Game 2 of the 2007 World Series conjures plenty of vivid memories: Curt Schilling’s final walk off the Fenway mound, Jonathan Papelbon’s eighth-inning pickoff.
What might be forgotten is the identity of the Rockies starter that night. Few people outside of Denver had ever heard of him.
Everyone knows the name Ubaldo Jimenez now.
“I always think about it, because it was one of the most wonderful experiences I’ve ever had,” Jimenez told MLB.com last week. “Going to Boston for the first time, being in Fenway Park was amazing.”
No one has been more amazing this season than Jimenez. Going into tonight’s start against the Sox at Coors Field, Jimenez is 13-1 with a Gibson-esque ERA of 1.15 and 88 strikeouts in 101 1/3 innings.
Jimenez, who threw a no-hitter against the Braves April 17, has the best 14-game record since Roger Clemens went 14-0 for the Red Sox in 1986.
According to research done by the MLB Network, only 12 pitchers since 1961 have finished with an ERA under 1.80, and none had an ERA lower than 1.15 after 14 starts.
“What a year he’s having,” Dustin Pedroia said. “… That’s pretty cool to get a chance to face him.”
