In the moments after his last start, after his ERA had dipped to Gibsonian levels, Jason Vargas stood inside a visitors clubhouse at Tropicana Field and listened as a reporter offered a question.
For the previous two hours and change, Vargas, the Royals’ cunning left-hander, had neutralized the Tampa Bay Rays, throwing another seven scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 1.01 and continuing the finest run of his career. For seven starts, Vargas had pitched like the best starter on the planet, an 86-mph throwing, change-up hurling ace who had been one of the surprises of baseball. In the aftermath, he was asked if he had set a goal of having an ERA in the 1.