Nationals’ pitchers are in purple John Smoltz is displayed in brown The chart includes two dashed orange lines. The ERA line is at 4.20, which was the 2009 National League average. The first-pitch strike line is at the MLB average 58.13 percent. In the upper-left corner are pitchers with higher than average first-pitch strike percentages and lower than average ERAs. In the bottom-left corner are pitchers with lower than average first-pitch strike percentages and lower than average ERAs. 2010 According to FanGraphs.com, as of Aug. 11, 2010, the three starting pitchers with the highest first-pitch strike percentages were Cliff Lee (70.8 percent), Carl Pavano (68 percent), and Roy Halladay (67.6 percent). Pavano (3.28) had the highest ERA of the three, with Halladay and Lee both carrying ERAs below 2.50. Starting pitchers throughout the league have acknowledged that throwing first-pitch strikes gives them a better chance for success. Daniel Hudson, a 23-year-old starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks told FoxSports.com on Aug. 6, 2010 that throwing first-pitch strikes has aided in his increased performance. After a winning start in which he threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 29 hitters he faced, he told FoxSports.com, "When you get that first-pitch strike, it automatically puts [the hitters] in a hole and gives me an advantage. It's very important to get that first pitch over in every at-bat." Seattle Mariners’ pitcher Jason Vargas was enjoying the best season of his career through Aug. 11, 2010, with an ERA close to 3.00. Following a 2009 season in which he won just three games in 14 starts and had an ERA of 4.91, Vargas took a new approach. After throwing just 51 percent strikes on the first pitch in 2009, that number jumped to 63 percent in 2010, above the MLB average. From SeattlePI.com, "It puts him in the drivers' seat to execute pitch sequences to hitters on his own accord, rather than having to give in and offer hitters fastballs in fastball-counts." Phil Hughes of the New York Yankees has excelled in his first full season as a starting pitcher and was named to the American League All-Star team. Hughes has developed a knack for getting one over on the first pitch, increasing his first-pitch strike percentage in each of his four seasons in the majors. His percentage of 64.3 through Aug. 11, 2010 is the highest of his career, and the eighth best