Just how good was Meche... again?

47 strikeouts in a game. Actually, he did. It was a 16 inning game. San Francisco vs Seattle. He had 47 strikeouts and one pop up.

Martin

corrected

... that was an obvious typo, simple math shows it's 7k's not the posted 47k's ... the entire point of this delicious post/blog is that Meche just tossed a career game, and did so in the midst of a (very likely) career stretch of games where he's pitching like the "Second Coming of Young Jedi Greinke" ... but then, Meche has been the older, wiser, more experienced Master Jedi/Yoda since he got to KC, so it shouldn't be TOO much of a surprise.

Great Post, Martin, keep that broken record spinning all season long!

It's a JEEP thing - you wouldn't understand

I was just making light of it.  I understand words, so I got the point of the post.  I also watched the game last night, and any Yoda to Meche comparison is fruitless and without cause.

The Chiefs rule and the raiders slobber all over themselves.

As I was reading your comments, I heard myself say "exactly" about six times.

Even though there is no logical reason to expect it, I'm halfway anticipating a sensational performance by him.

Martin

This intuition about Greinke's start is exactly that - a sense or feeling.  It may defy logic in that, after Greinke's first ten starts as MM's research showed, no one (even the only two other mlb pitchers that matched Greinke's first ten games performance - Marichal and Wilhelm) kept that pace up.  There is also the ying and yang philosophy that says everything evens out which would solidify the idea that Greinke's almost other worldly pitching would level out.  Not that Greinke would go bad but would just end up with a 2.30 to 2.50 ERA which would mean pitching in the 2.70 to 3.20 range throughout the rest of the season which is great - and Cy Young worthy!  I have been almost completely certain (until this past week) that Greinke's season would carry out as described above and nothing could change that.  However, to have almost the whole staff pitch their best ever, at least a little bit due to Greinke's performances inspiring them, I feel an almost anxious, giddy excitement sensing the laws of the universe are about to be altered as Meche, Banny and Hoch have caught fire.  Maybe all this will last for a couple of weeks and then level off.  Our bad road trip may be made up for by a 20 - 5 type stretch now.  I think we'll see a really exceptional few weeks here.  After that, some offensive stars will get hot, pitching will solidify and the Royals may play a level up and be 7 to 10 games above .500 going into the home stretch of the season.  That is up to them and us as fans.   

I had one other experience like this where I sensed a great performance from a Royals' pitcher before a game.  I don't remember the year exactly but I am guessing maybe '87 or '89.  I was taking my brother and two of his friends to a Royals' game and considered what the best performance to see at a park was.  While driving there, I asked each one what they most hoped to see.  We all thought (and sensed) a perfect game would beat anything.  Sabes was pitching that night.  I had never asked that question before a game to anyone.  For anyone who has been to a baseball game when a pitcher goes late into the game with a no-hitter, you know how uniquely exciting that is.  I saw Rich Gale get to the seventh or eighth with a no-hitter in the late seventies - or early eighties.  It's awesome as every pitch for a few innings at least is paramount as significant sports history could be made. 

As you might guess in the game that night, Sabes was not just throwing a no-hitter but a perfect game.  This was not Sabes no-hitter though.  At the time, there would have been only about 13 perfect games in mlb history.  There was just something about the evening where you kind of caught a vibe that something might happen.  I think Sabes offically went seven innings of perfect pitching before it was broken up.  (maybe by Ruben Sierra with Texas?)  Prior to that, it was unlike any experience at a baseball game that I had ever had.

It doesn't really defy logic to sense that a pitcher like Greinke who had an almost unprecedented start to a season and levelled off a bit might be reinspired by three teammates in the rotation who were pitching just about all their best ever.  But it isn't logic that brings you to that as much as it's something in the air, a feeling, an emotion, a sense.  One thing that may have added to this "sense" was that Greinke often speaks of his feelings as to how the fans getting into it or the team putting up some runs for him really lifts him up.  Partly out of comradery and partly out of competition, Zack may be extra hyped up and focused for this one tonight.  Just like Sabes, Gubby, Jackson, Gura and Leibrandt surprised us with what they had in '85, these guys could do the same by simply pitching to their ability, feeding off each other and inspiring the offense to hit consistently because now, it can make a difference and put us in a pennant race.  

We'll see about the "sense" in a few hours.

Speaking of broken records. Your posts are fantastic!!!!

And, here's to hoping your senses are correct! The only downside to having that level of anticipation is that if he is only sort of good-average and the team loses like they did his last time out (stinking bullpen), then we will have felt like a balloon being popped.

Martin

I'm just a long time fan who recognizes that in sports - like anything else - history and statisitics matter and shead light on the present.

Everytime someone says they don't get too involved in early Royals' success because things can change, I always acknowledge that is the best way to respond to early winning streaks.  But, take the '77 Royals for example who, as MM has pointed out more than once, started slow then finished a franchise best 102-60.  Wouldn't it have been more fun to jump on the bandwagon early that year and risk disappointment.  Doesn't being a great fan involve risking that emotion to get excited.

Go Royals! Go Greinke!

Actually not getting too high or two low are good pieces of advice but if I were a betting man (see Mellinger's last blog why I am not - that wasn't me) I'd bet in Grienke and the Royals tonight.  I'll take the rare risk here to get excited based on my instinct and sense. 

When you buck traditional advice, you gamble.  lol

Let me tell you, nobody alive wants to see "Just how good was Greinke?" more than me! And, yes, if I had a v-blog, I would actually sing it!

Martin