Late and close : a history of relief pitching / by Paul Votano.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Votano, Paul, 1929-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pitching (Baseball)--United States--History.

Pitching (Baseball).

Relief pitchers (Baseball)--United States--History.

Relief pitchers (Baseball).

History.

United States.

Physical Description:

v, 185 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, [2002]

Summary:

Relief pitchers have important roles in baseball today, often coming in to pitch at some of the games most critical and exciting moments, but they have not always been a part of the game. This work provides a history of relief pitching in the major leagues and explains how, why, and when it began to evolve. It discusses the first managers--John McGraw, Leo Durocher, and Joe McCarthy--who used relief pitchers to win games, and the managers who took full advantage of it in later years--Casey Stengel, Earl Weaver, and Tony LaRussa. It also covers how and when the idea of a pitchers hurling a complete game began to disappear, great World Series performances by relievers, how relief pitchers are rated and why, what the future holds for them, and how and when they were used not only to finish games but as long and middle relievers, setup men, and closers. Profiles of leading relief pitchers over the years are al

Contents:

1 The Early Years (1845-1899) 3

2 The Turn of the Century Brings Changes (1900-1919) 15

3 Newer Pitching Strategies Develop (1920-1945) 27

4 The Relief Specialist as a Profession (1946-1959) 39

5 Relievers Begin Their Domination (1960-1969) 57

6 The Steady Erosion of the Complete Game (1970-1979) 72

7 Middle Relievers, Setup Men and Closers (1980-1989) 89

8 Expansion, Realignment and a "Wild Card" Accentuate the 1990s 104

9 The New Millennium Brings a Mixture of the Old and the New 116

10 The Great World Series Performances 131

11 Evaluating the Relief Corps 151

12 Inside the Bullpen 159

13 Relief Pitching in the 21st Century 171.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-178) and index.

ISBN:

0786411627

OCLC:

48811052