Baseball saw its share of great games in the first half of 2015, from a couple of no-hitters and high strike out totals on the pitching side of things to a bunch of multi-homer games from the hitters. There were a few historically good showings thrown in for good measure, too.
But which individual players had the most impressive games in the season’s first few months? Using game score for pitchers and ESPN’s hitting game score for batters, here’s a look at the top five pitching and hitting performances of the year so far. It’ll be fun to see if anyone can top them down the stretch.
Pitching
Max Scherzer, Nationals at Brewers, 6/14
9 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 16 K
Game Score: 100
Not even Scherzer’s near-perfecto could top this performance, where he carved up the Brewers with ease. A bloop single from Carlos Gomez was all that kept Scherzer from a no hitter in this start, but his stuff was so good he turned in a performance that was better than any other pitcher’s in the first half of the season. His next start turned out to be the more famous one (more on that in a bit), but it’s going to take a lot for any pitcher to top his performance in Milwaukee.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 09: Chris Heston #53 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates his no hitter with Buster Posey #28 against the New York Mets after their game at Citi Field on June 9, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Chris Heston, Giants at Mets, 6/9
9 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K
Game Score: 98
The most surprising name on the list, Heston dominated the Mets and no-hit them in just his 13th start in the majors. He allowed three base runners, all on hit batsmen, but didn’t walk anyone and kept the Mets off balance all night long. The Giants have pitched a no-hitter every year since 2012 and Heston’s was totally unexpected. Not a bad performance for a guy who wasn’t even supposed to be in the big leagues this season.
CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 13: Starting pitcher Corey Kluber #28 of the Cleveland Indians celebrates with catcher Roberto Perez #55 after the top of the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Progressive Field on May 13, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Corey Kluber, Cardinals at Indians, 5/13
8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 18 K
Game Score: 98
Imagine if Kluber had been allowed to finish the game instead of being taken out after throwing 113 pitches. He had a legitimate shot at breaking the single game strikeout record with the kind of stuff he had, blowing away the Cardinals lineup and leaving them helpless at the plate. We’ll never know if he could have done it, but Kluber still turned in an incredibly dominant performance that ranks as one of the best of 2015.
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 20: Pitcher Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals is covered in chocolate sauce while being interviewed following his no hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Nationals Park on June 20, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Max Scherzer, Pirates at Nationals, 6/20
9 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
Game Score: 97
Scherzer’s perfect game was lost on a now-infamous hit batsman with just one out to go, but that doesn’t take away from the brilliance of his back-to-back performances. He wasn’t as overpowering as he was in the start that tops this list but was even more unhittable. You can make the argument that Scherzer’s two starts were the best back-to-back starts in baseball history (sorry, Johnny Vander Meer).
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 07: Starting pitcher Johnny Cueto #47 of the Cincinnati Reds throws to a Washington Nationals batter in the third inning at Nationals Park on July 7, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Johnny Cueto, Reds at Nationals, 7/7
9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
Game Score: 93
Two hits? How did this start even make the list?? No, Cueto deserves his spot here as his performance against the Nationals was one of the first half’s best. He beat Scherzer in a duel between two of the NL’s best and outpitched him by a mile. It’s games like this that make Cueto such a desirable piece as the trade deadline approaches; if a team balks at the asking price, the Reds should just send them a copy of this game to watch.
MILWAUKEE, WI – MAY 07: Yasmani Grandal #9 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with Alex Guerrero #7 during the third against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on May 07, 2015 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Alex Guerrero; Yasmani Grandal
Hitting
Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers at Brewers, 5/7
4-4, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 R
ESPN Score: 84.50
Grandal was locked in for this game, powering the Dodgers to a 14-4 win against the hapless Brewers. What makes it even more impressive is that he hadn’t driven in any runs when the 6th inning rolled around and didn’t hit his first homer of the game until the 8th.
TORONTO, CANADA – MAY 26: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates his game-winning three-run home run in the ninth inning during MLB game action against the Chicago White Sox on May 26, 2015 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Josh Donaldson, White Sox at Blue Jays, 5/26
4-4, 2 HR, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 5 R
ESPN Score: 83.25
Donaldson’s MVP-worth first half can be summed up in this game, a 10-9 victory that saw him seal it for his team with his a walkoff homer. He was unbelievable in the first half and this was his best showing.
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 08: Adrian Gonzalez #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits his third home run of the game, a solo shot in the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on April 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Adrian Gonzalez, Padres at Dodgers, 4/8
4-4, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R
ESPN Score: 83.00
Gonzalez was white hot in the beginning of the year and seemed to hit everything thrown his way. This three homer game was a showcase of his dominance as he propelled his team to a 7-4 win. For a few weeks in April Gonzalez was the most dangerous hitter on the planet, perfectly encapsulated by this game.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 21: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Detroit Tigers is greeted by Yoenis Cespedes #52 after hitting a 2-run home run in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 21, 2015 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
J.D. Martinez, Tigers at Yankees, 6/21
3-5, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R
ESPN Score: 82.25
I picked Martinez as a dark horse MVP candidate at the beginning of the year because he was capable of having games like this. He carried the Tigers to a 12-4 win and looked fearsome at the plate, further proving that last season was no fluke.
CINCINNATI, OH – JUNE 9: Joey Votto #19 of the Cincinnati Reds celebrates his third home run of the game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh inning at Great American Ball Park on June 9, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Philadelphia 11-2. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Joey Votto, Phillies at Reds, 6/9
3-4, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R
ESPN Score: 82.00
He sure didn’t look like the guy who walks too much in this game. Votto destroyed the ball, going yard three times and adding a walk for good measure. He may not get the kind of credit he deserves, but games like this prove Votto is still one of the best hitters in the game.
