For players that make an impact on the game every five days or so, starting pitchers receive a hefty sum for their services. In a day and age where ridiculous contracts are doled out on every team, those fortunate enough to crack a Major League team’s rotation continue to earn more in a year than half the nation’s lifetime salary.
However, even with King Felix set to earn $24 million and Clayton Kershaw earning $30 million this year alone, the price is still right. The sport has undeniably evolved into a pitcher’s game, where dominant pitching will easily shut down the league’s best hitters on any given day. Just look at the 2015 season’s six no-hitters, with a full month remaining, and try to refute that statement.
A feat as rare as a no-hitter should not be happening on a monthly basis; after all, there have only been 293 in the 139-year history of professional baseball, translating to approximately two per year – not six. Surprisingly, it is not even the modern era record, as the years 1990, 1991, and 2012 all saw seven no-hitters each, meaning all three record seasons took place in the past quarter of a century.
Look outside the remarkable performance, and further evidence can be found to support the progression in the dominance of pitching. A comprehensive list of yearly pitching statistics can be found at baseball-reference.com, but five significant years can be found below.
| Year | Number of Pitchers Used | ERA | Runs Per Game | Strikeouts Per Nine Innings | Errors Committed |
| 2015 | 695 | 3.92 | 4.20 | 7.7 | 0.58 |
| 1998 | 557 | 4.43 | 4.79 | 6.6 | 0.71 |
| 1973 | 330 | 3.75 | 4.21 | 5.3 | 0.89 |
| 1968 | 287 | 2.98 | 3.42 | 5.9 | 0.85 |
| 1921 | 202 | 4.03 | 4.85 | 2.8 | 1.39 |
Baseball historians will know the significance of these years by heart, but for 99.99% of those reading and are confused about the selection of these five seasons, brace yourselves for a quick trip down History Avenue.
1921 was the first full season of the live-ball era, in which two monumental rule changes were made to the sport. The first rule ensured that baseball which began to unravel would be replaced immediately, contributing to brighter and newer balls per game for hitters to see. The second rule banned the usage of spitballs, which meant that pitchers could no longer spit on or manipulate the ball physically to gain distinct advantages, such as irregular spin patterns.
1968 was the Year of the Pitcher, the culmination of a decade-long pitching dominance. The strike zone spanned from the top of the batter’s armpit to the bottom of the knee, leading to record-setting seasons in pitching, as well as embarrassing historic records in batting.
1973 was the first year of American League’s adoption of the designated hitter, allowing pitchers to focus on throwing the ball, but also providing teams with an extra slot with which to insert a powerful or specialized hitter, the likes of David Ortiz in recent memory.
1998 was the epitome of the Steroid Era. Batting became unbelievable, as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa both broke Roger Maris’ single-season home run record of 61, with 70 homers and 66 homers, respectively. In addition to those performances, Ken Griffey Jr. also slugged 56 home runs, while Greg Vaughn hit 50 round-trippers, the first time four players hit 50 or more in a season.
And 2015 is, of course, the Year of the No-Hitter.
With the chart above, it can easily be seen that pitching has improved over the duration of the live-ball era – an era designed to improve hitting. Batters have been given many advantages over the years, with lower pitching mounds, smaller strike zones, and the addition of a designated hitter highlighting those changes. Still, hurlers continue to be untouchable.
The numbers that stand out the most are the pitchers used every season. Managers now have the luxury of deep bullpens, filled with specialists and flame-throwers. With a month left and expanded rosters still to enter the playoff picture, the season has already seen 695 pitchers take the mound – an all-time record.
Interestingly, the department of earned run average has fluctuated over time, seemingly hinting at the deterioration of pitching. However, three key factors should be considered before making such an assumption.
First, the incredibly low ERA of 1968 may be discounted for the aforementioned larger strike zone and elevated mound. Hitters did not stand a chance, as the collective batting average of .231 still stands as the worst in Major League history, and both league MVPs were pitchers.
Next, the exaggerated ERA witnessed in 1998 can easily be attributed to the Steroid Era, when hitting was second nature to PED-users. All of this happened in a season where Toronto’s Roger Clemens walked away with a Triple Crown despite a 2.65 ERA.
Finally, the disparity between the earned run averages and the runs per game in each of the five seasons should be noted. Despite having the third-highest ERA on the list, the 2015 season boasts an unearned run average of only 0.28 per game, compared with 1921’s 0.82, 1968’s 0.44, 1973’s 0.46, and 1998’s 0.36. What does this mean?
Take a look at the last column in the chart. Errors per game have dramatically decreases over the last century, as defense has become an expectation. Remember when home run robbery was a miracle? Now, it’s just a Monday.
With fewer runs being lost to defensive mistakes, hitters have to earn almost every run on the board. This puts pressure on batters to find the gaps in both the infield and the outfield to receive a hit, since a ball hit at a defender will certainly result in an out nowadays. When a pitcher channels their inner Cy Young, however, it becomes nearly impossible to even make contact with the ball. The strikeout numbers prove that.
In 2015, pitchers league-wide are averaging 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Strategic hurlers, those who do not rely on overpowering velocity, are few and far between. Names like Mark Buehrle and El Duque come to mind, with their advanced ages following immediately. Strikeout artists are a dime a dozen, with the top 5 strikeout leaders – Kershaw (94 mph), Sale (96 mph), Archer (96 mph), Kluber (94 mph), and Scherzer (95 mph) – all with incredible fastballs. Then there’s Aroldis Chapman, averaging triple-digits.
To truly feel the magnitude of the number of strikeouts per nine innings this season, compare it with the 5.9 strikeouts in the Year of the Pitcher. Despite the history books’ lowest ERA, 1968’s larger strike zone still recorded two fewer strikeouts per nine innings than the current season.
Pitching is now the name of the game, and fans should embrace that. A team that can slug with the best of them will struggle in the today’s league without capable pitchers, and general managers around the Majors hoping that their $20 million hitters can bail them out of slugfests will lose almost every time.
Appreciate the offensive gems, like Encarnación’s 9-RBI hat trick, because they have replaced no-hitters as the rare performances. As pitching continues to take over, hitting records become safer and safer, and while that may be disappointing for the casual fan watching for offensive explosions, it adds intrigue and anticipation to every game, as we wait for that great hitter to finally drive one against those great pitchers.
Pitch like there’s no tomorrow, they say. Today, they just need to pitch like it’s 2015.