Without a doubt, Corbin Burnes is the Brewers pitcher who most deserves to win the NL Cy Young Award. After all, Burnes has been making history all season long, not just in the Brewers record book, but all MLB as well. What has often gone overlooked is the great season that Brandon Woodruff is having. Therefore, we at Wisconsin Sports Heroics wanted to point out this insane “accomplishment” that Woodruff is the first to ever reach.
It Is Based on the Wins
This season, Brandon Woodruff is just 9-10 on the season. This sounds unbelievable, considering the Brewers will finish the year with no less than 95 wins. Amazingly, the Brewers have lost 14 of Woodruff’s 30 starts, though not through any fault of his own. In 18 of Woodruff’s starts, he allowed one or no runs. The Brewers record in those games: 12-6. Woodruff’s record in those games: 7-2. That means that in half of them games in which Woody allowed one or fewer runs, he did not get the run support to even get a decision.
It Factors in ERA
Brandon Woodruff is finishing the 2021 regular season with an ERA of 2.56. That is good for fourth in the National League. Woodruff’s teammate, Corbin Burnes, currently leads the NL with a 2.29 ERA. Had Freddy Peralta pitched enough innings, the Brewers would have been the seventh team ever with three starters owning a sub-3.00 ERA.
The Fact that the Brewers Won the Division Is Key
The Milwaukee Brewers have won the National League Central for the third time in their history. The first time they won the NL Central was in 2011. That year, the Brewers made it all the way to the NLCS before falling to the Cardinals. In 2018, they won the division again before falling in the NLCS to the Dodgers. It is interesting to note that both teams are in the playoffs again this year. They will face off in a one-game Wild Card matchup to determine who will take on the top-seeded Giants.
The only other previous time the Brewers won their division was in 1982, the year they went to the World Series representing the American League. Prior to joining the NL, the Brewers played in the same division as the Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles. Competition was stiff.
The Insane Statistic
To recap, Brandon Woodruff is just 9-10 on a team that will win no less than 95 games. He has an ERA of 2.56, which is fourth in the NL. The Brewers have won their division.
All of this means that Brandon Woodruff is the first Major League pitcher EVER to have a sub-.500 record while having an ERA that is top five in his league on a division-winning club.
Is it impressive? If anything, it’s a testament of how baseball goes. Woodruff, based on his own performances, should be a 20-game winner. However, that is the way baseball goes. Hopefully, Woodruff will get more run support in the playoffs.
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