As noted previously, you need a dominating starting rotation led by two aces and a dominating closer to shut things down. When you think of these dominating aces and closers, what do you notice about them? They dominate by striking out a lot of batters. But it is not enough that they are dominating, the entire staff should be dominating as a whole, as was shown in the BP study I had referred to before.
BP Study on Playoff Success
As I have written on before, BP did a study on "Why Billy Beane's S**t Doesn't Work in the Playoffs," and they found that a high K/9 pitching staff is a significant factor (out of three they found) that helps teams achieve playoff success. And it is not like having these three factors in your favor guarantees you success in the playoffs, but they certainly help to stack things in your favor.
One way a high K/9 staff helps a team win is it lessens the chances of a rally getting started. That is because the good hitters on the other team can't harm you in any way if you strike him out. That is particularly important when facing the good offenses you normally run into in the playoffs.
Another point in favor of a high K/9 staff, there was a The Hardball Times study that examined the ERAs for pitchers above the 2.0 K/BB ratio that marks good pitchers, and compared those who have less K and less BB versus those with high K and high BB as well. What the study found was that the ERA was lower for those with high K and BB. So in spite of having very high BB, higher than the standard 3.0 BB/9 that divides the good from the bad, apparently that limits the number of hits that could drive in a run, ultimately, and result in a lower ERA.
Furthermore, a high K/9 pitching staff implies a lot of high K/9 on your staff period. The plus for your team is that it doesn't let up as much as other teams. Having a high K/9 staff means that there are less pitchers on your staff (than the other team) where luck plays a greater hand. You have more pitchers, and therefore the opposing teams has less AB, where the pitcher can assert himself and dominate the other team by using his pitches well enough to strike them out. Being able to strike out MLB batters regularly is a true sign of pitching skill, and that is represented by a high K/9.
A high K/9 pitching staff helps your team put more skills out on the field, reducing the luck involved with the game, and tilting it towards you. It doesn't guarantee that you will prevail. But it does help you win more, over time, than a staff with a lower K/9, based on the results of BP's study.
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