Eight days after signing a contract extension for five years, $43 million, German Marquez showed exactly why the consensus around these parts was that, despite him being just 24-years-old, the Colorado Rockies got an absolute steal.
He is already the owner of some franchise and even MLB records for strikeouts and on Sunday, he may well have pitched the best game in the history of his ballclub.
According to GameScore, it was the second-best performance on the mound by a Rockie after Jon Gray’s 16-strikeout game against the San Diego Padres in 2016.
Gray earned a 95 that day and Marquez had a 94 on Sunday, needing just one more strikeout to tie the Wolf of Blake Street for the highest mark.
Of course, we can’t forget Ubaldo Jimenez tossing the only no-hitter in franchise history in 2010 in Atlanta. Nor should we forget Kyle Freeland’s near no-no at Coors Field in 2017.
But Marquez’ dominance came with a completeness that none of those games can quite match.
The Giants didn’t just fail to mount any momentum against him in the series finale: they were a hit batsman and the most seeing of seeing-eye singles away from having a perfect game thrown against them in their home park. They had 105 pitches to attempt to hit the ball hard or hope Marquez would miss enough out of the zone to draw a walk and they failed each and every time.
Gray gave up four singles, most of them solidly hit on that September day against the Padres. Jimenez famously walked six batters before deciding to throw from the stretch through the rest of his no-hitter. Even the base hit that broke up Freeland’s date with destiny was well struck.
But Evan Longoria was jammed and a ball that bounced and rolled about 20 times snuck just by two of the best defenders in the game. If it had been inches in either direction, we aren’t even debating whether or not Marquez’ gem was the best a purpler has ever hurled.
There are certain contexts in which it makes sense to still hold one of the other starts as a bit more impressive.
In the “Strength of Opponent” category, Jimenez gets the best grade. Freeland, Marquez, and Gray faced off against the White Sox, Giants, and Padres, respectively, when all were near the bottom of the pack in terms of offensive numbers at the time.
Jimenez accomplished his incredible feat against a Braves lineup that featured Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Martin Prado – who put up a 119 OPS+ that year – a hot-hitting David Ross who put up a 136 OPS+ that year – and a young Jason Heyward – who put up a 131 OPS+ in his rookie campaign. Also, ironically, that team featured Melky Cabrera who didn’t have a great season but would later go on to play spoiler for Freeland’s day in the sun.
But what about the location? Anyone who follows Colorado has had it drilled into their brain that this matters a great deal.
Jimenez and Marquez had great outings in pitcher’s parks with heavy humidity. Gray and Freeland pitched masterpieces at – gasp! – Coors Field.
It should also be noted that Marquez pitched in a day game at the newly-christened Oracle Park, and not an evening affair when the air becomes cold sea water and the gulls descend upon the field as games stretch from late night to early morning because nobody can score.
Even still, Gray and Freeland get brownie points for dominating in a place that some national “experts” seem to think is akin to playing on the moon.
But perhaps the most impressive thing about Marquez’ start was also the least measurable; the Giants never stood a chance.
When a team records four hits (Gray) or six walks (Jimenez), you have opportunities to score without even needing another hit. You’re a pair of productive outs away from giving up a run.
Jimenez even needed some help to get out of a jam with two runners on and one out, getting the K and a throw from catcher Yorvit Torrealba behind the runner at second to bail him out.
Freeland, meanwhile, was clearly gassed by the end of his outing and the first year big leaguer needed to be replaced, leaving left the game in someone else’s hands to finish.
Marquez did not need to be bailed out. And he sure didn’t need to be taken out. He cruised.
Many no-hitters and perfect games come with a distinct memory of some phenomenal defensive play. He didn’t need any of that either. On the play just before Longoria’s single, Nolan Arenado did make a fantastic barehanded throw on a ball that ricocheted off of him. It’s unclear whether that might have gone down as a hit or an error if he hadn’t recovered so beautifully.
But that was the closest to “help” that Marquez needed all day from his defense. Pretty much everything else was a strikeout or a routine out.
Throughout the game against Gray – a game in which both teams already knew they could not make the postseason – the Padres found some life. After Cabrera lofted one to left against Freeland, the White Sox had life. Jimenez pretty much toyed with giving the Braves life all game, like a predator playing with its food. But still, they had some.
Marquez gave the Giants nothing on Sunday. No life. No chances. No hope.
Two baserunners. Neither ever believed they would make it to second. This is the closest to perfection a Rockies’ pitcher has ever come.
It’s not uncommon for the guy on the mound, especially if young, to unravel a bit right after history slips through their fingers. It has even happened to Marquez once in Washington in 2017 when he took a perfect game into the sixth before allowing a pair of runs.
How did he respond to Longoria stealing his moment? With a devastating strikeout of Kevin Pillar, who had homered twice in the series. He went on to finish the job.
Yeah, one snuck through, and sure, certain stats would have preferred a five-pitch strikeout over a one-pitch, two-hopper to the shortstop here and there.
But if the goal of the pitcher is to give the opposition as little a chance at scoring as possible – and it is – then what we all witnessed on Sunday may have to rise to the very top of the Top Rockies Pitching Performances list.
It wasn’t the most eye-popping, that was Gray. It wasn’t the most historically significant, that distinction belongs to Jimenez. And it wasn’t the most emotional or inspirational, definitely Freeland at home.
But it was probably the best.
