Who does not love sports, right? From playing to watching, to using the coral sign up offer to bet online, sports play an important role in our lives. Baseball is a good example. Here’s everything you need to know about the concept of the Big 3.
What is it
A Big 3 is a trio of pitchers that are widely considered the best at their respective positions. This can include starting pitchers, relievers, or both from the same team or different teams.
The term “Big 3” has been thrown around for decades to describe a group of elite starting pitchers like Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. However, it’s become more common in recent years to refer to a group of elite relievers such as Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman as having formed their own Big 3.
The first Big 3
The first widely known Big 3 in baseball was on the Boston Red Sox in 1916. The Big 3 consisted of pitchers Herb Pennock, Carl Mays and Smoky Joe Wood. All three were left-handed pitchers that year with Pennock going 22-6 with a 1.93 ERA, Mays 20-6 with 2.08 ERA, and Wood 20-10 with 2.76 ERA (although some sources claim he had a 3.00 ERA). The 1916 World Series was won by the Brooklyn Robins over the New York Giants 4 games to 2 with one tie game resulting in five total games played throughout the series rather than seven total games like today’s playoff formats require due to lengthier schedules back then compared to now which makes it easier for teams to win championships without ever losing even once at home during postseason play because they would need only four wins out of five instead of six wins out of seven if each team played at home once before traveling together afterwards for three more games on neutral ground until someone could claim victory
Pennock, Mays, Wood
If you’re a fan of the Boston Red Sox and you know your baseball history, it’s safe to assume that you have heard of three of the franchise’s most famous left-handed pitchers: Herb Pennock, Carl Mays and Smoky Joe Wood. All three players hail from Massachusetts and all three had an impact on the World Series-winning teams of 1903 (Pennock), 1918 (Mays) and 1916 (Wood).
Other big trios
There have been several other instances of great pitching staffs having big three trios during their tenure, such as Bob Welch, Dave Stewart and Mike Moore for the Oakland Athletics in 1989 or Jamie Moyer, Curt Schilling and Kevin Millwood for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2003. The Seattle Mariners also had a trio with Randy Johnson, Mark Langston and Chris Bosio. The Chicago Cubs had a big three with Greg Maddux, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano. The New York Yankees had Roger Clemens-Andy Pettitte-David Cone while Boston’s Pedro Martinez (and company) was one of the best ever!
Conclusion
There are many more examples of big three pitchers, but we hope that this article has sparked your interest in learning more about them.
