Quote:
Originally Posted by Sylvanfan
The whole ego thing or whatever it is to get a recordable statistic is a touch rediculous. Say you bring in your closer to face Ordonez, Cabrera, Sheffield with a runner on base and he get's them out. So what if they're the 23,24 & 25 outs of the game. Those were far more critical to being able to win than letting someone else get those guys and have your main guy get the 7-8-9 hitters out to finish the game the next inning. Yet I don't think you ever see teams employ a strategy like that.
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It's not a touch ridiculous - it's just downright stupid. Saves are right up there with RBIs as the most useless stat in baseball.
You never see teams employ that strategy because managers manage to save their jobs, not to win ball games. Honestly though, today's decision had very little to do with that. It was just plain ignorance. I could understand if there's no outs and the bases loaded in the 8th and Ryan might have to work two full innings, but it was really one batter in the bottom of the 8th. If Ryan doesn't get Renteria out then the Tigers take the lead and the game is over considering the Jays offense. If he does get him out, Ryan has to go an inhuman 1
.1 innings.
Here's two good columns ESPN ran lately on how over-rated closers are:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...5&sportCat=mlb
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...e=caple/080805
The closer role is based completely around money.
More saves = bigger salary.
Bigger Salary = whiny closers who won't enter a game if it might cost them a save
The save is just like most things in baseball - ignorant decisions made based off traditional logic.