Former Tribe Multiple Cy Young Winner Proving He’s not Done Yet
By Mike Holzheimer
There is no greater feeling for individuals to accomplish something noteworthy that most thought would be impossible for them to do.
For an athlete, especially at the professional level, to achieve one of the greatest feats in sports when others called your skills diminished, has seen better days and suggested retirement might be an obvious road to take, is beyond satisfying.
When Cleveland Indians pitcher Corey Kluber was struggling a bit and trying to rehab as quickly as possible attempting to come back following a line drive blasting him on the pitching arm, sheer panic and overreactions surfaced.
Many selected Tribe fans and those “experts” on social media were practically begging the front office to send him packing because, according to them, “he doesn’t have it anymore.”
The Cleveland organization may indeed have overreacted by trading Kluber. The franchise’s only 2-time Cy Young Award winner, and a recent 20-game winner (when healthy for an entire year) was dealt to the Texas Rangers for a relief pitcher still yet to prove himself at the Major League level and an outfielder that was very average at best, and wound up not being good enough for another invite to camp.
And with that, the New York Yankees, completely ignoring the scouting reports of those “professional pitching coaches” chiming in on Facebook, signed Kluber to a contract.
A few days ago, such a move by New York would pay huge dividends and prove the naysayers wrong about Kluber’s skills and the unfair assessment that he has little pitching gas left in the tank.
In the Yankees, 2-0, victory over Texas on May 19, which came against, ironically, another team that gave up on a true seasoned veteran too early, Kluber tossed his first no-hitter of his career striking out 9 Rangers, and walking just one coming up one batter shy of a perfect game. Kluber, who started the season a little shaky, has won four straight games on the hill and currently has an E.RA of 2.86.
I can only wonder what those self-appointed baseball analysts are thinking now. You know, the ones that ridiculously claimed Kluber lost too much break on his off-speed pitches, and way too much velocity on his fastball.
It’s obvious that some people need to be reminded that it hardly matters who you’re pitching against. The last time I checked, the Rangers are a part of MLB, and those alleged “soft” Central Division teams Kluber was beating as a member of the Indians, those squads are professional teams too.
I don’t care who the opponent is at the professional level-when you can hold a team to zero hits and come within an eyelash of pitching a perfect game retiring 27 of the 28 batters faced, that is both impressive, and dominant!
Still, regarding Kluber, I continue to be amazed by the negative comments from some people, and beyond confused as to just how clueless they are. One “Rhodes Scholar” fired off the most idiotic of statements to the tune of “no-hitter, no big deal.” Yeah, like any one of them could go out there and accomplish such a task in a heartbeat.
I don’t mind people rendering their opinions but if you want to sit at the table of sports conversations, please bring a little common sense and some knowledge of the game with you.
I’ve written a few columns over the past few years about just how valuable a pitcher like Kluber is. I have proven with facts and statistics that this guy, when healthy, can still compete.
I don’t know what more he could have done the other night to finally get people to see the light of reason.
I also realize that the Yankees, unlike no other organization, have money to burn. But not even New York is going to flush cash down the toilet on a player they believe is “washed up.”
No, sorry to the club members who still to this day, make it a habit of bad-mouthing this guy. I couldn’t have been more happier for Kluber when I saw his historic night posted on ESPN’s Sportscenter.
My advice to those “club” members and all the rest of the social media “experts”- stick to your day job, whatever that is.
I’m not suggesting Kluber has many, many more productive seasons left. My point has always been given all that he has accomplished and at the highest of levels, he earned the right to keep trying to get back to that level he has so brilliantly put on display for baseball fans.
In sports, sometimes the best trade is the one you don’t make. For now, I believe the Kluber transaction will fall into such a category.
