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John Dewan's Stat of the Week
How will Matt Clement's replacement, Glendon Rusch, fare for the Chicago Cubs?
November 24, 2004 Matt Clement has been a solid pitcher for the Chicago Cubs over the last few years. With the strength of the Cubs rotation in 2004, Clement was a a huge asset as their fifth starter (behind Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux). When compared to all other fifth starters in [...]
How much scoring is done in the NFL by the defense and special teams?
November 17, 2004 The Chicago Bears managed just three points from their offense this past week, but a safety scored by the defense beat the Tennessee Titans in overtime. The defense also posted an interception return touchdown while special teams scored a TD on a punt return. A second punt return TD was called back by [...]
Roger Clemens went 18-4 for the Astros—how his season compare with his previous five seasons with the Yankees?
November 03, 2004 At age 42, Roger Clemens "un-retired" and posted one of the best seasons of his career. His 18-4 record topped the National League in winning percentage while his ERA of 2.98 was his best in six seasons. While he did turn in a superb 77-36 record in five years with the Bronx Bombers [...]
Are the two best teams in baseball represented in this year's World Series?
October 27, 2004 The St. Louis Cardinals had the best record in baseball this year with 105 wins. The Red Sox, however, only had the second best record in the American League with 98 wins. They beat the team with the most wins (101) in the American League, the New York Yankees, to reach the Series. [...]
Who Were the Best Relief Pitchers in 2005?
November 16, 2005 Mariano Rivera stood head and shoulders above eveyone else, but looking at the top ten pitchers in relief ERA you find three pitchers from the World Champion Chicago White Sox. Name Team ERA Saves Holds Rivera, Mariano NYY 1.38 43 0 Wagner, Billy Phi 1.51 38 [...]
Has there been anyone since Babe Ruth to have a career batting average higher than his career ERA?
September 22, 2004 Babe Ruth had a career batting average of .342 with a career ERA as a pitcher of only 2.28. Amazingly, there has been one player since Babe Ruth to accomplish this feat. It’s none other than the player affectionately dubbed “The Fat Tub of Goo” by David Letterman in 1985 on national TV: [...]
How often does a pitcher hit “better” than he pitches during a season?
September 29, 2004 In the last ten years (1994-2003), a pitcher has done a better job of hitting than he has of pitching only four times: Mark Prior, 2003: 250 Avg 2.43 ERA Mike Hampton, 1999: .311 Avg 2.90 ERA Greg Maddux, 1998: .240 Avg 2.22 ERA [...]
Who scores more runs, a team that strikes out a lot, or one that doesn't strike out?
October 13, 2004 You would think that teams that strike out a lot also hit more home runs, resulting in more runs. Teams that strike out more often also hit into fewer double plays. However, putting the bat on the ball does make a difference. Out of thirty teams in Major League Baseball in 2002: [...]
What are the chances of a team coming back from being down 0-3 to win a best of seven series?
October 20, 2004 The Red Sox put themselves behind the eight-ball by dropping the first three games to the Yanks in the 2004 ALCS. Going into the series it looked like a very good match-up between two equally talented teams. The Bosox losses are a definite surprise. Based on probability and the assumption of equally matched [...]
Why are 45 wins lovely?
February 14, 2008 It's Valentine's Day, and Chicago White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper is sending flowers to his top three starting pitchers—Mark Buerhle, Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez. Cooper said recently he needs 45 wins from the front end of his rotation in order for the pale hose to compete in 2008. Why 45? [...]