As the Angels look to end their season on a high note — if that is possible, after an utter collapse following an outbreak of injuries in the second half of the season — starting pitcher Griffin Canning made a strong appearance in his final game of the season.
Canning missed the previous season and a half with a back injury, and there were few expectations as to how strong of a season he could have after missing so much time.
Canning showed his durability in 2023, exceeding any hopes that the Angels could have had for the 27-year-old pitcher.
He started 22 games for the Halos with a 2.0 WAR, a 4.32 ERA and a 3.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He will enter an arbitration period with the Angels before the 2024 season.
Canning was understandably happy with his performance this season after being away from the game for so long.
“I was really proud of myself for obviously not pitching for a year and a half and to come back and throw 127 innings,” Canning said. “It’s something I can be really proud of, for myself, and just really thankful for the people I had behind me this whole time and helped me get back to this point.”
(Via Jeff Fletcher, The Orange County Register)
While the Rangers took the game from Canning and the Angels Wednesday night, his five-hit, two-earned run performance lowered his ERA as he wraps up his 2023 campaign. He also proved to himself that he can succeed at the MLB level, and will ride that confidence into an important offseason.
The Angels will travel to Oakland to face the Athletics to finish off the season.
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