For years, especially in the last decade, baseball has been all about the hitting.  Whether or not it was because of PED’s, most of the popular baseball players were hitters.  This year, however, things are starting to change.  It’s obvious that 2010 is all about pitching.  Pitchers so far this season have been the most successful players in Major League Baseball.  It all started very early in the season.

On April 17, 26-year-old Ubaldo Jimenez made Colorado Rockies history by pitching the first no-hitter in franchise history against the Atlanta Braves.  This was only the beginning of what may be considered one of the best season starts for a pitcher of all time.  So far this season in 12 starts, Jimenez is 11-1 with a 0.93 ERA.  In 87.1 innings pitched, he has only given up 52 hits, 9 runs, and 29 walks.  He also has 78 strike outs.  Hitters have an average of .176 against Jimenez.

On Mother’s Day, Dallas Braden of the Oakland A’s pitched a perfect game retiring all 27 of the Tampa Bay Rays hitters.  Then just two weeks later on May 29th, Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a perfect game.  The last time two pitchers pitched perfect games in the same season was before modern baseball in 1880 with Lee Richmond and John Montgomery Ward.  History was almost made once again on June 2 when Armando Galarraga pitched a perfect game…..or so we thought.  First base umpire Jim Joyce made an unfortunate miscall on the what should have been the final out of the game and called Jason Donald safe.  Even so, Galarraga still got the next batter Trevor Crowe out.

Aside from the perfect game, Roy Halladay is having a pretty remarkable season.  In 13 starts, he is 8-4 with a 1.96 ERA and has 5 completed games.  In 101 innings pitched, he has given up 89 hits, 26 runs, and 14 walks and has struck out 85.

Two pitchers from the New York Yankees have really emerged this season.  Always dandy Andy Pettitte is probably having the best start to a season in his career.  In 11 starts, Pettitte is 7-1 with a 2.47 ERA.  In 73 innings pitched he has given up 62 hits, 21 runs (20 earned) and has struck out 51. 

The biggest surprise among the Yankees pitchers, and possibly among baseball, is Phil Hughes.  In 11 starts, Hughes is 8-1 (second in the American League in wins) with a 2.71 ERA.  In 69.2 innings pitched, Hughes has given up 56 hits, 21 runs and has struck out 68.  Hughes flirted with a no-hitter in Oakland on April 21.  Hughes had the no-no through seven innings.  The only hit he gave up came in the 8th inning.  Hughes struck out 10 batters in that game; a season and career high.

Starting pitching from the Tampa Bay Rays has also been very dominate.  Two Rays pitchers in particular are David Price and Jeff Niemann.  In 12 starts this season David Price is 9-2 (leading the American League in wins) with a 2.23 ERA and has completed one game.  In 80.2 innings pitched, Price has given up just 62 hits and 25 runs and has struck out 57.  In 12 starts Jeff Niemann is 6-0 with a 2.48 ERA and has one complete game.  In 80 innings pitched he has given up 59 hits, 22 runs and has struck out 51.

The most recent emergence in pitching came this past Tuesday, June 8.  Stephen Strasburg made his major league debut for the Washinton Nationals.  His coming start was very hyped up and he certainly lived up to it.  He pitched seven innings and gave up four hits and two runs.  Strasburg struck out a wopping 14 batters and threw fastballs that reached 98-100 MPH.

What’s amazing about all of these stats is that it’s only June.  We still have 100 more baseball games to go.  It makes everyone, including myself, to not want to miss any games this season because of how superb the pitching has been.  Is there another no-hitter or perfect game in the near future of this season?   We’ll just have to wait and see.