The MLB Pitcher Drop Tracker returns for its fifth installment. Each week, we rank the five most dominant pitching performances across MLB before taking a closer look at one blown save that changed the outcome of the matchup.
Toronto Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease put on a vintage display of endurance on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. He carried a perfect game into the 5th and a no-hitter into the 6th.
Cease capped his night by striking out six of the final seven batters he faced to finish with 12 strikeouts over nine scoreless frames on 120 pitches. His performance was the Blue Jays' first one-hitter in 16 years.
New York Yankees phenom Cam Schlittler pitched with a razor-thin margin for error on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies. The right-handed pitcher provided 7.1 shutout innings and allowed just three hits without a walk.
Schlittler retired his first 10 batters consecutively and punched out 12 hitters total. He mixed three fastball variants, including a four-seamer that topped out at 99.7 mph, to capture his 10th win of the year.
Jacob Misiorowski rewrote the history books on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies. The flamethrower pitcher struck out the first seven consecutive batters across five innings of one-run ball to set a Brewers franchise record.
Misiorowski generated 11 strikeouts overall and threw an unprecedented 66 pitches at 100-plus mph. His max topped out at 104.7 mph.The Brewers ace also became the first live-ball-era pitcher to record 11 or more strikeouts while remaining hitless through four innings.
Cristopher Sanchez showcased supreme mental toughness on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the game 10-7. He navigated heavy traffic across 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on seven strikeouts, while striking out seven Dodgers sluggers.
Sanchez repeatedly executed under pressure to neutralize L.A.'s star-studded lineup. Notably, he struck out Shohei Ohtani twice. He induced a 62 percent groundball rate and collected 14 whiffs on his signature changeup/sinker combo.
Shane Bieber provided a crucial anchoring start for the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays. He carved through a disciplined Rays order over seven strong innings. The righty pitcher allowed just three hits and one earned run, while he collected nine strikeouts.
Bieber masterfully manipulated speeds with a biting knuckle curve and a sweeper. He retired his final five batters, and the Jays eventually secured a 3-1 division victory.
The St. Louis Cardinals suffered an agonizing 3-2 walk-off defeat to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. The loss came in the backdrop of a chaotic ninth-inning breakdown by closer Riley O'Brien.
The Cardinals brought O'Brien in the ninth frame to protect a tight 2-1 lead, but he unraveled without yielding much hard contact. He gave up a leadoff single and plunked Jorge Soler before surrendering a game-tying RBI double to Vaughn Grissom.
After an intentional walk to load the bases, O'Brien fell behind 3-0 to Jo Adell before hitting him with a fourth pitch. The Angels thus won the game on a bizarre walk-off hit-by-pitch. The meltdown marked O'Brien's fifth blown save of the season.
Quick Links