How at home do you feel when Clayton Kershaw strikes out 12 guys on three hits. Or when David Price throws a complete game gem in a win or die situation.
The raucous Texas and Atlanta crowds really rattled these pitchers? Not so much.
Home-field advantage can make a mediocre pitcher great and opposing mediocre pitchers crumble, as was the case in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. Johnny Cueto succumbed to the crowd as he let the season evaporate along with his manager Dusty Baker, who fired this morning after five season in Cincinnati.
But a great pitcher loves nothing more that silencing a crowd. The walk to the dugout in pure silence, on the road is what Price and Kershaw work for.
Dropped bats and blank stares from the batters. 40,000 acting as if they were at a funeral home are what make October special for these guys.
So for the rest of the playoff, when a stud is on the mound, forget where the game is, go with the pitcher.
Don’t doubt Max Scherzer in Oakland tonight or Matt Moore in Boston this afternoon.
