Tyler Clippard, Pitcher, Washington Nationals, MLB Baseball Player - FOX Sports on MSN

Whos is leading the National League in wins? Jiminez? Halladay? Nope. The immortal Tyler Clippard

Submitter wrote:

"If you look at the stats and see Washington Nationals pitcher Tyler Clippard leading the league in wins, you'd think this is a starter that came out of nowhere. But no, he’s got to be the luckiest middle reliever of all time. He has eight decisions and has only pitched 25 innings. That has to mean the nationals came from behind seven times in those 25 innings to give him the wins."

My notes:

The lanky right-hander got seven wins without EVER leaving the game with his team ahead! In each case he left with the team tied or behind. Here's his game log. In each case they came back in the next inning to go ahead before the next guy could take the mound. (He never left in the middle of an inning except in his one loss.) To be fair, the guy did have his ERA down to 0.42 a week ago, so the record wasn't pure luck. Even though he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, he was pitching very well and took advantage of his opportunities. He also has seven holds in which he allowed nary a run.

By the way, he started his MLB career in 2007 as a starter - with the Yankees. His nickname was the Yankee Clippard. (The great DiMaggio was the Yankee Clipper. Talk about pressure for the kid to live up to.) Again that year, Clippard was as lucky as Gladstone Gander. His ERA was over six, but he went 3-1. He pitched well in his first four starts, then lost it and had to work out his problems in the minors. His lifetime W-L record in MLB is 15-5, although he had a losing record in the minors. That's a .750 major league winning percentage. If he keeps that up, he would break the all-time modern record, which is .717 for pitchers with 100 or more victories. (Spud Chandler)

Odd facts: Clippard was the only Yankee pitcher to get an extra base hit that year (2007). He hit a double to help his own cause in a subway series victory against the Mets at Shea. His slugging average was 1.000 that year, as it also was in 2008, and also is this year! Chew on that, DiMaggio!