Another Epic Pitching Duel

I think one of the most underrated things about having a staff ace is that you get to run him out there against other great pitchers.  It makes for great theater.  Cole Hamels is a great pitcher, and it’s great to have him on the team.  He’ll win games and he’ll rack up the strikeouts.  But frankly, that’s not why we watch.  We watch for nights like tonight.

Greg Maddux has tortured the Phillies for years.  Of course, so did everyone who pitched for the Braves in the 90’s, but Maddux was certainly public enemy number one.  On a staff full of sure-fire Hall of Famers, he was the best.

Tonight, Maddux will have his third crack at picking up career win number 350.  It’s an impressive number that adds to an already sterling career.  And perhaps it’s fitting that he’ll have a chance to pick it up against the Phillies, a franchise that he’s tormented over the years.  But to pick it up, he’ll have to go through Cole Hamels.

Personally, I have nothing but admiration for Maddux, even if he is an old adversary.  He’s class personified, and he’s a pitcher’s pitcher; using every part of the plate and an unassuming fastball to be one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game.  I wouldn’t mind seeing him pick up such a big win against the Phils.

But like I said at the start, we don’t watch for wins and losses.  We watch for theater.  And having an ace like Hamels on the staff makes for great theater, because you get to run him out there in a match-up like this one.

Tonight is just the latest act in a play that has no ending.  A chance for a legend to pull one more trick out of his seemingly bottomless bag.  Or, perhaps, a chance for a student to grab the torch from a master.  This is why we watch.