I don't know if the Rangers have the pitching to compete in October. Kenny Rogers and Ryan Drese are pitching well, but that's about it. Joquain Benoit and R.A. Dickey both have ERAs over 6.
During the regular season, you're right. However, in the playoffs, pitching is most important. Look at the World Series champs over the past few years. They've all had outstanding pitching.
Not all. The Yankees never had "great" pitching. They had Clemens, but in my oppinion he has been over the hill for quite a while. Derek Jeter carried that team in the outfield and in hitting.
Well the Yankees haven't won since 2000. Back then, they had Clemens, along with 19 win Andy Pettite, Orlando Hernandez, David Cone and Dwight Gooden. Don't forget about their bullpen either. Mike Stanton and Mariano Rivera in the 8th and 9th innings basically ended ball games after the 7th.
And none of them were the reason that the Yanks were there. Jeter was! When the DBacks played the Giants Barry Bonds proved that hitting is more important than pitching, slamming Randy Johnson's pitches into the stands. Plus, if pitching is so important why are the DBacks the worst team in Baseball.
All the D-Backs have is Randy Johnson, unless you want to count Casey Fossum and his ERA of 9, Elmer Dessens and his ERA of 8, struggling Brandon Webb, awful Steve Sparks...
All I'm saying is that pitching wins in the playoffs. Remember Johnson & Schilling? Hitting may get you into the postseason, but the teams that prevail are the ones with good pitching staffs.
EXACTLY! All the D-Backs have is Randy Johnson, one of the greatest pitchers in the game today, but they have no hitting! And that is why they are losing! You just proved my point for me.
They are the worst team in baseball because they have neither hitting, nor pitching. Sure, they have Randy Johnson, but they also have Danny Bautista, who is batting .311, Shane Hillenbrand who is batting .305 and Steve Finley, who has 23 HRs.
All I'm saying is, that the World Series champs have always had great pitching, whether that was the reason they were there or not, I dont care. They just had great pitching, and usually, its why they win when they get there.
Oh yes, the Curse. Although it is good for small talk it does not hold much water. There is no such thing as a curse. The reason Boston always loses is that their owner doesnt have the pocket Steinbrenner has. If Steinbrenner owned the Sox they would dominate the Yanks.
The "curse" existed long before Steinbrenner was with the Yankees. I don't know if I believe in an actual curse, but the fact that people talk about it every time the Sox are in the playoffs, means that the players have to think about it, instead of thinking about winning. I just think the players on the Sox and Cubs are caught up in this curse mumbo-jumbo, which is why they haven't won in ages. It's all psychological.
But its not like the Yankees had bad pitchers either. I'll take Andy Pettite, Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina (last year's Mussina) over Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe and Tim Wakefield.
