Mark Buehrle first MLB pitcher to reach eight wins in 2014
By Hayden Kane
Pitcher wins can be misleading as a statistical category. Just ask poor Jeff Samardzija of the Chicago Cubs about that one.
That does not mean that we should ignore the state or automatically discount it, however. It can still be useful in telling us something, and right now it is telling us that Mark Buehrle of the Toronto Blue Jays is having a throwback season.
The Blue Jays defeated the Boston Red Sox 7-2 behind Buehrle’s arm on Thursday. With the victory Buehrle was the first pitcher in Major League Baseball to reach eight wins in 2014.
More from MLB
- Braves get dose of bad news on Max Fried as ace nears return
- Shohei Ohtani trade rumors live tracker: Every update so far
- MLB Rumors: Yankees mistake, Cardinals trade package, Cubs choice
- Inside the Clubhouse: What I’m hearing ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline
- After frantic trade day, Kiké Hernandez grateful for second chance with Dodgers
By chucking seven innings of two run baseball on Thursday, the 35-year-old starter brought his stats on the season up to an 8-1 record with a 2.16 ERA. There is nothing misleading about Buehrle’s impressive number in the wins column: he has earned it.
You would have had to go far, far down the list of American League pitchers before you reached Buehrle as the guy you would have guessed to dominate the league this way in 2014. The crafty veteran was coming off a solid but unspectacular 2013 season in which he went 12-10 with a 4.15 ERA; at this rate he is on pace to start the All Star game.
Perhaps the most noteworthy development is the job that Buehrle has done keeping the ball in the park. After surrendering 24 home runs in 33 starts last year, he has allowed only two home runs so far through nine starts. Pitching at the head of a resilient and successful Toronto Blue Jays team, Buehrle has been a pleasant surprise thus far.