MLB Pitching Rotations: Putting the 2013 Detroit Tigers up against the best
When Mike Ilitch, the charismatic owner of the Tigers died in early 2017, the biggest regret was that his generosity was never rewarded with a World Series ring.
In 2017, Justin Verlander earned his one and only World Series ring with the Houston Astros. And, in 2018, Rick Porcello earned his with the Red Sox. Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez are still on the prowl for theirs, while Fister retired without winning one.
2013 Tigers Rotation World Series Rings Total: TWO
Let’s compare this to a few other rotations that rank high, but never won a World Series as a complete group:
The 1997 Atlanta Braves had a four-man rotation that included John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Denny Neagle, and Greg Maddux. Of those four men, all of them had World Series rings. Neagle earned his in 2000 with the Yankees. Smoltz, Glavine, and Maddux earned theirs in 1995 with the Braves.
1997 Braves Rotation World Series Rings Total: FOUR
The 2011 Philadelphia Phillies is another team that had a rotation that left teams in the dust. With 102 wins, the combination of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, and Vance Worley was practically unstoppable. Unfortunately, they were stopped in the NLDS by the Cardinals who just happened to have Albert Pujols in the prime of his career.
Of the 2011 Phillies, only Cole Hamels has a World Series ring from the 2008 Phillies win over the Rays.
2011 Phillies World Series Rings Total: ONE
As we look at other teams with lights-out rotations that did not win World Series rings, we must take a look at one Nolan Ryan team – the 1981 Astros. This team finished 61-49, placing third in the NL West. The rotation included Joe Niekro, Don Sutton, Bob Knepper, Nolan Ryan, and Vern Ruhle. The highest ERA belonged to Ruhle at 2.91. Ryan pitched 149 innings with an ERA of 1.69.
None of these men won World Series rings with the Astros – since we all know the ‘Stros only have one championship from 2017. Niekro went on to win a ring in 1987 with the Twins. Ryan won one ring in 1969 with the Mets. And, that’s it.
1981 Astros World Series Rings Total: TWO
Of course four of the five Tigers are still pitching. With Scherzer and Sanchez both pitching for the Nationals in 2019, there is a chance that those two could eventually become World Series champs. Porcello is still with the Red Sox and Verlander is still with the Astros. All three of these teams are considered contenders.