Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365

Starting pitchers who actually pitch on three days rest in the modern game.... They don't exist anymore. There are lots of pitchers in MLB who start 33-34 games over the course of the season. A few here and there get in 35 games started. The last time a pitcher started 36 games was 2003. The last time a pitcher started 37 games was 1991.

I don't know what constitutes three days rest. For SOM online 162 game schedules with no days off, #1 and #2 in a four man rotation can get 41 games started. In a five man rotation, #1 and #2 can get 33 games started. In MLB where there are days off, a #1 starter on a strict four days off between starts can easily get 36 games started if he doesn't miss any time due to injuries. Jayson Stark would know how to find out - when was the last time a MLB starting pitcher started 3 games during the regular season on three days rest? It doesn't happen anymore. Why does SOM online still have SP*?

I believe the answer to the 3 starts on 3 days rest question would be CC Sabathia when he was with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The appropriately named Mr Baseball World hits it on the head. I scanned through all of Sabathia's starts going back to 2002 using ESPN's Game Logs.

In 2008, C. C. started Sept 20th, 24th, and 28th on three days rest. He then started the first game of the post season on three days rest (Oct 2). He went 2 - 2 in these four games.

In 2009, C. C. started Nov 1 in the post season on three days rest. No decision as the Yanks scored three in the top of the ninth to go up 3 - 1 on the Phillies after C. C. had been lifted.

In 2011, C. C. started game 1 against Detroit on Sept 29th (post season). The game was called after 1.1 innings and resumed on Sept 30 without C. C. on the mound. C. C. started and lost game 3 on Oct 3rd. C. C. then relieved and lost game 5 on Oct 6.

In my opinion, Sabathia makes my point. Apart from a couple starts in the post season, he's started three games on three days rest (regular season) once in an eleven year career. Last year, C. C. pitched exactly 200 innings on 28 starts. I believe 200 IPs will qualify him for SP*. In how many online SOM leagues will he start 41 games?

I am a Strat loyalist going back to the '75 card set. Rest assured, I will play only Strat no matter how many SP* there are or are not. I don't play rotissarie. If I am not playing Strat, I am not playing.

Nevertheless, SP* does not exist anymore. As I mentioned in my original post, the last starting pitcher with 37 starts was 21 seasons ago. The last pitcher with 36 starts was 9 seasons ago. You have to go back to the late 70s to find guys like Niekro starting 40 or more games. Seaver never started more than 36. Carlton started 41 once, 40 once, 39 once, and 38 twice. Palmer started 40 once, 39 twice, and 38 twice. Drysdale started 40 or more five years in a row. Koufax started 40 three times. Lonborg started 39 twice. Marichal started 40 once and 38 once.

Can you guess my conclusion? No SP* in the modern game. You'll have to play ATG or the 70s game if you want a four man rotation.

162 consecutive games with no days off is completely unrealistic and never has existed either. If you limit all SP to 4 days rest they will not get as many starts as they do in real life assuming no injuries. The *SP is simply a way to get the SP that pitched more games/innings more starts than those that did not.

Allowing a role player who only had 100 AB in real life the chance to play everyday in this game is also not realistic if you are trying to recreate the actual stats. It is just part of the game.

LMBombers wrote:162 consecutive games with no days off is completely unrealistic and never has existed either. If you limit all SP to 4 days rest they will not get as many starts as they do in real life assuming no injuries. The *SP is simply a way to get the SP that pitched more games/innings more starts than those that did not.

Allowing a role player who only had 100 AB in real life the chance to play everyday in this game is also not realistic if you are trying to recreate the actual stats. It is just part of the game.

All true. The point isn't to make it perfect. Just to make it as good as it can be. 33 or 32 games started is much closer to reality than 41 or 40 games started.

Denorien wrote:In my opinion, Sabathia makes my point. Apart from a couple starts in the post season, he's started three games on three days rest (regular season) once in an eleven year career. Last year, C. C. pitched exactly 200 innings on 28 starts. I believe 200 IPs will qualify him for SP*. In how many online SOM leagues will he start 41 games?

Sabathia is an S7 with no *. They also use a minimum number of starts as well to determine the *. It doesn't seem written in stone to me the exact threshold, but it seems like somewhere around 30-32.

Part of strat is making managerial decisions to improve upon what I may view as a flawed strategy used. I see no difference between a pitcher who started 36 games getting 41 and same pitcher being limited to 33. What I do want though is if a pitcher demonstrated via sufficient number of starts or number of innings they could have started every 4th game to be able to use him in that way. Sabathia, Verlander, Felix Hernandez, and many others could easily start every 4th game. Why shouldn't I be able to use them in that way?

The flip side of this is some in ATG want deadball pitchers who threw 500 innings to be able to pitch every 3 games. Common sense tells me those same guys could not step in to the modern game with the better lineups 1-9 with more high stress innings, etc and throw every 3rd day and pile up 500 innings. I will take the compromise between the two positions and allow those with sufficient starts/innings to traditionally qualify for the * to continue getting it.

Sorry wrong thread!