Game thread 8/23/24 Where there's a Wilson there's a way

[Hy Feiber]

In the 50s and 60s, the top relievers in each league got the "Fireman of the Year" Award, for putting out the fire.

Imagine, having your top reliever coming in to actually Provide Relief, when the starter is faltering?

Back then, they got at most, 25 saves.

[D-train]

In the 50s and 60s, the top relievers in each league got the "Fireman of the Year" Award, for putting out the fire.

Imagine, having your top reliever coming in to actually Provide Relief, when the starter is faltering?

Back then, they got at most, 25 saves.

It actually was awarded from 1960-2000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporting_ ... ame%20year.

[Hy Feiber]

Another thing, about predictability of the game, I know watching a pitcher at the plate is pretty boring, but consider that with men on base, he can always perfect his bunting, and when he does hit, That's exciting.

Fans went crazy!

"He helped his own cause," sayeth the broadcasters.

As fans in the 60s, it was cool watching your pitcher on base, wearing his jacket.

A DH is not in the game, not really, and look at Garver, and other Ms as DH, many pitchers could "hit" as well.

Remember Carl Everett?

So I'd say the beginning of the end of Small Ball was the advent of the DH.

[Hy Feiber]

In the 50s and 60s, the top relievers in each league got the "Fireman of the Year" Award, for putting out the fire.

Imagine, having your top reliever coming in to actually Provide Relief, when the starter is faltering?

Back then, they got at most, 25 saves.

It actually was awarded from 1960-2000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporting_ ... ame%20year.

Officially, but with the gradual end of complete game starters, likely 20 years back, the concept of true Fireman/relief was eventually superseded by "Closers."

Programmed in advance.

I assume we didn't see a starter with say, 20+ complete games much, after say, the 80s.

[Hy Feiber]

I just checked on Quisenberry, 45 saves in 1983, the entire KC Pitching staff compiled just 19 complete games; so the trend of converting from Fireman to Closer was in full swing.

Each succeeding decade saw less complete games, but the apex was in the mid 70s or so.

https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrFGh1 ... EvI3kxiPs-

[D-train]

Check out Wilbur Wood. 99 Complete games and 1681 innings in 5 years. He was a knuckle baller but still..

Screenshot 2024-08-25 1.15.48 PM.png (24.41 KiB) Viewed 103 times

[Donn Beach]

In the 50s and 60s, the top relievers in each league got the "Fireman of the Year" Award, for putting out the fire.

Imagine, having your top reliever coming in to actually Provide Relief, when the starter is faltering?

Back then, they got at most, 25 saves.

It had to do with how they were used, going from leverage situations to ninth inning save situations

Clay Carroll in 1972 was the first pitcher to make a third of his season's appearances in the beginning of the ninth inning, which would not be repeated until Fingers in 1982. John Franco in 1987 was the first to be used over 50 percent of the time in the beginning of the ninth in a season;he had a then-record 24 one-inning saves.

For their careers, Sutter and Gossage had more saves of at least two innings than saves where they pitched one inning or less. Fingers was the only pitcher who pitched at least three innings in more than 10 percent of his saves.The game evolved to where the best reliever was reserved for games where the team had a lead of three runs or less in the ninth inning.Mariano Rivera, considered one of the greatest closers of all time, earned only one save of seven-plus outs in his career, while Gossage logged 53. "Don't tell me [Rivera's] the best relief pitcher of all-time until he can do the same job I did. He may be the best modern closer, but you have to compare apples to apples. Do what we did", said Gossage.

ESPN.com writer Jim Caple wrote that closers' saves in the ninth "merely conclude what is usually a foregone conclusion."Dave Smith of Retrosheet researched the seasons 1930–2003 and found that the winning percentage for teams who enter the ninth inning with a lead has remained virtually unchanged over the decades. One-run leads after eight innings have been won roughly 85 percent of the time, two-run leads 94 percent of the time, and three-run leads about 96 percent of the time.Baseball Prospectus projects that teams could gain as much as four extra wins a year by focusing on bringing their ace reliever into the game earlier in more critical situations with runners on base instead of holding them out to accumulate easier ninth inning saves.