Best Baseball Relief Pitchers Ever
Mariano Rivera and Dennis Eckersley Head the List of Great Closers.
© James Lincoln Ray
Mar 4, 2007
Satchel Paige once said that anybody could be a relief pitcher, so long as he had a thick skin, a short memory, and at least one great pitch.
He is arguably the most important player on a major league baseball team. He’s the closer: that one inning relief specialist who can make or break a season with a single pitch. The job is open to any who want it. However, only those with ice water in their veins need apply. Here are the five best ever.
(5) Bruce Sutter. He is given credit for inventing the split-finger fastball. He didn’t. Sutter learned it from Chicago Cubs pitching coach Fred Martin after hurting his elbow in the minors. Martin taught him the pitch to help Sutter compensate for his decreased velocity. It doesn’t really matter who invented it. Sutter was the first pitcher to use it with great success in the majors. He terrorized hitters in the 1970’s and 80’s with his deadly ‘splitter’, winning four Relief Pitcher of the Year awards and the 1979 Cy Young crown. After a career in which he saved 300 games, Sutter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
(4) Trevor Hoffman: Although he keeps a low profile playing for the San Diego Padres, Hoffman will always be recognized as one of the great closers in history. Hoffman is best known for two things: his Major League record 492 career saves, and his customary entrance into each ballgame to the thunderous roar of AC/DC’s “Hell Bells” playing over the Stadium PA system. Hoffman is a great one, and he might have ranked higher if he had a larger body of postseason work.
(3) Rollie Fingers: Fingers had plenty of postseason work. He won the 1974 World Series MVP by saving two games and winning another for the Oakland A’s. In 1981, the man famous for his handlebar mustache won both the Cy Young and MVP awards when he saved 28 games and posted a 1.04 ERA for the Brewers. By the time his career ended in 1985, Fingers had 341 saves and a career ERA of 2.90. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992. Rollie still wears the handlebars, by the way.
(2) Dennis Eckersley: When Eckersley arrived in Oakland in 1987, many believed that his career was over. Not Tony LaRussa. LaRussa moved the veteran starter into the bullpen, and Eck responded with 33 saves. In 1988, rather than let Eckersley pitch two or more innings at a time, LaRussa limited his outings to the ninth inning of games when the A’s held a close lead. It was a revolutionary move. Eck saved 53 games, and the modern day one-inning Closer was born. Eckersley saved 390 games and won both the Cy Young and MVP awards in his career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
(1) Mariano Rivera. He is the best ever. He has 413 saves, a World Series MVP, and four big rings to prove it. Without Mariano Rivera, the New York Yankees could not have won four World Series in the last decade. Not a chance. In his postseason career, Rivera has 34 saves and an ERA of 0.80. That’s just unheard of. Rivera has done it all with his famous ‘cut’ fastball, a hard and late breaking pitch that moves in on the hands of a lefty hitter. The hitter swings at the pitch because it appears that it will end up over the plate. But during the last fifteen feet of its travel, the ball 'cuts' sharply into the neck of the bat, usually splintering it into about a million pieces. Right-handed hitters usually just wave at it and look ridiculous. It sure is one hell of a pitch.
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Comments
Mar 10, 2007 11:31 AM
Alan L. Hammond
:
Even though his career was relatively short, where would you rank Cincinnati's Rob Dibble?
Mar 20, 2007 6:09 AM
James Lincoln Ray
:
I would rank Dibble in the Top 15, maybe even in the Top 10. I remember his entire career, and for a short period (before the injuries set in) he was the scariest guy in baseball. He reminded me a lot of Goose Gossage: Big, Intimidating, Great Fastball, and Fearless. From 1988-1992, Dibble had a composite ERA of 2.13 and struck out 1.4 batters Per Inning. Those Numbers are historic. Plus he had that great locker room fight with Sweet Lou. Always loved Dibble. Still do.
Jun 22, 2007 8:15 PM
Thomas Lourdeau
:
I would have to rank Hoffman much higher than that, seeing as his San Diego Padres don't have nearly the payroll nor the talent to get to as many postseasons. Sure, Rivera is great, but he also has a lot more opportunity than Hoffman ever had. As a closer, that is really out of your control. Meanwhile, Hoffman has over 500 saves... the sheer numbers don't lie.
Jul 18, 2007 12:23 PM
James Lincoln Ray
:
Well, Hoffman is a great one. Maybe I gave him short shrift by ranking him fourth. There is a strong argument that he should be second. But, Eckersley invented the position, essentially, and Fingers was the best of the true relief pitchers who came into a game in the sixth or seventh and were supposed to finish the game. He almost always did. Hoffman has pitched in six postseason series, and made a total of 12 appearances, during which he is 1-2 with a 3.46 ERA. Plus, his regular season ERA is .36 higher than Rivera. Finally, Trevow began pitching three years earlier than Mo. So, the 82 save difference is attributable to that. Don't get me wrong, he is GREAT!! Great!!! Great!! and he is one of my favorites to watch, coming out to Hell's Bells and all, but, he is not as good as Rivera. The Numbers don't lie. Thanks for reading!!!!!!
Sep 25, 2007 2:27 PM
James Hutchinson
:
Not to diss Rivera too much, since he really is great, but I am partial to Fingers, who pitched before the closer role was adjusted to fit the save statistic. You could make the case that Rivera cost the Yankees two World Series 97 and '03 with blown saves, and that Wetteland was the closer in '96. I am sure Mariano has more multiple inning saves than anybody these days. Fingers had plenty of those.
How about Doug Jones? Not top five material, but a darn good pitcher.
Oct 19, 2007 1:51 PM
gomez53
:
I am new to this site, and I read some of the posts about closers with interest. I may be older than most of you, and I don't question any of your choices, but do any of you remember a reliever named Dick Radatz? For my money, for three years: 1962-63-64, Radatz was the most dominant relief pitcher in baseball. In an era when most starters completed at least 25% of their starts (10 or more a season), it was nothing for Radatz to earn a save by coming in and pitching the last three or four innings in a game! In 1962, his won loss record was 9-6. He pitched in 62 games (1st in league), had 24 saves (2nd), and struck out 144 in 125 innings with a 2.24ERA. In 1963, his record was 15-6, he pitched in 66 games (2nd), had 25 saves (2nd), struck out 162 in 132 innings, and had a 1.97ERA. In 1964, he had a 16-9 record, pitched in 79 games (2nd), had 29 saves (1st), and struck out 181 batters in 157 innings (an average of 2 innings a game for a closer!) with a 2.29ERA. If he pitched in today's game, he would undoubtedly pile up more saves, because he would have more opportunities. In a game against the Yankees, he came in with a one-run lead in the ninth, told the Yankees he was going to strike out the side, and proceeded to do just that, two of the hitters happening to be Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Mantle called Radatz the fastest pitcher he ever faced...Mantle never got a hit off him. Radatz also once game in in a tie game, and pitched the final NINE innings! He may not have the gaudy numbers of Rivera or Hoffman, but for those three years, he was the best I ever saw. Long live "The Monster"!
Oct 23, 2007 5:31 PM
James Lincoln Ray
:
Hey Gomez53: Great point! I'm a little too young to have seen "The Monster" pitch, but I have heard Mickey Mantle talk about how great Radatz was. If Mickey couldn't him him -- and you're right, he was something like 0 for 43 with 28 strikeouts against the guy -- then Dick Radatz must have been amazing. I wish I had seen him pitch. I always imagine him as an earlier, bigger, meaner version of Goose Gossage.
Oct 23, 2007 5:34 PM
James Lincoln Ray
:
Doug Jones was great. Yeah, Rivera did blow it in a couple of postseasons, but his body of work in October is so dominant that I had to put him first. I also would have put Hoffman higher, but in his one World Series, he gave up that big homer to Scott Brosius. Fingers was the man, I remember him better with the Brewers than his days in Oakland. All of these guys are great. I think it's the toughest job in sports, and anyone who can come into a packed stadium in October with guys on base and the crowd going insane and still get people out -- well, then, I have a hell of a lot of respect for them.
