DAVID ORTIZ AND JON LESTER OWNED THE WORLD SERIES – Final WOWS Tally

Photo – Jim Davis – Boston Globe Staff

I completed WOO, Who Owns October, and showed that Michael Wacha and David Ortiz were the two dominant forces of this October.

It is difficult to argue against that result.

Now let’s take a look at the other postseason SullyMetric. Beyond owning the Postseason, who specifically owned the World Series. Who owned the World Series as a pitcher and a hitter keeping both team’s production in mind.

Each winning team for every post season game gets a pitcher and a hitter who earn a full WOWS (Who Owns the World Series.)
And at my discretion, I award a 1/2 WOWS to a worthy player on the losing team.

My explanation for Who Owns the World Series (WOWS) is HERE.

It should be no surprise that David Ortiz got the highest WOWS total. His .688 average, 1.948 OPS and 2 homers with 6 RBI were enough to earn that right. His 8 walks set the table for a lot of other heroics including the Jonny Gomes homer and the Shane Victorino double. He was the overwhelming shadow over the entire series, like it or not. His 3 1/2 WOWS total topped all hitters. Nobody else had 2.

Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday each finished with 1 1/2. Jonny Gomes’ homer got his total to 1.

Meanwhile Jon Lester’s two victories and 0.59 ERA in 15 1/3 innings almost got him World Series MVP honors. He struckout 15 and walked only 1, giving the Red Sox a pair wins in games where the Cardinals started Adam Wainwright.

His 2 WOWS led all pitchers.

John Lackey raised his total to 1 1/2 with the clinching win. Surprisingly Felix Doubront, who didn’t even pitch in the Division Series, also finished with a 1 1/2 total with his solid relief in Games 3 and 4.

So like WOO, WOWS crowned the two most worthy players for the World Series. Anyone who saw the Series and kept track of the games would have to agree that David Ortiz and Jon Lester owned it.

WOWS works!

DAVID ORTIZ AND MICHAEL WACHA OWNED OCTOBER – Final WOO Tally

Michael Ivins/Getty Images

Elsa – Getty Images

This is the last day of October but in essence, the month has already been won by David Ortiz and Michael Wacha.
I created the SullyMetric Who Owned October? to determine which player was the dominant force throughout the post season.

I explain the stat HERE, but basically for every post season game, the winning team had a hitter and a pitcher awarded a full WOO based upon how they contributed to the victory. And, at my discretion, I gave a 1/2 WOO to a player on the losing team if they deserved it.

The idea would be the pitcher and the hitter who had the highest WOO total would be the ones who dominated the post season.

And if the two winners are any indication, it worked in determining the best.

Big Papi David Ortiz finished with a 5 1/2 WOO, the highest total for any batter. Besides his big numbers in the World Series en route to an MVP, he had the highlights throughout the postseason. Remember his two homers off of David Price in the Division Series? Remember his series changing grand slam in Game 2 of the ALCS? Eventually his presence in the lineup turned Cardinals manager Mike Matheny into an intentional walk dispenser.

He received a WOO in Game 6 that put him over the top. If you think that is unfair, keep two things in mind:

1. He did NOT receive a WOO when he got on base 4 times in Game 4.

2. It’s my stat. Make up your own.

The runner up was Carlos Beltran, who had dramatic moments with his bat and his glove in all the rounds of the series. He finished with a 5 WOO. Matt Holliday was third with a 4 WOO. Jhonny Peralta had the highest WOO total for a hitter that did not play in the World Series, finishing with a 2 1/2 total.

If there was a metric that claimed that David Ortiz was the most dominant offensive performer of the post season (despite poor total numbers in the ALCS) and would rank Beltran, Holliday, Peralta and Jacoby Ellsbury as the other top performers, that would seem to be an accurate assessment of how the playoffs unfolded.

Meanwhile for the pitchers, Michael Wacha’s 4 WOO was the leader.

Remember how the Cardinals were facing elimination in Pittsburgh and handed the ball to young Wacha in a raucous PNC Park? He threw a no hitter into the 8th.

Remember how the kid just a year removed from Texas A&M was matched against Clayton Kershaw in the NLCS twice? He won both games and threw 13 2/3 shutout innings against the Dodgers.

Remember how he started Game 2 of the World Series in Fenway Park with the Cardinals down 0-1? He got the win, the lone blemish being a 2 run homer off of David Ortiz’s bat.

The Cardinals handed the ball to him one more time in Game 6 but this time the Red Sox caught up with him. But that should not blemish his remarkable first postseason. He finished with a 4-1 record, a 2.64 ERA, striking out 33 in 30 2/3 innings.

Jon Lester finished second with a 3 1/2 WOO, a whisker behind Wacha. Other pitchers with a 2 WOO or higher were Koji Uehara, Clayton Kershaw, Adam Wainwright, John Lackey, Alex Cobb, Doug Fister, Francisco Liriano, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.

Once again, those were indeed the pitchers who shone the brightest this October.

So congratulations to Big Papi and the Wacha man (He needs a nickname.) You both own October.

 

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – October 31, 2013

I listen to Game 6 of the 2013 World Series without knowing the outcome.

At 10:51, I react to the last strike of the World Series.

Then my dad and I sit down and talk about how great these years have been for Red Sox and Giants fans.

That and more on The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

 

John Lackey and David Ortiz earned full WOOs and WOWS.

Matt Carpenter received 1/2 WOOs and WOWS.

Confused what a WOO and WOWS are?

An explanation for Who Owns October can be found HERE.

An explanation for Who Owns the World Series can be found HERE.

An updated WOO tally can be found HERE.

An updated WOWS tally can be found HERE.

To subscribe on iTunes, click HERE.

To subscribe on SoundCloud, click HERE.

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – October 31, 2013