Hamels/Kazmir - What Could’ve Been

By Chad Hollingsworth
Love of Sports Correspondent

Game 1 of the World Series will feature two of the best young left handed pitchers in baseball.

Notice I said “young.”

Before anyone throws Johan Santana or CC Sabathia at me, please realize Cole Hamels and Scott Kazmir are both under 25 years old.

Two left-handed pitchers under 25 years old starting against each other in the World Series. How ironic is that?

Consider this nugget, though: We were very close to seeing this pitching matchup manifest itself multiple times in the NL East had it not been for an eyebrow-raising trade.

Mets fans, you might want to stop reading about now.

Once upon a time, Scott Kazmir was the crown jewel pitching prospect of the New York Mets’ minor league system. However, a few unnamed members in the Mets organization decided having a 20-year-old lefty who threw FOUR straight no-hitters as a junior in high school wasn’t as valuable as Victor Zambrano.

Hence, Kazmir was traded to the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays and made his major league debut shortly thereafter. Whereas the Mets were reluctant to push him into the minors, the Rays were anxious to figure out if they had indeed traded for their future ace.

The Mets were in a situation where they were competing for a playoff spot, but their top three starters were at least 30 years old: Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel and Al Leiter. Some young pitchers, especially one tearing through the minor league system, might have come in handy. Especially right about now.

Which is what makes the Kazmir story so interesting, and it’ll be even more so Wednesday when he takes the hill in the top of the first. There could’ve been a chance he’d be facing Ryan Howard and Chase Utley four to five times a year.

Hamels, on the other hand, had a slightly different rise to the major leagues. There had to have been times when the Phillies had to think about dealing him. He sustained numerous injuries and broke his pitching hand in a bar fight in 2005 right before the season was going to begin. Any concerns about his health and maturity were hard to argue with.

What couldn’t be argued with was Hamels talent. The Phillies brought him up for good in May 2006 despite his injuries. Perhaps striking out 36 batters in 23 innings in only Triple-A starts were enough convincing for the Phillies to consider making him a permanent fixture in their starting rotation. Fast forward to 2008 and he’s without a doubt the ace of the Phillies.

However, I can’t help but wonder how the matchups between the Mets and Phillies would go if not for the trade of Kazmir. The matchups already have the intensity of a playoff series in the regular season. Wouldn’t it be great for baseball fans to see Kazmir and Hamels pitch against each other each season instead of occasional interleague games or the World Series?

So, Wednesday night, whether or not you’re a fan of the Phillies or Rays, tune in to Game 1 and cherish the unique matchup. Two young lefties with high strikeout rates and double-digit win totals trying to get his respective team off on the right foot. Let’s all show some love for Cole Hamels and Scott Kazmir.

Unless you root for the Mets. Then you can hold your head in your hands and wonder what could have been.