The San Diego Padres are off to a good start this season, and the statistics back it up. San Diego’s pitching is performing in ways that Major League Baseball has not seen since 1876. According to OptaStats, the club has pitched five shutouts in nine home games this season while allowing fewer than a dozen runs.
According to the outlet, it has been over 140 years since that happened. According to OptaStats, the only other MLB team to do so over its first nine home games of the season was the St. Louis Brown Stockings in 1876. That was also MLB’s inaugural season.
By the way, the St. Louis Brown Stockings quit playing in 1877.
Meanwhile, the Padres continue to play. San Diego is 12-5 this season and has been one of the most effective teams in the MLB.
Inside the Padres insane pitching numbers
The Padres are getting it done from every position in their pitching rotation. San Diego’s pitching ERA at home is 1.22, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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Kyle Hart is the latest pitcher to throw smoke for the club. In San Diego’s 2-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, Hart retired the first ten batters he faced. Hart allowed only one hit in six innings of work, striking out four.
“Our pitching staff has been doing an excellent job from top to bottom,” Padres star Fernando Tatis said, according to the newspaper. “And, man, it’s entertaining to play defense behind them. They keep you in the game.
They continue pounding the strike zone. “When they do that, we’re all locked in.” It’s just momentum, and momentum builds. Starts with them, then we follow, and it’s just really good baseball all around.”
Hart is not the only pitcher racking up impressive stats. Nick Pivetta currently leads the Padres in ERA and wins. Pivetta has a 1.59 ERA after 17 innings pitched. San Diego’s veteran Dylan Cease has 18 strikeouts, which leads the team.
San Diego will have to keep it up. The Padres play in a highly competitive National League West, which includes the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The San Francisco Giants, like the Padres, are off to a surprisingly strong start this season.
The Padres and Rockies will play again on Sunday.
Benjamin Adducchio is a sports journalist with over a decade of experience covering the news. For ClutchPoints, he writes about the NFL, NCAA Football, NCAA Basketball, and the New York Yankees with expertise. The New York City resident has previous experience in broadcasting and radio.
