I'll just take this opportunity to point out that Dennis Eckersley coined the term "Walk-Off," except he actually was describing himself walking off the mound after giving up the Kirk Gibson homer
I know it is a little late to record, but in honor of the Championship series, there are 29 numbers retired by the Phillies, Diamondbacks, Rangers, and Astros. (26 if you count Jackie Robinson once). How many can yall name?
Phillies: Ashburn Schmidt Bunning Allen Halladay Roberts Rollins? Rolen Grover Cleveland Alexander Diamondbacks: Gonzalez Randy Johnson? Webb? Rangers: Young Nolan Ryan Ivan Rodriguez? Fergie Jenkins? Astros: Nolan Ryan Bag well Biggio
Carlton, Ashburn, Allen, Roberts and Bunning for the Phils. Astros I just know Biggio, Bagwell, Ryan and Scott. Dbacks only have two of their players numbers retired, Big Unit and Gonzo. Rangers have Ryan, Pudge, Michael Young and Beltre. So counting Robinson once, I can name 16. I think I got all the Phillies, and know I got the DBacks. Not sure where the other 10 names played or who they are. Maybe Berkman for the Astros or possibly JR Richard, Brad Lidge, Roy Oswalt or Billy Wagner? I guess rangers could have Juan Gones number retired but I don't think they do. Jeff Burroughs didn't really play there long enough but he did win an MVP with them.
It’s kinda crazy how there’s a bunch of dudes who got 50 saves or more in a season and haven’t hit 300 in their careers. 8 in total all for different reasons.
Gagne had a three year stretch where he had 52, 55, and 45 saves back to back to back and somehow didn’t even get to 200 total in his career. Wild wild stuff
Also go to baseball reference and look up the voting for Gagne’s Cy Young Award season. I’m surprised I didn’t win the award. My ERA was ZERO!!!! What a joke
6:08 Robb Nen isn’t the only guy to lead two franchises in saves because Jonathan Papelbon leads both the Red Sox and (surprisingly enough) the Phillies.
Let me try Rivera Smith Hoffman Reardon Fingers Eck K-Rod Nathan Papelbon Franco Jansen Kimbrel Wagner Gossage Chapman Isringhausen Armando Benintez - X Roberto Hernandez (No, not not Francisco Carmona) Percival Nen Street Rodney Wetteland Montgomery Quisenberry - XX Jones Henke Tom Gordon - XXX
I tried to list all of the 300-save guys before starting this video. I got to 30, but then Joez says Jason Isringhausen and I knew I forgot somebody. >< Anyways fun game. Do the 3,000 hit guys next (even if there are 33)
"Jeff Reardon? Never." Again, another example of the age difference between me and the JM guys. He was the fourth person I thought of when I saw this title, after Mo, Rollie and Lee Smith. I remember Reardon passing Fingers as the all-time leader, then Smith broke Reardon's record soon after. Around this time, Rollie Fingers went into the Hall, and it began a lot of convos about closers earning induction because it was quite clear Fingers' total would look quite pedeestrian in the near future.
See, to me, it's criminal not to get Sutter and/or Reardon. Sutter was the guy who started the whole "pitch mainly the 9th inning only" craze. He would do 6 out saves on occasion, but he wasn't the 9 out save guy like many of the best relievers of that time (the Tug McGraw, Sparky Lyle, Hoyt Wilhelm, Jesse Orosco types). On the heels of Sutter you ended up with the Eckersleys, Quisenberry, and Kent Tekulve types. The difference is, back then, you didn't save your closer for just save situations. You ran them out there whether you were winning or losing. Tekulve, for instance, threw in 94 games for the World Series winning '79 Pirates, but notched only 31 saves.
@@PMurray2694 What a sad commentary!?! When my dad talked about watching Ted Williams play or Stan Musial play, I thought that was awesome. I'm sorry you don't have an equal appreciation for the history of baseball. Have a great day!
