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Game Hero, 37 - 47

Hunter Pence
 
  • 3 for 6, a walk and a walkoff
  • One of the great recoveries you will ever see in the field, and about as deep a catch as can be made at MMP
  • .482 Win Probability Added

.482 is just about as high a WPA score as you're gonna see, meant Pence was just about first, last and everything in this game.

The ridiculously high score made me wonder about seasonal scores.

Fangraphs ranks the players by seasonal WPA, but they don't give it to you broken down by game, so someone like Hunter Pence, who maybe hasn't played 80 games yet can be looked at on a level field.

That's where I come in.

NL WPA/Game
Min. 20 Games Played
Player Team G WPA WPA/G
Kaz Matsui Rockies 42 2.320 0.055
Barry Bonds Giants 73 3.720 0.051
Yunel Escobar Braves 26 1.160 0.045
Aramis Ramirez Cubs 62 2.570 0.041
Albert Pujols Cardinals 79 3.160 0.040
Troy Tulowitzki Rockies 77 2.650 0.034
Hunter Pence Astros 59 2.020 0.034
Prince Fielder Brewers 82 2.670 0.033
Mark Loretta Astros 66 1.970 0.030
Four NL Rookies
High OPS, Min. 100 AB
Player AB OPS
Ryan Braun 143 .991
Hunter Pence 249 .963
Josh Hamilton 194 .902
Troy Tulowitzki 296 .778

Dave Borkowski was second in WPA on Fangraphs' chart, but I thought that Matt Albers was absolutely outstanding, both for the stuff he showed in the inning he breezed through, and for the composure he showed in the inning where he did the circus highwire act.

Once Albers had entered, I began to relax: I could see Albers pitching well in a situation where the hyper Phillies hitters would help Matt out when he was out of the zone. I could see Albers pitching well, and pitching long, if need be. So Albers as winner carries a certain symmetry to me.

*   *   *   

Last time Houston had three walkoff homers in a season was 2002; now we've had three walkoff jobs in one week, to go with the one Carlos hit vs. San Fran in May. The team record for most walkoff homers in a year is actually held by the '92 team, who had six, including two within five days of each other in April.

A more thorough breakdown:

Walkoff Homers By Year
Year Number Perpetrators   Year Number Perpetrators
2007 4 Lee 2, Loretta, Pence   1984 1 M Bailey
2006 1 Scott   1983 2 Spilman Thon
2005 1 Ensberg   1982 2 Spilman Cruz
2003 1 Kent   1980 1 Cruz
2002 3 Zaun Vizcaino Ward   1978 2 Cruz 2
2001 3 Hidalgo 2, Biggio   1977 2 Ferguson Cruz
1999 1 Carl Everett   1974 2 Rader May
1998 3 Berry Biggio Bell   1973 1 Wynn
1997 2 Bagwell Berry   1972 3 Edwards Wynn May
1996 3 Montgomery, O Miller 2   1971 1 Morgan
1995 2 Biggio Mouton   1970 1 Rader
1992 6 Bagwell 2 C Jones Gonzalez Anthony Guerrero   1969 4 Rader Menke Morgan Lampard
1990 2 Anthony, G Wilson   1967 2 Mathews Harrison
1989 2 Davis Bass   1966 3 Gentile Wynn Aspromonte
1987 3 Cruz Doran Bass   1965 1 Harrison
1986 3 Davis 2 C Reynolds   1963 2 Aspromonte 2
1985 1 Bass   1962 1 Mejias