Though the Seattle Mariners are enjoying a shockingly decent season, what success they’ve had has been despite, rather than because of, Justus Sheffield. I feel bad singling him out, but he’s the only Mariner starter with a negative fWAR, and his ERA sits at an abysmal 5.69. I was taught in kindergarten to give “compliment sandwiches”, so I’ll say that his inflated HR/FB gives him an xFIP of “just” 4.82, which suggests that the ERA might come down. There, Justus. Enjoy your open-faced compliment sandwich.
After I got done hissing and gnashing my teeth in the aftermath of Wednesday’s loss, I got to thinking: how rare is an ERA above 5.