Think back over the previous seven World Series. Each culminated with the winning team’s closer on the mound, the way it should if it lines up right.
Within that group there are seven different closers, each at the time ranging from trustworthy to dominant and reinforcing the idea that having a good closer is key to a successful postseason run. Given that notion, which closer would you want on the mound with the game on the line in the playoffs?
The obvious choice has to be Mariano Rivera, who almost seems to be getting better with age — seven of his last eight seasons have seen sub-2.00 ERAs. At 41, he is good as ever.
Just to play devil’s advocate here, let us look for cracks in Rivera’s armor. Perhaps feeling the effects of a 16-year career, his innings pitched total has dropped for six straight seasons. His 60 innings in 2010 represented the second-fewest in Rivera’s career, behind only the 46 from an injury-plagued 2002.
So, there’s that. Also, he’s 41. Did we mention that? OK, well, aside from age and a slight decrease in workload, there are few reasons to shy away from Rivera in a big moment. Even if there was, his 8-1 record and 0.71 ERA in 94 playoff games should suggest that such arguments are phooey. Again, that’s 8-1 with a 0.71 ERA.
In case this is the year Rivera finally starts to show some age, here are the next three on the list of big-time closers:
Brian Wilson
Some were annoyed by the hubbub surrounding his beard-capade this fall, but Wilson has entered elite status with consecutive spectacular seasons. He led the National League with 48 saves, posted a 1.81 ERA and struck out 93 in 74 2/3 innings in 2010. Wilson threw 11 2/3 scoreless innings during the postseason, during which he had six saves, including one in the World Series clincher.
Jonathan Papelbon
His last postseason appearance resulted in a collapse of mythic proportions and he is coming off a down year, but Papelbon was the one we used to compare to a young Rivera when it came to postseason dominance. Before his meltdown vs. the Angels in the 2009 ALDS, the Red Sox closer had been unscored upon in 26 postseason innings. He knows the terrain in October.
Brad Lidge
The 33-year-old has had some extremely combustible moments in the postseason and he was a disaster throughout the Phillies’ 2009 campaign, including a loss in Game 4 of the World Series vs. the Yankees. However, Lidge owns a 2.28 ERA and 18 saves in 36 playoff games. That home run by Albert Pujols is one of just two he has served up in 43 1/3 innings in the fall.
Which closer would you want on the mound with the game on the line in the playoffs? Leave your comments below.
On deck: After Alex Rodriguez, who will be the next $30 million man?
