ShareThisIt would be silly to suggest that complete and total domination has no appeal in sports. To say so would be to dismiss Secretariat's Belmont or Tiger Woods' first Masters as anything but indelible moments.
But what tends to charm people even more so, what really elicits the cheers, is when the victors flirt with failure before giving 'em goose bumps.
Sunday, with his team up 3-1 with two outs in the sixth inning, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley threw a wild pitch that allowed two San Diego Padres to advance, to second and third base.
Then he walked Edgar Gonzalez to load the bases and transform his gem into a Jenga game on the verge of collapse.
Three pitches later, however, Billingsley fanned Nick Hundley on a breaking ball that made him look like he was trying to hit a ping-pong ball in a cyclone.
Inning over. Disaster averted. A delicious blend of suspense and supremacy.
But let's be honest, a game in which Billingsley allowed two runs in seven innings while striking out eight probably won't secure a place in the annals of Dodger lore, especially with LA winning, 7-3, in early May. What it did do is demonstrate the poise for which Dodgers manager Joe Torre has been praising the 24-year-old, who's off to a Cy Young-caliber start.
"He's showing maturity, getting out of jams in a way that he might not have last year," Torre said. "I have as much confidence in him as I've had in any pitcher at this point in his career."
That Billingsley has shown the ability to shake off a bad pitch or two has no doubt been a boon for the Dodgers. What's equally encouraging is that he's seemed to have shaken off last year's NLCS as well.
Losing twice to the Phillies last October, in a series in which he gave up 10 runs in fewer than six innings, had to be like finding a hair in an otherwise perfectly prepared filet mignon.
Sure, it was a breakout season. But with an ending like that, it couldn't have been easy to stomach.
When asked about last year's collapse against Philadelphia, Torre quoted Michael Jordan, saying, "Failure is something you learn from."
Perhaps Billingsley has learned, because what's followed has been a masterful 2009. His 5-0 record is the best in the National League. For good measure, he's also tallied 42 strikeouts while boasting an ERA of 2.21. For great measure, he's 9-0 in his past 11 regular-season starts dating to August.
How he does it?
"I go out there and try to win," Billingsley said. "I try to take it deep into the game."
OK, so he's not baseball's Muhammad Ali. Luckily he has teammates to hype him up.
Outfielder Juan Pierre: "I don't think anyone's ever comfortable facing Chad Billingsley."
Closer Jonathan Broxton: "He's been lights out all year. The thing about Chad is that he goes right after guys."
The Dodgers set a club record and tied the modern-day National League mark by winning their 10th straight home game to start the season Sunday, an auspicious achievement and an outstanding mark, but one that the ebb and flow of baseball likely will even out over the course of the season.
Still, it is history. And for Billingsley, it appears the end of last year is, too.
(Contact Matt Calkins at mcalkins<at>PE.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
columnMust credit The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif.
