The Revised Lineup Rule
Closers Such As Rivera, Wagner, and Hoffman Must Earn Their Money
Nov 17, 2007
Mariano Rivera is not satisfied with the Yankees' offer of $45 million for three years. Mariano has averaged 81 innings a season over his career. If he continued that pace for 2008, he would earn a about $185,000 an inning. Billy Wagner's 2007 salary was $10.5 million. Billy worked 68 1/3 innings, which means it cost the Mets about $154,000 an inning.
A Closer's Value May Be Difficult to Assess
Rivera and Wagner usually pitch only the ninth inning when their team has a lead, although there are exceptions. However, a closer's value depends on how often his team has a lead going to the ninth inning, how the game unfolds, and the quality of the set up pitchers. There are games in which the set up man faces the opposition's best hitters and the closer faces the bottom of the lineup. The save statistic is tenuous at best since a closer can enter the game with a three run lead, allow five batters to reach base with two of them scoring and still get a save.
Set Up Men Are Modern Firemen
Relief pitchers used to called “firemen” because they would usually come into the game to put down a rally -- put out the fire. That still occurs, not with closers, who almost always start an inning. Today’s “firemen” are the set up men or the right handed or left handed specialist.
The Option of Changing the Lineup in the Ninth Inning
All of the above is fine, but since closers pitch so few innings and make so much money, they should be forced to earn their money. How? By always facing the opponents best hitters. In the ninth inning, the team that is batting should have the option of changing its lineup. If the Rockies’ scheduled batters in the ninth inning were Torrealba, Sullivan, and Affeldt, they could send up Holliday, Helton and Atkins, or any three batters they chose. Once the defense announced its ninth inning pitcher, the offense would present its revised lineup to the home plate umpire.
Revised Lineup Rule's Advantages
The “revised lineup rule” would make the ninth inning of close games more exciting. It would allow fans to see the best hitters one more time in many games. It would eliminate cheap saves because the best hitters will have to be retired. And it will keep fans in the ball park since there will a better chance of a ninth inning rally, and this will make owners happy since more food will be sold. The only "disadvantage" is that weaker hitters would bat fewer times during the season.
National League First
Fans want offensive baseball, and the designated hitter rule has increase offense in the American League, but the National League has been opposed to the designated hitter rule since it was first proposed in the late 1960s. One outcome has been that the two leagues have different rules. The revised lineup rule should first be adopted by only the National League. It will increase offense, will not change the basic game since the pitcher will still hit, and it will make closers even more important. No longer will Billy Wagner or Trevor Hoffman get a save by retiring the bottom of the lineup.
