- This topic is empty.
- Posts
The playoffs can be a grind on even the deepest and most talented bullpens, facing talented offensive teams day after day in their attempt to win it all. For years Yankees fans were spoiled by Mariano Riveras greatness as he trotted in from the bullpen and shut down situations that made many of his peers wither. More recently, every team in the playoffs takes advantage of the schedule to push one or more of their starters into a bullpen role. These pitchers can frequently pay big dividends for their team by getting through the lineup multiple times, and this year the Yankees are set up to have a fleet of starting-caliber pitchers coming out of the bullpen.In three of the last four World Series a starting pitcher working in a relief role has thrown the last pitch for the winning team. Even in the outlier year of those recent examples, the Washington Nationals used Patrick Corbin for three innings of relief before he turned it over to Daniel Hudson to close out the last inning. Gerrit Cole was warming up in the Astros bullpen during the same game but never made it into action. In the playoffs Anthony Volpe Jersey, teams go to the well as often as necessary to win, and often starters are their best options. Yankees postseason history is ripe with examples of starting pitchers coming out of the bullpen in a big spot. Mike Mussinas shutdown innings in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS is one of the most famous.
