Posted By:
AnonymousFor 60? odd years. His record was close to untouchable until the modern day players consistantly tossed 200-300+ Ks/year.
One stastical analysis tried to prove that once the ball is put into play, the pitcher has little effect on it - i.e. opposing BA on balls in play is more a matter of luck than anything the pitcher does. I don't think this is quite accurate, but I think once the batter makes contact a whole host of other factors (park factor, defense, etc.) become much more important. So, combine a pitcher's K/9, with his BB/9 - can anyone show me an example of a pitcher with a high K/9 and low BB/9 who wasn't successful over an extended period of time? I think you'll find most pitchers who tend to avoid walks and strike out a lot of batters will have low ratios, and thus low ERAs (and if they have run support, good records).