Since the Modern Era began, in 1901, Major League pitchers have thrown 21 perfect games.
No Cub ever has done so.
You probably know that Milt Pappas came the closest, in 1972, when his 3-2 pitch.
Plus A.J. Hinch on respecting the Tigers, Ben Cherington on if teams can be over-reliant on analytics, BBWAA Career Excellence Award nominees, stats galore…
May 9, 2021
Brandon Woodruff has quietly been one of the better pitchers in the National League since the start of the 2019 season. In 42 starts comprising 237 innings, the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander has 285 strikeouts to go with a 3.11 ERA and a 2.93 FIP. The last of those numbers is equal to Shane Bieber’s mark over the same period.
A big reason for Woodruff’s success is a repertoire adjustment he made midway through the 2018 season. As he explained in an article that ran here at FanGraphs last April, he began throwing both two- and four-seam fastballs. Neither is anything to write home about movement-wise, but paired together and sequenced well they’re a formidable combo. As Woodruff told me at the time, “It’s hard for the hitter to distinguish which one is going to be coming.”