Eric King Regular closer Willie Hernandez missed time due to a sore arm three times before the All-Star break in , and by early July he was a non-factor. Breaking form, Sparky decided to turn to youngster King, a year old who had pretty much been a starter during his minor league career.
He lost his job to Mike Henneman in late August. Considering Henneman was a rookie and Sparky preferred veterans, that was pretty amazing.
Henneman did a fine job, mixing up his pitches and keeping them low in the strike zone or just out of the strike zone. Hee pitched in many tight spots down the stretch as the Tigers hunted the Blue Jays. In the penultimate weekend during the three-game series against Toronto at Tiger Stadium, Henneman saved the Friday game with two innings of one-hit relief , and won the Saturday game as he pitched three innings of no-hit relief from the 10th inning on.
The man with the dimple in his chin went on to serve as Detroit relief ace longer than any other pitcher seven full seasons and retired as the franchise leader in games finished and saves. Jones was trotted out in the ninth inning exclusively in save chances. In his first stint in Detroit, Jones became the first Tiger with four seasons of 20 saves or more and he set a team record with 42 saves in which led the AL.
Matt Anderson Anderson probably had the best arm of any pitcher to ever be the Detroit closer, but he proved to be a disappointment. The former overall 1 pick in the MLB draft, Anderson was supposed to be a star, but he only succeeded in impressing the radar gun.
As a result he only spent seven years in the major leagues, the first six with the Tigers. He saved 22 games in but his ERA was a miserable 4. He finally flamed out with Detroit in , suffering one of his many arm injuries. Juan Acevedo Remember him? Franklyn German The Tigers were so bad that their team leader in saves only had five both German and Chris Mears had that many. German had a good arm and some people thought he might be a fine closer, but he was never able to tame his wild streak.
Yes, really. Urbina had once been a great relief ace, saving games in a three-year span for the Expos in the s and 40 for the Red Sox in But his time in Detroit was far less successful and more controversial. Urbina was surly and unpredictable. Later, after he left Detroit and was under contract with the Phillies, Uribina was arrested in his native Venezuela for attempted murder and kidnapping. He served seven years in prison before his release in Rodney served as an apprentice for a couple of years in the Detroit pen and then missed the entire season due to arm injury.
He saved more than games after leaving Detroit as a free agent following the season. Would the Tigers have won a few more pennants or a World Series with Rodney in their bullpen from ?
As of , the year old Rodney was still serving as a closer for the Diamondbacks. Jones was 38 years old when Dave Dombrowksi brought him back via free agency in It was perfect timing for Jones, who had never pitched for a winning team in Motown. He was on the mound when the Tigers eliminated the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs and he got a save in the World Series. He saved 38 games in and 18 more in before a career-ending arm injury in August.
Despite his ups and downs, Jones holds the Detroit franchise record for career saves and is the only Tiger to have six seasons of 20 saves and five of 30 or more.
Jose Valverde Maybe Valverde is even more of a hot dog than Rodney, know that I think about it. First, he was a flashy pitcher who loved to dance, prance, and untuck on the mound. Second, he enjoyed a phenomenal season in when he pitched in 75 games and saved 49 games in 49 chances.
Jose saved 35 more in as the team went to the World Series, but the shine was off his star. And like Henneman, his next stop after Detroit was Houston.
Sadly he died young at age Who knows about his minor league numbers, they were mostly in the Mexican League where I suspect he threw a lot of innings. Jose Valverde has entertained us at the end of games. While his best years were with the Diamondbacks , he came to Detroit from Houston. His minor league career was about five seasons as a closer with Bruce Rondon-like high strikeout and walk rates.
About innings readied Papa Grande for the majors. Fernando Rodney finished games from through As he is currently struggling with the Rays , who are loaded with young arms, I predict he will soon be traded to Houston. So what have we learned from this unscientific survey of the Tigers' closers? Can we apply anything in searching for a solution that can get this very talented and underperforming bunch into the playoffs?
If the Houston connection must be maintained, perhaps the answer is to trade for Jose Cisnero. Or Bruce Rondon may provide six years of reliability, before a trade to Houston in But it would be refreshing to consider converting a starter, as it worked well with Hiller and Hernandez.
He said that last part with a wry smile. He averaged 96 mph on his fastballs in Kansas City on July 25, and Click for details. Hinch has been assured by the Tigers training staff that there are no health issues with Skubal, who will pitch the finale against the Red Sox Thursday.
Skubal was out early Wednesday working on his bunting, since he will be batting when the Tigers play the Cardinals in St.
Louis later this month. The flame-throwing left-hander has not been the most impressive this Spring, and it seems as if there is some work to be done before he could get into that position. When Spring Training comes to a close, do not be shocked to see the Tigers without a closer.
Hinch will likely be reluctant to name a closer for and opt to test out guys and put his relievers into different situations as the year goes on without having a true named closer, at least to start the year.
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