I admit it...

[Brownie]

Curt Schilling is the first andand Glavine the second. They're both Hall of Gamers, but Schilling has three WS rings, so nevermind.

[Tonker]

DPD.  Anybody want to guess which of the top fifty earned-run-giver-uppers of all time got on to the list by being above average for quite a long time, rather than being really, really good for a really long time?  No?  Well, I'm going to do this anyway.

Very few of the top fifty have an ERA over four - indeed, just six.  Of those, one has already been discussed (Moyer, 4.24) and one you probably won't have heard of (Earl Whitehill, 4.36).  The other four, though, are modern era players:

RH, ERA 4.13, IP 3439.0, 239-137, 1987-2007, 2 World Series rings
LH, ERA 4.27, IP 3302.2, 219-156, 1989-2008, 1 World Series ring
RH, ERA 4.41, IP 3226.1, 200-180, 1992-2011, 1 World Series ring
RH, ERA 4.47, IP 3121.2, 174-176, 1996-2011, 1 World Series ring

I was going to add the years of the WS rings but I actually think that would make it too easy.  Without resorting to BP or mlb.com, anybody know who they are?

nobody cares

I beg to differ, you twat.

[Tonker]

3. Tim Wakefield
4. Livan Hernandez

Well, I believe Tim would have two rings, so that's wrong

Nope, you're right on both.  Wakefield's profile on mlb.com only shows him with one WS win - 2004.  He was left off the roster in 2007, which means he didn't win the World Series per se, but he undoubtedly got a ring.  So, my bad.

[Tonker]

Curt Schilling is the first andand Glavine the second. They're both Hall of Gamers, but Schilling has three WS rings, so nevermind.

Nuh-uh.  Schilling and Glavine are both wrong.

[PANK!]

Curt Schilling is the first andand Glavine the second. They're both Hall of Gamers, but Schilling has three WS rings, so nevermind.

Nuh-uh.  Schilling and Glavine are both wrong.

2) is Smoltz?

Nevermind.  It clearly says LH.

[PANK!]

#1 = Kevin Brown?

[Tonker]

Curt Schilling is the first andand Glavine the second. They're both Hall of Gamers, but Schilling has three WS rings, so nevermind.

Nuh-uh.  Schilling and Glavine are both wrong.

2) is Smoltz?

Nevermind.  It clearly says LH.

Also, remember that this is taken from a list of all-time earned-run-giver-uppers.  Anybody who had any significant time off with injury, or spent any significant part of their career in the bullpen, is out of contention.  These guys all had long, largely uninterrupted careers as starters.

[Tonker]

#1 = Kevin Brown?

Nope.  Brown just about pitched enough innings to get on to the list (around the same as Hernandez), but he was too good - career ERA 3.28.

[PANK!]

Is Al Leiter the lefty?

[Tonker]

Is Al Leiter the lefty?

Nope.  He really only had a twelve-year starting career and as a result only gave up just over 1,000 ERs, nowhere near enough to get on the list.  He also won two WS...

[J. Walter Weatherman]

RH LH, ERA 4.13, IP 3439.0, 239-137, 1987-2007, 2 World Series rings

This guy was a lefty, too, Tonk.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Both of the remaining pitchers on Tonk's list have thrown perfect games.

[Tonker]

RH LH, ERA 4.13, IP 3439.0, 239-137, 1987-2007, 2 World Series rings

This guy was a lefty, too, Tonk.

Fuck, yes he was.  How the hell did I get that wrong?  And yes, both the guys left have thrown perfect games, which should make this much easier.

[SKO]

RH LH, ERA 4.13, IP 3439.0, 239-137, 1987-2007, 2 World Series rings

This guy was a lefty, too, Tonk.

Fuck, yes he was.  How the hell did I get that wrong?  And yes, both the guys left have thrown perfect games, which should make this much easier.

So Fatty Wells then?

[Tonker]

RH LH, ERA 4.13, IP 3439.0, 239-137, 1987-2007, 2 World Series rings

This guy was a lefty, too, Tonk.

Fuck, yes he was.  How the hell did I get that wrong?  And yes, both the guys left have thrown perfect games, which should make this much easier.

So Fatty Wells then?

Yep.  I felt a bit bad including him with the "above average" crowd - he's clearly the pick of the four - but nonetheless, his career ERA was over 4.