After losing more often than he won in his first eight years in the majors, the Seattle Mariners' 40-year-old pitcher has baseball's best winning percentage since 1996. Jamie Moyer's 125-56 (.691) over that stretch and has won 20 games two of the past three seasons.
"It doesn't matter how old or young you are. You're here to do your job and find ways to get better, become consistent and stay consistent," Moyer said Monday after pitching his first complete game of the season in a 5-1 win over Anaheim. "Right now, the consistency is there and I'm going to cherish it and enjoy it."
Moyer, who turns 41 on Nov. 18, joined Hall of Famers Cy Young, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Warren Spahn and Phil Niekro as the only pitchers to win 20 games in their 40s.
"For him to win 20 games at age 40 -- and arguably having maybe the best three years he's ever had -- just shows a little something about Jamie Moyer and his work ethic, and how he makes adjustments and learns every year,'' Seattle manager Bob Melvin said.
Moyer has become a master at keeping hitters guessing. His fastball is only in the low 129kph range, slowest in the majors, and his off-speed pitches often dip below 113kph.
"Jamie's not just a fastball-changeup guy," Melvin said. "He's gotten to the point where he's got so many pitches, it's tough to think along with him.
"He throws his cutter inside and outside now and changes speeds on his changeup. So he kind of fits that profile of the soft-tossing lefty with the changeup."
On Monday, Moyer (20-7) held the Angels to six hits. An unearned run with one out in the ninth cost him his first shutout of the year.
He went 20-6 in 2001 and is the first Seattle pitcher to win 20 games in two seasons. The Seattle left-hander became the fourth 20-game winner this year, third in the AL.
The win kept the Mariners from losing ground to Boston in the wild-card standings, so it came at a crucial time.
Even Angels manager Mike Scioscia, a former catcher, appreciates Moyer's craftsmanship.
"He's a guy who's been around a long time, and it seems like he's really been able to get people out the last six or seven years," Scioscia said. "He has that ability to change speeds, he has uncanny control, and he has a clear idea of what he wants to do out there.
"It may look easy to hit him, but with the way he keeps the ball on the corners and changes speeds -- he's just a terrific pitcher."
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