The Flawed Importance of the Closer

[Can_of_corn]

Grantland piece by Jonah Keri

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/65497/the-flawed-importance-of-the-closer

[CA-ORIOLE]

Grantland piece by Jonah Keri

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/65497/the-flawed-importance-of-the-closer

HA HA. Nice article Corn. That guy is pretty funny. Being a save compiler (i.e. closer) is definitely the way to go if you're an RP.

[Il BuonO]

"Managers and pitching coaches will need to become open-minded, didactic, and brave enough to train their pitchers well, then face the music when things go wrong."

"Who's to say the manager who detonates the game's blind adherence to a deeply flawed stat won't be next?"

Nice going man, wish I would have seen this when I started my thread. I think it can also be applied to when a starter is throwing a great game and the manager takes him out for no other reason than to bring his closer in for the save. Exactly what happened with Doubront.

[OriolesMagic83]

I always thought that Buck would be the manager to challenge this "closer" nonsense. A real closer (or I prefer fireman), needs to be ready to come into the game whenever its on the line. Johnson should have pitched in the 9th today to "save" the O's from losing the game.

Riviera is the only closer in recent history I would consider "great". I would rather have a pitcher who could come into a tie ballgame in the 6th or 7th and pitch 2 or 3 innings. That is more valuable than protecting a 3 run lead in the 9th. The Yankees of the late 70's had dual firemen, Gossage and and Sparky Lyle. One of them would come into a game in the 7th and finish the game. The other pitcher would be available the next day and very likely pitch the last 3 innings.

Greatest relief pitchers for O's in last 15 years, IMO. Rodrigo Lopez and BJ Ryan (before he became closer). Did anyone else want to pull out their hair when BJ Ryan would just have unhittable stuff and then be taken out after 1 batter.