Quote:
Originally Posted by tothrk
Rivera was asked to pitch one inning once every two or three days in a game his team was already winning. I can’t even imagine what the career numbers for the all time great starters would look like if you spotted them a lead every time they pitched.
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Eck may be a good indication -- from solid starter to one of the top few relievers of all time. One suspects elite starters would have been even better than Eck and Rivera, but it's all of course just debate and speculation.
My take is still that a guy throwing 200 innings is more important than a guy throwing 60, so you're going to want the better pitcher for the 200.
The drama in a lot of ninth innings does put the spotlight on relievers more than the guy who pitched the third and fourth. But a run scored then means just as much to the outcome.
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