But you could make the case the Riviera is head and shoulder above any other relief pitch in MLB history, with the possible exception of Dennis Eckersley.
“But you could make the case the Riviera is head and shoulder above any other relief pitch in MLB history,”
Maybe, but I give Rollie Fingers bonus points for:
a. The name
b. The ‘stach.
My thinking is that these 9th inning relievers, who pitch just one inning, don’t pitch with as much pressure as the relievers of the past. Relievers of the past often pitched 2 or 3 innings, and entered the game with men on base.
The way relief pitchers are used has changed in recent years, and Rivera is symbolic of one who normally pitches only the 9th inning and only is in the game when his team is in the lead.