Jamie Moyer

I like Jamie Moyer. Don't get me wrong - I'm very glad the Red Sox beat him last night but as players go - Jamie Moyer has become one of my favorites.

Last night Moyer scattered 8 hits over 6 innings and gave up just 2 earned runs. Moyer was helped by a very poor decision by Mark Loretta to try a bunt with men on 2nd and 3rd and less than 2 outs in the 4th. Moyer also walked 3 batters but he was able to strike out an impressive 8 batters with a fastball that would have trouble breaking a plane of glass.

Last nigh Moyer kept the Mariners in the game and made me nervous that this was going to be one of those nights where the Red Sox blow offensive chances and allow the opposing team to stick around until they mounted a big rally to beat the Boston 9. Luckily that wasn't the case and Curt Schilling and Jon Papelbon didn't allow any rally to materialize.

Part of the appeal of Moyer to me is the fact that he used to pitch for the Red Sox. He had half a season back in 1996. All he did was go 7-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Trouble is Kevin Kennedy was the manager back then and Kevin Kennedy was (and is) an idiot.

Supposedly Kennedy likes his pitchers with an intimidating fastball and a bit of a mean streak. Moyer does not fit that profile - so he was shipped to Seattle for Darren Bragg (a scrappy player more in line with Kennedy's mind set). All Jamie Moyer has done since then is win 139 games (including two 20 win seasons).

Red Sox fans like to talk about the Heathcliff Slocumb for Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe trade as a great steal for the Red Sox. Well Jamie Moyer for Darren Bragg pretty much evens out the balance sheet with Seattle.

Jamie Moyer is now number 1 on the all-time list for wins by a Mariner pitcher (his 139 and counting tops Randy Johnson's 130). Moyer's 139 plus the 7 he won in Boston would have put him 3rd on the Red Sox all-time list behind Cy Young and Roger Clemens who both have 192 wins for the Sox (Tim Wakefield has 131 and counting).