On Sunday, Kansas City Royals starter Edinson Volquez lasted just 2 2/3 innings, facing 17 batters, allowing six hits, four walks, four earned runs, and a homer. It was a disaster of a start and did not put his team in a position to win.
And yet, it was Volquez who delivered the best start of the day at Comerica Park.
That’s right, Detroit Tigers starter Matt Boyd managed to out-awful Volquez, and it wasn’t even particularly close.
Boyd’s final line on the day: 0.0 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR.
Five batters. Five hits. The end.
Volquez managed a single game ERA of 13.50. Boyd’s was literally incalculable. He pitched so poorly that his earned run average on the day is undefined. His failure broke math.
While the disaster of a start certainly hurt Detroit’s chance at securing the second Wild Card spot, Boyd can rest easy knowing that he isn’t alone in leaving a start without recording a single out.
Since 1914 there have been well over 1,000 instances of this happening. Of course, many of those were due to injury or uncontrollable circumstances (like lengthy rain delays). Still, Boyd has company.
What sets his start apart is that in those fist five batters, KC actually managed to hit for the cycle: two singles, one double, one triple, and one home run.
Boyd becomes just the fifth pitcher ever to allow a team to hit for the cycle without recording a single out. The last starter to “accomplish” the feat was Tomo Ohka in 2002.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, there is little margin for error if they stand a chance at making it to the playoffs. The Cleveland Indians have all but locked down the AL Central (magic number of one) and today’s loss puts Detroit one and a half games back of the Baltimore Orioles for the second Wild Card.
Though their next series is against a dangerous Indians squad, that may actually work in their favor. Once Cleveland clinches the division, there’s a good chance they’ll rest their starters, giving Detroit a weaker opponent.
Meanwhile, the two current Wild Cards, Baltimore and the Toronto Blue Jays, will face each other in a three-game set.
Ultimately, those two series will determine which teams will be joining Cleveland, the Boston Red Sox, and the Texas Rangers as American League representatives in the playoffs.
Scott Ferris covers all things baseball as a Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter @ScottHFerris
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