Nationals Star Foster Griffin Now Leads MLB Left-Handers in This Key Stat
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It's been a dream return to Major League Baseball for Washington Nationals pitcher Foster Griffin.
After flaming out during his previous big league stint and going overseas to reinvent himself, the left-hander decided to come back stateside when he signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Nationals this past offseason.
Nobody quite knew what to expect out of Griffin. While he had a prosperous run in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball, which included an All-Star selection in 2025, it's hit-or-miss when it comes to a player having success when they return to the majors. But for the 30-year-old, it has gone smoothly. And following his latest start on Friday, Griffin now leads MLB left-handed starters in ERA.
Foster Griffin Has Lowest ERA of All Left-Handed Starters
Griffin lowered his ERA to 2.12 on the season following his most recent start against the Miami Marlins where he allowed one earned run on four hits across seven innings pitched with a career-high nine strikeouts and only one walk. He is just ahead of Chris Sale, who now sits with an ERA of 2.20 after his Friday start.
That gives an idea of just how masterful Griffin has been this season. And if it wasn't for back-to-back rough outings against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves where he gave up four and three earned runs, respectively, his ERA figure would be even lower.
When comparing his numbers to the rest of the MLB, Griffin finds himself sitting with the eighth-best ERA amongst starters and with the fourth-best in the National League. It's safe to say that signing the breakout star was money well spent for Washington, as he has become the clear ace of this staff in the early going of the campaign.
Nationals Need Foster Griffin to Continue His Strong Form
Expecting Griffin to continue performing like one of the best pitchers in the sport is a big ask. But the Nationals at least need him to keep pitching like a frontline starter if they are going to remain in the playoff picture. While making the postseason is a longshot for Washington, they are only 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot at the moment and they hold the tiebreaker over the Milwaukee Brewers, who occupy that position.
Again, the likelihood that the Nationals are playing playoff baseball this year is slim to none. But if they keep getting this from Griffin and the rest of the pitching staff rounds into form alongside an offense that has been one of the best in the majors so far this season, then they at least would have a chance at making a run to October.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai