Were there really no "protect the 9th inning lead" relievers in baseball before Dennis Eckersley?

Question

When I read Eckersley's Wikipedia page, I was surprised that it stated that Tony LaRussa was given credit for this novel idea that began 19 years ago.

I could have sworn I witnessed some closers way before him that did this type of role. I thought the star closers of 30+ years ago like Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, and Bill Campbell (to name just a few) would mostly pitch only to get the final three outs of the game.

Preferably someone who watched and followed Major League Baseball way before 1988 (and with a good memory of what the bullpens were like at the time) could answer this

Answer 1

Closers before the mid 80s usually pitched 2-3 innings to get a save, including Eckersley until LaRussa changed it when he came in. Guys like Gossage and Lee Smith almost always came in during the 7th or 8th and closed it out.

Answer 2

I think there was a subtle shift towards the protector role before Eck, but Larussa really did popularize it.

I remember Sutter and Fingers getting their one-inning saves, but they also had some two-and-three inning saves, which you'd never see Larussa do with Eckersley. Larussa also made use of the whole LOOGY concept, whereas those teams from the 1970s and 1980s really didn't do much of that. Usually they'd only have 3-4 middle relievers anyway, not the 5-6 carried by many teams today. i guess the managers back then figured they may as well use their closers when they needed them, even if that meant the 7th or 8th innings.

In the years when he closed, Eck only broke the 80-inning mark once, while guys like Sutter or Fingers often pitched more than 100 innings. And Eck even had a couple of years where his appearances outnumbered his innings pitched, something that would never have happened in the days before him.

This question made me feel a little old, but in a good way. I loved watching Rollie Fingers pitch. He and Goose Gossage are probably my favorite closers of all time.

Answer 3

Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, etc. were all closers before Dennis Eckersley, correct. But the way these pitchers were used in games were different than Eckersley and closers after him. The starter would pitch 6 or 7 innings, and the reliever would pitch 2 or 3 innings. Bullpens before 1988 were really only like 10 pitchers, 4 starters and 6 relievers. Very few pitchers (if any) before Eckersley were on the team for the sole purpose to come in the 9th inning and close the game.

Answer 4

Actually the whole idea of closers is ridiculous. How many games do you see a starter pitching a good game and get taken out because it is time for the seventh, eighth, and ninth inning man. As a Tiger fan I have seen several games blown by the bullpen this year when the starter was doing fine. Pitch counts are something else that is relatively new, and make no sense to me either. Not so long ago, teams only had four starters, and they pitched many complete games. The players today are supposed to be bigger and stronger, yet they can barely go five innings on four days rest. I would use the bullpen when needed, wheter the ninth inning or the first. Another thing modern managers do is leave the starter in even after it is obvious he does not have it that day. If he is lousy get him out of there in the first. There would be some short outings, but that pitcher would get the extra rest needed for him to go every fourth day.

Answer 5

Look at the history of hte game because guys like Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage, Sparky Lyle and others came in and got 6 out saves on a regular basis. Eckersley at the beginning of his career was a starting pitcher and Tony LaRussa knew how to use him. Again see what happens when you give up on talented people Red Sox fans

Answer 6

I don't think managers dedicated a specific pitcher to pitch the 9th inning the way Closers are used now and for the past 15-20 years.

Rollie Fingers never had more than 37 saves in one year...but he was used almost exclusively in the later innings.

I don't think managers really cared about getting their bullpen saves, the just cared about good pitching match-ups and getting the win for the team.

Answer 7

There were pitchers that pitched only the 9th inning on occassion. But to verify how often compare the number of games pitched to the number of innings pitched. You would see the top relief pitchers (Gossage/Sutter/Quisenberry) pitch well over 100 innings per year. That is proof that they pitched more than just the ninth inning.

Good Question!

Answer 8

I agree with you. There were many "closers" before Dennis Eckersley came along. In addition to the ones you mention, there was also Goose Gossage.

Remember that Wikipedia is a site that can esily be editted by users. Therefore, the user writing about LaRussa could be a Cardinal/A's/or LaRussa fan who is twisting baseball history a little.

Answer 9

My best, most recent recollection of a closer coming in for more than just the 9th goes back to '92, when Mitch Williams was closing for the Phils. It seemed to me that he would regularly get 5-6 outs.

Answer 10

rollie fingers was solid at about the same time of eckersly.

BUT! Hoyt Willhelm was a great reliever in the late 50's and 60's. they once brought him in just to K roger maris so that he had to wait to break babe's record.

not sure how many saves he had, or if they kept track back then. but he was a solid knuckleballer and a great relieve man.