I am all for a guy (Halladay) with a 19-6 record, 2.35 earn run average, and 220 strikeouts to win the Cy Young Award especially when that guy plays for the Phillies. With that said, when a player in your division finishes the season with more wins, a lower era and more strikeouts I am more compelled to vote for the other guy.

Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander would lead their respective division in wins, era and strikeouts (and WHIP) becoming the first pair to do so since Walter Johnson and Dazzy Vance did so in 1924. And speaking of something that “ain’t happened in a while” Cole Hamels, Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander became the first trio  to finish the season with a WHIP below 1.00 and a batting average against under .215 with at least 200 innings pitched in nearly 40 years when Steve Carlton, Catfish Hunter, Gaylord Perry (started baseball program at my Alma mater Limestone College), and Don Sutton did so in 1972.

What was different is just how well they produced with those injuries. At the start of the season there were only 36 players in the history of major league baseball that hit 25 home runs and 25 doubles in less than 125 games played. And, no team ever had more than one player do so in the same season. So it came as a big surprise when the quartet of Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli each accomplished the feat in 2011.

Unfortunately, they did not get the chance to become the third foursome to hit 30 doubles and 30 home runs in the same season behind the 2000 Angels and the 1996 Rockies. They also did not get the chance to become the only foursome to hit 35 home runs and 35 doubles in the same season. In fact, no team has ever had three players accomplish this feat, let alone four. I guess we will have to wait until next season.

And while I am not blaming the September meltdown or playoff collapse on John Lackey alone (6.41 era and 1.62 whip) he did finish the season going 0-3 in his last 6 starts giving up 28 earned runs in 30.2 innings for an 8.22 era. Even with one of the most prolific offenses that would lead the American League in runs scored , on base percentage and slugging percentage,  Lackey managed to become the first pitcher in the history of baseball to reach 12 wins with an era above 6.40.

But my purpose is to show praise not throw salt in their wounds. Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz became the first trio in major league history to hit 25 or more home runs, 40 or more doubles and finish with a batting average above .300. And Dustin Pedroia is not too far behind. I look forward to seeing if they can make it 4 players next season.

What? Yea, you read that correctly. The record setting Kansas City Royals are the first team in the history of baseball to have four players hit above .285 with 40 or more doubles and 15 or more home runs. In fact, Melky Cabrera, Billy Butler, Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur are the first foursome to hit 44 or more doubles for the same team in the same season.

The 2011 Royals reminded me of my Little League days when playing small ball, good defense, and decent managing could win a game. The offense would finish 2nd in the AL in stolen bases and see four players steal 20 or more bags. They would lead the league in triples and sacrifice hits and finish one shy of leading the league in sacrifice bunts.

While the team ended 20 games under .500 they would finish September with a 15 and 10 record with little help coming from one of the worst pitching staffs in recent memory. The once retire Bruce Chen would lead the team with 12 wins and Luke Hochevar (who?) would lead the team in era (4.68) and whip (1.28). The good news is that there are plenty of pitchers available in the off season.

H20
16 pitchers in the National League finished the season with a WHIP under 1.18. 12 pitchers finished the season with an era under 3.10. And, 10 pitchers finished with more than 190 strikeouts. Six pitchers reached all three of these plateaus and it just so happens that Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels are three of them. So reasons 1, 2 and 3 go to H2O. It is worth mentioning that the other three, Jimenez, Wainwright, and Kershaw didn’t make the playoffs.

Joe Blanton is my reason #4. Mark my words, if we win the World Series he will play a pivotal role at some point along the way. In August and September Blanton went 5-0 in eleven starts with a 3.01 era. The Phillies went 10-1 in those same starts, the only loss coming in quality start against former Phillie Brett Myers in which Blanton would go 7 strong innings allowing just one earned run.

Bullpen
I will stick with the Phillies bullpen for reasons 5 through 7. In his last 11 appearances Chad Durbin has pitched 8 innings and given up 2 earned runs. In his last 15 appearances Brad Lidge has pitched 14.1 innings and given up only one earned run adding 10 saves. After the all-star break Ryan Madson posted a 1.50 era with a 0.98 era in August and a 1.26 era in September with a combined 42 strikeouts in 32.2 innings.

A Pitchers Aid
The 8th reason the Phillies will win the World Series in 2010 is the also the most important player to the 7 pitchers listed above. In his last 5 post-season series Carlos Ruiz is hitting .342 with a .462 on base percentage and 10 extra base hits. If you want to use the “that was in the past” argument how about he led all National League catchers with a .400 obp and finished second behind Buster Posey with a .302 batting average. And down the stretch in September his stats were .324/.425/.500.

Bottom of the Lineup
If as an opposing player you do not fear Rollins (94% stolen base percentage in 2010), Polanco (2^nd in active career at-bats per strikeout ratio), Utley (4 time reigning silver slugger winner), Howard (active at-bat per home run leader), you may want to fear the next four hitters you face just as much. In September and October Jayson Werth hit .300 with 9 home runs, 23 runs scored and 22 runs batted in. In 25 games in September Ibanez hit .340/.385/.577 with 14 extra base hits, 15 runs scored and 16 rbi’s, Shane hit .292/.380/.443 with 10 stolen bases and Carlos Ruiz hit .324/.425/.500. So reason nine goes to the bottom half of our lineup.

Bench Players
The 10th and final reason goes to our bench players. Ross Gload hit .316/.400/.561 with 8 xbh, 10runs and 10rbi in 57 at bats after the all-star break. Wilson Valdez hit .297 with a .392obp in September. Ben Francisco hit .444 with a .778 slugging percentage in 18 at-bats in September. Mike Sweeney’s career .298 batting average speaks for itself.

The obvious questions is are there any players that have finished with more home runs than strikeouts. The obvious answer is yes, plenty of times. Al Simmons, Stan Musial, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mel Ott, and the list goes on and on. A better question is are there any players that have hit more than 50 home runs and struck out less than 50 times.

That list shrinks down to one, his name was Johhny Mize. Eclipsing the 40 home run palteau three times in his career he would hit 50 home runs while striking out only 42 times in 1947. The future Hall of Famer  would have 138 runs batted in and 137 runs scored with a .302/.384/.614. So, while a handful can claim they have matched strikeouts to home runs for a season, only the great Johnny Mize can say he did it with 50 home runs.

This Day in Baseball
September 25th

1955
At the age of 20, Al Kaline becomes the youngest player to win a batting title. The Tigers’ outfielder finishes the season with .340 average.

1965
At the alleged age of 60, Satchel Paige becomes the oldest player ever to appear in a major league game. Pitching for the Kansas City A’s, he blanks the Red Sox for three innings striking out one and giving up just one hit to Carl Yastrzemski.

1965
At age 34, Willie Mays becomes the oldest player to slug 50 home runs in a seasons. Giant center fielder was also the youngest to accomplish the feat hitting 51 homers in 1955.

1997
NBC’s hit TV show “ER” airs live and includes the Cubs telecast in the background of various scenes to authenticate its claim of not being pre-recorded. The medical drama cuts to the game just as Brad Ausmus hits a three-run homer much to the delight of the Astros’ catcher who is taping his favorite program to watch later, not knowing he would be part of the cast.

1998
Ken Griffey, Jr. hits his league-leading 56th homer of the season and 350th of his career becoming the youngest player ever to reach the milestone.

25 major league players have hit 50 or more home runs in a season with more than half coming in the last 15 years. And, just over 100 ball players have stolen 50 or more bases in a season. Brady Anderson and Barry Bonds are the only two players who have hit 50 home runs and stolen 50 bases in a single season (not the same season). Ironically, both players have only broke the 50 home run total and 50 stolen base barrier once throughout their career.

This Date in Baseball
September 23rd

1916
Allowing only just one walk during a twin bill with the Cincinnati Reds, Grover Alexander of the Phillies wins both ends of a doubleheader (7-3 and 4-0) to establish an National League record. The future Hall of Famer will repeat the feat on September 3, 1917 against the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers) at Ebbets Field.

1988
Jose Canseco of the A’s becomes baseball’s first 40-40 player when he swipes his 39th and 40th base in a 14-inning victory over the Brewers, 9-8.

1998
By stealing second base, Craig Biggio becomes the first player since Tris Speaker in 1912 to have 50 stolen bases and 50 doubles in the same season.

2000
Joining Frank Robinson, Devil Rays’ Fred McGriff becomes only the second player in major league history to hit 200 homers in both the American and National League.

2006
At Camden Yards, Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons hits a foul ball straight back over the screen that hits a fan in the rib cage. The injured patron is the batter’s wife, Laura.

Home Runs
25 – Jason Varitek
25 – Kevin Millar
28 – Nomar Garciaparra
37 – Manny Ramirez
28 – Trot Nixon
31 – David Ortiz

Doubles
31 – Jason Varitek
30 – Kevin Millar
38 – Todd Walker
37 – Nomar Garciaparra
45 – Bill Mueller
36 – Manny Ramirez
32 – Johnny Damon
24 – Trot Nixon
39 – David Ortiz

This Day in Baseball
September 21st

1934
In the second game of a doubleheader at Ebbets Field, 22-year old Cardinal hurler Paul Dean becomes the fifth rookie in major league history to pitch a no-hitter beating the Dodgers, 3-0. His brother Dizzy had thrown a two-hitter in the first game of the twin bill blanking Brooklyn, 13-0.

1956
At Fenway Park, the Yankees strand 20 runners on base losing to the Red Sox, 13-7. The number of players left on base sets a big league record for a nine-inning game.

1964
Returning from a West Coast road trip, the Phillies are greeted at the airport by over 2,000 pennant-fever fans as the club arrives in Philadelphia early in the morning. The team, in front of the National League by six and a half games with only 12 games to play, will suffer a ten-game losing streak and will not make it to the post-season.

1998
Jason Kendall sets a new National League record for catchers swiping his 26th base in an 8-1 loss to the Giants at Candlestick Park. The Pirates backstop surpasses the previous mark set by John Stearns playing for the Mets in 1978.

2003
With Atlanta beating the Marlins, 8-0, Greg Maddux becomes the first pitcher ever to have won at least 15 games in 16 consecutive seasons. The Braves’ righty had shared the record with Cy Young.

These very same Cubbies also became the first pitching staff to have 5 of its starters finish a season with an earned run average below 2.00. The only other team since then… the 1907 Chicago Cubs. Not too bad for a pitching staff with only one Hall of Famer.

This Day in Baseball
September 20th

1907
At Exposition Park in Pittsburgh, Nick Maddox no-hits the Dodgers, 2-1. At the age of 20 years and ten months, the Pirate hurler becomes the second rookie and remains the youngest pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the major leagues.

1919
On Babe Ruth Day in Boston, the Bambino scores the winning run in both ends of the doubleheader. Ironically, it will be the last game he plays for the Red Sox in Fenway.

1931
For the first time in 19 years, Gabby Street appears in a major league game. The 48-year old Cardinal skipper is 0-for-1, but the backstop displays his old catching skills when he nails Brooklyn runner Babe Herman trying steal a base.

1997
Cardinal Mark McGwire becomes the first major leaguer to hit 20 home runs for two different teams in the same season. ‘Big Mac’ had hit 34 with the A’s before being traded to St. Louis.

2002
Oriole infielder Mike Bordick sets a major league record playing his 102nd successive game at shortstop without committing an error. Rey Ordonez, playing shortstop for the Mets, had established mark in 1999-2000.

It is worth noting that two Phillies pitchers this year have a shot at tying the record as Roy Hallday and Roy Oswalt have three or four games remaining and both have a 1.05 WHIP.

This Day In Baseball

1929
Joe Sewell sets a major league record by playing in his 115th consecutive game without striking out. The Indian third baseman will be fanned only four times in 578-at-bats this season.

1995
In a 15-4 rout of the Rockies, Ken Caminiti becomes the first major leaguer to hit homers from both sides of the plate in the same game three times in one month. The Padres third baseman accomplishes the feat in just four games.

1998
Mariner shortstop Alex Rodriguez becomes the first infielder in major league history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases.

2001
Cardinal freshman Albert Pujols sets a National League rookie mark with 120 RBIs. The 21-year-old infielder broke the mark of 119 established in 1930 by Wally Berger of the Boston Braves.

2002
In his major league debut, Twins’ rookie Mike Ryan strokes two singles, scores two runs and drives in two runs in the nine-run first inning against the Tigers. Unfortunately, the game is rained out in the second inning meaning none of the statistics will be official.