Thread: Closer role
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Old 03-20-2018, 02:15 PM   #4
Syd Thrift
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosco Peabody View Post
Well in my case, yes, but I've noticed that the computer oftentimes brings in his closer in the 9th even if he's losing and that never made sense to me
Depends on a couple things:

1. How badly are you losing? If you're down by 1 or 2 runs, you still have a decent chance at winning the game in the bottom of the inning. Why would you "save" your guy for a 10th inning that will probably never come, one way or the other?

2. When was the last time your closer played? Save opportunities don't come regularly and I know that when I manage games I will often bring in my closer/stopper/setup guys in situations when my team is losing either because the rest of the pen is exhausted or simply because it's been 3-4 days since he's pitched last and I don't want him to get rusty (which IIRC *is* a thing that happens in the game if a reliever sits for a week or more, and it's a factor in why you see an uptick in injuries at the beginning of spring training and when a player first returns from a long stay on the disabled list).
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