| | The irony isn't lost on managers and general managers. During the offseason -- and right up to the trading deadlines -- teams are willing to spend nearly anything or trade nearly anybody in search of starting pitching, baseball's most precious commodity.
But when the field of teams is narrowed and the postseason begins, it's often the relievers, not the starters, who determine the playoff winners and losers.
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BULLPEN BLUNDERS
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Recent postseason history has been filled with bullpens who failed to close out leads:
1998 World Series, Game 1: The Padres led 5-2 in the seventh when the Yankees rallied for seven runs off Kevin Brown, Donne Wall and Mark Langston.
1998 World Series, Game 3: The Padres had a chance to climb back into the Series, but Trevor Hoffman lost a 3-2 lead when Scott Brosius hit a three-run homer in the eighth.
1998 Division Series, Game 4: Boston's Tom Gordon had blown one save all year -- on April 14. But Cleveland scored twice in the eighth to win 2-1 and clinch the series.
1997 World Series, Game 7: The ultimate blown save. Indians lead Marlins 2-1 in the ninth but Jose Mesa can't close it out. Marlins win it in the seventh.
1997 World Series, Game 3: The game was deadlocked 7-7 in the ninth. The Marlins erupted for seven runs and held on to win 14-11.
1997 ALCS, Game 2: Baltimore won the opener against Cleveland and led 4-2 in the second game. Marquis Grissom smacked a three-run homer off Armando Benitez as the Indians won 5-4 and went on to win the series.
1997 Division Series, Game 4: Yankees turned a 2-1 lead over to Mariano Rivera in the eighth. Sandy Alomar ties the game with a home run and Cleveland wins in the ninth. The Indians win Game 5 as well.
1996 World Series, Game 4: Braves 8, Yankees 5. Eighth inning. Jim Leyritz vs. Mark Wohlers. Hanging slider. Game tied. Yankees never look back.
1996 ALCS, Game 1: Orioles lead the Yankees 4-3 in the eighth when Derek Jeter lofts a fly that right fielder Tony Tarasco is camped under ... until 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier makes the catch. Ump Richie Garcia erroneously rules it a homer and Yankees win the game in the 11th on Bernie Williams' HR.
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"In the postseason," says Arizona Diamondbacks manager Buck Showalter, "games are won in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings."
In the 1990s, there have been a total of 26 postseason games -- 15 in the Division Series and LCS and 11 World Series games -- in which the team leading after six innings subsequently lost that lead.
Often, the winner is determined before teams can get to their high-profile closers in the ninth. Middle and setup relievers, not long ago viewed as the most disposable members of a staff, frequently hold the key to their teams' fate.
It's not hard to figure why. Unlike the regular season, when teams deploy five (and sometimes six) starters and the wear-and-tear on staffs can lead to early-inning blowouts, playoff teams have starting pitchers capable of keeping their teams in games longer.
But rising pitch counts, the result of patient hitters intent on tiring out starters, and closely matched teams make for a greater reliance on the middle- and late-inning relievers.
In last year's postseason, for example, 17 of the 31 games played were decided from the sixth inning or later.
All of which means teams had better make the right call when they call down to the bullpen in October.
"The fact that there's more offense in the game dictates using guys more in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings more than in the past," says Red Sox pitching coach Joe Kerrigan. "When you're playing against great offensive teams like Texas or Cleveland, the fifth, sixth and seventh could be your 'save' innings. Sometimes, (postseason) games are saved in the seventh and eighth instead of the ninth."
The win-or-go-home nature of the playoffs dictate a more aggressive use of the bullpen. While managers may be more likely to stick with a struggling starter in the regular season -- either out of fear of blowing out their bullpen or as a means of instilling toughness in a young starter -- they have no such luxury in October. Falling behind early is a sure ticket to elimination.
Also, teams no longer worry about the long haul. While it might be wise to avoid using a reliever three times in the span of four days in June, it might be disastrous to go with less than your best when a pennant or world championship is on the line.
Managers must live for the present.
"Generally, you utilize all your (pitching) weapons to the max," says Kerrigan.
There's another reason for the quick hook in postseason play. By going to several relievers, teams force opposing hitters to adjust from at-bat to at-bat. The Red Sox, to cite on example, have four late-inning pitchers who feature a different pitch. Lefty Rheal Cormier (changeup), Derek Lowe (sinker), Rod Beck (splitter) and Tom Gordon (curveball). Just for good measure, the Sox also have knuckleballer Tim Wakefield at their disposal.
"When you're going through a lineup," Kerrigan says, "and a hitter has to look at his third pitcher in his fourth at-bat, it doesn't give them a chance to look for a pattern."
In this age of increasing specialization, teams are similarly intent on having at least one left-hander at their disposal. The Indians had as many as five lefties -- Ricardo Rincon, Paul Assenmacher, Mark Langston, Chris Haney and Tom Martin -- from which to choose for their playoff roster (they settled on Rincon and Assenmacher).
In the American League in particular, lefties in the bullpen are especially valuable, since all four playoff teams feature batting orders with a strong left-handed presence: New York (Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Darryl Strawberry); Cleveland (Harold Baines, David Justice, Jim Thome, Kenny Lofton); Texas (Rafael Palmeiro, Lee Stevens, Rusty Greer); and Boston (Troy O'Leary, Brian Daubach).
The addition of the Division Series in 1995 means teams can play as many as 19 games in the postseason, stretched out over almost a month. Over time, even the freshest bullpen will wilt under the strain of so many pressure-packed games squeezed into a few weeks' time.
"You have to use the right people to win the game you're playing," says Boston manager Jimy Williams, "and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow."
That's because what was a marathon from April through September turns into a series of relay races in October, and the last few legs of those relays are often where teams either stumble or successfully cross the last finish line.
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CLOSERS IN THE POSTSEASON
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How each team's closer has fared in his career during the postseason:
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Player, Team
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G
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IP
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H
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BB
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SO
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W-L
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SV
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ERA
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Mariano Rivera, NYY
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23
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35
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21
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8
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30
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2-0
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7
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0.51
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Mike Jackson, Cle
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23
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24.1
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21
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10
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21
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1-1
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4
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3.38
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John Wetteland, Tex
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16
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17.2
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16
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9
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21
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0-1
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7
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5.00
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Tom Gordon, Bos
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1
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1
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3
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1
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0
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0-0
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0
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18.00
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John Rocker, Atl
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8
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6
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4
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1
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7
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1-0
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0
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0.00
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Matt Mantei, Ari
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--
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--
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--
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--
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--
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--
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--
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--
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Billy Wagner, Hou
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2
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2
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7
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0
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3
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1-0
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0
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18.00
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Armando Benitez, NYM
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13
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12.1
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10
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11
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18
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2-2
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1
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6.00
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Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal-Bulletin covers the AL for ESPN.com. | |
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