1-run games are surely very intense and give fans excitement. Meanwhile, it’s also a test to see whether a team can perform well in a high-leverage situation. In this shortened season, which team had the slimmest-margin wins?
In the 2020 season, 17 teams went .500 or above in one-run games. Among these 17 games, 12 of them clinched playoff berths.
Tampa Bay Rays won 14 one-run games and lost five times. They seem to be very comfortable playing in high-leverage situations and the Rays bullpen posted a 3.37 ERA. Rays relievers collected 23 saves, leading the majors. In late/close situations, Rays had an ERA of 1.37, leading the majors as well. Thus, there’s no surprise that the Rays won the most one-runs games this season.
The Brewers never reached above .500 this season. However, they still clinched a spot in the postseason. They won 11 times in one-run games while only losing 5. Devin Williams and Josh Hader each allowed only 8 hits this season, they are indeed trustworthy to pitch in high-leverage situations.
The Atlanta Braves also won 11 one-run games. Their relievers posted a 3.50 ERA, 4th lowest in the majors. Meanwhile, in late/close situations, Braves pitchers had a 2.28 ERA, 1st in the National League.
4 teams that clinched the playoff berths failed to reach .500 in one-run games. In particular, the Houston Astros lost 14 one-run games. In the 2017 season, a season that the Astros won the World Series title, the Astros lost 13 one-run games.
The Red Sox have a .400 winning percentage this season and finished 5th in the AL East. In one-run games, the Red Sox won only 4 games and lost 9 times, the winning percentage in one-run games is only .308.
Pittsburgh Pirates lost 15 one-run games, the most one-run losses in the majors this season. It’s surely a very disappointing season for the Pirates.
Meanwhile, it’s also quite interesting to note that 3 teams have exactly the same run differential in this shortened season. A run differential of +60 in this season means that +1 run differential per game. Yes, exactly one. However, we see very different results in one-run games. The Chicago White Sox only won 5 one-run games. Nevertheless, the Braves and the Rays are telling us different stories. The Rays won 14 one-run games in the regular season. The Braves won 11 one-run games in the regular season and won a 1-0 game against the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Wild Card Series. These two teams must calculate carefully to help them secure wins.
It’s always not easy to win a one-run game. There are so many elements to secure slimmest-margin wins. A manager has to make the right decisions, a pitcher has to effectively use his pitch arsenal and a clutch hitter is also very important. In order to win a one-run game, there’s no room for mistakes. In 2016, Texas Rangers won 36 one-run games and had a .766 winning percentage in one-run games. In 2012, Baltimore Orioles went 29-9 in one-run games, a .763 winning percentage. Both teams clinched playoffs.
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