.
Mo' Dawg gets a same day response from the Founding Father. Thass' what I'm TALKIN' about.
It's a whopping $3 per month for your own Personal Sabermetrics Trainer. Who can afford three bucks, anyway.
.....
.....
Gordon did a rough cut, using the criteria of K's, CTL, undefeated, ERA, over the last 4 decades ... he got 8 other pitchers, of whom 5 were HOF types.
.....
Bill doesn't actually say what his criteria are - maybe his Game Score metric. Anyway, 27 pitchers in baseball history have had as good or better a debut, with Paxton #28. You can review those 27 pitchers above.
I count 1/3 of them -- based on 5 starts, now! -- who went on to become major stars whose names I recognize at a glance. A lot of the 2/3 who didn't, they got hurt - Fidrych, Simpson, etc.
......
The list based on 5 starts' worth of box scores alone. It doesn't consider
and so forth. If you wanted to jury-rig the table to produce 80% stars, you wouldn't have much problem doing so.
........
Felix is a bit of a cautionary tale -- he started red-hot, but the league adjusted, and he spent two years as an "excellent" pitcher who underachieved, before realizing his greatness. So let's hope Paxton doesn't turn out to be Felix...
.........
On the list, I don't notice a single LH flamethrower who started like this, do you? Well, probably one of those oldtimers was a lefty with a real hot fastball.
Randy Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Steve Carlton types are erratic by their nature. So Paxton's fans could probably claim "there's never been another Blow 'Em Away Lefty who started so well."
......
Anyway. Thanks to Bill for providing the list of 27 pitchers who started hotter than Paxton has.
Cheers,
Jeff
Man, I forgot about Fernando! How stupid of me. Fidrych, man he was fun.
I thought of him, but was thinking of him more as a rookie sensation. The smokin' start eluded me, too.
Much appreciation to Doc and The Godfather.
moe
witness Fernando's first start, a 1981 Opening Day complete game 2-0 shutout of the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium. Best seats I ever had, right behind the LA dugout. I had also witnessed him pitch in relief against the Astros in a dramatic game the prior October. If Paxton can duplicate Valenzuela's immediate impact as a starter...imagine that! Fernando mania re-LIVED!
...that you hope Paxton doesn't turn out to be Felix?
I think we all hope that Paxton is like the age 25-27 Felix rather than the 19-21 year old Felix that had trouble adjusting at first. If Paxton's maturity works for him, he'll still have a good career, even if it won't be as long as Felix's..
... but more seriously, I'd rather have a Larry Bernandez than a second Felix.
Fernando's first start. WOW.
I would consider myself most blessed to have witnessed in person:
* A Sandy Koufax start at Dodger Stadium sometime in 1965 or 1966.
* The remarkable 1966 Rose Bowl when upstart Gary Beban and UCLA shocked #1 ranked Michigan State.
* The famous incident in a 1976 game at Dodger Stadium where Rick Monday saved the US flag from a protester who dashed onto the field of play and attempted to burn it.
* The first-ever Angels' postseason game in 1979 at what was then called The Big A (a thrilling 10-inning walkoff win over favored Baltimore)
* Fernando's first start in 1981.
* The Mariners' Sept 23rd, 1997 AL West title-clinching game at The Kingdome (it was an amazingly exciting game!)
* The first game at Safeco Field after September 11, 2001, where the team gathered after the game at the pitchers' mound, and then some of the players circled the field carrying an American flag.
It would be an interesting thread to see what others would list as the "bucket list" sporting events they have witnessed in person.