Resurgence Of Elite Starting Pitchers Headlines An Intriguing 2019 World Series Matchup

tElite starting pitchers toeing the rubber in the Fall Classic have always been met with a sense of reverence. In some cases, it's a rite of passage into the annals of baseball. It's exhilarating to see any starting pitcher master an arsenal of pitches with such confidence at a time of extraordinary pressure. Through a rare combination of ferocity and elegance, it's the elite starting pitchers who capitalize on the slightest vulnerabilities of prolific major league hitters by using fear and intimidation to their advantage. With a cold and daunting stare that could pierce steel, legacies in October are defined by pitches executed with pinpoint control and have the potential of eclipsing triple digits in velocity.

tThis postseason's resurgence in elite starting pitchers has been loudly applauded by fans of a certain age who desperately want to see dominance, power, and perseverance with an occasional disregard for pitch counts and innings limits. There is a genuine longing for World Series pitching performances that evoke memories of Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, and more recently, Madison Bumgarner. Epic duels by elite starting pitchers that dictate the outcomes of ball games without a heavy dependence on bullpens. t

t The World Series match up between the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals is an intoxicating concoction of new age thinking driven by analytics and old school starting pitching. Even in an era where the wins statistic has become irrelevant and bullpen management is primarily driven by algorithms instead of gut instinct and keen in-game observations, these two ball clubs have the potential of providing fans with a highly entertaining World Series. However, it begins and ends on the pitching mound.

t Prior to this year's World Series, there have only been three ball clubs to have featured at least two starting pitchers who accumulated 230 or more strikeouts in their pennant winning season. Justin Verlander (239 strikeouts) and Max Scherzer (231 strikeouts) accomplished this feat for the Detroit Tigers in 2012 while getting swept in the World Series by the San Francisco Giants. Hall of Famer Randy Johnson (372 strikeouts) and Curt Schilling (293 strikeouts) led the Arizona Diamondbacks to their first world championship in 2001 over the New York Yankees in seven games. The Hall of Fame duo of Sandy Koufax (306 strikeouts) and Don Drysdale (251 strikeouts) led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a sweep of the Yankees in 1963 to win their third world championship.t

tThe Astros and Nationals feature a combined five starting pitchers who each eclipsed 230 strikeouts this season. The Nationals' trio of Stephen Strasburg (251 strikeouts), Max Scherzer (243 strikeouts), and Patrick Corbin (238 strikeouts) dominated the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series. Along with right-handed pitcher Anibal Sanchez, the Nationals' four starting pitchers allowed 13 hits over 27 innings pitched while striking out 40 batters and surrendering six base on balls. Only three of the hits were for extra base hits. In total, the Nationals' four starting pitchers achieved a walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) of 0.704.

tIn the case of the Astros, both Gerrit Cole (326 strikeouts) and Justin Verlander (300 strikeouts) achieved 300 strikeouts. In total, there have only been two starting pitchers until now who have struck out 300 batters and appeared in the World Series in the same season. Johnson achieved this feat once (2001) while Koufax did it three times (1963, 1965, 1966). Overall, 34 of the combined 67 regular season starts in 2019 for Cole and Verlander resulted in at least 10 strikeouts per game with Cole rolling off nine consecutive double-digit strikeout performances to end the regular season.t

tThe analytically driven carousel regarding pitching changes has had its fair share of unintended consequences. The psyche and perceptions of starting pitchers have dramatically changed as we applaud a five-inning performance as a profound sense of accomplishment. Words such as "workhorse" or "bulldog" are rarely used to describe starting pitchers anymore. Even complimentary adjectives in baseball jargon such as "nasty" and "filthy" to describe pitches have faded into the ether when it comes to starting pitchers.

tAmong the seven starting pitchers between both ball clubs who are expected to play an important role in the outcome of the World Series, there is an impressive array of accolades. Including the likes of Sanchez and Zack Greinke, the seven starting pitchers have a combined 37 seasons of 200 innings pitched or more, 30 seasons of 200 or more strikeouts, 29 All-Star Game appearances, five Cy Young and Gold Glove Awards, three seasons of 300 or more strikeouts, two Silver Slugger Awards, and one Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards. Verlander is the only starting pitcher in this distinguished group to have won a world championship. t

tEven though starting pitching will take center stage nightly at the World Series, don't be surprised if the focus occasionally shifts towards super-agent Scott Boras. There are several high-profile Boras clients between both ball clubs, but the interest will be squarely focused on the likes of Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon and starting pitchers Cole and Strasburg. While Rendon and Cole are free agents at season's end, Strasburg has two opt out clauses on his seven-year, $175 million contract with the Nationals. The first opt out occurs at the conclusion of the 2019 season. It is safe to expect that Boras will undoubtedly use the current resurgence of elite starting pitching to his advantage this off season.

tThe 2019 postseason has already provided us with heart-pounding ball games and edge of your seat entertainment. The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals will continue to excite the masses with exceptional play by world class athletes regardless of analytics and the opinions of purists. It has also been brought to our attention that elite starting pitchers thankfully still exist and might cause a slight paradigm shift. Don't be surprised if franchises begin to rethink some of their development strategies when it comes to starting pitchers as a result of what we have witnessed so far this postseason.