Buchholz no-no in 2nd start - career indications?
On 9/1, Clay Buchholz filled in for the injured Tim Wakefield against the Orioles. Making his second ML start, he threw a no-hitter. He reacted like your dad might after striking out the side in a father-son game… happy for the accomplishment, but seemingly too embarassed to express much emotion.
For those unaware, I found this on a message board (and saw it mentioned on TV): “According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Buchholz is the third pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in his first or second Major League start. Bobo Holloman threw a no-hitter in his debut on May 6, 1953, for the St. Louis Browns at home against the Philadelphia A’s, and Wilson Alvarez did it in his second start on Aug. 11, 1991, for the White Sox at Baltimore.”
I’ve heard of Alvarez, never heard of Holloman - though I’ll take this opportunity to point out that MLB had much better player names back in the day. But I digress.
Buchholz sure looked good in the game - featuring three terrific pitches (fastball, changeup, curveball) that he threw at any time on any count. So is the no-hitter in his second ML start a harbinger of great things to come? Well… not if the careers of Alvarez and especially Holloman are accurate guides.
Holloman lasted *one* year in the majors. Yup, threw the no-no in his first start in 1953, his only season in the majors, and finished the year (and his career) with this stat line: 3-7 W/L, 22G/10GS, 1CG, 1SHP, 65.3 IP, 5.23 ERA (80 ERA+), 1.821 WHIP, 0.50 K:BB ratio (that’s right, 25 K and 50 BB). Throwing a no-hitter in a major league game, especially your first ML start, is beyond impressive. That said, perhaps the excitement was (or at least should’ve been) tempered by the fact that it came against the Philadelphia A’s - the second-worst team in the league (59-95). The only team worse? Holloman’s St. Louis Browns (54-100).
Wilson Alvarez had a
A couple interesting tidbits on Wilson Alvarez: Alvarez’s first start came two seasons before his second start. He made his ML debut at age 19 for the Texas Rangers on July 24, 1989. His stat line on that day: 0.0 IP, 3R/3ER, 3 hits, 2 HR, 2 BB. So, yes, his ERA for his first “season” in the bigs was… well, infinity.
Alvarez was traded to the White Sox along with some skinny OF named Sammy Sosa, and middle infielder Scott Fletcher (who ended up in Boston for a couple years at the end of his career) - in exchange for Harold Baines and journeyman middle infield Fred Manrique.
So anyhow, Alvarez was 21 when he threw his no-hitter in his second ML start - and Holloman was 30 when he threw *his* no-hitter in first ML start. Buchholz turned 23 in mid-August. That would seem to support the notion that his career should be closer to Alvarez than Holloman. However, I think most Red Sox fans are envisioning a career closer to Pedro Martinez than Wilson Alvarez.
And that’s the point. The kid looks terrific right now, but an entire career is a long ways away. The well-intentioned fanatics in Red Sox Nation need to realize that an early no-hitter is no guarantee for a plaque in Cooperstown. Clay Buchholz looks really good right now, especially looking ahead - easy to see why Theo wouldn’t trade him. But let’s temper our expectations with the realization that the first two guys who threw no-hitters in their first or second ML starts do *not* have busts in Cooperstown.
Okay, I’m done now.