Webb runs streak to nine
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb did it again Thursdsay night. He won, his ninth victory in nine starts this season, and the bid for 30 wins continues.
I know, like I wrote last week, it’s just mid-May. But you can’t win 30 without a great start, and if Webb keeps winning, it’s going to make August and September interesting.
Let’s do the math again. Webb has nine wins through 41 Arizona games. That’s on pace for 35.6 wins. Of course, Webb won’t pitch again until next week sometime. After he sits for four days, that pace drops to 32.4. And if he doesn’t win then, the next time he takes the hill, his pace will be 29.4.
Now do you see why I’m talking about 30 wins in May? Because that’s the only month in which you can talk about it. This is an impossible feat. Pitching every fifth game, Webb has to win literally every time out just to stay ahead of the posse. If he wins his next start, Webb’s pace will be 35.2. So his pace drops a little EVEN IF HE WINS.
We talked last week about how rare is the 30-win club. Denny McLain went 31-4 in 1968, but before that, Dizzy Dean in 1934 was the last 30-game winner. Here’s a great list. The biggest win totals since 1934.
31: Denny McLain, 1968
29: Hal Newhouser, 1944
28: Dizzy Dean, 1935
28: Robin Roberts, 1952
27: Steve Carlton, 1972
27: Bob Feller, 1940
27: Sandy Koufax, 1966
27: Don Newcombe, 1956
27: Dizzy Trout, 1944
27: Bucky Walters, 1939
27: Bob Welch, 1990
26: Bob Feller, 1946
26: Carl Hubbell, 1936
26: Sandy Koufax, 1965
26: Juan Marichal, 1968
26: Hal Newhouser, 1946
Look at that list. Since 1934, pitchers have reached at least 26 wins only 16 times. Of those 16 seasons, half came before 1947. In the last 60 years, we’ve had just eight 26-win seasons. Just one since 1972, which was 36 years ago. Bob Welch’s 27 wins in 1990 stand out like George Foster’s 52 home runs in 1977.
So here’s the truth about Brandon Webb. If the guy reaches 25 wins, it’s an historic. Not just a great season. An epic season.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
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