Horrible closers

[jg2977]

Why are closers so bad in this game? When I am simulating, I see so many blown saves in the 9th inning. In my estimation, 1/3 of one-run games are coughed up in the 9th. This is too much. Not only that, I've seen huge leads given up in the 9th inning. Countless times, I have seen a team up say, 8-3, and give up five runs to go to extras or even six runs to lose. I happens way too often. Stuff like this should happen only once or twice per season. I've seen it happen a few times in just one year of playoffs.

I guess the one good thing about this is that no matter how big a lead, no lead is safe. So it at least keeps a 6-2 game in the 9th inning exciting.

[clamel]

I got Lee Smith ending up with 19 lost games with another 21 saves in the late 80´s.

That´s horrible in my eyes. Have any closer ever ranked up that amount of losses and still had the honor being the closer ????

[edm]

Ha, yea 19 losses in a season is kind of extreme. Looking through baseball reference, Jose Mesa had a couple 12 loss season. Gene Garber for the Braves had 16 losses with 25 saves as a closer one season.

[Left-handed Badger]

Course, Garber pitched multiple inning stints. And probably came into tie games sometimes. A couple of others from the 70s

Mike Marshall in his 106 game season was 12-15.

That same year John Hiller appeared in 59 games in relief with Detroit 17-14 with 13 SVs

[Pirates Fan]

I hope someone in the know answers jg's question.

The improvements in the game wouldn't be enough
for me to buy if I have to watch great historical closers
fail so often.

[RonCo]

Here's a list of every season that a pitcher registered at least 20 saves and 10 losses. There are 40 of them with the earliest being in 1965. So on average there should be about 1 of these occurrances per season. If your league has considerably more than that, then there's an issue.

year	Last	First	Team	W	L	SV	IP	ERA
1979	Garber	Gene	ATL	6	16	25	106.0	4.33
1979	Marshll	Mike	MIN	10	15	32	142.7	2.65
1970	Knowles	Darold	WS2	2	14	27	119.3	2.04
1978	Fingers	Rollie	SDN	6	13	37	107.3	2.52
1970	Wood	Wilbur	CHA	9	13	21	121.7	2.81
1971	Sanders	Ken	ML4	7	12	31	136.3	1.91
1977	Hough	Charlie	LAN	6	12	22	127.3	3.32
1974	Marshll	Mike	LAN	15	12	21	208.3	2.42
1978	Marshll	Mike	MIN	10	12	21	99.0	2.45
1980	Tekulve	Kent	PIT	8	12	21	93.0	3.39
1973	Marshll	Mike	MON	14	11	31	179.0	2.66
1984	Davis	Ron	MIN	7	11	29	83.0	4.55
1978	Gossage	Rich	NYA	10	11	27	134.3	2.01
1965	Radatz	Dick	BOS	9	11	22	124.3	3.91
1983	Minton	Greg	SFN	7	11	22	106.7	3.54
1989	Boever	Joe	ATL	4	11	21	82.3	3.94
1976	Fingers	Rollie	OAK	13	11	20	134.7	2.47
2002	Jimenez	Jose	COL	2	10	41	73.3	3.56
1986	Worrell	Todd	SLN	9	10	36	103.7	2.08
1987	Smith	Lee	CHN	4	10	36	83.7	3.12
1983	Stanley	Bob	BOS	8	10	33	145.3	2.85
1989	Jones	Doug	CLE	7	10	32	80.7	2.34
1969	Pernski	Ron	MIN	9	10	31	119.7	2.11
1985	Hernadz	Willie	DET	8	10	31	106.7	2.7
1982	Garber	Gene	ATL	8	10	30	119.3	2.34
1983	Smith	Lee	CHN	4	10	29	103.3	1.65
1984	Holland	Al	PHI	5	10	29	98.3	3.39
1988	Davis	Mark	SDN	5	10	28	98.3	2.01
1978	Sutter	Bruce	CHN	8	10	27	99.0	3.18
1993	Jones	Doug	HOU	4	10	26	85.3	4.54
1980	Hume	Tom	CIN	9	10	25	137.0	2.56
2001	Lowe	Derek	BOS	5	10	24	91.7	3.53
1980	Allen	Neil	NYN	7	10	22	97.3	3.7
1984	Stanley	Bob	BOS	9	10	22	106.7	3.54
1965	McCool	Billy	CIN	9	10	21	105.3	4.27
1982	Spillnr	Dan	CLE	12	10	21	133.7	2.49
1983	Sutter	Bruce	SLN	9	10	21	89.3	4.23
2005	Brazobn	Yhency	LAN	4	10	21	72.7	5.33
1974	Murphy	Tom	ML4	10	10	20	123.0	1.9
2003	Jimenez	Jose	COL	2	10	20	101.7	5.22

[Erik W.]

2005 Brazobn Yhency LAN 4 10 21 72.7 5.33

You know your team is bad when that guy is your closer.