Gagne (BS, 1)
It's not often that a pitcher gets a standing ovation after putting up a box score annotation like the one above, but that's what happened to the Dodgers' Eric Gagne in last night's game, when the two runs he gave up to the Diamondbacks in the ninth inning finally ended his streak of 84 consecutive saves.
The value and importance of this streak has been a hot topic for a while, since the save statistic, as defined by the rules of Major League Baseball, is, and always has been, a subject for debate. The rules say this:
SAVES FOR RELIEF PITCHERS
Credit a pitcher with a save when he meets all three of the following conditions: (1) He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his club; and (2) He is not the winning pitcher; and (3) He qualifies under one of the following conditions: (a) He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least one inning; or (b) He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, or at bat, or on deck (that is, the potential tying run is either already on base or is one of the first two batsmen he faces); or (c) He pitches effectively for at least three innings. No more than one save may be credited in each game.
You can make a good case for condition (3)(b) - potential tying run on base, at bat or on on deck - as that's the real pressure situation for a closer. The threat of losing the game is very real, and he has to get the job done. Condition (3)(c) is more subjective: how do you decide what "he pitches effectively" means? I'm not sure if the situation applies to Gagne - I'm not enough of a stat-head to check, but I don't seem to remember him having any three-inning saves of this kind. He seems to be a one- or two-inning closer, so the definition, though shaky, is not really a problem. What might be a problem, however, is (3)(a): entering the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitching for at least one inning. There's no mention of the runners on base, so it's entirely possible for a pitcher to enter the game with a three-run lead and no-one on - a comfortable situation for pretty much any major league pitcher (except maybe this one).
I guess the feeling is that there are 'easy' saves to be had on the mound, whether for Gagne or any other closer for that matter, but that's just the way things are: sometimes you have a one-run lead, sometimes it's three; sometimes you get to face the bottom of the Expos' batting order and sometimes it's Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez - it's all swings and roundabouts.
My own personal feeling is that, whether the save is 'easy' or not, you still have to get the job done, and Gagne did it 84 consecutive times. I remember Willie Mays talking about Mark McGwire's 70-home-run season and saying "I don't care if you play in Little League - 70 home runs is a lot of home runs", and this is the same thing - it's a remarkable streak, whatever the circumstances, and it deserves to be up there with Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games and Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak.
So, The Baseball Desert tips its dirty, sweat-stained Dodgers cap to the Québecois:
"Chapeau !", as they say over here...
The value and importance of this streak has been a hot topic for a while, since the save statistic, as defined by the rules of Major League Baseball, is, and always has been, a subject for debate. The rules say this:
SAVES FOR RELIEF PITCHERS
Credit a pitcher with a save when he meets all three of the following conditions: (1) He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his club; and (2) He is not the winning pitcher; and (3) He qualifies under one of the following conditions: (a) He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least one inning; or (b) He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, or at bat, or on deck (that is, the potential tying run is either already on base or is one of the first two batsmen he faces); or (c) He pitches effectively for at least three innings. No more than one save may be credited in each game.
You can make a good case for condition (3)(b) - potential tying run on base, at bat or on on deck - as that's the real pressure situation for a closer. The threat of losing the game is very real, and he has to get the job done. Condition (3)(c) is more subjective: how do you decide what "he pitches effectively" means? I'm not sure if the situation applies to Gagne - I'm not enough of a stat-head to check, but I don't seem to remember him having any three-inning saves of this kind. He seems to be a one- or two-inning closer, so the definition, though shaky, is not really a problem. What might be a problem, however, is (3)(a): entering the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitching for at least one inning. There's no mention of the runners on base, so it's entirely possible for a pitcher to enter the game with a three-run lead and no-one on - a comfortable situation for pretty much any major league pitcher (except maybe this one).
I guess the feeling is that there are 'easy' saves to be had on the mound, whether for Gagne or any other closer for that matter, but that's just the way things are: sometimes you have a one-run lead, sometimes it's three; sometimes you get to face the bottom of the Expos' batting order and sometimes it's Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez - it's all swings and roundabouts.
My own personal feeling is that, whether the save is 'easy' or not, you still have to get the job done, and Gagne did it 84 consecutive times. I remember Willie Mays talking about Mark McGwire's 70-home-run season and saying "I don't care if you play in Little League - 70 home runs is a lot of home runs", and this is the same thing - it's a remarkable streak, whatever the circumstances, and it deserves to be up there with Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games and Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak.
So, The Baseball Desert tips its dirty, sweat-stained Dodgers cap to the Québecois:
"Chapeau !", as they say over here...
posted by Iain at
11:07
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