The only problem? He's competing with a guy who put up a 2.26 mark in that same season. And it wasn't even that good a year.
Yeah, that would be Pedro Martinez.
As the Phillies head down the home stretch, the battle for the final spot in the club's rotation is an intriguing one. It's a showdown between two guys nearly a decade past their primes, but either one might still have what it takes to help his team into — and through — October.
Pedro's arrival in Philadelphia was supposed to be the final piece of the puzzle, the one that put the Phillies over the top and into World Series front-runner status. But now Pedro's arrival, coupled with the acquisition of Cliff Lee at the trade deadline, has created a sudden logjam at the bottom of the Phils' rotation. A month ago, four guys was a solid nucleus; now, six is a crowd.
With Pedro ready for a return to the major leagues, Moyer and his NL-worst 5.47 ERA were given the axe. The veteran will probably still see plenty of time as a long-relief man, but Phillies brass has decided he's not cut out for a starting job anymore. For a guy with a resume like Moyer's, it's never easy to take that news well.
"I'm really not happy with this decision," Moyer told FoxSports.com this week. "I will take what they have asked me to do, but I'm not real excited about the decision."
Of course he's not. He's Jamie Moyer — he's earned the right to be more than a spot starter. But when the five guys you're spotting are Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ and Pedro, there are worse places to be. The way they've bolstered their pitching staff over the past month, the Phillies have vaulted themselves into the position of National League team to beat.
Lee is the defending Cy Young winner in a superior, heavier-hitting league. He's going to be absolutely dominant in a Phillies uniform. Hamels, even in a down year, is one of the elite power pitchers in the game. If only he could keep the ball in the ballpark, he'd be an ace right now. Blanton, a 28-year-old workhorse, is reinventing himself in the National League. And Happ, pitching in his first full season, has a 2.75 ERA in 121 innings. He's the real deal.
And then there's Pedro. His numbers during his minor-league rehab stint definitely weren't impressive, but he's Pedro Martinez. Surely he's got the potential to be a playoff starter in the National League.
Pedro made his case on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. Again, the results weren't dazzling — three runs in five innings, five strikeouts and a walk — but give him time. He's Pedro.
It's hard to count out a guy named Pedro Martinez. If you think he's over the hill at 37, what does that make Moyer?
There's no doubt that Moyer can still be a contributor. He's got the control and the craftiness to keep pitching at the major league level. But if that contribution comes from the bullpen, Moyer shouldn't be too picky. At his age, he should be happy to be employed at all.
Moyer may have lost a little bit of his motivation to be a team player. At 45, he finally reached his first World Series last season, and now he's got a ring. That can change a man.
But the old man still has the maturity to get through this.
Showing your age is a double-edged sword. Everyone loves wisdom and experience, but no one likes a fatigued 45-year-old veteran with no fastball. But for Moyer, the key now is to show his age in the good way. He has it in him to move past this feud and do what's best for the team. If he can do that, then look out, National League. The Phillies are in good shape.
