Making a Pitch for the Playoffs

By Val Thompson

Both the Houston Astros and the Anaheim Angels appear to be playoff-bound. Both teams have been carried since August by an underrated veteran pitcher.

Bartolo Colon finally got some attention when he became the first pitcher in the American League to get to 20 wins. Not Johan Santana. Not Jon Garland or Mark Buerhle. Not Randy Johnson. Instead, it's the short, stubby Colon who has helped the Angels take a 1.5 game lead in the division.

Colon is often dismissed because he doesn't look like he should be a good pitcher. He looks like Fernando Valenzuela. The bad Fernando Valenzuela. Yet he is one of the hottest pitchers in the majors. Again. Colon is 9-1 in his last 12 starts. His ERA in August was 1.72. And this isn't a first. Colon was a 20-game winner for Cleveland and Montreal in 2002. Perhaps most impressive, Colon has pitched more than 200 innings for five consecutive years, and more than 188 innings for eight straight years. He hasn't had a losing season since he went 4-7 as a rookie in 1997.

The Astros ace is even more impressive. And I'm not talking about Roger Clemens. Andy Pettite has emerged as Houston's clutch performer on the mound. For some reason, the team hits more for Pettite than they do for Clemens. Pettite has won seven consecutive starts, improving to 17-9 with a victory over the Pirates last night. His ERA is a remarkable 2.45. Yet "The Rocket" usually gets most of the remarks on that team. Pettite has quietly bounced back from a season of obscurity last year.

Even though Pettite has been riddled with missed starts the past four years he's never had a losing season. Ever. His career winning percentage (.654) isn't far from Clemens' (.664). In fact, they're so close that in a hundred decisions, Clemens would average just one more victory than Pettite. During a critical July, when Houston was making up ground and battling up the wildcard, Pettite led the charge with a 0.90 ERA for the month. The Astros went 22-7 that month, with five victories from Pettite.

Neither Pettite nor Colon are appreciated because they aren't strikeout leaders. They both fare pretty well. Pettite is 22nd in the league with 161, while Colon is 27th with 149. But take a look at the top of the list. Some of the names are Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Mark Prior. Each of these pitchers is seen as an intimidator on the mound. They bring a lot of attention when they make a start because they can blow the ball past hitters. Yet none of them has more than 15 wins. In fact, only one of the top ten leaders in strikeouts has more than 15 wins. That's Cris Carpenter with 21.

Pettite and Colon win games because they know how to get outs, if not strikeouts. They don't allow needless baserunners. Colon has walked just 40 batters in 212 innings. Pettite has walked 41 in 209. Both pitchers average close to seven innings per start, which means they don't put unnecessary weight on their bullpen. They can be depended on to stay in the game until the victory is all but sealed.

Other pitchers may have higher numbers on the radar gun, more strikeouts, more press. But Pettite and Colon have more wins. And that's what gets teams to the postseason.