Congratulations to Jamie Moyer, professional baseball’s Darryl Hammond, for earning win #250 against the Washington Nationals. Over six scoreless innings, the 46 year-old only allowed three hits en route to the Phillies’ 4-2 victory. In reaching this plateau, Moyer joins 43 others, only 10 of whom are lefthanders.
Still, Moyer reached the 250-win plateau while moving into 44th place, one behind Bob Gibson with 251 on the all-time wins list. Among active pitchers, Moyer ranks third, trailing San Francisco’s Randy Johnson with 299. Moyer is the oldest pitcher to win his 250th game at 46 years and 194 days.
“I really haven’t thought about it,” said Moyer, who is in his 23rd Major League season. “For me, it takes so much effort to prepare and to play. I’ve been taught to play the game as a team and not as an individual. That’s really how I approach things.”
In his sixth attempt at the milestone, Moyer stayed in control, allowing just three hits and no walks, which had been a problem. One of those hits, off the bat of Josh Willingham, traveled beyond the left-field wall for a solo home run, but otherwise, no runners advanced past first base. Moyer struck out four, throwing 62 of 102 pitches (60.8 percent) for strikes.
For the unassuming lefty, helping the Phils register the sweep and move a season-high eight games above .500 was more meaningful than his 250th career victory.
“I was looking for some consistency,” Moyer said. “I wasn’t concerned with the win beside my name as much as the win beside the Phillies’ name.”
I like Jamie Moyer. The man is (as far as I know), the only player in the MLB who rocks the stirrups. Also, despite his age, he’s managed to figure out a way to remain effective in a league with more cheaters than spring break in Puerto Vallarta. Along with Cole Hamels, Moyer was extremely vital to the Phillies during their 2008 championship run. Way to go, Jamie.
