Celebrity Cage Match: Kershaw vs. Halladay
No surprise there.
Lee ran his record to 17-8, which figures to get him into third or fourth place in the Cy Young balloting.
If Lee doesn't finish third, it'll be because the voters are more impressed with Ian Kennedy's 21-4 record than Lee's 2.40 ERA and 5.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The real action happened Sunday, when both Clayton Kershaw and Roy Halladay pitched.
Of course, because they’re Clayton Kershaw and Roy Halladay, they both won.
How close are they?
Halladay’s 19-6 and Kershaw’s 21-5.
Halladay’s got a 2.35 ERA, Kershaw’s is 2.28.
Halladay pitched 233⅔ innings, Kershaw 233⅓.
Kershaw struck out 248 batters, Halladay “only” 220.
Halladay has one big edge: strikeout-to-walk ratio. While Kershaw’s command of the strike zone has been excellent, his 4.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio pales next to Halladay’s MLB-best 6.3 mark.
Halladay’s also got a big edge, percentage-wise, in home runs. He’s given up only 10 home runs all season, compared to 15 for Kershaw.
It’s funny, they’re mostly tied except for the K/BB ratios and the home runs ... but those are the categories most likely to be ignored by the voters. Voters like wins and ERA and strikeouts, and Kershaw’s got Halladay in all three.
There’s more, though.
Kershaw’s going to win the pitcher’s Triple Crown, leading his league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts.
Prior to this season, there have been 11 pitcher Triple Crowns since the advent of the Cy Young Award
And 11 times, the Triple Crown was accompanied by a Cy Young Award.
I’m not sure Kershaw will make it 12 straight. The voters will be impressed by Kershaw’s Triple Crown, but voters pay more attention to the other statistics than they used to and I’m pretty sure Halladay will pick up some first-place votes.
Just not enough, probably.
