I found this on the Capitol Punishment blog and thought some of you might like to see it, especially those of you who say that John Patterson wasn't even very good in 2005. I would like you to note that there are actually 6 games listed here since there is a tie for 4th. Number 2 was pitched by Pedro Astacio, Jason Bergmann tied for 4th, and the other 4 games were pitched by... guess who???
"Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Other Great Starts
Bill James invented a junk stat -- a fun little gimmick -- called "Game Scores" to try to assess how dominant a pitcher is. It's a pretty basic concept, and it doesn't really tell anything per se, but it does sorta tell how dominant a pitcher is.
Here's the formula: Start with 50 points. Add 1 point for each out recorded, (or 3 points per inning). Add 2 points for each inning completed after the 4th. Add 1 point for each strikeout. Subtract 2 points for each hit allowed. Subtract 4 points for each earned run allowed. Subtract 2 points for each unearned run allowed. Subtract 1 point for each walk.
An average outing is about 50. Anything above that's pretty good. 70 is a solid start. 80 is a dominant start. And 90 is one that you'll remember for a few years.
Kerry Wood holds the record, when he had that one-hit, 20K complete game a number of years back.
So where does Jason Bergmann's outing rank with the Nats? Pretty damn good, actually.
He's tied for the fourth-best start since the team moved to Washington.
1) 92: 8/4/05 -- John Patterson struck out 13 Dodger in a four-hit shutout, a game many will remember for Brad Wilkerson's grand slam.
2) 88: 8/15/06 -- Pedro Astacio threw the most improbable game of the year, the Nationals' first CG of the year in a 5-0 2-hitter against the Braves. He struck out 5 batters and threw just 89 pitches.
3) 84: 4/15/06 -- John Patterson, before his injury, gave us a glimpse of how dominant he could be when he was on. He matched his 13 Ks but allowed a run in his 8 innings -- the run coming on back-to-back doubles in the fifth, two of the three hits he allowed.
4) 83: 9/16/05 -- John Patterson didn't know that the season would slip away over the next two games, but his CG 5-1 win over Jake Peavy and the Padres was pure clutch. He struck out 6, and allowed just three hits, while lowering his ERA to an amazing 2.65.
4) 83: 5/14/07 -- Jason Bergmann was dominant, but he didn't go the distance, knocking a few points of his potential score.
5) 82: 7/19/05 -- John Patterson started the 9th inning with a shutout, but after giving up his third hit, Frank gave him the hook. 8 strikeouts in 8 innings, with just three hits allowed. Those were the good times, weren't they?
You're probably thinking that there's one missing -- Ramon Ortiz' near no-no from last Labor Day. It's close, but definitely no cigar. He finished with a game score of 78 because he allowed a run, walked three batters, only struck out five, and eventually allowed two hits. A great start, for sure. A great memory, definitely. But it's not, all things considered, one of the five best."
By the way, if you want to argue this - and I know some of you will (Spidernat and one or 2 nameless others) - don't argue with me, argue with Chris at "Capitol Punishment" or Bill James.
