Stress? That’s the life of an MLB closer, and there have been a lot of closers who have excelled over the years. One is Dennis Eckersley, who pitched for an incredible 24 seasons. Here’s why I put him in the top echelon of all-time MLB closers.
Dennis Eckersley began his career with the Cleveland Indians in 1975. He started games for the first twelve seasons of his career. In that span, Eckersley won 151 games, including a 20-win season with the Red Sox in 1978.
But things changed when he got to the second part of his long career. In 1987, Oakland manager Tony LaRussa decided to move Eckersley to the bullpen.
It was a genius move because Eckersley dominated baseball from 1988 to 1992 with remarkable control and the ability to come in and get out of tight squeezes. Eckersley averaged 44 saves between 1988 and 1992, while walking only 38 batters during that span–fewer than 10 walks a season.
Eckersley won the 1988 American League (AL) Championship Series MVP, helping the Athletics win a championship in 1989. Then in 1992, he won the AL CY Young Award and was named AL MVP.
Eckersley’s final numbers are impressive. He was involved in 587 wins (winning 197 himself) with 390 saves. Those are Hall of Fame numbers, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
Suffice it to say that Dennis Eckersley was one of the best ever at his craft.
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The original version of this article was published on Anthony’s blog.
