Kallman: Marberry fields forever
From SABR member Jeff Kallman at The Hardball Times on October 29, 2019:
The Washington Senators of ancient times, you may know, had a slightly exaggerated image, thanks to a San Francisco writer: “Washington—First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.” Then, in 1924, they did what people who buy the legend might consider impossible. They won the pennant. And the World Series.
And those Senators, with a stacked six-man starting rotation led by Hall of Famer Walter Johnson, won that Series with what we’d call today—wait for it!—bullpenning. The very thing the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees did for Game Six of the American League Championship Series this month.
Remember: these were the Good Old Days of the Grand Old Game. When men were men, pitchers pitched until their arms looked as though they’d self-amputate, and managers wouldn’t even joke about having regular bullpens except as the holding area for the starters who couldn’t cut the mustard in the first place or the washed-up just hanging on a little longer. Right?
Read the full article here: https://tht.fangraphs.com/marberry-fields-forever/
Originally published: October 31, 2019. Last Updated: October 31, 2019.