There is No God in the Ninth Inning
By Mike Silva ~ October 4th, 2008. Filed under: Mike Silva.
Regardless of what the Mets do with their closer position this winter Mets fans will learn a huge lesson: there is no automatic ninth inning. Last night you saw the most dominant, and coveted, closer serve up a two run homer in the final frame. It was a game that the home team absolutely needed. This crushing defeat will probably will end a magical season. The team isn’t the New York Mets, but rather the Los Angeles Angels. You can’t even blame Billy Wagner for this defeat, it’s at the feet of Francisco Rodriguez or K-Rod.
Could this home run be K-Rod’s version of the Albert Pujols/Brad Lidge scenario? It would be fitting if he came to Citi Field and all of a sudden made the ninth inning resemble some of the versions that John Franco provided for so many years. The difference in other cities is that they don’t have the gold standard to live up to. There are no Mariano comparisons in Anaheim, Philadelphia, or even Tampa.
The Mets bullpen was atrocious this year. Blowing somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 saves, and 13 after an 8th inning lead, is a borderline criminal offense. The new closer will blow saves, hopefully in the vicinity of better than league average, but will the fans tolerate that indiscretion? Would a Francisco Rodriguez live down what happened in Anaheim last night here in this city? Is it fair to have to be compared to Mariano Rivera? Do we compare every center fielder to Willie Mays? Does falling short of Mays or Rivera mean failure?
Even the great Mariano has blown huge games (See 1997 vs. Sandy Alomar and 2001 vs. Arizona). He just does it very infrequently. The Mets fan will learn that their bullpen can be upgraded, but pain and drama can strike at any time. I bet the Anaheim fans realize that no one is perfect, but will Mets fans do the same with their new closer in 2009?
Oh, and after watching that bullpen from August 1st to the end of the season, does a healthy Billy Wagner look all that bad? Lets not forget there is no God closing games out in the ninth inning.
