Perception vs. Reality
From commenter Felix Heredia on Bronx Banter regarding Cliff Lee:
This guy is gonna come crashing back to earth. 91 mph fastballs don’t “explode” through the zone. His pace and delivery is flummoxing batters, not unlike okajima’s briefly did. But it’s style - albeit subtle - over substance.
Hideki Okajima so far in 2008: ERA 0.60 / WHIP 1.07
Joba Chamberlain: ERA 3.38 / WHIP 1.13
Okajima’s style is kicking Chamberlain’s substance in the ass.
Bonus round of ignorance:
From Yankees Etc:
Chien Ming-Wang produced another gem, stopping the Yanks three-game skid. It’s kind of sad that he’s the only reliable starter right now. He might be the frontrunner for the Cy Young.
Wang so far in 2008: ERA 3.12 / WHIP 1.13 (hmm, same WHIP as Okajima)
Cliff Lee: ERA 0.81 WHIP 0.60
Perhaps by saying “maybe” the writer meant “not even close”.
Pesky statistics.
