Mike Scott 1986

by jonk on Aug 2, 2009 8:52 PM EDT

It's a little random to bring up this guy, but I was looking through some of Schmidty's years and noticed that Mike Scott won the Cy Young (well deserved) in 1986 with this line.

18-10 2.22 ERA 0.923 WHIP 306 K 275.1 IP

Very dominating year in his year 31 season. However, where the freak did it come from?

In 1985 he pitched 221 innings with 137Ks and in the 4 season before that (with about 150 innings each year, he never broke 100, not even close).

Anyone know the deal with him or is it just some sort of anomoly that will never be explained.

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it came from an emery board.

Randy Winn is in time out until his OBP gets back over .330.

by oldjacket on Aug 2, 2009 11:08 PM EDT reply actions

That was the rumor. People used to accuse the whole Astros pitching staff of cheating in those days, including Nolan Ryan.

The official story is that Scott was taught the split-finger fastball by Roger Craig in 1985 and it changed his career. The splitter was a pretty new pitch back then and Scott was one of the first pitchers to truly master it, so it suddenly gave him a big edge over the hitters of the day.

by taco pal on Aug 3, 2009 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions

I confirm the splitter. I remember watching people flailing at that pitch as it dove into the dirt. He was filthy after learning that pitch, before people learned to just try and lay off it.
I find it amusing that he lost 10 games with an ERA like that.

by Bilzo on Aug 3, 2009 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Roger Craig himself was main guy accusing Scott of scuffing. The story is that Craig would have the clubhouse assistant collect foul balls from the stands from Scott starts, but that the league wasn’t interested in punishing Scott.

That’s the story anyway.

Randy Winn is in time out until his OBP gets back over .330.

by oldjacket on Aug 4, 2009 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions

Yep.

The split finger fastball was new and nasty.

"Red, it took me sixteen years to get here. You play me, and I'll give ya the best I got."

by Touchdown on Aug 12, 2009 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions

I was thinking the same thing about Brady Anderson the other day. Even if steroids were contributed to his 50 HR season, how did he go from 16 HRs to 50 to 18? Surely whatever performance enhancers he may have taken wouldn’t only effect him for one season.

by yosoysean on Aug 3, 2009 12:43 AM EDT reply actions

Simple... Beverly Hills 90210...

Anderson (and his awesome 90210 sideburns) hit his 50 HR’s in 1996, which was the same season Donna dumped her abusive boyfriend Ray (pictured below). Anderson was so fired up by the show, he put together an abnormally great season.