I want to thank Rich Zawadzki who suggested this 2009 Brad Lidge APBA card for Weird Card Wednesday.
At first glance, there’s nothing too odd about the card other than maybe his two 6 hit numbers. He’s got a grade of DXW with no glaring typos.
Then when you see his stats for 2009, you understand.
Somehow with an 0-8 record and a 7.21 ERA, Brad Lidge managed to save 31 games for the Philadelphia Phillies.
| Split | W | L | W-L% | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 Totals | 0 | 8 | .000 | 7.21 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 58.2 | 72 | 51 | 47 | 11 | 34 | 61 |
I did a deep dive on Lidge’s game log of 2009. Long story short, he managed to do okay on those 31 games he saved. His blown saves however, did him in.
On April 18th, 2009, he gave up four earned runs and his ERA soared to 9.45. It never got below 6.45 for the rest of the season though he did rack up his saves. For better or worse, manager Charlie Manuel “kept giving him the ball in save situations”.
This does show that APBA generally does not reward relievers for increased number of saves. For context, Lidge was 9th in the NL in saves in 2009.
Has anyone who replayed the 2009 season been able to replicate Lidge’s 31 saves?
Great pick, Rich!
I remember this Phillies season so well. This was the year that Charlie Manuel should have been named Manager of the Year, because he got us to the World Series with no pitching. Brad LIdge had nothing that year except for the mindset of a closer, and Charlie decided that despite his atrocious stats he was his best option. Near the end of the year he had had a number or bad outings (this from memory, so people can check if inclined.) We all thought he was done for the year. I was at the stadium for the game we clinched the division. Everyone was cheering like crazy, of course. With one out in the ninth (or was it two?) he brought in LIdge. Well, the crowd couldn’t boo at him because we were clinching. Plus, we all thought Charlie was just giving him a nice last outing. He finished the inning up. Little did we know, he would be the closer in the post season. He picked up a number of saves. This is why, whenever we have a toast in my house, we always toast Charlie!
Hi David,
thanks for your unique perspective! Great summary!
Tom
I completed the 2009 Phillies season a few years ago and I am not sure how Charlie stuck with Lidge all season. I am a lifer long Philadelphia resident and die hard Phillies fan and I remember being a little confused myself that season when he kept running Lidge out there to protect leads late in the game. I know Charlie is a players manager, and this clearly was the reason. Lidge was dominant in 2008 but 2009 was way different. In my 2008 replay, Lidge was a solid 3-2, 38 SVs and a 2.70 ERA (kind of high for an A/C graded pitcher). My Phillies lost in the NLDS to Milwaukee after finishing the regular season 92-70. In 2009, my Phillies went 101-61 and this time advanced to the NLCS where we would lose to the Dodgers. Lidge went 3-3 with 26 saves, but with an ugly 8.29 ERA. I went with him for 63 games, but I couldn’t take it anymore and handed the 9th inning over to Ryan Madson, who finished with 13 saves and a 3.12 ERA. I knew it was going to be tough with Lidge as the closer (D* XW), but didn’t think it would be that tough!!!