And, Yet, It’s A Game That No Yankees Fan Wants To Talk About The Day After…
Posted by Steve L. on July 31st, 2013 · Comments (12)
Yesterday’s NYY-LAD contest recorded best rating for any @MLB regular season game in LA on record (’01)
— MLB Public Relations (@MLB_PR) July 31, 2013
Maybe because Joey LaRussa decided to pitch his 3rd or 4th best bullpen arm in the 9th inning when he has the greatest reliever ever out there.
Again, who came up with this thesis of saving your closer on the road of a tie game? For what, a save situation that didn’t occur? Kind of like going to an auction with a million dollar checkbook and coming home with nothing.
77yankees wrote:
While maddening, it seems to be accepted practice.
Raf wrote:
Which, 10 years later, really reinforces Beane’s view that managers are essentially worthless. The “good” ones may not cost you as many games as the bad ones do but, in the end, they’re all stuck following one another in the same well-trod rut of conventional managing.
It amazes me that even the so-called greats like Joe Maddon, Mike Scioscia, or Tony La Russa couldn’t summon up the courage to deploy their closers in high-leverage spots or on the road, etc.
Today’s managers have become weaned to preserving their closers for save situations. When the game is tied in the 9th inning, the home manager will put his closer in, but the visiting manager will not. Doesn’t make sense.
Never used to be that way. Know how you can tell? By the number of wins closers used to get. Sparky had 13 in his Cy Young award year of 1977. Goose had 10 wins (and 11 losses) the following year. Rags had 12 in 1985.
I can’t remember the last pure MLB reliever to get double digit wins in a season. Anyone know?
77yankees wrote:
Isn’t that because closers used to throw more than 1 inning fairly often? Lyle and Gossage had 137 and 143 IP in ’77 and ’78, respectively. Rivera hasn’t thrown more than 80.2 inn. since ’96.
77yankees wrote:
Matt Belisle in 2011 and Tyler Clippard in 2010.
last one to get more than 12 was Mark Eichhorn in 1986
MJ Recanati wrote:
That would explain how the Yankees won 4 Series with Torre.
Kamieniecki wrote:
That’s right.
I think Tony LaRussa is credited with developing the modern closer with Dennis Eckersley, but I think even he threw more than one inning on occasion.
And even he has had 1+ inning saves, though Torre and Girardi usually saved those extended outings for the playoffs.
Kamieniecki wrote:
LOL, I’m not sure I see Torre’s hand in those World Series titles as much as the narrative suggests.
Raf wrote:
He was. I think all closers since Eckersley have thrown more than one inning on occasion. La Russa was a great manager who would have employed use of a closer on the road and in a tie game if and when it made sense.
MJ Recanati wrote:
I’m not sure I see Cashman’s hand in those World Series titles as mucb as some narratives suggest either.