SF Giants workhorse pitcher to milestone that has only been done twice since 2021

On Sunday, SF Giants workhorse Logan Webb will take the hill in the season finale. It will be his 34th start of the year, which not only sets a new career high, but it is a milestone that has only been done in baseball twice since 2021.

SF Giants workhorse pitcher to milestone that has only been done twice since 2021

In today's game, teams are looking to optimize a pitcher's workload. That often means fewer starts and innings. However, Webb is a throwback in that regard, as he pitches every fifth day.

Baseball has changed so much in recent years. There were 18 pitchers to make at least 34 starts in the five years leading up to 2020. In the past five years, that number has declined to just three.

Starting 34 requires the team to move a pitcher up in the rotation from time to time. Even the most durable pitchers are usually able to make 32 starts in a year. In a 162-game season, there are 32 turns through the rotation, and then two games left over.

In recent seasons, Webb has usually pitched in one of those leftover games, pushing his total number of starts up to 33. He has made at least 33 starts in three straight seasons. Not surprisingly, he has led baseball in innings pitched during that period.

When he takes on Sunday, he will be making his 34th start. Only Miles Mikolas of the St. Louis Cardinals and Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks have reached that mark since 2021. Oddly enough, they both did so in 2023. Even odder than that was that Mikolas made 35 starts for the Cardinals that year.

The last Giants pitcher to make 34 starts in a year was Madison Bumgarner. He reached that mark in 2016 and 2019. Webb was briefly teammates with Bumgarner in 2109.

Speaking of teammates, Justin Verlander has made at least 34 starts six times in his career. The last time he did so was in 2019.

Webb looks to finish the year off on a strong note. He has posted a 3.30 ERA, 2.68 FIP, 1.25 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, and 4.70 SO/W rate in 33 outings. He currently leads the NL with 201.2 innings pitched, and he is tied with Paul Skenes and Jesús Luzardo for the NL lead with 216 strikeouts. With one strikeout, he could move into first in that category.

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