If you thought the 2011 season seemed like a throwback, you were right.
Offense dropped to a level not seen since Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling were dominating on the mound.
Justin Verlander, Roy Halladay and Clayton Kershaw have helped bring in a new era of prime power arms that has caused scoring and home runs to drop to levels not seen in 19 years.
“There’s a good generation of young pitchers who have come up and established themselves,” said Colorado’s Jason Giambi, an AL MVP in the long-gone sluggers’ epoch. “The days of offensive guys putting up crazy numbers, I think it’s going to be different the next few years.”
Be it better pitchers, more stringent steroid testing, changes in ballparks or lots of wet weather, batters haven’t had it this tough since the Bush administration — the first Bush administration — an era when multipurpose stadiums were common, the Internet wasn’t well known and cellphones were bulky and uncommon.
Teams averaged 4.28 runs per game this season, the lowest since 1992’s 4.12 and down from a steroids era peak of 5.14 in 2000. And the home run average was down to 0.94 per team per game, also the lowest in 19 years.
It wasn’t just home run hitters who had a tough time. The major league batting average of .255 was the lowest since 1989. On the flip side, the 3.94 ERA was a level last seen in 1992.
“Pitching is getting better. Teams are drafting pitching more. They started doing that a while ago and now you’re seeing what all those guys can do,” Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker said.
MLB ATTENDANCE UP
In a season full of comebacks, Major League Baseball attendance also rallied.
MLB’s average attendance rose by about half of 1 percent this year, ending three straight seasons of drops.
The National League East champion Philadelphia Phillies led baseball’s attendance chart for the first time, drawing 3,680,718 fans. The Phillies have had 204 straight regular-season sellouts at Citizens Bank Park. Boston has sold out 712 straight games at Fenway Park.
The overall attendance of 73,425,568 this year was the fifth-highest in MLB history.
SHORT HOPS
Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said he won’t make a scapegoat of manager Terry Francona after the team’s unprecedented September collapse. Epstein said that everyone will be evaluated this offseason, including the manager and GM. But he said “nobody blames” the team’s 7-20 record in September on Francona. … The Indians have picked up manager Manny Acta’s contract option for 2013. Acta kept the Indians in contention for much of this season before injuries overwhelmed the young club, which finished second in the American League Central. Also, Indians pitching coach Tim Belcher has stepped down from that job to spend more time with his family. … Athletics general manager Billy Beane says he expects to hear “very soon” from commissioner Bud Selig about whether the club will be allowed to move south to San Jose and build a new ballpark. The reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants currently hold the territorial rights to San Jose, where the A’s hope to build a new ballpark. … Pitching coach Bob McClure and bench coach John Gibbons will not return with the Kansas City Royals next season. … The Padres have fired hitting coach Randy Ready in the wake of a 71-91 season in which San Diego’s batters once again struggled in spacious Petco Park. Ready is the only member of Bud Black’s staff not to be invited back.
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