Ian Anderson on starting game two of the NLCS
Ian Anderson makes his third career playoff start, and just the ninth start of his major league career. • With his start in the Wild Card Game, became the first pitcher in franchise history to start in the postseason despite making no more than six career regular season appearances.
Anderson was the first pitcher in baseball to make a postseason start with no more than six career regular season games since Cleveland’s Ryan Merritt in Game 5 of the 2016 ALCS vs. Toronto...Merritt held the Blue Jays to two hits over 4.1 scoreless innings despite pitching in just four major league games and making one start prior to the playoffs.
Made his second career postseason start in Game 2 of the NLDS and held Miami to just three hits and one walk over 5.2 scoreless innings, striking out eight. • Blanked Cincinnati in his playoff debut, and is just the third pitcher in franchise history with back-to-back scoreless starts in the postseason…Steve Avery did so in Games 2 and 6 of the 1991 NLCS at Pittsburgh, and Lew Burdette did so in Games 5 and 7 of the 1957 World Series vs. New York.
Anderson became just the seventh pitcher in history to open their postseason career with back-to-back scoreless starts, and the second Brave after Avery did it in 1991…Just two pitchers, Wade Miley and Christy Mathewson, have made three straight scoreless starts to open their postseason careers, while Jhoulys Chacín, Corey Kluber and Joe Niekro each had two…Avery is the only one of these six to do so at a younger age than Anderson.
Anderson is the first pitcher in franchise history with multiple scoreless postseason starts in which he allowed no more than three hits and struck out at least eight after doing so in each of his first two postseason appearances… He is just the eighth pitcher in history with two such playoff starts, joining Trevor Bauer, Kevin Brown, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez and Justin Verlander…No pitcher has three such starts in the playoffs. • Has never faced Los Angeles.
In five of his six regular season starts this season, faced a team he had never pitched against before...He went 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA in those five games, and opponents batted just .147 against him. • Had never faced Cincinnati before throwing 6.0 scoreless innings against them in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. • Made six starts during his rookie campaign and went 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA (7 ER/32.1 IP) and 41 strikeouts.
Entered 2020 ranked by MLB.com as Atlanta’s top pitching prospect, and as the Braves’ No. 3 prospect overall...He is rated as the No. 42 prospect in baseball. • His 41 strikeouts are the most by a Braves pitcher through their first six appearances in the live-ball era, passing Mike Minor who had 36. • Since the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, just one other starter opened their career with six starts and a lower ERA than Anderson’s 1.95 mark…David Hale pitched to a 1.83 ERA over six starts between 2013-14. 2020 Recap • Started on September 12 vs. Washington, and set career highs in innings (7.0) and strikeouts (9) while holding the Nationals scoreless over 7.0 one-hit innings.
Anderson also allowed one hit over 6.0 innings in his MLB debut...He became just the second pitcher over the last 120 seasons to allow one hit or less in two starts of at least 6.0 innings within his first four career appearances…The only other pitcher to do so was Philadelphia’s Marvin Freeman in 1986. • Anderson’s 7.0 innings against the Nationals were the most by a Braves starter this season and marked the longest outing by a Braves starter since 9/20/19. • Beat the Yankees in his debut, August 26, and beat Boston in his next start, September 1...Became just the second pitcher since 1920 to beat the Yankees and Red Sox in his first two starts. • Became just the 18th pitcher in baseball’s live-ball (since 1920) to start against both the Yankees and Red Sox in their first two games, with the Angels’ Jason Dickson doing so last in 1996.
Of the 17 starters prior to Anderson to face the Yankees and Red Sox in their first two games since 1920, just one had earned the win in both games... Cleveland’s Luis Tiant beat the Yankees, 3-0 in his debut on July 19, 1964, before beating the Red Sox, 6-1, on July 24.
Made his major league debut, August 26 vs. NYY, and allowed just one hit and one run over 6.0 innings to earn the win in Game 1 of a doubleheader. • Carried a no-hit bid through 5.1 innings…Per Elias, Anderson’s 5.1 no-hit innings was the longest bid in a debut since Tampa Bay’s Brendan McCay on June 29 of last season, and the longest by any Braves pitcher in his debut since the team moved to Atlanta in 1966.