Editor's note: The original version of this story ran on June 27, 2018. As part of ESPN's Strikeout Saturday on March 28, 2020, David Schoenfield updated his evaluations,
particularly of who's most likely to beat each team's best-ever pitching
performance. On May 4, 2018 Gerrit Cole pitched one of the best video games you
will ever see. He fired a 16-strikeout shutout against the Diamondbacks,
enabling just one hit and one walk. As a remarkable side take note, Cole didn't
strike out any batters in the initial or ninth innings, so 16 of the 21 outs
from the second through the eighth were strikeouts. His final two pitches were
99 mph. Cole called it "probably my best" start of his career. Umm, no
"probably" needed there. I actually wondered: Was this the best start in Astros
history? Cole's Game Score was 100, Sub
Block iron on transfers a rare achievement. There have been just 15 such
games in outings of nine CAD-CUT
Iron-on Transfer innings or fewer since 1908, therefore while Cole's game
didn't receive the notoriety of a no-hitter or perfect video game, it was more
impressive in many ways, less reliant on the fortune of where a ball was strike
and more dependent on his pure dominance. With Cole's game in mind, I thought it
would be fun to analysis the best starts for each and every franchise. This
wasn't as simple as just finding the best Game Score for each team. With the way
Game Rating is certainly calculated, the more innings you pitch, the higher your
Game Score can go, so many franchise records are from online games from decades
ago, when pitchers would pitch deep into extra innings. You also have to
consider the opponent and the era -- strikeouts are more plentiful now, although
complete video games are scarce. Two final notes before I disclose my
selections: • I considered only regular-period starts. Postseason is another
beast entirely given the importance of every game (though my editor says to be
prepared to go there come October). There is usually one franchise, however, for
which the highest nine-inning Game Rating in a postseason video game matches the
very best in the regular season. • This list Value
Print iron on transfers goes back to just 1908, which is as far back as the
invaluable Baseball-Reference Enjoy Index Stickers Labels goes. So whenever I might say "history," I really mean since 1908.