Friday, April 17, 2015

AND THE FIRST COMPLETE GAME OF 2015 GOES TO...

We waited thirteen days into the 2015 season...and there were thirteen previous games in which a starter threw at least eight innings (including two outings by David Price)...but the first complete game of the year was turned in by a pitcher who'd thrown two consecutive "7S" QMAX games in his previous 2015 starts and had allowed 19 hits in 9 2/3 previous innings.

That's right...it's Josh Collmenter of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who blanked the reeling San Francisco Giants (last year's World Champs are now 3-9 to start the season) on four hits in a 9-0 rout.

Collmenter had a complete game last year, so this is not an example of virginity loss or anything. Those who were hoping for a more dramatic performance (last year, just for comparison, the Padres' Andrew Cashner tossed a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts to kick things off in the CG department) will be a bit deflated by the fact that Josh fanned only two Giants en route to his route-going performance.

With signs of increasing caution in starting pitcher usage swirling around in the early going, we've got the sense that this just might be the year in which the total number of CGs dips below 100 for the first time ever. Stay tuned.