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If you're a San Francisco Giants fan, an admirer of quirky pitching mechanics
or a most unfortunate fantasy-baseball owner, you'd best not read the next
sentence.
Tim Lincecum is the worst pitcher in baseball history.
If the season ended today, Lincecum (above)—a two-time Cy Young Award winner
—would have the worst adjusted ERA, 55, of any pitcher who has thrown at
least 95 innings in a season since at least 1901. Adjusted ERA (also known as
ERA+) alters a pitcher's ERA based on his home ballpark and the average ERA
of his league.
Lincecum (3-10, 6.42 ERA) must improve his adjusted ERA by at least two
points to avoid setting a rather undesirable record. Bill Stoneman of the
1973 Montreal Expos, Carl Lundgren of the 1908 Chicago Cubs and Rube Bressler
of 1915 Philadelphia Athletics all finished seasons with record-low adjusted
ERAs of 56.
Pitchers rarely compile adjusted ERAs as bad as Lincecum's because they are
usually benched or demoted before they throw many innings (and do more
damage). The idea of this happening to the 28-year-old Lincecum, one of three
active multiple Cy Young winners, would have been inconceivable just three
months ago. Lincecum's first start of the second half is Saturday against the
Houston Astros.
Lincecum especially doesn't want to become the next Lundgren. Lundgren had
the second-lowest ERA in baseball in 1907 before imploding in 1908—the year
of the Chicago Cubs' last World Series title. After 1908, he pitched just two
more major-league games.
—Tony Olivero