If you are old enough to remember Don Stanhouse....

[wildcard]

you will enjoy this interview.

https://pressboxonline.com/2022/01/25/talking-baseball-with-former-orioles-closer-don-stanhouse/

Stanhouse's pitching philosophy was:  Why would I pitch to a guy that can hit me?   If there are three open bases I can find someone I can get out.

[Ruzious]

And then don't pitch to the guy he can get out - until he's got 3 balls.  

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Ruzious said:

And then don't pitch to the guy he can get out - until he's got 3 balls.  

So he'll always pitch to Caleb Joseph?

[Too Tall]

"Full Pack!"  Drove Earl crazy and the rest of us too! Earl said he smoked a full pack every time Stanhouse pitched. 

[Ruzious]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

So he'll always pitch to Caleb Joseph?

True, though there's no truth to the rumor he gave up an RBI to Caleb in 2016.  

[Frobby]

I mean, you look at his numbers while in Baltimore and he wasn’t wrong.   High walk rates but low hit rates and a very good ERA.  Plus, he allowed no homers his first year with us, only four in his second.   He was tough to watch, though.   

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, Frobby said:

I mean, you look at his numbers while in Baltimore and he wasn’t wrong.   High walk rates but low hit rates and a very good ERA.  Plus, he allowed no homers his first year with us, only four in his second.   He was tough to watch, though.   

Worked better for him than it did for Kevin "Never give in" Gregg.

[Chelsea_Phil]

Wasn’t he called Stan the Man Unusual?  He drove me absolutely batty when he pitched.

[spiritof66]

4 hours ago, Chelsea_Phil said:

Wasn’t he called Stan the Man Unusual?  He drove me absolutely batty when he pitched.

That name was one of Mike Flanagan's creations.

[DrungoHazewood]

On 1/27/2022 at 3:56 PM, Frobby said:

I mean, you look at his numbers while in Baltimore and he wasn’t wrong.   High walk rates but low hit rates and a very good ERA.  Plus, he allowed no homers his first year with us, only four in his second.   He was tough to watch, though.   

I always wondered if Stanhouse was as good as his ERAs. He had terrible walk numbers, terrible baserunners allowed, and poor FIPs. 

He allowed 25 of 65 (41%) of inherited runners to score, versus a league average of 33%.  And he blew 22% of his save opportunities. 

In '78 Tippy Martinez had an ERA 2.00 runs a game higher than Stanhouse, but allowed just 15 of 54 (28%) of inherited runners to score.

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, DrungoHazewood said:

I always wondered if Stanhouse was as good as his ERAs. He had terrible walk numbers, terrible baserunners allowed, and poor FIPs. 

He allowed 25 of 65 (41%) of inherited runners to score, versus a league average of 33%.  And he blew 22% of his save opportunities. 

In '78 Tippy Martinez had an ERA 2.00 runs a game higher than Stanhouse, but allowed just 15 of 54 (28%) of inherited runners to score.

Very fair point on the inherited runners, though as you know, not all inherited runners situations are equal.   Runner on first with two out is a lot different from bases loaded nobody out, to take the two most extreme examples. 
 

As to the 22% blown save rate, you’d have to look at the situations in which he was brought into games to decide if that was bad or good.   It’s bad for a modern closer who generally enters games in the 9th inning with nobody on base.   But by my count, in 1978 Stanhouse pitched more than one inning 23 times, and entered games with runners on base 36 times; in 1978 he pitched more than an inning 25 times and entered with runners on base 30 times.   Those are much tougher save situations than the modern closer faces.  I see that Stanhouse had WPA of 1.903 in 1978 and 4.351 in 1979.   Tippy was at 0.493 in ‘78 and 1.306 in ‘79.

Stanhouse’s WPA was 12th among all relievers in MLB in ‘78, 4th in ‘79.   So, he got the job done pretty well.

 

[SouthRider]

Great interview.  Enjoyed listening to Ross Grimsely as well.  Great to see these guys in such good health. 

[BRobinsonfan]

On 1/27/2022 at 1:35 PM, Ruzious said:

And then don't pitch to the guy he can get out - until he's got 3 balls.  

Is that you Earl?  

 

[Ruzious]

5 hours ago, BRobinsonfan said:

Is that you Earl?  

 

I'm above ground - at least for a little while longer.  It's funny - Stanhouse was only on the O's for 2 years plus another year a few years later when he was already past done.  Here's him being interviewed.  

 

[Ruzious]

Ah, I wish I could delete that interview - didn't realize it was the same one in the OP - just with a different link.