One Hundred and Six and Thirteen
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by user Harold Friend
In an interview before Sunday's game against division rival Houston, St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa was asked if Jason Isringhausen would be available that night, since the Cardinals' closer had pitched in the team's last two games. LaRussa, who is a lawyer, hesitated an instant and then replied that, since Sunday's game would be his team's last game before the All-Star break, Jason could be used if necessary.
Let us go back to the thrilling days of 1974, when men were men and baseball was baseball. On June 18, Los Angeles was playing Pittsburgh. Tommy John started for Los Angeles against the Pirates ace bullpen man, Dave Guisti, who would start only two games the entire season. With Los Angeles trailing 1-0, Mike Marshall was brought in to relieve John. Marshall yielded a run as the Bucs went on to a 2-0 victory, but that is not what is significant. Marshall appeared in the next 12 Los Angeles games, setting a record for consecutive game appearances by a pitcher.
Mike Marshall made 106 appearances that season. You read that right. Marshall appeared in 106 games in relief, won 15 while losing 12, pitched 208 1/3 innings, allowed 191 hits, only 9 of which were home runs, led the National League with 21 saves, and had a 2.42 ERA. Making 106 appearances is impressive, but Marshall had warmed up the year before when, as a member of the Montreal Expos, he made 92 appearances, winning 14 games.
Marshall's record for consecutive appearances by a pitcher didn't last too long, but it has never been broken, and considering today's approach, it will stand for quite a while. In August, 1986, thirty year old rookie relief pitcher Dale Mohorcic appeared in 12 consecutive games for the Texas Rangers. In the 13th game, with the Rangers ahead of Kansas City by six runs, Rangers' manager Bobby Valentine brought in Mohorcic to face one batter in order to allow him to tie Marshall's record.
The next day the Rangers were again in Kansas City and trailing 4-3. Valentine brought in Mitch Williams, who pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth, but the Rangers never tied the score and lost, 4-3. Valentine didn't bring in Mohorcic, which was the right move, and Mohorcic merely tied Marshall's record.
Today's players are bigger and stronger than any in the history of the game. They have the benefit of highly effective training methods, including personal trainers, exercise and nutrition regimens, and technologic advances to help their mechanics . But they are the most pampered players to ever sign a contract, and there lies the rub.
Teams who pay a pitcher multi million dollar contracts for many seasons must protect their investment. The days of Robin Roberts or Don Newcombe or Bob Turley or Warren Spahn starting on two or one day's rest and appearing in relief on the others are long since gone. If a manager is faced with the choice of protecting his employer's investment or gambling with that investment in an attempt to win, the manager must protect the owner's investment. What did you say was the name of the game?
References
http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/marshmi01.shtml
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/M/Marshall_Mike102.stm
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_rlief.shtml
Date
Mon 07/10/06, 10:09 am EST
Actually, I DO agree with you because you make an excellent point, but I think that a manager would not be allowed to take a chance ending a pitcher's career to win a pennant or even a WS.
Stengel burned out Turley in 1958, but it won the Yankees a World Series. There are other instances and that would not be allowed to happen today. I think it is based on values. Is ruining a pitcher worth a World Championship?