David Price made his first start against the Tampa Bay Rays, since being traded to the Detroit Tigers. In that start, Price lived up to the hype and threw a monster complete game one-hitter with nine strikeouts and no walks. The unfortunate part about his return to Tampa? He lost.
In fact, according to ESPN Stats and Information, he is only the 3rd pitcher in the past 100 seasons to strikeout nine or more while allowing one hit in a loss.
For the fans that did show up, it was probably the best outcome possible. The prodigal son returns home and pitches in a dominant fashion, but the home team still wins. It really is a tough break for Price, as it is harder to pitch that stat line and lose than to pitch that line and win, that’s for sure.
It’s an even tougher break for the Tigers, who are in a tough battle for the final American League Wild Card position. When you get a dominant pitching performance like the one Price threw today, you need to win. It will be interesting if this has any impact on the Playoffs when the season is complete. Only time will tell.
[Photo Credit: FieldRush.com]
