45 days ’til Opening Day

There are 45 days left until that best day of the year, MLB Opening Day.

45 is famous for being the jersey number worn by Bob Gibson and Pedro Martinez, two of the best pitchers in baseball history.

I’ve often heard people say Bob Gibson’s 1968 season was the most dominant in modern history:

W-L: 22-9
ERA: 1.12
K: 268
WHIP: 0.85
IP: 304.7
CG: 28
ERA+: 258

However, I’ve maintained that when you look at the era in which he did it, Pedro Martinez’s 2000 season was better.

W-L: 18-6
ERA: 1.74
K: 284
WHIP: 0.73
IP: 217
CG: 7
ERA+: 291

Pedro didn’t have the wins, ERA, IP or CG that Bob Gibson had, but you have to consider the ERA.

The league average ERA in Gibson and Pedro’s leagues:

1968 NL: 2.90
2000 AL: 5.07

This isn’t meant to diminish what Gibson did. He was amazing. But Pedro was even more amazing. Look at who was second in those leagues in ERA in those seasons:

1968 NL: Bobby Bolin, 1.99
2000 AL: Roger Clemens, 3.70

That difference is truly amazing.