Roger Clemens
Boston Red Sox 1986, 1988, 1990,
1995
2 Wins, 2 Losses Division series
0-0 World Series
New York Yankees 1999-2003
Division Series 2-4
LCS 2-1
World Series 3-0
Houston Astros 2004-2005
Division Series 2-1
LCS 2-1
Yes I'm well aware of the asterisk
that hangs over Clemens more than any other pitcher on this list. So let's deal
with him before and after.
During his tenure with the Red Sox
when he was one of the greatest pitchers whoever lived he was not enough to get
them over the hump. In 1986 he did well in the LCS but he couldn't manage a
World Series victory and famous in Game 6 he was taken out in the seventh with
a blister on his finger. Still you can't blame him for everything that happened
in the 10th. The other three occasions the Red Sox were swept by the
A's and in 1995 they couldn't get past Cleveland.
His track record with the Yankees
is something of a mixed bag. In the five division series in four of them they
managed to get the LCS despite Clemens more than anything else. It helps
to have a rotation with David Wells and Andy Petite in it. He did better
overall in the LCS to be sure and of course he did help the Yankees in their
1999 and 2000 triumphs. He won Game 3 against the Diamondbacks and he did pitch
superbly for six and one third innings in Game 7 against Schilling, throwing 6
and a third innings, striking out ten and giving up just one earned run. You
can't blame the loss of that series on him.
He did everything the Yankees
asked for in the LCS but he was knocked out of the box in Game 7 of the 2003
LCS after three innings. Grady Little and Aaron Boone bailed him out. He didn't
help in the six game loss against the Marlins that followed. Then it was off to
Houston.
He did help get the Astros further
than they ever had in the postseason to that point in their forty-three year
history including their triumph over the
reigning National League champion the Cardinals. But he got knocked out against
the White Sox in two innings as they broke their 88 year curse.
As Yankees fans remember he came
back in 2007 to help them try and win one last ring. In his only start he
didn't last three innings as Cleveland romped to an 8-4 win. It must have been
a cruel irony that the Red Sox won the World Series that year.
Clemens all told went 12-8 with a
3.75 ERA and struck out 173 players in his 35 postseason appearances.
Regardless of steroids he was good in the postseason but its hard to argue he
was as good as his overall record.
Greg Maddux
Chicago Cubs 1989 NLCS 0-1
Atlanta Braves 1993-2003
NLDS 5-3
NLCS 6-7
World Series 2-3
LA Dodgers 2006, 2008 NLCS 0-0
Two things can be true. Greg Maddux
is one of the greatest pitchers of all time and he does not have a particularly
good postseason record. This is not the only reason that the Braves only
managed to win one world series despite winning fourteen consecutive division
titles but it is one of them. Because the only three years the Braves made the
World Series during Maddux's tenure were 1995, 1996 and 1999 let's focus on
them.
1995 was the year of Maddux's
fourth consecutive Cy Young award and arguably one of the greatest years any
pitcher had in my lifetime. He would end up pitching in the very first NLDS
against the Colorado Rockies. He pitched in the opening game and went 7 innings
leaving with the game tied 3-3. The Braves would win in the ninth. He then pitched
in Game 4 trying to close it out in Atlanta. He wasn't sharp giving up 10 hits
and 4 runs in 7 innings but neither was his opponent Bret Saberhagen who was
knocked out in the fifth as the Braves went on to win 10-4.
He ended up starting Game 3
against the Reds in the NLCS. Here he pitched better throwing 8 innings of one
run ball against David Wells as the Braves won 5-2. The Braves would sweep the
Reds in four games.
Game 2 against Cleveland was
Maddux's finest hour in the World Series. He pitched a complete game victory,
giving up just 2 hits as Atlanta won 3-2. However when he faced off against
Orel Hershiser in a rematch in Game 5, he was hit for 4 runs in seven innings
as the Indians staved off elimination. It would work out as we'll see in the
next entry.
In 1996 the defending champion
Braves faced LA in the NLDS. Maddux pitched seven innings of dominant ball in
Game 2 as the Braves ended up winning 3-2 in what would be a three game sweep.
In the NLCS the Braves faced off
against the Cardinals. In Game 2 the Cardinals trounced Maddux soring 8 runs
against him and while only three of them were earned, the Cardinals still won 8-3.
By Game 6 the Braves were behind 3 games
to and facing elimination. Maddux gave
them just one run in 7.2 innings as Atlanta won 3-1 and the Braves would face
off against the Yankees.
Maddux started Game 2 against
Jimmy Key and gave up just six hits in eight innings as the Braves won 4-0. But
the Yankees famously rallied and by the time the two faced off in a rematch in
Game 6 the Yankees just needed one game to win their first World Series in 18
years. Maddux gave it everything he had and gave up just three runs in seven
and two thirds innings. But they were more than enough as the Yankees held
Atlanta to just one run and survived a scare in the ninth to give former Brave
player and manager Joe Torre his first World Series ring.
In 1999 the Braves faced off
against the Astros in the NLDS. Maddux was hammered in Game 1 in what would be
the Braves only loss in the series. He would pitch to one batter in Game 3 in
what was a twelve inning victory as the Braves won the series 3-1.
In Game 2 of the NLCS against the
Mets he pitched the opener and threw seven innings of dominant ball as the
Braves won 4-2. He was the starting pitcher in the epic 15 inning Game 5 which
the Mets won with a grand slam single but the Braves would ultimately win the
series. But in the World Series against the Yankees in Game 2 he was hit for 4
runs in seven innings as the Yankees won 4-1 in what was their second
consecutive World Series sweep.
Maddux would never get back to the
World Series and the Braves wouldn't for another twenty years.
Tom Glavine
Atlanta Braves 1991-2002
NLDS 3-3
NLCS 5-9
World Series 4-3
2006 Mets
NLCS 1-0
NLDS 1-1
Tom Glavine is one of the greatest
pitchers of all time and he holds one of the most dubious records of all time.
He lost more NLCS games than any pitcher in history – 10. And it is those ten
defeats that overshadow an honestly superb postseason record as he went 4-3 in
both the NLDS and in five World Series.
If anyone wants to ask why the
Braves only won one World Series in their dynasty Glavine has to be considered
at least part of the problem. It wasn't as though he ever pitched badly in the
postseason: his lifetime postseason ERA is 3.30. And when he was good he was
very, very good as the Cleveland Indians remember in Game 6 of the World Series
where he held them to one hit in 8 shutout innings.
A lot of the time you see a
pitcher who just had terrible luck. In 1991 he went 0-2 against the Pirates and
1-1 against the Twins. But he lost Game
5 of the NLCS 1-0 and Game 2 of the World Series 3-2.. He went 0-2 against the
Pirates in the 1992 NLCS but he lost Game 3 3-2 and he lost Game 4 of the World
Series 2-1 against Jimmy Key. In Game 3 of the 1996 World Series he was in a
pitcher's duel against David Cone and he gave up just 2 runs in 7 innings. When he left he was losing 2-1. (The Yankees
won 5-2) And in 1998 when he was pitching against the Padres the Braves scored
a grand total of zero runs for him against him in two losses. His record for
the 1998 postseason was 0-2 with an ERA of 1.92.
Ironically in 2006, near the end
of his career, he had better luck with the Mets. With little left but guile he
pitched six innings to help the Mets defeat the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS.
And he pitched superbly against the Cardinals in the NLCS winning the opener in
what would be a 2-0 shutout. He was good for a while in Game 5 but then he was
hammered in the fifth as the Mets would lose 4-2 and eventually the NLCS as the
Cardinals would go on to win their first World Series in 24 years.
Baseball is a game as much about
luck as skill and this was proven the case for both of the Braves 300 game
winners.
Randy Johnson
Seattle Mariners 1995, 1997
ALDS 2-2
ALCS 0-1
1998 Houston Astros
NLCS 0-1
1999,2001-2002 Arizona
Diamondbacks
NLDS 0-3
NLCS 2-0
World Series 3-0
2005-2006 Yankees
ALDS 0-1
Johnson's track record, like so
many of these pitchers, is more based on his record against The Yankees
rather than with them. And looking at it he was critical in two of their most
infamous defeats.
In 1995 with the Mariners facing
elimination against the Yankees in the ALDS he pitched 7 innings and struck out
ten in what was a 7-4 victory. Then in Game 5 with the score tied he came in to
the pitch the final three innings in the game that has gone down in Seattle
history. The Mariners won 6-5 which no doubt saved the franchise. He helped
them win Game 2 against Cleveland though he wouldn't get credit for the
victory. He was in a scoreless duel in Game 5 until Cleveland scored four in
the eighth to win and eventually go on to the World Series.
In 1997 he faced off against the
ascendant Orioles and would end up losing both games he started. He lost Game
1, getting knocked out of the box in the sixth and while he pitched better in
Game 4 Baltimore would prevail 3-1. After that he was off to Houston.
He pitched very well in Game 1
throwing 8 innings and only giving up two runs. But the Astros only scored 1
and he lost. He started against San Diego in what would be the decided game and
again got no support despite giving up just one earned run in six innings.
Still the Padres won 6-1.
In 1999 the expansion Diamondbacks
would make it to the postseason in only their third year of existence. However against
the Mets Johnson was subpar. He pitched 8.1 third innings and while he struck
out eleven he would be responsible for seven runs as the Mets would end up
winning that year before…well, you saw.
But 2001 was his finest hour.
Despite the fact he would lost 4-1 against St. Louis the Diamondbacks would win
the NLCS. Then against the Atlanta Braves he was magnificent, winning both his
starts. He threw a complete game shutout a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts to
win Game 1 and then clinched the Diamondbacks first pennant with eight innings
that led to a three two victory. And in the World Series he and Curt Schilling
destroyed the Yankees. He pitched a second complete game shutout in Game 2 with
11 strikeouts and just three hits. In Game 6 with Arizona facing elimination he
pitched seven innings as Arizona destroyed Andy Pettite and his successor 15-2.
And then in a moment that would not be seen again until the most recent World
Series came in with one days rest to get the final out of the eighth inning to
keep the score at 2-1 until the Diamondbacks completely their incredible
comeback to win 3-2 and end the Yankees dynasty. He and Curt Schilling tied for
the World Series MVP that year.
He was never that good again. The
following year the Cardinals trounced him yet again as they got revenge in a
rematch of the previous years NLDS and when he came back to the Yankees while
he was still a good pitcher he couldn't prevail in the post season. He was only
able to last a combined 7-1 innings in two lopsided losses to the Angels in
2005 as the Yankees lost in five and the following year Detroit got to him in
for five earned runs by the sixth inning as the Tigers would win the ALDS that
year. Still based on his 2001 record alone it's hard to argue The Big Unit
wasn't one of the best Big Game pitchers in his prime and considering that five
of his postseason wins were against them, it's hard to argue he wasn't a Yankee
Killer which is nearly as big a deal.
Conclusion
After doing all my homework an
obvious conclusion can be drawn. Just because you are one of the greatest
pitchers of all time does not mean you will be dominant in the postseason.
Some of these pitchers in any era
are subject to luck as much as skill.
Christy Mathewson and Eddie Plank had some of the best overall ERAs in World
Series history but both of them managed to lost five games apiece which is
among the highest number of all time over a century later. Lefty Grove was almost
as good in the World Series as he was in the regular season and the same could
be said of Warren Spahn.
And some things do surprise you. No
one ever thought Don Sutton was as great a pitcher as Steve Carlton until Sutton
was near the end of his career but he was just as good in the clutch as any of
the pitchers in his era. And despite the fact that Maddux and Glavine are two
of the greatest pitchers I've ever seen they were just as subject to misfortune
as any other pitcher.
And let's not forget to be a great
postseason pitcher your team has to make it to the postseason. That's
the real reason that I think this argument about a pitcher not being great
because they made into the postseason is a canard that Yankee fans use to prove
their superiority. And that's just crap.
Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock won
five world series games each; neither of them would say they held a candle to
Walter Johnson or Grover Cleveland Alexander who pitched against them in
pennant races and the World Series. Don Larsen won as many World Series games
as Warren Spahn, no one's saying who's the better pitcher. Hell Jerry Koosman
is undefeated when he pitched for the Mets in the World Series and he would
never say he was better than Tom Seaver.
That's why if I had a game to win
and my life depended on the outcome (that's a phrase Red Barber once said to
describe why he thought Carl Hubbell was the best pitcher he ever saw) I'd want
any one of those pitchers on the mound rather than any of the ones who pitched
on the Yankees during their dynasty or even today. Yes I'd want Whitey Ford on
my staff too but he'd have been a great pitcher on any team, not just if he wore
pinstripes.
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