Relief Pitcher Trivia

[packs]

It's really hard to be an elite closer for a long period of time. There are very few of them. Fingers spent 17 seasons in the league and only really had two bad seasons. That's not the norm for closers today even though they pitch so many less innings.

I also think Hoyt Wilhelm is one of the most criminally underrated players of all time. The one year they took him off the leash and let him start he led the league in ERA and went right back to the bullpen. I think he might also be the only pitcher to win an ERA title without starting a game. He didn't start his career until he was 29 and he still managed to pitch in 21 seasons.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

It's really hard to be an elite closer for a long period of time. There are very few of them. Fingers spent 17 seasons in the league and only really had two bad seasons. That's not the norm for closers today even though they pitch so many less innings.

I also think Hoyt Wilhelm is one of the most criminally underrated players of all time. The one year they took him off the leash and let him start he led the league in ERA and went right back to the bullpen. I think he might also be the only pitcher to win an ERA title without starting a game. He didn't start his career until he was 29 and he still managed to pitch in 21 seasons.

If memory serves, he hit a home run in his first AB and never hit another.