In 2015, two things became apparent as September progressed. The Cubs were post-season bound, and it might be a run that was a bit longer than we were used to. As minor league games ceased for the season, I began perusing Cubs’ postseason box scores to find out the team leaders in various categories. It was very vintage-heavy.
As Kyle Schwarber's homer landed in the Allegheny, it began to look like the Cubs were going to be able to start mounting statistics on top of statistics. Jake Arrieta‘s early splash, and continuing success in 2016 and 2017, sent him to the top of many lists. However, my aim was to assess which players, in the basic counting stats, were the team's postseason leaders.
It wasn't that nobody cared, or nobody tracked it. The numbers I wanted to know weren't grouped together, as I wanted them. As the seasons mounted, so did the numbers. Here are a list of the top pitching leaders in the counting stats. (I have no idea how to determine a "minimum level" for ERA or batting average stats. Hence, I ignore them.) If you have a particular stat you'd like to research, Baseball-Reference is your friend. As long as the games continue, I plan to update the changes after the games. Look for wild swings on the offensive side if the Cubs score some runs. Tomorrow, the hitters.
Games pitched
1. Pedro Strop 20
2. Mike Montgomery 16
3. Hector Rondon 15
3. Travis Wood 15
3. Carl Edwards Jr. 15
6. Aroldis Chapman 13
7. Jon Lester 12
8. Kyle Hendricks 11
9. Jake Arrieta 9
9. Mordecai Brown 9
Games started
1. Jon Lester 10
1. Kyle Hendricks 10
3. Jake Arrieta 9
3. Mordecai Brown 9
5. Orval Overall 5
5. Ed Reulbach 5
5. Kerry Wood 5
5. Carlos Zambrano 5
Wins
1. Jake Arrieta 5
1. Mordecai Brown 5
3. Jon Lester 3
3. Orval Overall 3
Innings pitched
1. Jon Lester 70
2. Mordecai Brown 57⅔
3. Jake Arrieta 52⅔
4. Kyle Hendricks 51⅓
4. Orval Overall 51⅓
6. Kerry Wood 36⅔
7. Jack Pfiester 34
8. Ed Reilbach 32⅔
9. Carlos Zambrano 24
10. Lon Warneke 27⅓
Strikeouts
1. Jake Arrieta 66
2. Jon Lester 60
3. Kyle Hendricks 48
4. Kerry Wood 38
5. Mordecai Brown 35
5. Orval Overall 35
7. Carlos Zambrano 27
8. Aroldis Chapman 21
Saves
1. Aroldis Chapman 4
1. Wade Davis 4
3. Hector Rondon 2