James Paxton Named AL Pitcher of the Month
Seattle Mariners left-handed pitcher James Paxton has been named American League Pitcher of the Month for July. He is the first Mariners pitcher to win the monthly award since Felix Hernandez in June of 2014.
Major League Baseball made the announcement this afternoon.
Paxton was 6–0 with a 1.37 ERA (6 ER, 39.1 IP) with 46 strikeouts and 6 walks in 6 starts in the month of July, becoming the first pitcher in club history to earn 6 wins in any single calendar month. He became the 7th left-handed pitcher to earn 6 wins and record at least 40 strikeouts in any single calendar month since 1980, joining Randy Johnson (April 2000 w/ARI and April, 2002 w/ARI), Steve Carlton (May 1980 w/PHI), Clayton Kershaw (June 2014 w/LAD), Chuck Finley (July 1997 w/LAA), Floyd Bannister (August 1983 w/CWS) and Johan Santana (August 2004 w/MIN).
Among American League leaders during the month, he ranked 1st in wins (1st in MLB), 2nd in ERA (3rd in MLB), T2nd in innings (T3rd in MLB) and T3rd in strikeouts (T4th in MLB).
His 1.37 ERA for the month of July is the lowest in a calendar month by a Mariners pitcher since Felix Hernandez posted a 1.22 ERA (6 ER, 44.1 IP) in June of 2014. The 1.37 ERA in July is 7th-lowest in club history by a Mariners left-hander in a calendar month and the lowest since Jamie Moyer posted a 1.01 ERA (4 ER, 35.2 IP) in June of 2002. The left-hander has pitched at least 6.0 innings and allowed 2-or-fewer runs in 6 consecutive starts (7/2-c), the longest streak by a Mariners pitcher since Felix Hernandez’s Major League record of 16 consecutive starts of 7.0+ innings and 2-or-fewer runs allowed, May 18 — Aug. 11, 2014.
Earlier this week, he was named the American League Co-Player of the Week, sharing the honors with Texas Rangers 3rd baseman Adrian Beltre, who tallied his 3,000th career hit on July 30. Last week, he went 2–0 with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER, 13.0 IP) with 18 strikeouts and 0 walks in 2 starts vs. Boston (July 24) and New York-NL (July 30).
Overall this season, Paxton is 11–3 with a 2.68 ERA (32 ER, 107.1 IP) with 125 strikeouts and 31 walks in 18 starts (11 quality starts). He has limited opponents to a .220 (87x395) average against while posting 1.10 WHIP (31 BB, 87 H, 107.1 IP). Among AL leaders this season, he ranks 1st in ERA (2.68), T3rd in wins (11), 4th in K/9.0 IP (10.48), 3rd in WHIP (1.10), 4th in average against (.220), 7th in K/BB ratio (4.03) and 11th in strikeouts (125).
