Breaking Through!
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The Houston Astros are the 2017 Champions
of
The American League
Eerie Timing of Words and Action Makes Point.
Three days ago, on 10/19/17, in a column we wrote about the disappearance of the complete game. After summarily covering the work of writer Frank Jackson on how the role of the starting pitcher has changed over the past twenty years, we wrote the following as a suggested new model for thought on the role of starting pitchers in this era of shorter mound duty and fading player accountability:
“If a starter could become lights out proficient over 5 innings, then why not find his twin to be the second half starter in the top of the 6th? The idea doesn’t seem any crazier than the hodge-podge of other titles the game is now giving to the relievers who come in early, in the middle, or late in the game. And the two-starters game could better reenforce the idea of responsibility for outcomes among fewer pitchers entering the game.”
https://bill37mccurdy.com/2017/10/19/the-incompleat-starting-pitcher-by-frank-jackson/
Holy Wow! – Isn’t that exactly what Astros Manager A.J. Hinch did last night, on 10/21/17, as the best demonstration of how the two-starter game could work at its very best? Three days ago, when we wrote our piece, we couldn’t have found a better demonstration of the two-starter game bringing home the bacon with greater dividends than the one that brought Houston the American League pennant in a Game Seven, 4-0, Astros victory over the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park last night.
This brief table on the two-starter shutout by the Astros over the Yankees in Game Seven last night, again, on 10/21/17, reads as follows:
| Starters | W/Sv | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | PC-S | ERA |
| 1) Morton | W | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 54-37 | 0.00 |
| 2) McCullers | Sv | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 54-38 | 0.00 |
| TOTALS > | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 108-75 | 0.00 |
PC-S = Pitch Count to Strikes Thrown
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Another Franchise First!
Pay attention. This simple fact is somewhat of a head-spinner to our attention spans. Please forward all headache complaints to former Commissioner Bud Selig in care of the Hall of Fame. One way or another, Selig is the one who was responsible for both the Brewers relocation to the National League and later, for the Astros relocation to the American League.
Not city, mind you, but franchise-speaking, the Houston Astros franchise is now the first entity in MLB since the 1903 start of our current World Series to have won pennants as a member of both the NL and AL and to thus appear as such in separate years, of course, as participants in the World Series. The Seattle Pilot/Milwaukee Brewer franchise could someday be the second such club, should they ever win the NL pennant. The Brewers already have been to the World Series as the AL champs back in 1982, but they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals that year. Winning a World Series as a franchise representative from both leagues, of course, is currently an impossibility. The Houston (AL) and Seattle-Milwaukee (NL) franchises both lost their only World Series appearances as members of their original, but now opposite leagues.
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Congratulations, Houston Astros!
We fans are proud of you for fighting back and bringing the American League pennant to Houston – and we are now pulling hard for you to bring the World Series trophy back to Houston as well!
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Bill McCurdy
Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher
The Pecan Park Eagle
The Pecan Park Eagle 
October 22, 2017 at 1:50 pm |
The Two-Starter concept would fit the Astros well. They have enough potential “partners.” In addition to what we saw in G7 the Astros also have McHugh, Peacock, Martes, Feliz and Musgrove who are, wish to be or have been starters. Presume Keuchel, Verlander, Morton and McCullers remain the Astros “Big 4” next season. That would allow the #5 spot to be a McHugh/Peacock or a McHugh/Martez, Felix or Musgrove combo. The starter would have to be exceptional with a low pitch count to stay in past the fifth. The second “starter” would do a normal long warm up and be in the game to start the next inning. I noticed that the Astros had Harris warming up the inning before McCullers came into the game. That pattern would continue. If the starter needed relief mid-inning a team would still use regular bullpen arms. Then the “second starter” would enter to begin the next inning.
October 22, 2017 at 1:52 pm |
Building new traditions …
October 22, 2017 at 8:15 pm |
Congratulations, Bill and other Astros fans. It was great to see your team take the American League Championship. Best wishes for going all the way in the World Series.