OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:
ABOUT THE A’S: Extended their losing streak to six games last night, which is their third losing streak of six or more games this year (6, April 5-11; 7, April 13-19)…have also lost nine of the last 10 games and 14 of the last 16…are 4-17 (.190) in May after going 5-23 (.179) in April…are 10-40 (.200) overall, which is the worst record in the majors (Royals, 15-35/.300)…it matches the 1932 Red Sox for the second worst record after 50 games by an AL, NL or FL team since 1900…the worst is 9-38 (.191) by the 1904 Senators (had three games called with the score tied)…both the Red Sox and Senators lost game 51…the lowest winning percentage by an AL or modern NL team is .235 by the 1916 Philadelphia A’s (36-117)…are 1-14-0 in series play…lost each of the first 10 series, won two of three at Kansas City from May 5-7, and have lost each of the last four series…were swept by Houston in a three-game series to start the road trip and have been swept seven times this year.
OFFENSE: The A’s have scored two runs or fewer in each of the last five games, which matches the longest such streak by an A’s team over the last 44 years… are batting .185 (29-for-157) with seven runs scored, four doubles and nine walks over that span…overall, have the second lowest batting average in the majors (.225), third lowest slugging percentage (.366) and OPS (.670) and fifth lowest on-base percentage (.303)…have the second most strikeouts (472), third fewest doubles (66), fourth fewest runs (180) and are tied for the fifth fewest extra base hits (125)…are tied for the most sacrifice hits (11), tied for fifth in hit by pitches (27) and rank sixth in intentional walks (7)… the seven intentional walks match the A’s season total from last year…have been shut out three times in the last 12 games and seven times this year, which is tied with the Mets for second most in the majors (Royals, 8)…A’s pinch hitters are tied for the most walks in the majors (8) and are tied for fourth in hits (10).
PITCHING: The A’s have compiled a 5.89 ERA (121 er in 185.0 ip) in May after posting a 7.97 ERA in April…have a 6.95 ERA overall, which is the highest in the majors (Royals, 5.14)…according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the highest ERA by an AL or NL team since the earned run became an official stat is 6.70 by the 1930 Philadelphia Phillies…have allowed 358 runs, which is an average of 7.16 per game…are on pace to allow 1159 runs and the modern Major League record is 1199 by the 1930 Phillies…also have the highest opponents OPS (.876), batting average (.283), on-base percentage (.377) and slugging percentage (.499) in the majors this year…lead the majors in most walks (243), hit batters (36) and wild pitches (27) and have the sixth fewest strikeouts (374).
THE LONG BALL: The A’s pitching staff has allowed at least one home run in 25 of the last 26 games, which includes a streak of 23 consecutive games with a home run from April 26-May 20…that was the longest streak in Athletics history (previous: 17, July 26-Aug. 14, 1964) and tied for fourth longest in Major League history…have allowed 85 home runs for the season, which is the most in the majors (White Sox, 71)…have surrendered six grand slams, which are the most in the majors (four teams with 3) and tied for fifth most in a season in Athletics history (8 in 1993 and 1999, 7 in 1954 and 1997).
STARTING PITCHING: A’s starting pitchers are 0-11 with a 6.13 ERA (57 er in 83.2 ip) in the 16 games since recording their only two wins of the season on May 5 and 6 at Kansas City…went 0-16 over the first 32 games and are 2-27 with a 7.28 ERA for the season…the ERA is the highest in the majors (Reds, 6.29) and no other team has fewer than six wins from its starters…have the 10th fewest innings pitched (246.0).
THE BULLPEN: The A’s bullpen has a streak of 16 consecutive games without a save opportunity…since the blown save was first tracked in 2004, that matches the longest such streak by an A’s team (May 28-June 14, 2008 and Sept. 24, 2020-April 12, 2021)…is 4-for-13 (30.8%) in save opportunities this year…has the lowest save percentage and fewest saves in the majors and the nine blown saves are tied for ninth most…has a 6.53 ERA, which is the highest in the majors (White Sox, 5.14)…has allowed 41-of-98 (41.8%) inherited runners to score, which is the fifth highest percentage…has the third most inherited runners…has 193.0 innings pitched, which is sixth most.
ON THE BASES: The A’s are 48-for-59 (81.4%) in stolen base attempts…rank third in the majors in stolen bases and attempts and 10th in stolen base percentage…the 48 steals are the most by an A’s team over the first 50 games since 1992 (57)…A’s opponents are 41-for-57 (71.9%) in stolen base attempts, which is the sixth lowest success rate in the majors…the 16 caught stealings are second most (Rockies, 18) but the A’s are tied for the sixth most stolen bases allowed…A’s pitchers have four pickoffs, which is tied for fifth most in the majors.
HOME AND AWAY: The A’s are 0-5 on this seven-game road trip to Houston (0-3) and Seattle (0-2) and now have a nine-game road losing streak, which is tied for the seventh longest road losing streak in Oakland history…it is the longest since May 24-June 11, 2016 when they also lost nine straight…went 2-4 on the last road trip to Kansas City (2-1) and New York-AL (0-3) and are 5-20 (.200) on the road, which is the worst road record in the majors (Reds, 7-15/.318)…return home following the game tomorrow for a six-game homestand against Houston (three games) and Atlanta (three games)…went 2-5 on the last homestand against Texas (1-3) and Arizona (1-2) and are 5-20 (.200) at home, which is the lowest home winning percentage in the majors (Royals, 7-18/.280)…have compiled a 5.99 ERA at home compared to 8.04 (184 er in 206.0 ip) on the road.
WINNING LATE: The A’s have scored the winning run in their final at bat in seven of their 10 wins…have five wins when tied after seven innings, three when trailing after seven innings and two when leading after seven inning… are tied for the most wins in the majors when tied after seven innings and are tied for sixth in wins when trailing after seven innings…however, no other team has fewer than 12 wins when leading after seven innings…are 3-4 (.429) in extra inning games…are tied second in the majors in extra inning games (7) and losses and tied for sixth in wins…have four walk-off wins, which is tied for the most in the majors (Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees).
RUN DIFFERENTIAL: Seven of the A’s 10 wins have been by one run and Oakland is 7-9 (.438) in one-run games…are tied for seventh in the majors in one-run losses and tied for eighth in one-run games (16)…however, have lost eight games by nine or more runs, which matches the most such losses by an A’s team over the last 27 years (also 2008 and 2022)…have a run differential of -178, which is the lowest in the majors (Royals, -71)…the lowest by an AL or NL team since 1901 is -349 by the 1932 Boston Red Sox.
THIS AND THAT: The A’s have employed 43 players, which is the most in the majors (Mets, 41)…28 of the 43 have been pitchers, which is also the most in the majors (Rays, 26)…have used 12 rookies and seven players have made their Major League debuts…have used the injured list 15 times, including 11 times for pitchers…currently have eight players on the IL, including seven pitchers…have committed just two errors in the last eight games, but have 32 for the season, which is tied for second most in the majors (Braves, 34)… have 10 outfield assists, which is tied for third most…are 9-20 (.310) in night games and 1-20 (.048) during the day…have an average time of game of 2:48, which is the longest in the majors (Orioles, 2:46)…however, have not averaged under 2:53 per game since 2010 (2:43)
A’S VS. MARINERS
- The A’s have lost five straight, eight of the last nine and 28 of the last 36 to the Mariners.
- Are 0-5 after losing the season series last year for the second consecutive season…are 12-31 (.279) against the Mariners over the last three
seasons. - Have lost 14 of the last 18 games in Seattle.
- Have lost eight of the previous 10 season series and are 74-112 (.398) against the Mariners dating back to the start of the 2013 season, which is the A’s worst mark against any American League team over that span.
Year Home Road Totals
2023 0-3 0-2 0-5
2022 4-5 4-6 8-11
Oakland History: 378-336
at the Coliseum: 202-153
at T-Mobile Park: 99-116
TODAY’S TIDBITS
Ryan Noda leads Major League rookies in on-base percentage (.399) and walks (32) and ranks fifth in OPS (.818)…Esteury Ruiz leads ML rookies in hits (56), stolen bases (25) and hit by pitches (10), is tied for the lead in doubles (13), ranks fourth in batting (.284) and tied for fourth in RBI (22)… the 25 steals match the most by an Athletic over the last six years (Marte in 2021).
TODAY’S MAIN PITCHER: Ken Waldichuk (1-3, 6.85 ERA)
FOR STARTERS: Is scheduled to make his 10th appearance of the season and the 17th of his career…this will be his first relief appearance…is tied for third among Major League rookies in games started (9) and ranks fourth in innings pitched (46.0) and strikeouts (39).
BASES ON BALLS: Has walked five batters in each of his last two starts after issuing six free passes in his previous start…the streak of three consecutive games with five or more walks matches the longest by an A’s pitcher over the last 30 years (Chad Gaudin, July 12-23, 2007)…the longest in Oakland history is four by Eric Plunk (June 14-29, 1986) and Todd Van Poppel (Aug. 16-Sept. 3, 1993)…has 16 walks in 15.0 innings over his last three starts after walking just 12 in 31.0 innings over his first six starts…has 28 walks for the season, which is tied for fifth most in the majors.
RANKINGS: Is tied for third in the majors in home runs allowed (13) and ranks sixth in most runs (37)…based on a minimum of 40 innings pitched, he has the highest opponents OPS (.999) and slugging percentage (.597) in the majors, is tied for the second highest batting average (.306), has the third highest on-base percentage (.402) and fourth highest ERA (6.85).
OPPONENTS BATTING: His opponents batting average breaks down to .296 (8-for-27) against left-handed hitters and .308 (49-for-159) against righthanders…seven of the eight hits by lefties are for extra bases (five doubles, two home runs)…has a 1.128 OPS against left-handers, .976 against righthanders…has allowed a .371 (36-for-97) batting average with the bases empty compared to .236 (21-for-89) with runners on base…opponents are 12-for-55 (.218) with runners in scoring position…22 of the 37 runs he has allowed have scored on home runs…has a .246 (16-for-65) opponents batting average the first time through the order, .339 (41-for-121) after that.
HOME AND AWAY: Is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA (12 er in 21.1 ip) and .909 opponents OPS in four starts at home compared to 1-2 with an 8.39 ERA (23 er in 24.2 ip) and 1.079 OPS in five starts in the road…has surrendered nine of his 13 home runs on the road.
THIS AND THAT: Has been the starting pitcher in five of the A’s 10 wins…has left with the lead in three of his nine starts, only to have the bullpen blow the save (April 12, April 24, April 30)…the A’s have been shutout in two of his other starts…is scheduled to start on four days rest today…has just two starts on four days rest and is 0-1 with a 10.61 ERA (11 er in 9.1 ip) in those two starts compared to 1-2 with a 5.89 ERA (24 er in 36.2 ip) in his other seven starts…has tossed five innings or fewer in five of his nine starts and never more than 6.1 innings…has allowed one run in the first inning (9.0 ip, 1.00 ERA) but has yielded 12 of his 37 runs in the second inning (10 er in 9.0 ip, 10.00 ERA).
IN APRIL: Went 0-2 with a 7.26 ERA and .976 opponents OPS in six starts in April…had the highest opponents OPS (.976) and slugging percentage (.598) in the majors in April, the fourth highest on-base percentage (.378) and the fifth highest ERA and batting average (.307)…the ERA was the highest April ERA in Athletics history among pitchers with 30 or more innings…allowed 10 home runs, which were the most in the majors and matched Gil Heredia (2001) for the most home runs in April in Athletics history.
2023 DAY-BY-DAY: Allowed six runs on a career-high nine hits in his first start of the season on April 2 against Los Angeles (AL) and was the losing pitcher in the A’s 6-0 loss…surrendered a three-run home run to O’Hoppe in the fourth to snap a career-high 14.0-inning scoreless streak dating back to last year…allowed three home runs against the Angels and a career-high four in his next start on April 7 at Tampa Bay…the seven home runs in back-toback starts match the most in Oakland history by a pitcher over a two-game stretch…Mike Fiers (Sept. 3-9, 2019) is the only other one to do it over the last 25 years…allowed a career-high eight runs in a season-low 3.0 innings in the start against the Rays…tossed a season-high 6.1 innings April 12 at Baltimore but had a no decision in the A’s 8-4 win…left with a 4-2 lead but Familia blew the save…tossed 5.0 scoreless innings in his fourth start on April 18 at Chicago (NL) but had a no decision as the A’s were shutout 4-0…struck out a season-high seven batters in 5.2 innings on April 30 against Cincinnati…walked a career-high six batters and tossed a career-high 114 pitches on May 6 at Kansas City but picked up his first win of the season in the A’s 5-4 victory.
LAST START: He was the losing pitcher in the A’s 5-1 loss at Houston last Friday…allowed a run in the second on a RBI ground out and the A’s tied the game with a run in the top of the third…he then surrendered a RBI double to Tucker in the fourth and a two-run home run to Tucker in the sixth for the loss.
SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners continue a 10-game homestand with the 3rd of 4 games against the Oakland Athletics (2-0)…Seattle will also host the Pittsburgh Pirates (3 G, May 26-28) and the New York Yankees (3 G, May 29-31) on the current homestand…tonight’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink on the call…the game will also be broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Dave Sims.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners defeated the Athletics by a 3-2 score last night to capture each of the first 2 games of the 4-game series…Seattle is 12-12 at both T-Mobile Park and on the road this season… with last night’s win, Seattle improved to 5-12 in one-run games this season.
- Above .500 – Seattle is looking to go above .500 for the 4th time this season…they have held 1-0, 20-19 and 21-20 records.
- SeaUsWald – Paul Sewald is 10-for-10 in save opportunities this season…the 10 saves are tied for 4th-most in the American League.
- The Re-Flex – Chris Flexen has tossed 8.0 consecutive scoreless innings in relief (4/30-c), allowing just 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7 during the streak.
SIMPLY THE BEST…the Mariners have the best pitching staff in the Major Leagues by fWAR (9.6), ranking ahead of 2nd-place Minnesota (8.1) by a wide margin…Seattle also leads the Majors in WHIP (1.17), Fielding Independent Pitching (3.22), fewest walks (122), walks-per-9 innings (2.55), fewest home runs (33), home runs-per-9 innings (0.69), fewest barrels (75), barrel per plate appearance (6.2%), soft-contact percentage (18.7), swing percentage (49.4) and zone percentage (44.2) among other categories…Mariners starting pitchers are tied for 1st in the Majors in fWAR (6.6) with Minnesota…Mariners relief pitchers rank 2nd in the Majors in fWAR (3.0) trailing Baltimore (3.3).
J.K. ROLLING (ON A RIVER)…Jarred Kelenic went 1-for-4 last night, extending his hitting streak to 6 games (5/17-c)…during the streak, he’s batting .375 (9×24) with 6 runs, 1 double, 2 home runs, 4 RBI and 3 walks, getting on base at a .444 clip, slugging .667 with a 1.111 OPS…overall this season, Kelenic has been one of the most productive outfielders in the American League, batting .296 (50×169) with 25 runs, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 10 home runs, 25 RBI, 6 stolen bases and 13 walks in 46 games, while getting on base at a .348 clip, slugging .556 with a .904 OPS…the 23-year-old outfielder leads the Mariners in total bases (94), extra-base hits (23), hits, home runs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS.
WHAT’S GLOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT…the Mariners defense is tied for the best in the American League by Outs Above Average (12) this season…they are tied with Tampa Bay and Milwaukee, trailing only San Diego (17) for the Major League lead…Eugenio Suárez is the top-rated third baseman in the Majors by OAA (6) and is tied for 2nd among all positions…Julio Rodríguez is tied for 3rd among AL center fielders with 4 OAA…Seattle’s .991 team fielding percentage is tied for the AL lead with Tampa Bay, trailing only San Diego (.993) for the Major League lead.
TY-BREAKER FRANCE…Ty France supplied the go-ahead home run in the eventual 3-2 win last night… over his last 19 games, the Mariners first baseman is batting .291 (23×79) with 10 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 6 RBI, 4 walks and 3 hit-by-pitches, getting on base at a .349 clip, slugging .418 with a .767 OPS… France was hit by a pitch in his final plate appearance of last night’s game, his 8th HBP of the season, tied for 2nd-most in the Majors and trailing only Esteury Ruiz-OAK (10).
IT’S GONNA WORK OUT FINE…Seattle players age 26-or-younger this season have compiled 10.4 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement, most in the Majors…Seattle pitchers age 26-or-younger have 5.7 fWAR, by far the most in the Majors and ranking ahead of Houston (3.9)…Seattle position players age 26-or-younger have 4.7 fWAR, 2nd-most in the Majors behind only Tampa Bay (6.9)…George Kirby (1.9 fWAR), Logan Gilbert (1.7) and tonight’s starter Bryce Miller (1.2) rank 2nd, 3rd and T6th, respectively, among age 26-or-younger MLB pitchers, while reliever Matt Brash (0.7) ranks T21st…Jarred Kelenic (1.5 fWAR) ranks T11th among age 26-or-younger MLB position players, while Cal Raleigh (1.2) ranks T19th.
GOLDENEYE…J.P. Crawford reached base twice last night, belting a game-tying 2-run homer in the 5th inning and also drawing a walk…J.P. has reached base safely in 18 of his last 19 games, getting on base at a .361 clip during that span…overall this season, he leads the Mariners with a .367 on-base percentage… he also leads the team in walks (28).
PROUD CABBY…José Caballero went 1-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI in Monday’s game…despite playing only 24 games this season, he has already compiled 0.9 fWAR, ranking 4th among American League second basemen behind Marcus Semien-TEX (2.4), Taylor Walls-TB (1.4) and Zach McKinstryDET (1.0)…overall this season, Caballero is batting .276 (16×58) with 11 runs scored, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 10 RBI, 8 walks and 2 hit-by-pitch, while reaching base at a .379 clip and slugging .389 with a .768 OPS…he also is 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts.
PITCHING REVUE…Seattle pitchers Marco Gonzales (W, 6.0 IP, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO), Trevor Gott (HLD, 1.0 IP, 2 SO), Justin Topa (HLD, 1.0 IP, 1 SO) and Paul Sewald (SV, 1.0 IP, 2 SO) combined for 1 walk and 9 strikeouts in last night’s win…the Mariners pitching staff leads the Majors in games allowing 1-walk-orless, doing it 19 times…the Dodgers and Giants are tied for 2nd-most occurrences (15) this season…for context, the 1995 Mariners accomplished the feat just 13 times all season.
THE HOMESTAND…the Mariners continue a 10-game homestand today with the 3rd of 4 consecutive Value Games against the Oakland Athletics (May 22-25)…Seattle then welcomes the Pittsburgh Pirates for 3 games (May 26-28), featuring Sing-Along Fireworks Night on Friday, May 26, J.P. Crawford POP! Collectible Night on Saturday, May 27 and Little League Day on Sunday, May 28…the Mariners wrap up the homestand with 3 games against the New York Yankees from May 29-31…tickets for all upcoming games can be found at Mariners.com/Tickets.
AS YOU KNOW…Bryce Miller takes the mound for the Mariners tonight…over his first 4 career Major League starts, the right-hander is 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA (4 ER, 25.1 IP) with 11 hits allowed, 2 walks and 22 strikeouts, but, DID YOU KNOW?…that Miller has the lowest walks and hits per inning pitched (0.513) through a pitcher’s first 4 career starts (min. 20 IP) in Major League history?…Miller has gone 6.0+ innings allowing 5-or-fewer baserunners in each of those outings, the longest streak to begin a career in Major League history…the streak surpassed Aaron Civale-CLE (3) from June 22-Aug. 11, 2019…the longest streak of 6.0+ innings with 5-or-fewer baserunners allowed in Mariners history belongs to Randy Johnson, who did it in 5 consecutive outings from May 28-June 19, 1997.
MARINERS STARTER – RHP BRYCE MILLER
2023/Career MLB Breakdown:
W-L ERA G/GS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Overall 2-1 1.42 4/4 25.1 11 4 4 2 22 0
Home 1-0 0.00 1/1 6.0 2 0 0 1 5 0
Road 1-1 1.86 3/3 19.1 9 4 4 1 17 0
vs. OAK 0-0 1.50 1/1 6.0 2 1 1 0 10 0
ABOUT BRYCE MILLER…
- The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher is scheduled to make his 5th career start, and his 2nd against the Oak- land Athletics. • Selected by Seattle in the 4th round (113th overall) of the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft; signed by Mariners scout Derek Miller. • Spent 3 seasons at Texas A&M from 2019-21…also spent 2 seasons playing for Brazos Valley Bombers of the Texas Collegiate League in 2018 and 2020, and 1 season with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod League in 2019. • Was born in Mount Pleasant, Texas and attended New Braunfels High School in New Braunfels, Texas.
LAST TIME OUT…L#1 in his 4th Major League start on 5/19 at ATL… allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4 over 6.1 innings pitched.
THROUGH 4 STARTS…became the 3rd pitcher in franchise history to not allow a home run through their first 4 career starts (min. 25 IP)…his 4 earned runs allowed are tied for the fewest in a pitcher’s first 4 career starts in franchise history (min. 20 IP).
AN ALMOST PERFECT BEGINNING…took a perfect game into the 6th inning in his first career Major League start at Oakland on 5/2 before a Tony Kemp 1-out single broke up the no-hit bid…the 16-consecutive batters retired in a pitcher’s MLB debut are the most since 1961 (h/t Elias Sports).
WHAT A DEBUT…became just the 3rd pitcher in MLB history to strike out 10 batters without issuing a walk in their Major League debut, joining RHP Johnny Cueto-CIN (4/3/08) and Stephen Strausburg-WSN (6/8/10)…became the 30th pitcher in MLB history to strikeout 10+ in their ML debut…also set a franchise record for most strikeouts in a debut moving ahead of Enrique Romo, who struck out 9 on 4/7/77.
NO RUNNERS ALLOWED…became the only pitcher in MLB history to have 3-or-fewer baserunners allowed in each of their first 3 career starts…
his 8 baserunners allowed were the fewest in a pitcher’s first 3 career appearances since at least 1901 (min. 15 IP).
MAKING IT LOOK EASY…he became the only pitcher in MLB history to have 6.0+ innings pitched and allow 3-or-fewer baserunners in his first 3
career starts…his 3-game streak of 6.0+ innings pitched and 3-or-fewer baserunners allowed is tied for the longest since 1901…Blake Snell SDP and Corbin Burnes-MIL were the most recent pitchers to achieve this feat, both doing so in 2021.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING…became the 2nd pitcher in MLB history to go at least 6.0 innings and allow 2-or-fewer hits in each of his first 2 career games, joining Ken Cloude-SEA (1997)…via Sarah Langs.
KEEPING THE BATS QUIET…opponents are currently batting .128 (11×86) against Miller which is the lowest opponent batting average in the league among pitchers with at least 4 starts…he ranks ahead of Shohei Ohtani-LAA (.142).
IT’S BEEN 21 YEARS…he became the first pitcher with a sub-1.00 ERA & 15 strikeouts over his first 2 career games since Kazuhisa Ishii-LAD
(2002)…he is the only pitcher in MLB history to do that while allowing no more than 1 walk.
WATCH ME WHIP…his 0.513 WHIP currently leads the Majors among pitchers with at least 4 starts this season ranking ahead of Jacob deGrom-TEX (0.758)…his 0.421 WHIP through his first 3 career starts was the lowest in Major League history (min. 15 IP).
STARTING OFF STRONG…he is the 5th pitcher in Major League history with at least 15 strikeouts and no more than 1 walk over his first 2 career games, joining Andy Sonnanstine-TB (2007), Johnny Cueto-CIN (2008), Masahiro Tanaka-NYY (2014) & Nick Kingham-PIT (2018).
HARD-EARNED RUNS…became the only pitcher in franchise history to allow 1-or-fewer runs in his first 3 career starts.
MAKING MARINERS HISTORY…his 0.47 ERA (1 ER, 19.0 IP) was the lowest in franchise history in a pitchers first 3 career starts…he became just the 2nd pitcher in Mariners history to have a sub 1.00-ERA in his first 3 starts (also: Félix Hernández).
