Ever since the (possible) retirement of Roger Clemens following the end of the 2005 season, the National League has been looking for the next dominant ace to step up and fill his shoes.
This April, three hurlers turned in dazzling starts in the senior circuit, all of whom jumped out to perfect 4-0 records and led their teams to early-season success. Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez and Roy Oswalt have begun 2006 by solidifying their reputations as three of the best pitchers in the National League.
Maddux's start may be the most impressive of the three. In his first four starts, not only has the 40-year-old right-hander gone 4-0, but he has an ERA of 0.99.
In Sunday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Maddux led his Chicago Cubs into the final game of a three-game series, hoping to avert a sweep at the hands of the heavy-hitting Cards. Maddux pitched seven scoreless innings in the game, scattering just five hits and holding perennial MVP candidate Albert Pujols to 0 for 4 on the day.
The Cubbies improved to 10-7 with the win, but in the ultra-competitive environment of this year's NL Central, that record is only good for fourth place. Still, hopes are high on the north side of Chicago, as Kerry Wood, Mark Prior and Carlos Zambrano finally have a veteran leader at the front of the rotation. As soon as Wood, Prior and slugger Derrek Lee return from the disabled list, there's no telling how far the Cubs could go.
Maddux is a four-time Cy Young winner, an eight-time All-Star, and a 15-time Gold Glover, but his mystique diminished slightly when he hit his late thirties and disappointed his Chicago fans in his first two seasons. But with four straight wins to start 2006, Maddux has made it clear - he's back, and he's as dominant as he's ever been.
Meanwhile, two teams - the New York Mets and the Houston Astros - have built up solid leads in their respective divisions, partially a product of their aces, Martinez and Oswalt.
Martinez, a three-time Cy Young winner and seven-time All-Star himself, is the anchor of a resurgent Mets team that is off to the best start in baseball, winning eight of its first nine games and jumping out to a commanding lead in the NL East.
Martinez's most recent win came in Saturday's game against the San Diego Padres. With the bullpen drained after an exhausting 14-inning loss the previous evening, Martinez saved the day for the Mets by pitching seven innings, striking out 11 Padres and walking just two. He surrendered only two hits in the game, but one was a home run off the bat of his former catcher, Mike Piazza.
Martinez is just one of a number of high-profile Mets stars brought in by General Manager Omar Minaya during the past two years. First baseman Carlos Delgado, centerfielder Carlos Beltran and closer Billy Wagner are all making big bucks for the Metropolitans this season alongside Pedro, and so far all of them have been worth every penny. Delgado has launched eight homers, Beltran has an OBP of .417, and Wagner has four saves and a minuscule 1.00 ERA.
Of the three hurlers, Oswalt has been the most anonymous so far in his career, but he has been solid in his own right. The reigning MVP of the NL Championship Series, the 28-year-old began his career with five straight dominating seasons, and he is hard at work on his sixth.
Oswalt is the only pitcher in baseball to have won 20 games in each of the past two seasons, and in 2006, he's already a fifth of the way there. His fourth win of the year came on Sunday, as the right-hander led the Astros to a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend, allowing one run in seven innings of work and striking out seven Pirates while walking none. With the sweep, the Astros shot to the top of the standings in the NL Central, and at 13-5 remained tied for the best record in baseball.
The rest of the Houston rotation looks troubling, as Andy Pettitte has been shaky and a trio of starters - Wandy Rodriguez, Taylor Buchholz, and Fernando Nieve - is young and inexperienced. But with Oswalt leading the way, the staff has remained respectable, and the Astros are showing that even without Clemens, they're still a threat to return to the World Series. But it won't come easy, as Maddux's Cubs and Pedro's Mets will certainly have something to say for themselves.
