Dennis Eckersley was the first of only two pitchers in MLB history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in their career. Eck shows us his classic fastball-slider punch and explains why his delivery really limited him.
I loved watching Eck’s unique delivery. Sidearm is rare enough, but he also took the ball out of his glove much earlier in his motion than most pitchers; the ball was visible to everyone for longer, in his bare hand. It looks a bit odd but cool. Speaking of cool, I liked the long hair, too.
Today's relief pitchers are most specialists. They may come in to face only one or two batters. In Eck's time, pitchers would throw multiple innings in relief. Much different. I'm not saying anything negative about their roles today or of yesteryear. I'm just saying how things change.
