complete what he started.
The Mets' Young Power Pitchers Helped Change the Game
Until the late 1970s, starting pitchers, at least a team’s top starters, usually worked on three days rest. Then, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Mets’ and their pitching coach, Rube Walker, changed things. The Mets had young power pitchers Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Jerry Koosman (yes, when he was young, Koosman could bring it, at least until developed a sore arm), and Gary Gentry. Walker and manager Gil Hodges decided to give then an extra day’s rest because they worked so hard when they pitched. Four days of rest between starts is now the norm.
300 Innings Pitched for 19 Consecutive Seasons
The last pitcher to work at least 300 innings was Carlton in 1980, which ended a streak of 19 consecutive seasons in which at least one major league pitcher worked 300 or more innings. In 1961, Whitey Ford, all 5’10” and 180 pounds of him, led the majors with 283 innings. Since 1950, the most innings pitched is Wilbur Wood’s 376 2/3 in 1972, which was a mere 2/3 of an inning more than Mickey Lolich worked in 1971.
Using More Pitchers Sometimes Helps the Offense
The number of pitchers that a team needs has increased dramatically since the days of Carlton and Lolich, which a simplistic statement but one that must be made. Contrary to conventional thought, using a starter for only six or seven innings or for only 110-110 pitches has, in some cases, helped, not hurt, the offense. Yes, facing a fresh pitcher in the seventh or eighth inning is difficult, but the relief pitcher must be better than the pitcher he is relieving.
New York's Teams Illustrate a Problem
Rich Gossage, Sparky Lyle, Tug McGraw, Bruce Sutter, and Rollie Fingers worked more than one inning. Today, one or two pitchers are used as a “bridge” to the closer. New York’s teams illustrate what can happen when the “bridge” collapses. Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner pitch only one inning. Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez pitch six innings. In the seventh and/or eighth innings, the opposition faces the likes of Kyle Farnsworth, Brian Bruney, Scott Schoenweis, or Joe Smith.
Indians and Red Sox Have Great Bullpens
Okay, but what about teams such as the Indians or Red Sox? Yes, they have great bullpens, but they also have some great starters. Teams that don’t have solid bullpens still use starters for only six or seven innings. The Red Sox, Indians, and Twins can play the game this way, but most teams cannot. One outcome is that there will never be another 27 game winner, and a second is that Tom Glavine is the last pitcher to ever win 300 games in his career.
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