Closer (baseball): Difference between revisions
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[[File:Trevor Hoffman on September 3, 2009.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Trevor Hoffman]], former closer for the [[San Diego Padres]] and current closer for the [[Milwaukee Brewers]], the leader on the all-time save list through 2009.]] |
[[File:Trevor Hoffman on September 3, 2009.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Trevor Hoffman]], former closer for the [[San Diego Padres]] and current closer for the [[Milwaukee Brewers]], the leader on the all-time save list through 2009.]] |
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[[File:Broxton pitch.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Los Angeles Dodgers]] closer [[Jonathan Broxton]]]] |
[[File:Broxton pitch.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Los Angeles Dodgers]] closer [[Jonathan Broxton]]]] |
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| ⚫ | In [[baseball]], a '''closing pitcher''', more frequently referred to as a '''closer''' (abbreviated '''CL'''), is a [[relief pitcher]] who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Since closers appear frequently when a game is on the line, the role usually goes to a team's best reliever. A handful of closers have won the [[Cy Young Award]]. |
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| ⚫ | In [[baseball]], a '''closing pitcher''', more frequently referred to as a '''closer''' (abbreviated '''CL'''), is a [[relief pitcher]] who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Since closers appear frequently when a game is on the line, the role usually goes to a team's best reliever. |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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Closers are generally selected to pitch the |
Closers are generally selected to pitch the last few outs of games, most often when their teams are leading, and as such, closers are generally regarded as the best relief pitchers on their teams.{{fact}} |
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The marquee statistic for closers is the [[Save (baseball)|save]].{{fact}} The all-time [[Major League Baseball]] saves leader is now [[Trevor Hoffman]] of the [[Milwaukee Brewers]]. On September 24, 2006 he broke [[Lee Smith (baseball)|Lee Smith]]'s record by notching his 479th career save. Hoffman is unlike many closers who rely on powerful fastballs, instead relying on a devastating [[changeup]].{{fact}} [[Francisco Rodriguez (baseball)|Francisco Rodriguez]] holds the single-season mark for saves, having saved 62 games for the [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim]] in {{by|2008}}. |
The marquee statistic for closers is the [[Save (baseball)|save]].{{fact}} The all-time [[Major League Baseball]] saves leader is now [[Trevor Hoffman]] of the [[Milwaukee Brewers]]. On September 24, 2006 he broke [[Lee Smith (baseball)|Lee Smith]]'s record by notching his 479th career save. Hoffman is unlike many closers who rely on powerful fastballs, instead relying on a devastating [[changeup]].{{fact}} [[Francisco Rodriguez (baseball)|Francisco Rodriguez]] holds the single-season mark for saves, having saved 62 games for the [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim]] in {{by|2008}}. |
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Revision as of 02:21, 24 March 2010
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer (abbreviated CL), is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Since closers appear frequently when a game is on the line, the role usually goes to a team's best reliever. A handful of closers have won the Cy Young Award.
Current major league closers include Jonathan Broxton, Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, Joakim Soria and Trevor Hoffman.[1]
Background
Closers are generally selected to pitch the last few outs of games, most often when their teams are leading, and as such, closers are generally regarded as the best relief pitchers on their teams.[citation needed]
The marquee statistic for closers is the save.[citation needed] The all-time Major League Baseball saves leader is now Trevor Hoffman of the Milwaukee Brewers. On September 24, 2006 he broke Lee Smith's record by notching his 479th career save. Hoffman is unlike many closers who rely on powerful fastballs, instead relying on a devastating changeup.[citation needed] Francisco Rodriguez holds the single-season mark for saves, having saved 62 games for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2008.
The concept of the closing pitcher, a player specifically designated to pitch no earlier than the eighth and generally not until the ninth innning, did not really exist prior to the 1980s.[citation needed] All pitchers who appeared in games after the starting pitcher were referred to generically as relief pitchers; the role of the closing pitcher evolved over the course of the 1980s and 1990s. For about the past two decades, the general practice has been for a closer to enter the game to pitch the ninth inning when his team is ahead by three runs or fewer, which aligns with the requirements to get a save.
Major awards and honors won by closers
Major League Baseball
† also won league Cy Young Award in the same year
Nippon Professional Baseball
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See also
References
External links
- Major League Baseball Career Saves Leaders
- Major League Baseball Single Season Saves Leaders
- Major League Baseball Active Saves Leaders
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