Does pitching really win championships?

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

It's 3 a.m and I'm bored but bare with me. I was surfing the web and once again read headlines about the Sox and Phillies in the WS. Just to make myself clear this thread is not about a potential WS matchup between the Sox and Phillies. Just reading an article inspired me to make this thread.

 

Is this a cliche or not? Honestly, I don't think so but others may have a different opinion. You can look at the past ten years of the WS and pitching definetely has the advantage. Don't get me wrong pitching is not the only thing that's key to winning. Offense and fielding is very important too. I just think pitching gives you the upper hand. There's a lot of knowledge baseball fans on this site and I just want to hear your opinions on this.

[Emmz]

Cliche, just like defense wins championships, just like every other cliche. A cliche is a term that is overused and often not entirely accurate, if pitching wins championships, then the team with the good pitchers would win every year, which is not what happens. Good pitching has the opportunity to shut down a slugging offense better than a team with crappy pitching, but you can have 4 aces all you want, if your lineup is filled with Julio Lugos, you're not winning crap.

[RedSox_Ruszkowski]

pitching definitely wins championships, if said team can make the playofs. once october hits, it changes pitchers. they're more dialed in, more intense, more focused. offense goes through a cycle of 9 hittes, but pitchers.... it's just them and the batters. all you need in the playoffs is a solid 3 SP. that's it. no pitcher is going to bitch about having to start on 3 days rest if it's game 6 of the ALCS! if your pitchers can do their jobs and leave it to your offense to put up only a few runs, you'll win championships.....

[BornToRun]

pitching definitely wins championships' date=' if said team can make the playofs. once october hits, it changes pitchers. they're more dialed in, more intense, more focused. offense goes through a cycle of 9 hittes, but pitchers.... it's just them and the batters. all you need in the playoffs is a solid 3 SP. that's it. no pitcher is going to bitch about having to start on 3 days rest if it's game 6 of the ALCS! if your pitchers can do their jobs and leave it to your offense to put up only a few runs, you'll win championships.....[/quote']

 

True but what happens when you can't score runs for the guy? You need a well-rounded team to succeed. Pitching wins championships, so does hitting and defense. And if it is Philly, we can take 'em. Our starters can match up to their top 3, our bullpen is superior, and do I even need to talk about the offense?

[RedSox_Ruszkowski]

^ i agree. i guess i didn't make my point well. i meant that a team with a dmoinant pitching staff that can put up some runs will be far better than a team with so-so pitching and and above average hitters. i do agree that we can take the phillies, but you have to think, we lost home field advantage due to that s***** all-star game. ( worst idea in sports). papi might have to sit a few games. i do think going into the playoffs with our starting 3 and a dominant bullpen will give us the advantage over any team. our guys are going to give us the lead mostly every game, our starters just have to protect it....

[BornToRun]

^ i agree. i guess i didn't make my point well. i meant that a team with a dmoinant pitching staff that can put up some runs will be far better than a team with so-so pitching and and above average hitters. i do agree that we can take the phillies' date=' but you have to think, we lost home field advantage due to that s***** all-star game. ( worst idea in sports). papi might have to sit a few games. i do think going into the playoffs with our starting 3 and a dominant bullpen will give us the advantage over any team. our guys are going to give us the lead mostly every game, our starters just have to protect it....[/quote']

 

Oh yes, I agree with you there. Great pitching and OK offense beats so-so pitching and good offense but give me good pitching and a good offense and I give you a champion. And as far as our struggles against the NL this year, there are 4 very good reasons for them.

 

1. No Buchholz

2. No CC

3. Ronald McDonald

4. That old black dude whose name I forget, the one who was good like 5 years ago. You know who I'm talking about?

 

Plus, why not go with the A-Gon experiment again? Philly's right field isn't that tough, it isn't like playing in Fenway.

[RedSox_Ruszkowski]

That old black dude whose name I forget, the one who was good like 5 years ago. You know who I'm talking about?

 

 

for some reason i just pictured morgan freeman in a mike cameron jersey.....

[BornToRun]

What!?

[RedSox_Ruszkowski]

yea..... morgan freeman with a little darker makeup on.... now i'm trying to think which movie stars would play the rest of our team.... i think jason statham plays pedroia, and danny trejo ( from Machete) plays A-Gon....

[BornToRun]

Danny Trejo isn't badass enough to be A-Gon.

[RedSox_Ruszkowski]

how about will smith in a sumbrero?

[BornToRun]

Getting colder.

[Dojji]

Define a good pitcher. No one would call Jeff Weaver a good pitcher, but he was a stud in the Series in '06 with the Cards. He always had that kinda talent but could never harness it consistently in the regular season. That one World Series comes around and it's his day for some odd reason, and for that one playoff, he wasn't a good pitcher he was a great pitcher.

[iortiz]

Balance, Balance and more Balance. Balance/Equilibrium is the name of success in all aspects of life.

 

We are the 1st offense and the 26th in Quality Starts in all baseball. A serious WS contender can't go that way.

 

Beckett and Lester are supposedly in shape and healthy. Buch a whole mystery, don't make me even talk about the others. This team needs balance for sure, and pitching is our Achilles' heel.

 

On the other hand, the Phillies are a pretty good example of what a balanced team is. Great Pitching and a respectable offense, so... where would you stack your odds and your one million dollars without fanaticism in this scenario...

[BornToRun]

QS is an overrated stat and without Lackey's numbers, our standing among the other staffs goes up dramatically. Our bullpen is amazing as well. Buch will be back, Beckett and Lester are f***ing s*** up. Relax, we don't have an Achille's heel. It isn't April anymore, we don't have any use for doomsday prognostications.

[iortiz]

QS is an overrated stat and without Lackey's numbers' date=' our standing among the other staffs goes up dramatically. Our bullpen is amazing as well. Buch will be back, Beckett and Lester are f***ing s*** up. Relax, we don't have an Achille's heel. It isn't April anymore, we don't have any use for doomsday prognostications.[/quote']

 

Nope, it is not an overrated stat; it shows what it was made to show:QS. Don't like it?, look at the ERA column.

 

BTW You can't take away Lackey's numbers since he is our 4th spot, like it or not; and probably would be our 3rd spot if Buch doesn't make it.