David Price is one of the best pitchers in the MLB. That's no secret.
However, his reputation as a dominant starter in the postseason is not so great, and that's been exacerbated in the 2015 MLB playoffs.
The Toronto Blue Jays acquired Price at the trade deadline hoping he could propel them to the postseason and perhaps the World Series. Well, Price did his job in the regular season (9-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts), but he is responsible for two postseason losses as a starter (0-2 with a 6.59 ERA) against the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals.
On top of that, the left-hander is 2-7 with a 5.24 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 13 career postseason games (seven starts). His only wins came as a reliever - one in 2008 with the Tampa Bay Rays and the other in the 2015 ALDS against the Rangers. From 2010-2014 he logged five postseason starts against the Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles and went 0-5 with a 4.98 ERA.
His assignment on Friday doesn't get any easier when he'll face the Kansas City Royals, but he can begin to work on putting his unsuccessful postseason past behind him. After all, Price managed to retire 18 straight batters before unraveling in the seventh inning (he allowed five earned runs) in Game 2 of the ALCS, which the Blue Jays lost 6-3.
He can also end the controversy regarding how the Blue Jays have misused him during this year's playoffs. Price came in on as a reliever in Game 4 of the ALDS and was "available" yesterday if Marco Estrada hadn't dominated the Royals. One of the frontrunners for the AL Cy Young Award coming on in relief? Are you kidding?!
Friday will perhaps be the biggest outing of his MLB career. Price has never started a Game 6 or 7 (and has only pitched in one as a reliever back in 2008) in the postseason. His one notable win-or-go-home start came back in 2010 in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Rangers, during which he allowed three earned runs on eight hits over six innings in a 5-1 loss.
Now is his chance to begin the revision of his postseason career.
A win would force a Game 7 in Kansas City and put a lot of pressure on the Royals, who would then be in danger of relinquishing a 3-1 series lead and miss out on advancing to their second straight World Series. And if the Blue Jays manage to go to the World Series, Price would be remembered as the guy who kept fighting to keep their playoff chances alive.
Many will perhaps forget about his postseason ERA and remember he was a key figure who helped Toronto appear in its first World Series since 1993.
Price (and the Blue Jays) have nothing to lose, and the left-hander should use that to his advantage. He's still going to get paid in the offseason, he could still win his second Cy Young Award and he's still going to be one of the most liked players in the game.
Price - even if he's frustrated and furious about being considered as a reliever in the postseason - has been a team player and has not dissented management regarding his role.
"It's still pitching, it's still baseball, it's still the same thing I've done for a long time," Price told Melissa Couto of GlobalNews.ca. "Just go out there, help this team win and go get outs."
He's willing to undertake any assignment to help his team and at the end of the day that's all that matters.
"I'll be ready for Game 6," he said.
