Throughout baseball history, only two starting pitchers have tossed enough innings to qualify for the ERA title and finished a season with a strikeout-to-walk ratio in excess of 10: Bret Saberhagen in 1994 (11.00) and Cliff Lee in 2010 (10.28). With ten strikeouts and no walks in a complete game effort this evening against the Giants in the second half of a doubleheader, Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright pushed his K/BB to an even 14.00 (84/6) in 89 innings, which would easily set the Major League record if it holds -- a huge if, of course.
Wainwright, who needed 106 pitches to get through nine innings in his league-leading third complete game, lowered his ERA to 2.33, helping the Cardinals sweep the doubleheader. The Cardinals have won nine of their last 11 games, improving their record to 37-18 as they remain atop the NL Central by two games over the Reds.
