The Philadelphia Phillies won a watershed Game 5 in the series. After winning two straight and losing two in a row, Game 5 featured another stellar pitching performance from Zack Wheeler. Willer pitched seven innings of one-run ball to earn the win.
In the short game, bullpen baseball is all the rage. In the past, bullpens were simply there to protect leads, but in recent years, bullpen pitchers have taken on an increased role as the game progresses. Building a strong bullpen is no longer an option, but a necessity in order to get good results in the short game.
Nevertheless, the short game is still the ace’s time. The value of an ace in a single game cannot be quantified. However, a regular season ace isn’t necessarily a “big game pitcher”. Clayton Kershaw is a prime example. Kershaw has a 2.48 career ERA in the regular season, but a 4.49 career ERA in the postseason.
Another pitcher who pitches as well in the postseason as he does in the regular season is Willer. Game 5 was Willer’s 10th postseason start. His career postseason ERA is 2.48, the same as Kershaw’s regular season mark.
Starting Pitcher PS Career ERA Ranking
0.97 – Chris Mathewson
1.83 – Waite Hoyt
2.11 – Madison Bumgarner
2.23 – Curt Schilling
2.30 – Ken Holtzman
2.44 – Charles Bender
2.48 – Jack Wheeler
*10 games or more
Mathewson’s #1 ranking is from the pre-1920 deadball era. Bender was also active during the Dead Ball Era. It’s important to note that the dead-ball and live-ball eras differ in terms of ball rebound. While Bumgarner, who has been the most dominant of the recent postseason aces, is third, Schilling has played in 19 games, the most of any of the seven. Wheeler ranks seventh in this category, but he also has one.
Starting Pitcher PS Career WHIP Ranking
0.73 – Zack Wheeler
0.84 – Kristy Mathewson
0.90 – Madison Bumgarner
0.93 – Cliff Lee
0.94 – Josh Beckett
FIP is a measure of a pitcher’s individual performance. FIP is calculated using only strikeouts, walks, and home runs, which are under the pitcher’s direct control. Wheeler’s career FIP in the postseason is 2.69, which isn’t much different than his ERA. It’s fifth best among pitchers with 10 or more starts, with the aforementioned Mathewson (2.19) and Bender (2.13) coming from different eras. Cliff Lee (1.63) is the only other pitcher with a FIP in the 1s. 굿모닝토토 도메인
Wheeler, who debuted with the New York Mets 10 years ago, missed 2015-16 due to Tommy John surgery. Coincidentally, 2015 was the year the Mets reached the World Series. Missing out on that moment delayed Wheeler’s postseason debut. Last year, in his third season in Philadelphia, was the first.
In 2021, Wheeler put together his best season yet, going 14-10 with a 2.78 ERA. His 213 innings pitched and 247 strikeouts led the league, but he lost the Cy Young Award to Corbin Burns, who led the league with a 2.43 ERA. At the time, Burns had pitched 46⅓ fewer innings than Wheeler. The two pitchers had the same 12 first-place votes, but Burns had 151 total points and Willer had 141.