You may look at Chicago White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease‘s numbers and say he has had a good season, but not quite at a Cy Young level: after all, a 2.68 ERA is very nice, but a 1.28 WHIP, while good, is not so stellar.
However, if we look at the whole context, there may not be a hotter pitcher in MLB right now.
Last night, Cease completely shut down one of the best offenses in baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays, for six innings.
He only allowed one hit and two walks: that was the extent of the damage inflicted against him.
Instead, he caused plenty of damage among Blue Jays hitters, with 11 strikeouts in yet another gem.
An Incredible Streak
Cease is now up to five consecutive games without allowing an earned run, which is incredible.
“Dylan Cease is the first White Sox pitcher since the earned run became an official stat in 1913 with 5 straight starts with no earned runs. It should be noted that Doc White had 5 straight shutouts in September 1904,” stathead and White Sox analyst Christopher Kamka tweeted.
Dylan Cease is the first White Sox pitcher since the earned run became an official stat in 1913 with 5 straight starts with no earned runs.
It should be noted that Doc White had 5 straight shutouts in September 1904.
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) June 22, 2022
Five consecutive starts without allowing any earned runs in MLB is impressive no matter the opponent.
It takes some filthy stuff, excellent focus, impeccable command, and tremendous poise to dominate an entire lineup for an afternoon or evening, let alone doing that five straight outings.
He has accumulated 37 strikeouts over that span, and while he doesn’t always have the best control, his stuff is just so overpowering that he usually gets his way.
Cease has been a big reason why the White Sox have been able to (relatively) stay afloat despite a rash of injuries, and he should be a Cy Young candidate in the American League.
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