Anyhow, this post is to recap the exciting 2009 race which was vastly under reported, on this site, so at least you'll know what was missed I guess.
One imagines the 2009 strikeout as the Mint 400, we watch as a seemingly endless set of competitors begin, one after another, racing into a dusty, nebulous playing field, as unsure of the victor as we are of who will cross the finish line at all. In absence of suitable viewing ground, we peer out into the fray catching glimpses of brief leaders, stellar passes, and daring failures, horrific crashes, and hopeless non-starters.
First we excite ourselves over the Santana’s; for Senõr Flatbrim we kick the earth as he grinds his bike in to the dirt, soon to be uplifted in the excitement of similarly appellated Johan: A king of yesteryear, home and rightened to reclaim the crown he so convincingly wore for years. But 44 in April, and 44 in May, wanes to 18 in June, and his performance decline to his backers dismay, injury eventually calls off his whole race.
His fellow fast starter, Grienke, the prodigal son, ship finally righted, sails catching the full brunt of the wind, and we dazzle in the juxtaposing of his childish countenance and elders icy’s glare. Though he too falls victim to the June like Johan, the triumph is his young arrival, and we mark his name down in the margin with a note to put a ten or two on his odds for next summer.
The usual suspects of strikeout lists, the Harens, the Halladays, the Vasquez, making their usual appearances, putting in their usual numbers, holding court as usual. Perhaps however, if your gaze, as ours does, sets upon on the leader of the pack - and the leader only - their work is a bit too usual, only irregular caprice allows the precocious to find their way to the peak of the pickings, alas, we admire these soldiers none the less.
A crowd of just such precocious folk did however appear on the scene only to crash and burn far from the finish line: Harden, Volquez, Billingsley, Gallardo, Bedard, the names we dreamt all in one dream, all as one ethos, pained, ripped, torn, snapped, until the dream thickened into scar tissue, purple and fresh from the surgeons blade. A clock ticks on the bedside, set to ring in February, when the full body cast shall be removed, and with the catchers, these pitchers hope to report.
For yet others still we feel an overwhelming sense of “Yes, but...”. Yes, a full season but... Yes no injury but...Yes, playoffs but...Yes, my own best ever but...just a tinge of exasperation, a ‘what does it take’, a self-distrust, an inner rot, at laying out the best one has, of catching all the possible breaks, of seemingly making good on every bit of potential, yet coming up short. The slow realization that progress for you is incremental, and all there is left is return to the drawing board to improve, once again, in every way you can. For Jimenez, for Felix, for Nolasco, for Wainright, for Lester, is it thus. A cocked head, and furrowed brow: When will I know when I get there?
By the All-Star break, the title was apparently in the hands of two giants; one in stature, the other in name only. 6’5’’ Justin Verlander, fastball at 100, curve, change, on the first place Tigers, staring down the seasons last day to cut off the tailing Twins. 5’10’’ Tim Lincecum, reigning champ, fastball at 100, curve, change, on the far back third place Giants. The narrative told of two titans, trading blows to the end, in which we found circumstance to weigh heavily on the outcome. Whereas Verlander was Animal Farm’s Boxer, taking on more and more of a failing regime’s load falling on his right shoulder, Lincecum’s motherland had fallen back far enough that it nary mattered whether he would work harder or not. Therefore, he skipped a start and on September 14, the two titans sat side by side with half a month to go.
And with 11 k’s on the 24, more than the sum (9) of Lincecum’s lead (2) and effort on the 25th (7) Verlander was in the clear for good. When the dust of the race had settled, the sun fallen and risen brightly anew, we sat with a new strikeout leader Verlander 269, and an old champ dethroned, Lincecum 261.
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