Does anyone in history have a better first 124 innings in the MLB than Strasburg??

[Blackout]

can anyone find a player with a better first 124 innings???

[EdTarbusz]

I think Bob Feller probably did.

[Blackout]

depends on what happened August 11, 1937 and what his stats were for those first 6 innings

[GiambiJuice]

Jonathan Papelbon, easily.

[Blackout]

Jonathan Papelbon, easily.

but it's a lot easier to put up stats as a reliever than as a starter

[GiambiJuice]

but it's a lot easier to put up stats as a reliever than as a starter

Fair enough, but your question was "does anyone in history..." not " does any starting pitcher in history..."

[BigRon]

I'm not going to do the research, but Valenzuela comes to mind. He pitched really well at the end of 1980 and was sensational in the early going in 1981.

[brett]

Fair enough, but your question was "does anyone in history..." not " does any starting pitcher in history..."

Its more an issue of what you define as "better". Isn it "better" for a starter to do what he did than a reliever to do what Paplebon did?

[brett]

Anyway its too bad he's turning 24 soon and only has 124 career innings.

[brett]

Mark Fydrich.

Checking game logs he had given up gave up 23 earned runs when he reached 124 innings for a 1.67 ERA.
His ERA+ based on season long league era would have been 223 at the point of reaching 124 innings.
He also had 12 complete games including 3 11 inning complete games and his record was 11-2
And a 1.024 WHIP

[bluesky5]

Mark Fydrich.

Checking game logs he gave up 23 earned runs when he reached 124 innings for a 1.67 ERA.
His ERA+ based on season long league era would have been 223 at the point of reaching 124 innings.
He also had 12 complete games including 3 11 inning complete games and his record was 11-2
And a 1.024 WHIP

I didn't realize he had three 11 inning CG's. That seems incredibly rare even in '76.

[9RoyHobbsRF]

In Vida Blue's first 124 IP which included 42 P at age 19 with a plus 6 ERA, he had 5 complete game shutouts including a no hitter vs a very hard hitting division champion

Steven Strasburg has yet to throw one CG shutout, in fact he has never pitched more than 7 innings in any one game

Blue's 5 shutouts included these lines:
IP 42 (one game was shortened to 6 Innings)
H 10
K 43

that's correct a no hitter a 1 hitter a 2 hitter a 3 hitter and a 4 hitter

[ipitch]

can anyone find a player with a better first 124 innings???

Strasburg - 2.18 ERA
Steve Rogers - 1.40 ERA (after 128.2 IP)
Ed Reulbach - 1.42 ERA (after 291.2 IP)

[Imapotato]

Nap Rucker of the Brooklyn Superbas -1907

and here is a good comparison

Smokey Joe Wood-1908/09

[Dude Paskert]

I didn't realize he had three 11 inning CG's. That seems incredibly rare even in '76.

How shocking that skinny kid's arm didn't last after that kind of workload!

[bluesky5]

How shocking that skinny kid's arm didn't last after that kind of workload!

I know. A pitcher is only as good as the innings he doesn't pitch nowadays.

[csh19792001]

can anyone find a player with a better first 124 innings???

Did anyone in MLB history have better (all around) "stuff" than Strasburg? His arsenal, when he first came up was like nothing I've ever seen. Like Pedro, but with much better curve, and another 5 mph on his fastball.

I'd like to hear the thoughts/impressions of people that go back many decades here.

[brett]

Did anyone in MLB history have better (all around) "stuff" than Strasburg? His arsenal, when he first came up was like nothing I've ever seen. Like Pedro, but with much better curve, and another 5 mph on his fastball.

I'd like to hear the thoughts/impressions of people that go back many decades here.

The thing is, he turned 22 in the middle of the season of his first appearance. Gooden was just 19 in his first season and he pitched 218 innings and K'd 276, and he was 20 through his second full season and had better than a 220 ERA+. He also threw kneebuckling pitches. Gooden would be most similar and so we can see why they want to protect him, but at the same time he turns 24 this year. The next 6 years should be his peak.

[chinese home run]

What about Herb Score? I know he won the Rookie of the Year award in '55 for the Indians, but I don't remember if he started fast or finished fast that year.

[Blackout]

so yeah Strasburg is a pitching god

[chicagowhitesox1173]

There isnt a comparison but Chris Sale of the Whitesox has 120 innings pitched now for his career and i'd say he's started out his first 120 pretty good too.

[dl4060]

Anyway its too bad he's turning 24 soon and only has 124 career innings.

Given how bad the record is for pitchers overused before age 25, I don't know that I would call this a bad thing.

Unless you mean that it is unfortunate that he had surgery and missed so much time, in which case it is a shame.

Most of the guys who seem to last forever are not overworked young. There are exceptions of course.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

Yep again Chris Sale had a great game. slow and steady.

[PVNICK]

Given how bad the record is for pitchers overused before age 25, I don't know that I would call this a bad thing.

Unless you mean that it is unfortunate that he had surgery and missed so much time, in which case it is a shame.

Most of the guys who seem to last forever are not overworked young. There are exceptions of course.

Of course Strasburg already had to have surgery after < 124 IP in MLB. Sometimes $%#@ happens.

[Macker]

I'll leave it for someone else to run the numbers, but pitchers I recall as starting out well are Juan Marichal, Dennis Eckersley, and Tim Hudson.