We have five nominees for best pitching performance of the year. We could have stopped at two, an all NL West affair pitting Clayton Kershaw's dominating no-hitter against Madison Bumgarner's amazing World Series performance. But I'm told we have to nominate five. Rules, rules, rules. Always rules. They'll get you every time.
SB Nation MLB Pitching Performance of the Year nominees
A World Series legend vs. a regular-season no-hitter for the ages. We can’t pick just one, but you can. Tell us the best pitching performance of 2014.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
A committee of SB Nation baseball editors and writers -- Grant Brisbee, Marc Normandin, Bill Hanstock and Kurt Mensching -- picked our favorite pitching performances after our 30 baseball blogs nominated their team’s best. Now it’s your turn to tell us which pitcher was best.
1. Josh Collmenters's 27-batter Maddux, AZ Snake Pit
A Maddux occurs when a pitcher throws a shutout while tossing fewer than 99 pitches. Diamondbacks pitcher Josh Collmenter recorded one while pitching to the minimum number of batters possible in a nine-inning game, 27, against the Reds. Three of the batters got hits but were erased in double plays. He struck out five and finished the day at 94 pitches. You gotta admit, that's pretty cool, no?
2. Jordan Zimmermann no-hitter, Federal Baseball
Jordan Zimmermann became the third DC-based pitcher in history to throw a no hitter -- and the first in modern history since the last one came in 1931. He struck out 10 and walked one. He also reportedly bought Steven Souza a car for a catch worthy of nomination among our defensive plays of the year. (Later we found it was actually a Best Buy gift card. Maybe Souza bought a remote control car.) Pretty good, but ...
3. Jake Arrieta’s near no-hitter, Bleed Cubbie Blue
A 97 game score. 97. That's pretty great. Jake Arrieta did a lot of things you want a starting pitcher to do, like strike out 13 guys, and he didn't do a lot of things you don't want a starting pitcher to do. Such as allow hits. He gave up one in the eighth inning. It was the first baserunner allowed all game. This sounds like a wonderful performance, let's see what's next on the list ...
4. Clayton Kershaw’s 15 strikeout no-hitter, True Blue LA
Awww crap. Game. Set. Match. Kershaw struck out 15. He allowed no hits. His 102 game score was the second highest since 1994. (Kerry Wood's 105 in 1998 is the only one higher.)
5. Madison Bumgarner's 5 innings of relief in Game 7, McCovey Chronicles
Bumgarner threw a four-hit shutout in Game 5. Three days later he takes the ball in the fifth inning. And keeps it in the sixth. And seventh. And eighth. And -- holy crap he’s coming out for the ninth inning in a 3-2 game?! The stuff of legends. And enough to be named the World Series MVP.
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