David Price gave up an average of 4.15 runs per 9 innings. He won 17 games.
Verlander gave up an average of 3.20 (!) per 9 innings. He won 16 games.
How would wins and losses in a pitcher's record matter when they can't even tell you who of these two are better just by themselves.
If told I told you pitcher A gives up nearly 1 full run more than pitcher B per 9 innings and asked who's better, you would almost guaranteed answer pitcher B.
And you'd be right. The guy giving up less runs is better.
If you looked solely at just his wins tally, you'd be wrong. Which is why pitcher wins are dumb. They in no way consistently indicate the better pitcher.
It would be like saying John Lackey's first year in Boston wasn't that bad since he "won" 14 games despite giving 4.77 runs per 9 innings. It makes that win loss record look stupid. Which it is.
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