Baseball pundits across the country are calling 2010 "the year of the pitcher," and it's not hard to see why. Baseball fans have been treated to the first season with two perfect games since 1880, a no-hitter, and perhaps the most infamous one hit shut-out in baseball's history, and it's not even July.
Statistics bear out the claim as well. Runs per game are at the lowest point (through June 20) since 1992. Home runs per game are down to 1.85, the lowest since 1993. Batters are striking out in 18.2% of their plate appearances.
Pitchers are dominating headlines as well. Ubaldo Jiminez's dominance on the mound has replaced Mark McGwire's dominance at the plate in the box scores. The inevitability of Cliff Lee wearing pinstripes in the Bronx is the water cooler topic of choice. Stephen Strasburg's rocket arm is the new Barry Bonds' hot air balloon head.
But what baseball fans are seeing is not so much "the year of the pitcher" as it is the end of the steroid era.
President George W. Bush's 2004 State of the Union speech called for increased scrutiny and investigation into allegations of performance-enhancing drug use in Major League Baseball. At the time, many thought it to be a non-sequitur, a trivial concern for a nation at war. But now it seems mandatory testing may be one thing Bush can count as a lasting legacy of his time in the White House.
Bonds, McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco and the other sluggers whose names have asterisks permanently affixed are out of the game voluntarily. Perhaps they saw this coming. For now they can rest on their laurels and needle-scarred backsides, knowing that official baseball statistics carry no parenthetical remarks about doping allegations.
But baseball is cyclical, to be sure. In fact, a quick Google search for "year of the pitcher" brings up a Time magazine article from 1963 which posits atomic testing could be the reason for defensive dominance.
It is probably safe to say that by the time the Rays' lease at Tropicana Field runs out in 2027, fans will see a resurgence in offensive numbers. Future players might use nanotechnology to mechanically enhance muscle fibers or repair torn ligaments to rebound quickly from injury. New chemicals to mask drugs could be synthesized in labs around the world. Perhaps the next Babe Ruth will find beer and hot dogs really are the answer, or the next Ty Cobb will succeed with sheer orneriness.
One thing is certain though, and that is this is the end of the steroid era. Baseball purists who bemoaned Bonds' 756th can breathe easy and enjoy the game of baseball as it was meant to be played.
At least until the next loophole is found.
