For those who have passed their prime in whatever it is that they do but refuse to hang it up just yet, they would tell you that age is just a number. Rockies pitcher Jaime Moyer proved just that on Tuesday night by becoming the oldest player in Major League history to record a win at the age of 49 years and 151 days old, surpassing the previous mark set 80-years ago by Jack Quinn of the Brooklyn Dodgers who won a game at 49-years and 70 days of age. Despite failing to throw a single pitch above the 79 mph mark (87 pitches), Moyer tossed 7 stellar innings while allowing only 6 hits and 2 runs (both unearned) in Colorado's 5-3 victory over the division-rival San Diego Padres. Though Cameron Maybin was Moyer's only strikeout victim of the ballgame against 2 walks, Moyer instead relied on another one of the pitcher's best friend's -- the double-play ball as he induced three twin killing's to help his cause and etch his name into the record books as his wife and kids watched from the stands.
Moyer's magnificent feat which displayed both longevity and perseverance as well as an uncanny love for what he does, would have came days earlier had it not been for a number of costly errors which robbed the lefty from logging a win in either of his first two outings. Back in 1986 when Moyer made his Major League debut with the Chicago Cubs during the Reagan Administration, gas prices were a mere 93 cents a gallon. While the price of gas has since then risen and costs almost $3 more on average today, one thing that hasn't changed is Moyer's will to win. Old enough to be the father of most of his Rockies teammates, the 26-year veteran hasn't let his age stop him from being the most consistent starting pitcher on Colorado's staff thus far, boasting a 2.55 ERA over his first three starts.
What may be an even bigger accomplishment than becoming the oldest pitcher in MLB history to win a game, however, is the road Moyer took to get back onto a big league mound. After missing the entire 2011 season last year due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, Moyer signed a Minor League contract with the Rockies before making the team during Spring Training. Tuesday night's victory marked the first win for Moyer since June 27, 2010 and was win no. 268 of his long-lived career which also saw stints with the Cubs, Rangers, Cardinals, Orioles, Mariners and Phillies before eventually coming to the Mile-High City. Having pitched in four different decades which is something only a handful of players in Major League history can brag about doing, it'll be interesting to see if Moyer can continue to pitch the way he has been to start the season. If so, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he makes a return in 2013 in hopes of becoming the league's first ever 50-year old winner.
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