The HOF process seemed uneven, and somewhat political. He was less than stellar in the World Series though, famously giving up Kirk Gibsons home run and allowing a 5.79 ERA in six career Fall Classic appearances. Featuring a slider-heavy arsenal, Lyle twice led the AL in saves and games finished, helping the Yankees to two titles. His control record surpasses even Christy Mathewson, Greg Maddux, and Pedro Martinez at their peaks. If he does not pick up that . The most significant threads arose as I looked at these pitchers one at a time and then together as a group. Reulbachs 97-39 record combined with Browns 114-42 for a 211-81 record over those five years. Part of this is probably due to the distraction of the war years. The Reds finally won their second World Series. 9 Charlie Buffinton 3.7 11) Lon Warneke (1930-1945) (192-121; 3.18 ERA; ERA+ 119; 30 SHO; 2782 IP/ 2726 H/ H/9 8.8; 1140 K/ 739 BB/ 1.54 ratio; 1.245 WHIP). But there are pitchers whose careers have fallen through the cracks. But by 48 the Tigers gave up on Pierce, shipping him off to the White Sox. It barely existed when Babe Ruth and Ted Williams played, as starters would routinely pitch complete games. This gives us a cut off of 2500 innings to. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. What if Milt Pappas had not been traded to Cincinnati? Jack Chesbro (198), Rube Marquard (201), and Lefty Gomez (189) were all pitchers with low career win totals who made the HOF. Perhaps the resistance against the Latin American players carried over into Tiants HOF candidacy? I attempted to rank the 10 best ever. Mariano Rivera. That said, after 425 responses, voting has officially wrapped for this poll. He was consistently good, winning 14 or more games 11 consecutive years, 6474. This time he refused and was forced to sit out a season in order to play for Cincinnati, which he did. But by '35, after being sold to the Phillies and because of his great arm, the manager and coaches pushed him to pitch. 11 Belongs: "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. The most-deserving players not in the Hall of Fame: Pitchers Embed from Getty Images see more Roger Clemens, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox prepares to throw a pitch during the Major League Baseball American League East game against the Cleveland Indians on 27 May 1987 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It took the veterans committee some 90 years to find and induct Vic Willis. 12) Milt Pappas (1957-1973) (209-164; 3.40 Era; ERA+ 110; 43 SHO; 3186 IP/ 3046 H/ H/9 8.6; 1728 K/ 858 BB/ 2.01 ratio; 1.225 WHIP). He won 22 games the next year, leading the Reds back to the World Series. He would also be the only pitcher in the Hall of Fame not to exceed 1,000 career innings pitched, which is a testament to the unique specialty role of being a modern closer. For anyone who cares, heres a more detailed breakdown of the votes each pitcher received for each ranking. Pitchers were regularly winning 24-27 games. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. What do you think: Is Mariano Rivera the best relief pitcher in baseball history? His alleged involvement in the Black Sox Scandal cut his careers short and has prevented him from being inducted in the Hall of Fame. He is among the top ten pitchers of the live ball era1921-1945. I guess his curve ball fooled a few batters. Bucky wasnt done there. a position average JAWS is computed.For some positions, the Pappas, of Greek descent, was born in Detroit. Important: This chart does not include side-by-side comparisons for Hall of Fame pitchers who spent their entire career in the Negro Leagues (Baseball Almanac does not have the data from the Negro League).Those truly elite twirlers are: Ray Brown, Andy Cooper, Leon Day, Martin Dihigo, Bill Foster, Jose Mendez, Bullet Rogan, Hilton Smith and Joe Williams. 14) Bucky Walters (1934-1948,50) (198-160; 3.30 ERA; ERA+ 115; 42 SHO; 3,104 IP/ 2,990 H/ 8.7 H/9; 1,107 K/ 1,121 BB; 1.324 WHIP). Why were pitchers like Pennock, Chesbro, and McGinnity going in before greats like Mordecai Brown and Kid Nichols? He relented, signed with St. Louis, but they then shipped him off to the expansion Toledo Blue Stockings. Only John Smoltz and Dennis Eckersley can say they were multi-time All-Star starting pitchers and then became dominant closers afterwards. Tommy Bridges began and finished his career with the Detroit Tigers. His stamina and effectiveness began to wane in the early '80s. Cooper was slender and had a remarkable smooth and graceful delivery. Among these, my favorites are Charles Buffington, a pitcher of significant quality and accomplishment from the 1880s, and Doc White, who pitched alongside Ed Walsh on the White Sox and won 189 games while tossing 45 shutouts. Many more names came up on my lists than the 15 I will cover here. Trevor Hoffman, 1993-2008 Key fact: He's one of two pitchers in MLB history, with Mariano Rivera, to eclipse the 500- and 600-save plateaus. Hoffman broke in with the inaugural Florida Marlins team, was traded for Gary Sheffield, and then racked up an absurd 15 seasons of 30+ saves and nine of 40+, each of which still stands as MLB records. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1978 Topps #703 Jack Morris RC Rookie Pitchers NM at the best online prices at eBay! But he was also just as accomplished a two-way catcher as the Yankees captain -- and just as revered a leader for the Tigers, too. Ahead of: Bob Lemon Red Ruffing Steve Carlton Don Drysdale Fergie Jenkins Dizzy Dean Lefty Gomez Red Faber Waite Hoyt Jim Bunning CC Sabathia* Herb Pennock Lee Smith Hal Newhouser Honorable mention: Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Mickey Lolich, Jimmy Key (CC Sabathia not yet eligible). For his career he gave up only 430 BB in 2,995 innings. 9.36. Among the 65 pitchers with the longest careers, his 2.80 K/BB ranks fifth. 3B: Dick AllenIt's unfortunate that Allen (who died in December 2020) didn't live long enough to celebrate his induction, because he boasted some Cooperstown-worthy credentials. But most of Kents dingers were hit during unprecedented boon times for the long ball, and while defensive metrics get murkier the further back one goes, Whitakers more polished all-around game stands out more to this author. Thisresearch should give us a framework to look within for our best pitchers not in the HOF. This gives us a cut off of 2500 innings to use on the short end, while looking for candidates to make our list of best pitchers not in the HOF. Freehan enjoyed a longer career because of Munsons unfortunate passing at age 32, and thus he finished with more hits, homers, RBIs and Gold Glove Awards. Seven relief pitchers are over 10.0three of those seven are already in the Hall (Goose, Fingers, Wilhelm) and one more is a shoo-in when he gets on the ballot. Reggie Jackson struck out the most times. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Eck didnt become a reliever until his age-32 season but still appeared in enough games to retire first on the games all-time list (1,070). In Game Three he came in to save the game, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning. But winning the 2005 Cy Young -- which would have given him three straight Cys from 2004-06 -- would have forced the BBWAA to give him a much longer look. He had a 0.70 career ERA in the playoffs. Holds MLB record with 652 saves. It's fitting that Smoltz, Maddux, and Tom Glavine came back-to-back-to-back on this list, because for over a decade . Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, Baseball Hall of Fame Being a relief pitcher often means you take an unconventional route. He had won 30 games three consecutive seasons before his exile, and won 30 games two more years after he played for the Red Stockings. He pitched the vast majority of his career for the Pittsburgh Pirates. This excludes any pitcher still on the mound today, and those like Greg Maddux who are retired but not yet eligble. .208. Fingers won a league MVP, a Cy Young award, played an integral part in baseballs only non-New York Yankees three-peat ever, and even won World Series MVP once. Rodriguez will now have to endure the waiting game with BBWAA voters, like Bonds, Clemens and Sosa just did. Craig Kimbrels ranks among post-1900 pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched: Opponents batting average allowed: .158, H/9: 4.98 (1st), ERA+: 195, K/9: 14.61, opponents slugging percentage allowed: .257 (2nd). Thats three seasons for workhorse Mike Marshall from the 1970s. He has been overlooked by the veterans committee. He began his career with the Cleveland Indians in '64, and established himself as an effective pitcher with lots of stuff. Ed Reulbach, Tommy Bridges and Bert Blyleven all fall in this category. In order to be considered for this honor, a pitcher must be eligible for the HOF. He featured a sinking fastball and a curve, later known as a slider. He got just 10.5 percent of the Hall of Fame voting in 2016, his first year of eligibility, and was still only at 31.7 percent at last year. Rivera was literally dominant for close to two decades in a row. DH: Hal McRaeOnly six players have logged at least 7,500 career plate appearances while playing at least half their games at designated hitter. He went 3517 in the minors. Also, lets take a good look at our current candidate on this list and give him his due before it is too late, before the HOF voting body truly looks out of touch with what it takes to be in the Hall of Fame. That said, if I field this again in the future, Ill probably sub in Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for Ferrell and Reuschel. In Chicago he helped them to two championships, mostly as a second pitcher. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. RF Andre Ethier Im struck by the parity between Kevin Brown and Jim Kaat. Kimbrel still hasnt hit the decline phase of his career, unless 2019 was the beginning of the end and not just an aberration. That means he entered the game in jams, and usually got out of those jams. where he outlines who should and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame based on his JAWS metric used here. It looked at pitchers in the HOF with the weakest resumes. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. In 43, his last year before joining the war effort, he went 12-7 with a 2.39 ERA (ERA+ 147), with three shutouts and only 159 hits allowed in 191 innings. In the postseason, Papelbon started his career with 25 consecutive scoreless innings in October, including 4.1 of those innings in the 2007 World Series. Teams can vary this somewhat . Only players who are known primarily as relief pitchers or closers. Qualtrics allows more sophisticated functionality. Even though others have won Cy Young awards (and even regular season MVPs), Rivera was as close as youll find to a perfect closer, and he did this all with just the legendary cutter. He was the second great Latin pitcher, following Juan Marichal. Recently retired stars sure to get a serious look once theyre eligible -- such as Ichiro Suzuki, Joe Mauer and Adrin Beltr -- are noted in the honorable mentions below. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? His career stands up nicely against contemporary HOF pitchers Bob Lemon and Hal Newhowser. Relief Pitcher JAWS Leaders. Walters spent his developing years struggling in Philadelphias bandbox of a stadium. JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. He wasnt perfect think of the Luis Gonzalez walkoff single in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. He threw 33 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings in October ball. Jim McCormick was the first Scottish born major league player. Its commonplace in todays game for a manager to turn to the bullpen as early as the sixth inning. Get Jay Jaffe's book The Cooperstown Casebook They chose not to have time for their pitching hero from the last generation. He went on to tally 324 saves over a 13-year career, good for 20th on the all-time list, putting him squarely in the Hall of Very Good category among relief pitchers. 1) Bert Blyleven (1970-1992) (287-250; 3.31 ERA; ERA+ 118; 60 SHO; 4970/ 4632 H/ 8.4 H/9; 3701 K/ 1322 BB/ 2.80 K/BB ratio; 1.198 WHIP). Tommy was pitching in October for six consecutive seasons, posting a 6-3 mark with a 2.65 ERA over 88 innings. He is the one pitcher on this list that is still on the HOF ballot. That said, here are some names I wanted to put in but didnt have space for this time: Verlander, Johan Santana, Dave Stieb, Andy Pettitte, Orel Hershiser, and Dwight Gooden. The other difference is that last year, Hoffman picked up 74 percent of the Hall of Fame vote, which put him just barely on the wrong side of immortality. He had one shutout. Were there a clear consensus, someone would be closer to 1 here. 6) Babe Adams (1906-1926) (194-140; 2.76 ERA; ERA+ 117; 2,995 IP/ 2,841 H/ 8.5 H/9; 1,036 K/ 4,30 BB/ 2.41 ratio; 1.092 WHIP). One of the top relievers of the decade, Lyle was acquired from the Red Sox in March 1972 and recorded a 2.41 ERA (148 ERA+) in New York, tallying 141 saves and finishing 348 games. Stats: 368 saves, 2.44 ERA, 1.043 WHIP, 4.37 K:BB, 177 ERA+. Players said they could hear the ball spinning as it approached and went by. So 2009 was perhaps Ichiro's best year, in terms of bonding with his teammates. Answer (1 of 5): I honestly think that some manager should try it. Four of them (Harold Baines, Edgar Martinez, David Ortiz and Frank Thomas) are already in the Hall following Big Papis election in 2022, while Nelson Cruz remains active. Tony Mullane was an Irish born major league player known for pitching with both handssometimes in the same game. He was putting up ridiculously gaudy statistics before it became a regular thing for closers, but his reign of dominance lasted far shorter than the players ranked higher than him. He was consistently excellent for the Orioles, winning 12 or more games and posting a winning record every year with the team. Awards. The Baseball Writers Association of America has elected the newest Hall of Famer, with third baseman Scott Rolen officially getting the call on Tuesday and joining Fred McGriff -- previously elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee -- in the Class of 2023. |. Mark McGwire reached higher peaks, but Palmeiro nearly matched McGwires career homer total, almost doubled Big Macs hit total and was a more lauded defender, too. And interestingly enough, hes probably more known for his handlebar mustache than what he did on the field. He barely played in the postseason. Rivera allowed zero runs in 22 of his 32 postseason series. His 11.9 K/9 rate is tops of all retired relievers (tied with Brad Lidge). The strikeout record was being broken. Three times in his career he led the AL in saves, four times he finished top five in the Cy Young award voting, and he had a 2.63 career World Series ERA. I challenge the veterans committee to take a good look at the pitchers whose careers have been bypassed for the honor of induction to the HOF. 4 Rick Reuschel 4.0 By the late '50s Pierce had come out on top, beating Ford more often than losing, and in '59 winning the game against Ford that put the White Sox ahead for good in the pennant race. Its a valid point, but also probably worth mentioning that Rivera dominated the closers of his era much more than Gossage dominated the closers ofhisera. (Scott Dine/St. system) was developed by sabermetrician Jay Jaffe as a means to 8 Urban Shocker 4.4 2/4/18 Super Bowl champs. getting voted into the Hall of Fame is difficult for relief . Four straight seasons early on Kimbrel led the league in saves, posting absurd single-season ERAs of 2.10, 1.01, 1.21, and 1.61. Sportswriters and players wondered how Pierce could go toe-to-toe with the firepower of the Yankees, coming armed with slap hitters Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, and Minnie Minoso. Pitchers who, for one reason or another, never got the votes or attention needed to make it in. Historically, pitchers like Red Ruffing, Red Faber, Ted Lyons, Eppa Rixey, and Burleigh Grimes are in the HOF mostly because of their win totals. Honorable mention: John Franco, Sparky Lyle, Tug McGraw, Randy Myers, Kelly's all-time non-HOF team (as of 2023), C: Bill Freehan1B: Rafael Palmeiro2B: Lou Whitaker3B: Dick AllenSS: Alex RodriguezLF: Barry BondsCF: Carlos BeltrnRF: Shoeless Joe JacksonDH: Hal McRae---R-H SP: Roger ClemensL-H SP: Johan SantanaR-H RP: Dan QuisenberryL-H RP: Billy Wagner, rightfully taken home the 2005 AL Cy Young Award. He allowed just two home runs to 527 batters in the playoffs. While I was limited through my free account to 10 questions and thus chose to forgo demographic questions to get the maximum amount of data, it is possible to use filters to show how certain voters voted. Mariano Riveras claim as the greatest closer of all-time is one of the safest arguments in baseball. Bridges had the most awesome drop off the table curve ball of his era. "What if" and "would have become prevalent bylines for the pitchers on this list. Although the Tigers walked away losing two of the three World Series, Bridges record stands at 4-1. He would have had more wins if he hadnt been held back to face the Yankees, or had been given better run support . Note that only What if Pappas had never been traded to Cincinnati? Or write about sports? Ill add in hyperlinks for each subsequent post, allowing anyone who happens upon this post later to easily be able to navigate between the different positions. By the next year in 1939 he was the best pitcher in the National League, going 27-11 with a 2.29 ERA and 31 complete games. The Pirates went on to win the game. Billy Pierce was slight of build at 5 10 and a whopping 160 lbs. This was accomplished in one season1879. He easily lost enough time to give him credit for not having 200 wins. The best reason I can come up with for Cooper being overlooked for the HOF is that he pitched in Pittsburgh, out of the spotlight of the sportswriters of the day. After playing for the St. Louis Browns, he chose to try to sign with Cincinnati, but was blocked. But even Michael Jordan missed game-winning shots. He was as automatic as youll ever find for a closer. Comparing across eras isnt easy, as the role of a relief pitcher has changed drastically over the years. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. Movies. Guess there was still some gas in this Tigers tank! There are seventh inning guys, lefty specialists, setup men, long relievers, and traditional closers. Several players careers have been overlooked instead of championed. Francisco Rodrguez debuted on the ballot in 23, getting 10.8%. Mullane was ahead of his time. Research is still ongoing and well continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. But there's no doubt he would receive pushback from the starters, their agents, and the salty old baseball types. Babe Adams had brief looks at the major leagues in 06 with the St. Louis Cardinals and 07 for the Pirates. Cy Young is the games career leader in losses. And he never got a single Cy Young vote. He really was unhittable. He shut down the powerful Reds lineup in the playoffs. . C: Bill FreehanCall this a toss-up between Freehan and Thurman Munson, both of whom could use a longer look from the Halls veteran committees. His career K/BB ratio of 2.80 is also a mark of historical significance. Gossages 1975 season is still the greatest in baseball history by a relief pitcher in terms of WAR (8.2); he had a 1.84 ERA, a league-leading 26 saves, and an absurd 141.2 innings in 62 relief appearances. Despite being the top pitcher in the league at least three times, Walters has been overlooked for the HOF. Today, its my pleasure to present how people voted on pitchers. Or what if the fans in Cincinnati had accepted his efforts for the team? From 1939 to 1947, while only Rogers Hornsby was elected, the veteran's committee was busy reconstructing 60+ years of baseball history to find those who belonged in the HOF. Ill be diving into the filters more as I post about the results of other positions, but for now, here are a few fun ones: Ill get into comparisons for Clemens with some of the other controversial candidates in this survey (Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and Pete Rose) as I get to those results posts. After a down year and a couple of years dealing with injury, he ended up in Boston where he re-invented himself in '72. Pete Alexander followed. Honorable mentions: Kent, Bobby Grich (Chase Utley not yet eligible). 3 Kevin Brown 4.2 Dave Parker, Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? 5) Billy Pierce (1945-1964) (3.27 ERA; ERA+ 119; 38 SHO; 3,306 IP/ 2,989 H/ 8.1 H/9; 1,999 K/ 1178 BB/ 1.70 ratio; 1.260 WHIP). With 696 home runs, 2,086 RBIs, three AL MVP Awards, 14 All-Star Game selections and a World Series championship across his 22 year career, A-Rods on-field numbers legitimately rank alongside the Halls inner-circle members. As it is, Pappas has 209 wins, as many as Bob Lemon and Hal Newhowser, and a similar number to Don Drysdale and Catfish Hunter, all of whom are in the HOF and pitched between 1950 and 1975. In the same way that Jerry Rice is unanimously the greatest wide receiver of all-time and Wayne Gretzky is the greatest hockey player and Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player, Mariano Rivera is far and above any other closer to ever play the game of baseball. However, after a year and a half out of military service, the Tigers were impatient for him to regain his form. Career Span/Primary Team(s) Player Wins Above Replacement; 1986-2007/Pirates, Giants: 178.3: 1984-2007/Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros: 133.9: 1991-2005/Astros overall HOF average hitters are added to that position's average until Along with those pitchers, Ill evaluate others with a case to be considered among the 10 best ever, which can be broken into categories of the modern (Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Francisco Rodriguez, Billy Wagner, and Joe Nathan), and the throwbacks (Sparky Lyle and Dan Quisenberry). Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. For the most part, the best pitchers are in the HOF. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File) via Associated Press. Seven successful years followed, including three more 20-win seasons, and some World Series heroics in '76. Stats: 310 saves, 3.01 ERA, 1.232 WHIP, 2.05 K:BB, 126 ERA+, Accolades: 9 All-Star appearances, 1 World Series ring, Baseball Hall of Fame. That year, facing Ty Cobb and the Tigers in the postseason, the Pirates manager went on a hunch and started Adams in game one of the series. I think the voting has become somewhat skewed in recent years in regards to starting pitching; too many of the voters expect no less than 300 wins. Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. If you put Gossage in a traditional one inning relief pitcher role, those blown saves assuredly go way down. Not retired by 2017. He pitched in both the Cubs World Series appearances in '32 and '35, going 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA. Every supporting evidence points to him being a HOF pitcher. Next came Cy Young. After tying the Dodgers for the pennant, it was determined they would play a three game playoff to determine the pennant. He finished second in the MVP balloting. Stats: 601 saves, 2.87 ERA, 1.058 WHIP, 3.69 K:BB, 141 ERA+, Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, Baseball Hall of Fame. Here are the best Hall of Fame candidates. There were numerous circumstances that held players careers back. To start, there are only eight primary relievers in Cooperstown; Rivera, Dennis Eckersley, Hoyt Wilhelm, Goose Gossage, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, and Trevor Hoffman. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is the 12th pitcher to amass 1,000 career strikeouts in relief, and just the third pitcher with 1,000 relief strikeouts all with one team, joining Hall of Fame closers . Over a five-year span, he led the league in saves twice, finished in the top six in Cy Young award voting four times, and turned in one of the most dominant seasons in baseball history in 1990: 0.61 ERA, 48 saves, 73 K to 4 BB in 73.1 IP. Active: Terry Francona , Rocco Baldelli , Dave Roberts , . After being traded to the Pirates in the National League, he helped the team to a World Series title. Based strictly on peak performance, Eckersley would rank in the top five of relievers. He regularly hits 100 miles per hour on his fastballs and holds the all-time record by registering 105.1 on a pitch (twice). The pitchers of note among them areCharles Buffington, David Cone, Paul Derringer, Orel Hershiser, Larry Jackson, Jim Kaat, Carl Mays, Dave Stieb, Hippo Vaughn, and Doc White. After an off year in 1916 he was sent to the minor leagues to work out his problems. Tiant was known for his unusual delivery, turning away from the batter during the wind up. He holds the all-time record for relief appearances with at least two innings (486) and three innings (197). 4 Wes Ferrell 4.7 He was a better pitcher than some of his contemporaries who made the HOFHoyt, Haines, and Ted Lyons. They all pitched in New York. Note that some players listed as HOFers may have been inducted for non-playing reasons. 9. Four pitchers in the HOF fall into this categoryDizzy Dean, Lefty Gomez, Sandy Koufax, and Addie Joss. By '59, Pappas was a mainstay of the Orioles staff. He has the requisite 200 wins, over 40 shutouts, and his 2,832 Ks are still third among left-handed pitchers all-time. His last year of allowing fewer hits than innings pitched was 81. These are the primary factors I used in my evaluations: 10. Not retired by 2017. He re-surfaced with incredible campaigns in '84 and '85. 2.21 career ERA. First-ever unanimous National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 2019) Mariano Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher in Major League Baseball history. there are differing levels of greatness and acclaim. Honorable mentions: Munson, Tenace, Jorge Posada (Joe Mauer, Buster Posey, Yadier Molina not yet eligible). Nothing in his pitching resume says he doesnt belong in the HOF. Lofton and Andruw Jones still have compelling arguments here, with Lofton's particularly acute given that he went one and done on a crowded ballot in 2013. Rollie Fingers may be the most decorated relief pitcher in baseball history, and that list includes Mariano Rivera. He was never comfortable in Cincinnati, often being booed even though the trade was not his fault. Most Unique Players by Age by Similarity Scores, Most Games without a World Series Appearance, Most Games without a Postseason Appearance, Highest Career and Single-Season Salaries, Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. Posada ( Joe Mauer, Buster Posey, Yadier Molina not yet.... For Cincinnati, but they then shipped him off to the expansion Toledo Stockings... Whopping 160 lbs arsenal, Lyle twice led the AL in saves and games,... 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