MLB leaders in innings pitched

146.1 R Halladay
138.2 A Cook
135.2 C Hamels
129.0 J Guthrie
128.1 T Hudson
127.0 J Blanton
126.2 J Santana
126.1 M Cain
125.2 D Haren
125.0 J Lester

MLB leaders in complete games

7 R Halladay
3 C Sabathia
3 B Sheets
3 J Shields
2 D Cabrera, A Cook, C Hamels, H Kuroda, J Lester, E Santana, K Slowey, G Smith, B Webb

Yes, at the All-Star break only 13 pitchers have thrown more than one complete game. 6 have more than one shutout.

It's fairly amazing that Lester is that high on the list.

That's what happens when you get sent out for the 8th inning for no reason.

That's what happens when you get sent out for the 8th inning for no reason.

What happens? A shutout? Or am I missing some form of sarcasm?

I was referring to Lester, who's been pitched into the 8th inning unnecessarily twice this year, IIRC.

Ah. Thanks for clearing that up. I couldn't figure how it related to Halladay, so I was somewhat confused.

Mets fans aren't the only ones who can pointlessly hijack a thread.

In discussions of the best pitcher in MLB, Halladay doesn't get talked about very much. But my experience in watching him (mostly against the Yankees) is that he's among the most likely pitchers to throw a CG shutout any time he's on the mound.

In discussions of the best pitcher in MLB, Halladay doesn't get talked about very much. But my experience in watching him (mostly against the Yankees) is that he's among the most likely pitchers to throw a CG shutout any time he's on the mound.

I was saying the same thing in chatter today. He's overlooked for some reason.

I was saying the same thing in chatter today. He's overlooked for some reason.

Probably because he doesn't get as many K's as guys like Santana, Beckett, etc. Even though his stuff is just as nasty, it doesn't seem as impressive as those guys.

I can't think of a pitcher I'd rather have for this year, though. It'll be interesting to see if the Jays would consider trading him if they do go for a fire sale.

As an irrelevant sidetrack, I'm listening to Charles Rosen playing Elliott Carter right now, and it's like the piano is a new instrument. What a wonderful combination.

I can't think of a pitcher I'd rather have for this year, though. It'll be interesting to see if the Jays would consider trading him if they do go for a fire sale.

That would send a horrible message to their fanbase, and unlike the situation with the Twins and Santana, he is cost controlled through '10:

08:$10M, 09:$14.25M, 10:$15.75M

Under the circumstances, especially in light of the contract they gave Wells, they have to keep him.

He could have gone for a no-hitter tonight. A-Rod hit a bullet in the 4th(?), but which a real CF (not Wilkerson) should have caught. Jeter's hit in the 9th was clean, but off the end of the bat, after he had looked bad all night. If Halladay enters that inning going for a no-no, who knows how it plays out...

The Halladay-Abreu at-bat in the ninth was awesome. One of those little gems that will never be remembered but which makes watching baseball so pleasurable.

Halladay will not be traded this year. No way, no how. He is signed through 2010 (2 years, $30 million) and trust me, if they traded him you'd hear the screaming from all of us Blue Jay fans instantly.

Aces who can throw a complete game as often as he does (7 in 19 games) are extremely valuable, not just for their ERA+ (150 now for Halladay) but also for the ability to give the pen a day off, thus making them more effective as well (a tired pen is a bad pen). There is already some talk of Halladay being extended despite the 2 1/2 years left on his current contract.

So, if you want a pitcher from Toronto c'mon and take AJ. Look at the potential, the 98 MPH fastball, the amazing curve ball. Just please, please, please do not look at the 78 ERA+. We also have a special on LH relievers (we got 4 with ERA+'s from 133 to 241 available at the checkout for one A or B+ prospect each) and for the bargain bin shoppers there is a SS with 'grit' and 'determination' plus 'leadership' in aisle 3 with a 356 OBP (Eckstein). Need a catcher? We have 2 veteran ones available, one with a decent OBP (Zaun 356) and another with decent Slg (Barajas at 471). Come one, come all!

Not only should the Blue Jays not trade Halladay now, they should hold onto him for his whole career. It's nice to have a lifer once in a while, especially one as good as Halladay.

I was saying this elsewhere, but after next year, if Wells has a good year, I would eat 45 million and trade him for a decent prospect, making the receiving team get him for 5/60 or so, and then resign Halladay. Wells hit OK this year despite the injuries....he was still an above average CF all around.

The way I see it, the first two years paid about 17 million less than the AAV of 18 million due to backloading, so its really like eating 30 million and only 6 million a year...nothing considering he's be an average corner OF with Rios moving over to CF anyway. And we'd hopefully get a decent prospect back.

THe Scutaro/Jmac play was awesome, as was the ROlen one the night before. Incredible. He dove a few feet into foul territory and threw the guy out at third. Go to Jays.com multiamedia site to see it.

And Halladay is frickin awesome. I hope they keep him as long as possible. Not like they can't afford him.

I think the game score was tied for 4th at 90 for this year, but when you consider the level of competition, it was one of the top 3 games pitched this year. And Halladay is now 2nd in VORP in pitchers at 38.8, just behind Clif Lee at 41.1. But my money would be on Halladay continuing that.

Also his k/G is up to 8.0 this year and he has a 6:1 k:bb ratio.

After Chris Carpenter, you'd think teams would be--rightly--a little gun shy about extending guys way out of when they need to.

I was saying this elsewhere, but after next year, if Wells has a good year, I would eat 45 million and trade him for a decent prospect, making the receiving team get him for 5/60 or so, and then resign Halladay. Wells hit OK this year despite the injuries....he was still an above average CF all around.

So if he has a good year, the Jays should still eat 45 million? And all they should get in return is a decent prospect? This type of scenario seems to be all risk, no reward. If you are going to eat 45 million, you should be able to get a lot more than a decent prospect.

And Halladay is frickin awesome. I hope they keep him as long as possible. Not like they can't afford him.

Agreed. Halladay needs to retire as a Jay (although, I would love to see what teams would offer to get who I perceive to be the best pitcher in the game).

In discussions of the best pitcher in MLB, Halladay doesn't get talked about very much. But my experience in watching him (mostly against the Yankees) is that he's among the most likely pitchers to throw a CG shutout any time he's on the mound.

I was saying the same thing in chatter today. He's overlooked for some reason.

No respect for Dubya!

We also have a special on LH relievers (we got 4 with ERA+'s from 133 to 241 available at the checkout for one A or B+ prospect each)

our team has made a trade that worked out recently, how about let's work out another. Anthony Reyes? Chris Duncan? Freese? Garcia?(too much probably)

As a Yankees fan, there is no pitcher I fear more than Halladay. He just shuts them down so severely, you never feel like a rally is even possible. However, he will probably never get the attention he deserves as he will probably never pitch in a playoff game if he stays in Toronto. After flirting briefly with being a contender, it seems like the Blue Jays are going to be the 4th or 5th team AL East for the near future. Regardless, I would like to see him play his whole career in Toronto- he's a joy to watch even if you are routing against him.


As an irrelevant sidetrack, I'm listening to Charles Rosen playing Elliott Carter right now, and it's like the piano is a new instrument. What a wonderful combination.

That description would fit how I feel when I hear Aimard play Carter. Carter might be one of the most important artists of the 2nd half of the 20th Century.

Halladay does have a CYA and 2 more top-5 finishes -- basically every year he's been healthy -- so he's getting pretty good recognition. Health, the lack of "dominance" and the lack of wins are the reeasons why he is somewhat overlooked.

And while he is a great pitcher, he's never led the league in ERA (or ERA+), strikeouts and only wins once (and he won the CYA). Innings and complete games, yes.

Carter might be one of the most important artists of the 2nd half of the 20th Century.

No doubt. It's nice to see someone agree.