By the book managing

[adambr2]

Can someone please explain why the manager's book says to always save your closer for a save situation on the road in extras?

 

When you break it down on a logical level, it makes absolutely no sense. You can't trust these guys to pitch in save situations, but they're the first ones you use in a sudden-death, allowing one run loses the game situation?

 

Then you hear the line "Well, who do we use once we get the lead if we already used our closer?" Ridiculous. Use Gorzelanny. Use Wooten. Use anybody. Just because a pitcher is your "closer" does not mean he is the only pitcher on the team capable of recording the last 3 outs of a game with a 1-3 run lead.

 

For all you know, by the time you get to this situation, you might have insurance. It might be a 2 run lead or better. You're going to save that for your "closer", but every pitcher who pitches before him, you NEED to be perfect or you lose the game. How is this logical? The only argument that even remotely makes sense is not burning your closers' arm over the long haul by pitching him in every extra inning game on the road, but considering the very limited amount of times that that probably happens over the course of a season, and given that he would probably pitch in half those games anyway, I don't think that argument holds much water.

[Bombers]

It goes into the book of why a closer only pitches in the 9th inning of a close game. If I have the opponents 2, 3, 4 hitter due up in the 8th inning. I am bringing in my best relief pitcher left. Why wouldn't I? This is the do or die moment. All too often you see this exact scenario and they bring in reliever XYZ and he gives up 3 runs. Well, we all saw that coming. But teams refuse to use more of a roving bullpen and resort to have "roles." I think a lot on this board would like to see roles less defined and situations managed better but that just isn't the way it is done.

 

I agree with you, why use your worst relief pitcher in a tie game in the 9th inning. I don't get it at all.

[jerichoholicninja]

It's pretty simple really. The book says your closer gets saves. If the situation can't result in your closer getting a save, there's no reason to bring him in. It's stupid and dumb and has cost teams multitudes of games but that's the book.

[yfinn6]

I feel like, up 5-1 in the 8th, this would have been a good time to use Jeffress. But, according to the 2014 Brewers' Book, Smith is the 8th inning guy with the lead.

[Dead Simmons]

It's an insane practice in my book. The only thing I can figure is that these closers MUST have something in their contract rewarding save totals. But then, that also makes little sense.

[logan82]

All relievers receive more money if they get saves.