A Call For Arms

Pitching is the name of the game. The total breakdown of a pitching staff has turned a mid-September four game Red Sox-NYA series boring. The lack of it has ended the Braves' ridiculous run of championships. The lack of it may end the Cardinals' quest for that follow up to the 1982 World Series Championship. The lack of it may cost Dusty Baker his job; has knocked the Reds out of the race; put the Giants down, and on and on.
Most of the strong organizations will spend a very frustrating winter trying to find pitching that just isn't out there. Perhaps not so the Red Sox.

Consider a few young pitchers from days gone by:

Year 1, pitcher A: Age-21; Record- 2-7; ERA-5.48
Year 1, pitcher B: Age-22; Record- 7-17; ERA-4.56
Year 2, pitcher A: Age-22; Record- 12-11; ERA-2.94
Year 2, pitcher B: Age-23; Record- 14-8; ERA-3.68
Year 3, pitcher A: Age-23; Record- 14-11; ERA-3.85
Year 3, pitcher B: Age-24; Record- 10-12; ERA-4.28
Year 3, pitcher C: Age-20; Record- 3-11; ERA-5.64
Year 4, pitcher A: Age-24; Record- 14-13; ERA-3.80
Year 4, pitcher B: Age-25; Record- 20-11; ERA-2.55; Cy Young Award
Year 4, pitcher C: Age-21; Record- 18-11; ERA-3.38

The years: 1988-1991; the team: Atlanta Braves; the pitchers: A is John Smoltz, B is Tom Glavine and C is Steve Avery. The lesson: young pitchers, especially those who probably deserve a little more time in the minors but get advanced because there isn't anybody else to use, need some time to become Major League pitchers. But look what can happen when somebody believes in them and hangs with them.

I don't know for sure that the Sox expected any of their huge class of young pitchers to have to contribute this year. If they were counting on any of them, it probably was Papelbon, but not in the role he starred in. The group, as of 9-17:

Jon Lester, 22, 7-2, 4.76
Craig Hansen, 22, 2-1, 6.06
Craig Breslow, 26, 0-2, 4.66
Manny Delcarmen, 24, 2-0, 4.76
Kason Gabbard, 24, 1-3, 3.13
David Pauley, 23, 0-2, 7.88
Jonathan Papelbon, 25, 4-2, 0.92, 35 saves

As bad as this year has been, if there are a couple of guys in this group who even wind up resembling Glavine and Smoltz, with a bit of an Avery thrown in somewhere, the next fifteen years will be a lot of fun.
Just hang in there for a little while, Red Sox Nation!