Mind-blowing stats that illustrate just how dominant Cubs starting staff was in 2016

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It's mind-bottling how dominant the Cubs starting rotation was in 2016. 

When the reigning National League Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta goes 18-8 with a 3.10 ERA and he's considered the No. 3 option, you know it's been a special season for the starting staff.

CSN resident stat guru Chris Kamka compiled some of the most eye-popping statistics from Kyle Hendricks and Co.:

  • 2.96 ERA by starters (better than AL leader Aaron Sanchez - 3.00)
  • 2.96 Starter ERA by Cubs in 2016 is their best since 1963 (2.90)
  • 2.96 starter ERA is best in baseball since the 2011 Phillies (2.86)

Best Cubs career ERA (1920-present); minimum 50 starts

2.52      Jake Arrieta                   98  starts

2.84      Lon Warneke                 190 starts

2.89      Jon Lester                     64  starts

2.92      Kyle Hendricks              75  starts

2.96      Claude Passeau                        234 starts

2016 Cubs are one of 5 teams in MLB history with four pitchers with at least 170 K

1969 Astros      Larry Dierker (232)         Tom Griffin (200)                       Denny Lemaster (173)    Don Wilson (235)

1990 Mets         David Cone (233)          Sid Fernandez (181)       Dwight Gooden (223)     Frank Viola (182)

2015 Indians      Trevor Bauer (170)         Carlos Carrasco (216)    Corey Kluber (245)         Danny Salazar (195)

2016 Nationals  Gio Gonzalez (171)        Tanner Roark (172)        Max Scherzer (284)        Stephen Strasburg (183)

2016 Cubs        Jake Arrieta (190)          Kyle Hendricks (170)      John Lackey (180)         Jon Lester (197)

[RELATED - Cubs unveil NLDS rotation]

Jon Lester (NLDS Game 1 starter)

  • First pitcher in Cubs history with 8 straight starts allowing 1 or 0 runs (Aug 17-Sep 25)
  • First Cubs player (whose primary position is pitcher) with a walkoff plate appearance (July 31) since Les Lancaster 7/20/1989
  • First Cubs lefty to strike out 9 without a walk in consecutive starts during the modern era (since 1900)
  • First Cubs lefty with a Complete Game and NO Walks (June 1) since Steve Wilson (10 K, 0 BB) 7/15/1990 vs Dodgers
  • First Cubs pitcher to allow leadoff HR and no other runs in a Complete Game (June 1) since Larry French 7/26/1940 (14-1 win at  Giants)

Most starts in a season by a Cubs pitcher with 5+ innings and 1 or fewer runs

20         Jon Lester         2016

20         Jake Arrieta       2015

20         Hippo Vaughn   1919

19         Dick Ellsworth   1963

Best ERA by a Cubs lefty (min 150 ip) since 1920

2.11      Dick Ellsworth               1963

2.40      Ray Prim                       1945

2.44      Jon Lester                     2016

Most strikeouts in a season by a Cubs lefty

207     Jon Lester          2015

202       Ken Holtzman    1970

197       Jon Lester         2016

Kyle Hendricks (NLDS Game 2 starter)

  • First Cubs pitcher to lead NL in ERA since Ray Prim in 1945
  • First Cubs pitcher to lead MLB in ERA since Bill Lee in 1938

Best ERA at Wrigley Field in a season (Cubs history; minimum 10 starts)

1.11  Grover Cleveland Alexander           1920

1.32  Kyle Hendricks                              2016

1.38  Mike Morgan                                 1992

  • 2016 Post All-Star Break

Jon Lester         14 starts, 1.76 ERA

Kyle Hendricks  14 starts, 1.68 ERA

Only Cubs teammates with 10+ starts and sub-1.80 ERA after the All-Star break (since 1933 - first All-Star game)

  • Cubs finishing 1-2 in MLB in ERA (since 1900)

1906     Mordecai Brown            (1.04) & Jack Pfiester    (1.51)

1907     Jack Pfiester                 (1.15) & Carl Lundgren   (1.17)

1938     Bill Lee                        (2.66) & Charlie Root     (2.86)

2016     Kyle Hendricks              (2.13) & Jon Lester        (2.44)

  • Cubs teammates with 150+ K and sub 2.50 ERA

1909     Mordecai Brown            1.31 ERA, 172 K                        Orval Overall     1.42 ERA, 205 K

2016     Kyle Hendricks  2.13 ERA, 170 K                        Jon Lester         2.44 ERA, 197 K

  • Most consecutive starts allowing 3 or fewer ER (Cubs, 1913-present)

29         Jake Arrieta       6/21/2015-5/20/2016

27         Mike Morgan     4/21/1992-9/7/1992

23         Frank Castillo    7/31/1994-8/19/1995

22         Kyle Hendricks  5/22/2016-9/26/2016

22         Hippo Vaughn   5/11/1916-8/21/1916

Jake Arrieta (NLDS Game 3 starter)

  • Cubs won 23 straight Arrieta starts (last 13 of 2015, first 10 of 2016). They are 10-11 in his 21 starts since.
  • First Cubs starter to allow 5 R & 5 BB, hit HR AND get a Win since Pat Malone 6/28/1929 (July 27)
  • Last 6 starts in California (dating back to 2015): 6-0, 0.20 ERA, 45.0 IP, 15 Hits, 9 BB, 44 K, 0.533 WHIP
  • First Cubs pitcher with 2+ HR and 4+ Walks at the plate in a season since Jim Bullinger in 1996
  • First Cubs pitcher to start season 9-0 since Ken Holtzman in 1967

John Lackey (NLDS Game 4 starter)

  • Two 10-K starts in 2016.  At age 37 y, 196 d (his most recent - on May 6th), he's oldest Cubs pitcher with a 10-K game since Greg Maddux (age 39 y, 26 d) 5/10/2005
  • Oldest Cubs pitcher to reach 180 K in a season (age 37 season).  Previous oldest was Ryan Dempster (191 K in age 34 season, 2011)

[SHOP: Get your Cubs gear right here]

Oh and if the Cubs actually do make it to the promised land and face an AL team in the World Series...

Cubs pitching in interleague play in 2016

W-L      15-5

ERA     1.90

IP         180.1

Hits      111

K/BB    161/43 

WHIP    0.854 (MLB season record for interleague)

Opp BA            .176

Best interleague ERA in a season MLB History (interleague play started in 1997)

1.80      Mariners            2011

1.90      Cubs                2016

2.06      Tigers               2013

2.09      Athletics           2011

2.23      Pirates              2013

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