What's YOUR opinion on the role of a CLOSER in major league baseball?
I'm in my 40's and don't hear this talked about much on sports radio and other media outlets. But I do NOT agree with using a closer to record three outs in one inning. I'm a Phillies' fan (insert boos and kudos here!), but man alive, Brad "Loose" Lidge annoys me almost as much as Mitch "Wild-Thing" Williams used to.
I'm well aware Lidge had a perfect save record last season. Good for him. But it was the remaining 8 men on the team that deserve credit for at least half of his "saves." His ERA this season is in the 7's I believe. Isn;t that great?!
We can either turn the ball over to a "closer" if we're ahead in the last inning of a game or allow the pitcher who tossed the ball in the 7th and/or 8th inning to go into the last inning and wither close it or loose it as long as he feels he can handle the last inning.
The closer is normally one of the best pitchers on the team, he usually doesn't have much stamina, but has one perfected pitch like my man above said, but having batters see one perfect pitch inning after inning usually doesn't fly, that is why he is used for only one inning to hopefully strike out three batters in a row like if you come across a good one like Mariano Rivera, who being a tigers fan I absolutely hate, but the man does run show.
I think the entire concept of a closer is overblown. In my opinion, there's nothing special that differentiates a so-called "closer" from any other reliever capable of recording three outs. The plate isn't narrower in the ninth, the batters aren't bigger, and first base is still 90 feet away. I've been utterly frustrated more times than I can count when a manager has yanked a guy who was rolling along fine just because it was the ninth inning and he thought he HAD to insert his "closer".
In my opinion, a team would be farther ahead to go with the guy who A) was already in the game, had a reasonable pitch count, and was being effective, or B) go with the reliever who was hot at the time.
Why waste a roster spot on a guy who comes in to pitch one inning every couple of nights? To me, that's utterly ludicrous...not to mention potentially expensive when he rolls up 30 or so saves and becomes the flavor du jour as a free agent. Better to spend the same money you would spend on a mediocre closer on a stellar middle reliever. Closers are like sports cars. They cost a lot of money, and some of them might be worth it, but more often than not, you get an overpriced, retooled Yugo with a cool paint job.
You can't change the game of baseball just because you don't like the way a certain player is playing. Lidge will eventually be out of contract or given an extremely reduced contract. Remember, when a player contributes to a WS win, he is given more leeway.
Using your theory, the team would run out of pitchers in about one month, due to fatigue. And you have no plan in place for the 9th inning when the pitcher runs into trouble.
An ideal pitcher for your plan would be Ton "Flash" Gordon..but notice he's been injured almost every year.
I think "closers" are a crock, really. At least ones that make K-Rod money... What, you give a half decent pitcher the ball and he has to hold a lead of a most 3 runs for one inning? Watch him rack up "saves" and be called great. Whoopdie freakin doodah.
When I read a previous answer I was struck by the paradox of a situation being both easy and pressure-packed. But that's true. Easy if you have both the strikes and the "balls," pressure-packed if one and/or the other missing on a given day. I think that the uncertainty as to the guy's performance just adds to the overall thrill.
I think it depends on both the situation and the given night. When a closer has bases loaded game 7 of the World Series 2 outs and up 1 run, it takes A LOT of confidence to get that one guy out...or even to throw a strike. But on the other hand, if you are up a couple of runs and enter the game as a closer and get amazing defensive help, you don't deserve much if any credit at all. I do feel that Clutch closers deserve credit, a lot of late releivers don't have the ability to withstand 3 innings considering a decent amount throw their arm out in the previous 2 innings.
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