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Jamie Moyer at Age 45? Priceless. Put Him on a MLB Mound and He Wins

By Ed Bagley

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 03Nov2008 Word count: 585 Viewed: 309 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

When the Seattle Mariners decided to trade Jamie Moyer to the Philadelphia Phillies in August 2006 for a couple of no-name players, they basically felt his performance did not justify his salary. At the time, Moyer was as much the heart of the Mariners as any other player worth talking about.

On the day he was traded, his season record with Seattle was 6-12, and he was the oldest active player in the American League. Few fans know that Moyer is one of the all-time leaders in 1-0 complete game losses, having lost 8 games while surrendering only 1 run during 9 innings. Moyer was also the 25th southpaw (left-handed pitcher) to win 200 games in the majors.

Moyer ended his 11-season stint in Seattle with a 145-87 record and a 3.97 ERA (earned run average). He was the franchise leader in wins, starts and innings pitched (exceeding Randy Johnson).

He did not want to leave Seattle, but he was not wanted so he packed his bags and said hello to the raucous Philadelphia fans. He finished the 2006 season as a Philly, winning 5 of 7 decisions with a 4.03 ERA.

In 2007, Moyer compiled a 14-12 won-loss record and pitched the final game of the season to determine if Philadelphia would break an 88-win tie and become the National League Eastern Division Champions. Moyer pitched 5+ innings, gave up only 3 hits and no runs as Philly won to clinch the championship.

During this year's 2008 season, Moyer posted a 16-7 mark with a 3.71 ERA. He became the oldest active player in Major League Baseball at 45, and he won his 235th career game, along with at least one victory over each Major League team.

More important, Moyer again took the mound in September against the Washington Nationals in a game where the Phillies could clinch the National League East title with a win. He delivered by pitching 6 innings, giving up only 1 run as Philadelphia won 4-3.

How important has Moyer been to the Phillies this year? Well, Philadelphia's division title was its second consecutive, giving the Phillies their first back-to-back post-season appearances since 1980 and 1981.

And the Seattle Mariners? The Mariners won 61 games this year and lost 101, finishing 39 games behind the American League West Division-winning Los Angeles Angles at Anaheim. The Mariners became the first team in MLB history to have a $100+ million payroll and 100 losses in the same season. Talk about pathetic. They canned their general manager and are in disarray.

Seattle's leading pitcher this season was Felix Hernandez, who pitched exactly 200 innings and went 9-11 on the season. Two other Mariners shared the next most wins on the staff with 6 apiece. Remember that Moyer won 16 games this season.

Since the Seattle Mariners have given up on Moyer, his record as a Philly is 35-21. Moyer is the exact definition of a finesse pitcher, his fastball tops out at 83 miles per hour, but he also adds a circle changeup, a cut fastball and a curveball.

He does not have the heater (fast pitch) of a Randy Johnson in his prime, and is not as talented as many other pitchers. He simply performs beyond his potential year after year, game after game.

Is it any wonder that the hard-hats in working class Philadelphia love Jamie Moyer?

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