The Meaning of the Streak

August 23, 2007 by Chris Hall

Enough has been written about Webb’s 42 consecutive scoreless inning streak. But what, if any, will be its lingering effects?

I don’t know which disgusts me more: the fact that the streak was broken by a hit from a guy named “Prince”, or the fact that the 30-3 whooping the Rangers put on the Orioles overshadowed the end of an amazing run. In the end, Webb’s streak will have pushed him back into the Cy Young talks, but it may have few other immediate impacts on the D-Backs going forward.

To put his accomplishment into perspective, you would have to look back over the last 60+ years. Only four other men have kept opponents from crossing home plate longer than Webb in that period. He is still young and we may have yet to see him reach his full potential. That is scary. We have him locked up for the next few years, but this recent performance may be one of the factors that pushes Webb out of our price bracket when free agency arrives.

Was breaking the streak for the best? Despite what you will read in the papers this morning, this streak was not a distraction to the team. The fact that it is over is not for the best. Yes, it takes undue pressure off of Webb and his defensive mates, which allows them to play their games. Yet no other accomplishment in baseball has such a direct correlation with winning games. Unlike the Bonds homerun chase, Webb’s past few performances have directly impacted the win-loss column. For that reason, we should have all liked to see the streak continue. Yes, it would have been nice to see history, but records ring hollow if they come during regular season collapse.

For me, the streak will always be a footnote in what has been an amazing ride by the entire team. More importantly to me, however, is the fact that Brandon Webb consistently put this team on his back and delivered quality starts when they were desperate for a win. Those pesky Padres just won’t go away, despite their current tour in the inhospitable NL East. They already gained a half game this week and without Webb’s courageous efforts last night, they would be within striking distance of the NL West lead.

There is no doubt that the pressure of the streak got to Webb. His performance in the first inning was too careful, too delicate. As he struggled to keep the ball out of the middle of the zone, he lost his touch and Prince Fielder made him pay. The moment that run crossed the plate, the weight was magically lifted off of Webb’s shoulders and placed back into his sinker, perhaps the most devastating pitch in the Major Leagues. After the first inning, Webb attacked the batters with reckless abandon. He was no longer pitching for himself; he was pitching for his team. They desperately needed him to come through and Webb is not the kind of guy to let his team down.

By the end of his night, Webb was spent. Melvin was right to remove him from the game when he did. Earlier in the night, the Padres sat Peavy after 6 innings so that he would be rested for us. It is fitting that we did the same thing with our own ace.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not properly assign blame for the end of streak. Gambo and Ash have a history of jinxing great moments on their radio show. As soon as Webby appeared on their radio show to talk about the streak, they joked that he would blow it in the first inning. Guys, this is not a joke. You are bad luck. Kindly refrain from talking to any of the D-Backs until the season is over. Otherwise, I propose we start calling an inexplicable meltdown a “Gambo”. For example, “The Orioles really pulled a Gambo against the Rangers last night, huh?”

Last night, Brandon Webb’s streak came to an end. On a team where the starters have faltered the last few games, we didn’t need him to be perfect. We just needed him to be “good enough”. Last night, he was…

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