The Journey of Nine Legendary Relief Pitchers Who Earned Their Place in Cooperstown Through Dominance on the Mound
The Closers’ Club
Relief pitchers did not always play such an important role in baseball in the past as they do today. In modern-day baseball, the bullpen can be a pivotal factor in a winning and losing team. Modern-day closers are a crucial position on the team, and the flashes and flares of the theatrics of closers have made the role one of the biggest on the team.
It wasn’t always that way, though, as relief pitchers used to fail to start pitchers or up-and-coming young pitchers, but with modern-day starters losing the ability to eat up innings with the demand of modern pitching, the role of relief pitching is now more important than ever. With that said, there are nine relief pitchers in the Hall of Fame who are in there mainly for their relief pitching career. Let’s take a look at these men and their dominant careers that got them a spot in Cooperstown. For the latest news and insights, including exciting Special Props and Odds for MLB Fans, visit our dedicated section.
Hoyt Wilhelm
Wilhelm is a classic example of never giving up on your dream. Wilhelm is proof you can thrive in the MLB after the age of 30, and he made the most out of his career after a late start drifted his baseball career of course.
World War II delayed Hoyt Wilhelm’s debut in the MLB until he was 29, as he served in World War II and was also injured in the war, earning him a Purple Heart. In 1952, Wilhem debuted and led the league in games, ERA, and winning percentage despite not making a single start.
Wilhelm enjoyed a long career, playing until the ripe age of 49. In 1985, Wilhelm entered Cooperstown as the first relief pitcher in the Hall of Fame. They just don’t make ‘em like they used to.
Rollie Fingers
Rollie Fingers was the game’s first real great “closer”. Fingers debuted with the A’s in 1968 and was a pivotal piece of the team’s championship success in the World Series from 1972-74. While Fingers is low in the relief pitcher statistics for saves at 339, his dominance in the postseason in that span makes him one of MLB’s best-ever relief pitchers.
Fingers accrued six saves in the three World Series from 1972-74 with a total ERA of 1.35 in that span. He also earned the title of World Series MVP for his work in the 1974 World Series, winning game one and getting the save in games four and five. Rollie is also one of only nine relief pitchers to win a Cy Young, a prestigious pitching award he earned in 1981 with Milwaukee.
Dennis Eckersley
When thinking of dominant pitchers in history, it’s hard to not have Dennis Eckersley come to mind. Eckersley started his career as a starting pitcher, dominating for the first 11 seasons of his career. Dennis didn’t start coming out of the bullpen until he was traded in 1987 to the Athletics, where his stellar relief career was born.
The season after being traded, Dennis led the American League in saves with 45, also finishing the runner-up in Cy Young voting. The eclipse of his career came in 1992 when he finally got the Cy Young award and was also the MVP, finishing the season with a 1.91 ERA and 51 saves. The Athletics have retired his number and Eckersley will go down as one of the best relief pitchers in MLB history.
Bruce Sutter
Bruce Sutter was effectively the pioneer for the modern-day closer in baseball and will go down in closer history as the first true closer. He was the first relief pitcher inducted into the Hall of Fame who had never started an MLB game.
Most of Sutter’s success came with the Cardinals. That is where he won the only World Series of his career in 1982, winning game two and earning saves in games 3 and 7. He also won the Cy Young award a few years prior in 1979 before leaving the Cubs. His career went mostly downhill with little success after that due to injuries and playing for worse teams.
Rich Gossage
More well known by his nickname, Rich “Goose” Gossage had a long, twenty-year career in the MLB with lots of teams. Gossage started with the White Sox at the young age of 20 but eventually ended up playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, and Seattle Mariners.
Gossage had most of his career in New York, where he won his only ring in 1978. He would return once more in his career with the Padres but lost to the Tigers. Despite a downward slope at the end of his career, Gossage was a feared reliever in his prime and was a shutdown bullpen pitcher.
Trevor Hoffman
Living in the shadows of the great Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman is not to be forgotten. Hoffman will go down as one of the greatest relievers the game has ever seen, and there was no doubt he would become one of the nine relief pitchers in the Hall of Fame after the career he had.
Hoffman still stands strong with the second-most saves all time with 601, 51 behind the great Mariano Rivera. Hoffman spent most of his career in San Diego with the Padres, where he would help the Friars make the World Series in 1998. Unfortunately, the Yankees prevailed, but not because of Hoffman. Hoffman is still with the Padres today as a senior advisor.
Lee Smith
Right behind Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera, Lee Smith is third all-time in saves with 478. Smith’s best season came in 1991 when he set the NL record with 47 saves and was also the Cy Young award runner-up.
Smith finished a seven-time all-star and was widely regarded as the scariest bullpen pitcher in baseball. He also had thirteen-straight seasons with 25 or more saves from 1983-95.
Billy Wagner
The most recent of the relief pitchers inducted into the Hall of Fame, Bill Wagner nearly missed out on his entry in the Hall of Fame, making it in his last year of MLB Hall of Fame eligibility.
Wagner has some impressive accolades in his career. Maybe his most remarkable, Wagner had a career 11.9 K/9, averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. This is an MLB record for the highest K/9 for any pitcher with 800 or more innings. Wagner finished with 422 saves and also made seven all-star appearances.
Mariano Rivera
Last on the list, but certainly not least. Mariano Rivera is the greatest reliever in MLB history, and still to this day is the only player voted unanimously into the Hall of Fame.
Rivera’s relief pitcher milestones speak to his legendary status. He holds the most saves in MLB history with 652. Rivera also is a legend in the Bronx, as he spent his entire career in New York with the Yankees.
For as dominant as Rivera was in his career, he wasn’t always a relief pitcher. He actually debuted as a starter, but wasn’t very good and got moved to the bullpen.
Rivera is also the most dominant postseason relief pitcher the game has ever seen. His 42 career postseason saves are more than double the runner-up Kenley Jansen, who has 19. He also has 11 World Series saves, nearly double runner-up Rollie Fingers’ six. The game may never see another relief pitcher like Mariano Rivera ever again.
