COMPLETE GAME VICTORIES TO CLINCH DIVISION SERIES (Updated with Cliff Lee)

A few days ago I wrote a post about pitchers who threw a complete game victory to clinch the Division Series.

I felt it was such a rare occurrence that it was worth noting.

Now it has happened twice in three days and Cliff Lee has added his name to the list. It just goes to show you, I shouldn’t write lists like this until the round is OVER!

Let’s update it.

Complete Game Division Series Clinchers

John Smoltz
1997 ATLANTA BRAVES
Game 3
4-1 victory against Houston Astros

Bobby Jones
2000 NEW YORK METS
Game 4
4-0 victory against San Francisco Giants

Curt Schilling
2001 ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Game 5
2-1 victory against St. Louis Cardinals

Cole Hamels
2010 PHILADELPHIA PHLLIES
Game 3
2-0 victory against Cincinnati Reds

Cliff Lee
2010 TEXAS RANGERS
Game 5
5-1 victory against Tampa Bay Rays

The 2001 Series didn’t end with Schilling on the mound getting the last out. The series ended with a walk off single by Tony Womack.

For sticklers of details, they played the Division Series in 1981 as well and two more complete games clinched series THAT year.

Steve Rogers
1981 MONTREAL EXPOS
Game 5
3-0 victory against Philadelphia Phillies

Jerry Reuss
1981 LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Game 5
4-0 victory against Houston Astros

But while relievers were being used more frequently then, the whole specialization of EVERY bullpen role (and the cheapening of the save) didn’t come around until the late 1980s.

Maybe we’ll update it next year if there is any new names to add.

Little side note… Cliff Lee is the first person to throw a complete game to clinch an AMERICAN LEAGUE Division Series.

ChaChing this off season!

Updating the No Hitter Post

Earlier this year, I wrote up a list of each teams most recent no hitter… and I should update it each time a new no hitter is thrown.

And I forgot to when Roy Halladay threw his last week.

So dutifully, here is the updated list of each team’s most recent no hitter.

THE MOST RECENT NO HITTERS
FOR EACH FRANCHISE

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Roy Halladay – October 6, 2010
4-0 over Cincinnati. (Playoff Game)

TAMPA PAY RAYS
Matt Garza – July 26th, 2010
5-0 over Detroit.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Edwin Jackson – June 25, 2010
1-0 over Tampa Bay

OAKLAND A’S
Dallas Braden – May 9, 2010
4-0 over Tampa Bay. (Perfect Game.)

COLORADO ROCKIES
Ubaldo Jimenez – April 17, 2010
4-0 over Atlanta.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Mark Buehrle – July 23, 2009
5-0 over Tampa Bay. (Perfect Game.)

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Jonathan Sanchez – July 10, 2009.
8-0 over San Diego.

CHICAGO CUBS
Carlos Zambrano – September 14, 2008.
5-0 over Houston.

BOSTON RED SOX
Jon Lester – May 19, 2008.
7-0 over Kansas City.

DETROIT TIGERS
Justin Verlander – June 12, 2007.
4-0 over Milwaukee.

FLORIDA MARLINS
Anibal Sanchez – September 6, 2006.
2-0 over Arizona.

HOUSTON ASTROS
Roy Oswalt, Peter Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner –
June 11, 2003.
8-0 over New York Yankees.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Bud Smith – September 3, 2001
4-0 over San Diego.

MINNESOTA TWINS
Eric Milton – September 11, 1999
7-0 over Anaheim.

NEW YORK YANKEES
David Cone – July 18, 1999.
6-0 over Montreal. (Perfect Game.)

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon – July 12, 1997.
3-0 over Houston. (10 innings.)

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Hideo Nomo – September 17, 1996.
9-0 over Colorado.

TEXAS RANGERS
Kenny Rogers – July 28, 1994.
4-0 over California. (Perfect Game.)

ATLANTA BRAVES
Kent Mercker – April 8, 1994.
6-0 over Los Angeles.

SEATTLE MARINERS
Chris Bosio – April 22, 1993.
2-0 over Boston.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Bret Saberhagen – August 26, 1991
7-0 over Chicago White Sox.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (AS MONTREAL EXPOS)
Dennis Martinez – July 28, 1991.
2-0 over Los Angeles. (Perfect Game.)

BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson and Gregg Olson – July 13, 1991.
2-0 over Oakland.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Dave Steib – September 2, 1990.
3-0 over Cleveland.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (AS CALIFORNIA ANGELS)
Mark Langston and Mike Witt – April 11, 1990.
1-0 over Seattle.

CINCINNATI REDS
Tom Browning – September 16, 1988.
1-0 over Los Angeles. (Perfect Game.)

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Juan Nieves – April 15, 1987.
7-0 over Baltimore.

CLEVELAND INDIANS
Len Barker – May 15, 1981.
3-0 over Toronto. (Perfect Game.)

Bonus
WASHINGTON SENATORS
Bobby Burke – August 8, 1931
5-0 over Boston.

Keep in mind, with as bad an offense that the Giants have, Halladay, Oswalt AND Hamels have a solid choice to crack this list.

Once again, I feel badly for Cleveland

Cliff Lee was the Cy Young winner for Cleveland in 2008.
Cliff Lee was the post season pitching stud for Philadelphia in 2009.
Cliff Lee has pitched the Rangers into the ALCS with a dominating performance against the Rays this year.

You can’t ask for more from him… but could you imagine if the Cliff Lee of ’08, ’09 and ’10 was even 75% there in ’07?

The Indians nearly made it to the World Series that year… a year when Lee melted down and was sent to the minors and wasn’t on the post season roster.

They had C. C. Sabathia, who won the Cy Young Award that year and Fausto Carmona who was terrific. But come game 7, they handed the ball to Jake Westbrook.

Imagine if Cliff Lee… even a fraction of the pitcher we saw last night… pitched Game 7 in Boston.

Chances are the Indians would have won the ALCS… and would have crushed Colorado in the World Series.

Cleveland would have had their victory parade… and LeBron going to Miami wouldn’t have hurt as much.

If only Cliff Lee of 2007 was like Cliff Lee of ’08, ’09 and tonight.

And so it goes in Cleveland.