ESPN: Schoenfield: Cliff Lee: Best playoff pitcher ever?

Fun with stats!

I started with the pitcher’s average game score over all his postseason starts. (Devised by Bill James, game score looks at a pitcher’s stat line and comes up with a score, where 50 is about average and 90 is unbelievably awesome.) From there, points were awarded for each start (1 for a Division Series or LCS start; 2 for a World Series start); a game score of 75 or better was considered a “gem” and awarded 5 points (about 12 percent of all postseason starts meet this standard); a game score of 65-74 was considered a “good” game and awarded 3 points. You lost 3 points for “bad” starts (game score of 33-42) or 5 for “dud” starts (32 or less). You received 5 points if the “gem” came in the World Series, Game 5 of the Division Series (or old LCS) or Game 6 or 7 of an LCS. A gem in Game 6 or 7 of the World Series got you 10 more points (thank you, Jack Morris). I looked at the percentage of gem/good games out of total starts and awarded points like this: gem/good percentage x 10 x 3. (For example, Tom Glavine: 12 gem/good games in 34 starts translates to 10 points.) Finally, if you won a tight duel (winning 1-0 is more impressive than winning 6-0), you got 3 points for the Division Series or LCS, 5 points for the World Series. We also knocked off 15 percent of a pitcher’s final score if he performed before 1920, owing to the extreme low-scoring run environment of that era.

OK, don’t get caught up in the formula. We’re just having fun here.