Frankie Montas finishes season with 2nd-most strikeouts in Oakland As history – Athletics Nation

Last week, starter Frankie Montas became just the fifth pitcher in over a half-century of Oakland As history to reach 200 strikeouts in a season. After making his final start of the year on Wednesday, he took one more small step up the clubs record books.

Montas fanned seven batters against the Seattle Mariners, putting him at 207 for the summer. Thats the second-highest total ever by an Oakland pitcher in a single season, trailing just Vida Blue, who struck out 301 hitters in 1971.

Making Montas achievement even more impressive is that it took him only 187 innings. No one else in the teams 200 Strikeout Club got there in fewer than 200 frames, and Blue tossed 312 innings in his MVP season, during an era of larger workloads when that enormous number didnt even lead the league. These days starters get shorter leashes, but strikeout rates are higher than ever Montas finished with 10 K/9 in just under six innings per game.

Extend to all of franchise history, including the Philadelphia and Kansas City years, and Montas ranks 10th.

Half the list is Waddell alone, and he, Plank, and Coombs played at a time when pitchers routinely topped 300 innings. Grove appeared in 50 games in his big year, including 18 out of the bullpen, retroactively credited with a league-leading nine saves a few decades before the stat was invented. Waddell, Plank, and Grove are in the Hall of Fame.

Thats great company for Montas, and his performance should earn him some national recognition. He wont win the Cy Young, but hell get some votes. He ranks fourth in the AL in strikeouts, and among the league leaders in ERA and WAR.

Its been a long journey for the big right-hander. He dealt with injuries early in his career, then when he found his groove in the majors as a budding star in 2019 he was halted by a PED suspension. He struggled through a 5.60 ERA in the abbreviated 2020, and that continued with a 5.27 ERA this April.

But he finally settled back in the rest of this year, getting better and better as the summer went along until he was dealing like the ace wed seen glimpses of before. The end result is a season line that gets a spot in the Oakland record books.

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Frankie Montas finishes season with 2nd-most strikeouts in Oakland As history - Athletics Nation