There is plenty of baseball left to be played but, alas, it is time to put the By the Numbers column into storage until next season.
So with this being the final edition of the year, as we make way for oodles of football coverage, here are some statistical marvels to watch for through the final six weeks of the season:
• Our favorite stat of 2010 has been delivered by the left arm of Cliff Lee. Through 21 starts with two teams, Lee has 147 strikeouts and 10 walks.
That is a ratio of 14.7 to 1, which is on pace to shatter the all-time record. In 1994, Bret Saberhagen had 143 Ks and 13 walks — a ratio of 11.0 that is the best in history.
That year, Saberhagen gave up no intentional walks; Lee this year has allowed two. So, not counting intentional walks, Lee’s ratio is 18.4 to 1.
Look at it this way: Lee is striking out batters at the same rate as Bob Gibson in his prime, and walking them as often as Candy Cummings (you can look him up).
• Joey Votto of the Reds is on pace to win what Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated calls the “Modern Triple Crown” — leading the league in batting, slugging, and on-base percentage.
Nobody has won the traditional Triple Crown — batting, home runs and RBI — since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. And while Votto has an outside shot at pulling off that feat (as does Albert Pujols), isn’t the “Modern Triple Crown” more significant?
The problem with the traditional Triple Crown is the inclusion of RBI, which are largely team dependent. Many a player has led the league in RBI while really not having that good of a year. Like, for instance, Preston Wilson or Vinny Castilla.
But if you lead the league in all three decimal-point categories, you have had a heck of a year.
• Speaking of Triple Crowns, Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals leads the NL in ERA, is tied for the lead in wins, and is 10 behind the leader in strikeouts. That puts him within range of the Pitching Triple Crown.
While not as celebrated as its cousin on the hitting side, the Pitching Triple Crown is a little more common. Jake Peavy (2007), Johan Santana (2006), and Randy Johnson (2002) all have pulled off the feat in the past 10 years. Still, it is quite an accomplishment.
• Ichiro is having his worst season since arriving in Seattle. But a couple of his statistics bear watching: Hits and runs.
Ichiro is on pace to finish with 206 hits, which doesn’t leave him a lot of leeway in a quest to reach 200 for the 10th consecutive year. And he’s on pace to score 68 runs, by far his lowest total in the major leagues.
That part about not scoring many runs isn’t his fault.
• Entering Friday’s play, the Pirates needed to go 41-0 the rest of the way to avoid their 19th straight losing season. Unless that happens, it will extend their record for the longest such streak in a major North American sports league.
• The Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox in the AL East are on pace to win 100, 99, and 92 games. Which means that at least one pretty good team is going to be left out of the playoffs.
Since each league went to three divisions in 1994, there have been three occasions where a division had three 90-win teams: The AL Central in 2006, NL West in 2002, and AL West in 2002. The Mariners were the odd team out in that last one.
Question or comment for By the Numbers? Contact Greg Jayne, Sports editor of The Columbian, at 360-735-4531, or by e-mail at greg.jayne@columbian.com. To read his blog, go to columbian.com/weblogs/GregJayne
