San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey efficiently taking charge

Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants, has not hit any grand slams in the 2014 playoffs thus far. In fact, now that I examine matters a bit more closely, I see that he has not only gone homeless, he has not had an extra base hit. Huh. What’s up with that?

I’m being facetious, of course. All Buster Posey has done, besides batting .400 for the postseason so far, with a pair of RBIs, is guide his pitching staff to thirty-six innings pitched, with three earned runs. That’s a 0.75 ERA and a WHIP of 0.78. Those are numbers that belong emblazoned across the sky above AT&T Park, Monday, around two in the afternoon.

The common denominator that links all three recent postseason appearances for the Giants, from 2010 to the present, is Buster Posey. There are eight other common denominators, beginning with Madison Bumgarner and Pablo Sandoval, but Sandoval did not start in the 2010 World Series, and Bumgarner could not pitch every day.

Madbum and Hunter Pence. Photo Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

I maintain that the reason for the ongoing success of the pitching staff, is the brains behind the dish. The amount of information about opposing hitters that Buster must be able to keep track of in order to make sure his pitchers deliver just the right pitch, in just the right location, with pin-point precision, over and over again, defies explanation.

It’s not reasonable to expect him to maintain the pace, but he can sure give it the ole college try. The current staff ERA of 0.78 is awfully close to the WHIP of 0.75 and I’m not sure that a staff ERA and staff WHIP have ever been so close before with as great of success than at this very moment.

Buster does not have to maintain such minuscule pitching statistics for the Giants to be successful, but it sure does help, especially in eighteen-inning affairs, with the home crowd stuck sitting on its hands when Brandon Belt’s upper deck blast landed-with a resounding thud-on the Washington Nationals’ playoff hopes.

The series between the Nationals and the Giants continues at AT&T Park, Monday at 2PM, and I will not be disappointed in Buster Posey if he does not hit a home run.

I may be disappointed if Madison Bumgarner does not hit a home run, perhaps, but not Buster. He’s busy.

Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey, the two guys who made it happen on Saturday night in the ninth inning, after Joe Panik had walked.
Photo Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports