Red Sox fans will get the chance to do just that when Ubaldo Jimenez takes the mound Wednesday night for the Rockies in the second game of a three-game set in Colorado.
Jimenez is having a season for the ages. Not often does a pitcher’s cumulative season performance overshadow a no-hitter, but Jimenez is doing just that.
Jimenez no-hit the Braves on May 19, but what he’s continued to do since then is the real story. Going into Wednesday’s start, Jimenez is 13-1 with an incredible 1.15 ERA. He’s also racked up 88 strikeouts.
The number that pops out the most is his unreal ERA. Jimenez has put himself in the same breath as Cardinals great Bob Gibson. Jimenez’ 2010 run is already being compared to Gibson’s historic 1968 season in which he went 22-9 and posted a 1.12 ERA.
The fact that Jimenez makes half of his starts in hitter-friendly Coors Field is something to remember as well.
But Red Sox fans are no strangers to dominating starting pitchers – especially recently. In fact, Jimenez is also drawing comparisons to former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez and the gaudy numbers he put up in his time in Boston.
Today though, Red Sox fans have an ace of their own in Jon Lester. Lester’s career body of work is right up there with Jimenez – perhaps even better. He already has 50 career wins, and of course, a no-hitter of his own to his credit.
Quietly, Lester has been dominant once again this year too. He has an 8-2 record with a 3.13 ERA and 96 strikeouts. He’s been red-hot lately as well going 5-0 in his last six starts.
While Lester hasn’t had his success this year with the attention-grabbing dominance that Jimenez has, Lester, like Jimenez, is certainly a pitching cornerstone that any franchise would love to have.
Of course, both have absolutely electric stuff. While Jimenez features a fastball that registers consistently in the high-90s (with movement) along with a plus slider, curveball and splitter, Lester offers what so many organizations covet — a power left-handed starter.
So what are your thoughts? If you had the luxury of starting a rotation with either Ubaldo Jimenez or Jon Lester, who would you pick?
Share your thoughts below. The best comments will be read on NESN’s Red Sox GameDay Live or Red Sox Final.
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