Still Perfect: Rays Pitcher J.P. Feyereisen In Select And Shrinking Elite Group
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — We're six weeks into the major-league baseball season and 400 pitchers have thrown at least 10 innings so far.
Only six of them still haven't given up an earned run, including Tampa Bay reliever J.P. Feyereisen. In fact, Feyereisen has logged the most scoreless innings so far, not giving up a run of any kind — earned for unearned — in 17 2/3 innings through Tuesday.
He's been dominating hitters all year regardless of his role. He had one stretch where he retired 22 batters in a row, and all he's given up is three hits and four walks all season.
Feyereisen came to Tampa Bay from Milwaukee last season, part of the trade for shortstop Willy Adames that included current red-shot starter Drew Rasmussen as well.
"I've been very impressed,'' Tampa Bay reliever Andrew Kittredge said of Feyereisen, a River Falls, Wis. native. "It's funny, when we got him last year and he came over that first series, we were playing Toronto in Dunedin. And his stuff, even just watching him throw in the bullpen, it was like 'wow, this guy is really good.''
"That doesn't really change. He got hurt last year and wasn't the same guy afterward, but I think we're starting to see similarities to when we first acquired him last year.''
Kittredge has been most impressive with Feyereisen's consistency. He's been practically unhittable, night after night.
"He had that stretch earlier — the 22 straight outs — and that's really hard to do, said, Kittredge, who's locker in next to Feyereisen in the Rays' clubhouse. "It's hard enough for a starter to throw a no-hitter, but at least those guys are really on top of things on that one day. As a reliever, you've got to be able to do it every night, over and over.
"That's what's been most impressive about his season. That's a lot of innings, but it's also amazing the hit total. I mean, no one is hitting him, and that's been all year.''
Here are the six pitchers still with clean sheets, with no earned runs allowed through Tuesday's games.
J.P. Feyereisen, Tampa Bay Rays
- Innings: 17 1/3
- Games: 14
- Strikeouts: 17
- Hits: 3
- Walks: 4
- WHIP: 0.40
Right-hander J.P Feyereisen has fit right in at Tampa Bay, where the Rays keep winning year after year thanks to a dominating bullpen. He's logged the most scoreless innings so far without giving up a run of any kind. And, like many Tampa Bay relievers, you can see him at any time. He's ''opened'' two games, pitching two perfect innings twice against both pair of Sox, Chicago and Boston, and was part of a no-hit bid against Boston, where six Tampa Bay relievers got through the first nine innings of the game without allowing a hit.
Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers
- Innings: 13 1/3
- Games: 14
- Strikeouts: 21
- Hits: 2
- Walks: 5
- WHIP: 0.53
Hard-throwing left-hander Josh Hader was great last year — he had a 1.23 ERA in 60 appearances —and that's continued this year. He ended last season on a 20 1/3 s scoreless streak, so his active streak is now up to 33 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in the regular season. Hader did give up a run in the playoffs last year, but his regular-season streak continues.
Jarlín García, San Francisco Giants
- Innings: 13 1/3
- Games: 13
- Strikeouts: 10
- Hits: 4
- Walks: 6
- WHIP: 0.75
Left-hander Jarlin García was picked up off the scrap heap by the Giants after he was waived by Miami in 2020. He's been very good ever since. He has given up two unearned runs this season.
Joe Smith, Minnesota Twins
- Innings: 12 1/3
- Games: 15
- Strikeouts: 9
- Hits: 8
- Walks: 2
- WHIP: 0.81
Joe Smith, a 38-year-old veteran in his 15th season, was horrible last year (4.99 ERA), but he's found a home with the Twins after the worst season of his career. He's given up more hits than anyone on the list, but he's always worked around it.
Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals
- Innings: 12 1/3
- Games: 10
- Strikeouts: 23
- Hits: 2
- Walks: 2
- WHIP: 0.32
Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals might be having the best season of anyone on this list. He has the lowest WHIP and the most strikeouts.
Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Innings: 10 1/3
- Games: 2
- Strikeouts: 16
- Hits: 3
- Walks: 3
- WHIP: 0.68
Andrew Heaney of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the only starter on the list. He made two great starts before heading to the injured list with a shoulder injury.
