Start-by-start comparison of CC Sabathia vs. Felix Hernandez

Leave it to the great Joe Posnanski to jump into the ongoing debate about win-loss records swirling around CC Sabathia and Felix Hernandez with a unique and interesting angle. Posnanski went through each pitcher’s starts and compared them, game by game. He found that Hernandez had the better performance 17 times, while Sabathia had the better performance 12 times. None of which is surprising given that Hernandez has a 2.30 ERA and Sabathia has a 3.14 ERA. However, it should hopefully throw a little more cold water on the notion that Sabathia is more deserving of the Cy Young award because he has a 19-6 record and Hernandez is only 11-10. Hernandez has pitched better, based on ERA or a start-by-start comparison or most anything not focused on something that’s largely dependent on his teammates’ performance. Wins are for teams, not pitchers.