Two new stadiums, one a palace, one an homage to a time when baseball was king.
New high-priced free agents.
Tons of talent.
MVP caliber holdovers.
This was supposed to be the golden time of NY baseball....a can't miss season for two teams stacked with stars, in new cathedrals of the game.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the forums....
CC Sabathia has crashed his 300 pound body back to Earth:
2009 Season Stats | |||||||||||||||||
SPLITS | G | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | W | L | P/GS | WHIP | BAA | ERA |
Season | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 39.0 | 39 | 23 | 21 | 2 | 15 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 109.3 | 1.38 | .262 | 4.85 |
Career | 260 | 260 | 27 | 10 | 1698.1 | 1580 | 754 | 695 | 152 | 538 | 1417 | 118 | 76 | 91.4 | 1.25 | .248 | 3.68 |
Last 7 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 39.0 | 39 | 23 | 21 | 2 | 15 | 24 | 1 | 3 | -- | 1.38 | .262 | 4.85 |
Projected | 34 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 218 | 218 | 128 | 117 | 11 | 84 | 134 | 6 | 17 | 109.3 | 1.38 | .262 | 4.85 |
AJ Burnett has been less than stellar:
2009 Season Stats | |||||||||||||||||
SPLITS | G | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | W | L | P/GS | WHIP | BAA | ERA |
Season | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 37.2 | 35 | 22 | 22 | 6 | 15 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 104.0 | 1.33 | .257 | 5.26 |
Career | 221 | 217 | 19 | 9 | 1414.0 | 1234 | 667 | 605 | 128 | 583 | 1311 | 89 | 76 | 81.8 | 1.29 | .235 | 3.85 |
Last 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 37.2 | 35 | 22 | 22 | 6 | 15 | 33 | 2 | 0 | -- | 1.33 | .257 | 5.26 |
Projected | 34 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 207 | 196 | 123 | 123 | 34 | 84 | 184 | 11 | 0 | 104.0 | 1.33 | .257 | 5.26 |
Mark Texiera is off to a slow start and hearing boos:
2009 Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||
SPLITS | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Season | 24 | 91 | 14 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 0 | 0 | .209 | .354 | .418 | .772 |
Career | 928 | 3505 | 580 | 1008 | 227 | 13 | 208 | 691 | 461 | 712 | 13 | 3 | .288 | .377 | .538 | .915 |
Last 7 | 7 | 28 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .214 | .333 | .500 | .833 |
Projected | 159 | 603 | 93 | 126 | 27 | 0 | 33 | 99 | 126 | 119 | 0 | 0 | .209 | .354 | .418 | .772 |
And the Yankees bullpen has been a trainwreck--that's the main reason they are 13-13 and have allowed a major league worst 170 runs to score against them.
For the Mets it's been the tale of the holdover stars struggling.
Jose Reyes can't get on base right now:
2009 Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||
SPLITS | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Season | 26 | 109 | 11 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 2 | .248 | .331 | .330 | .661 |
Career | 781 | 3315 | 544 | 946 | 157 | 73 | 62 | 318 | 255 | 398 | 297 | 75 | .285 | .336 | .433 | .769 |
Last 7 | 7 | 29 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .103 | .229 | .172 | .401 |
Projected | 162 | 679 | 69 | 168 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 50 | 87 | 75 | 44 | 12 | .248 | .331 | .330 | .661 |
And Oliver Perez, well, he is on another planet--a bad planet:
2009 Season Stats | |||||||||||||||||
SPLITS | G | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | W | L | P/GS | WHIP | BAA | ERA |
Season | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 21.2 | 28 | 24 | 24 | 3 | 21 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 90.2 | 2.26 | .315 | 9.97 |
Career | 180 | 179 | 3 | 2 | 1021.0 | 924 | 560 | 511 | 149 | 549 | 1047 | 56 | 62 | 99.3 | 1.44 | .242 | 4.50 |
Last 7 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 21.2 | 28 | 24 | 24 | 3 | 21 | 20 | 1 | 2 | -- | 2.26 | .315 | 9.97 |
Projected | 30 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 126 | 168 | 144 | 144 | 18 | 126 | 120 | 6 | 12 | 90.2 | 2.26 | .315 | 9.97 |
And let's not forget the Mets lineup--a lineup that has one of the best batting averages in baseball, but one of the worst with runners on base. David Wright hearing the boo-birds?
The stadiums have both taken their share of beatings as well.
The Yankees play to entire sections of empty seats and have suffered through the embarrassment of a public ticket price reduction scheme that didn't really do anything for the average diehard fan. The former home field advantage is gone--the stadium is quiet.
The Mets have some obstructed views and forgot one important little thing in the new stadium--paying tribute to the Mets. It's Jackie Robinson stadium...remember the 1969 team? How about 1986? Yeah, well go try to find a bit about them in the stadium...terrible. Thankfully the food is good and the prices are low enough for most folks to enjoy.
So we have two .500 teams right now....thankfully one man can save this city....one man is saving this city.
That man, Johan Santana, is off to a season like no other...a Triple Crown performance of excellence and dominance that is a sheer joy to watch. It's baseball heaven, nirvana, a few hours a week when you just drop what you're doing to watch in awe of what he's doing.
2009 Season Stats | |||||||||||||||||
SPLITS | G | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | W | L | P/GS | WHIP | BAA | ERA |
Season | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 39.2 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 54 | 4 | 1 | 102.2 | 0.91 | .168 | 0.91 |
Career | 291 | 215 | 9 | 6 | 1582.2 | 1298 | 580 | 538 | 169 | 439 | 1641 | 113 | 52 | 97.1 | 1.10 | .221 | 3.06 |
Last 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 39.2 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 54 | 4 | 1 | -- | 0.91 | .168 | 0.91 |
Projected | 36 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 234 | 144 | 36 | 24 | 12 | 72 | 324 | 24 | 6 | 102.2 | 0.91 | .168 | 0.91 |
Those are Bob Gibson numbers....Dwight Gooden in 1985 numbers...Pedro at his peak numbers.
And he's here, in NY, doing his best against all odds without any run support.
He's Superman in flannel, a lefty Wolverine, Batman with a changeup.
He is saving a city.
3 comments:
Best thing I read all day.
A full season like this, in New YOrk, and Johan will become enshrined as THE pitching god...
No doubt!
It just boggles the mind how good this man is.
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