Washington Nationals Southpaw Finally Reaches Massive Career Milestone
The Washington Nationals veteran left-handed pitcher entered the season close to a career milestone and finally reached it on Thursday night.
Patrick Corbin started the year with 97 career wins. Five months later, he finally hit the 100 career win milestone against the Colorado Rockies at home on Thursday.
SURE DID!! pic.twitter.com/vG1MNmlxom
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 22, 2024
"I wish it happened a while ago," said Corbin while speaking to the media after the game. "It's neat. I think I'll look back on it. I've been around for a little bit to be able to do something like that. It's pretty cool."
Some fans had fun with the team's celebratory social media post, poking fun at Corbin's record this season on the mound.
When do you think they made this? April? https://t.co/9uwMJYQVTy
— SHACK (@WeAreAllShack) August 22, 2024
Though wins aren't just a pitcher stat, his 3-12 record is not a great sign. The Nationals are 7-18 in the games that he has started this year.
The southpaw certainly has not been the same Cy Young contender he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks before Washington signed him to a six-year, $140 million deal ahead of the 2019 season.
Of course, he won one of the biggest games of his career in game seven of the World Series during his first season with the team, which might make the contract worth it.
He's led the league in losses in each of the last four seasons and it hasn't only been because of a lack of run support.
Corbin has a 5.78 ERA since 2021 with a 27-62 record. He's given up the most hits in the league twice and most earned runs three times.
Over his first two years with Washington, he flashed a strikeout ability that he wouldn't be able to maintain.
It's not for a lack of trying, though. The 34-year-old introduced a cutter into his pitch mix this past offseason and has thrown it 17.1% of the time. It has proven to be a good investment, too, as it's already one of his best pitches.
The overall output, however, hasn't really changed much over the past few years.
He did at least hit his milestone after a quality start against the Rockies. His ERA is down to 5.73 on the year.
Given that he's in the final year of his contract, it's likely that he won't be back with the team next year. He's served as an inning eating bridge between the World Series team and the young future that the front office has built.
