A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast show. In the show, the host mentioned a closer who was underrated, and the host indicated that the closer might be the most reliable one in the postseason over the last few years.
Without doubt, when it comes to the best relief pitcher in the postseason, many people will say Mariano Rivera, who is a Hall of Famer and collected 42 saves in the postseason. So, after Mariano Rivera retired, which relievers are the most reliable in the postseason?
To understand a little bit more, I went to check on the great Fangraphs website.
By far, Kenley Jansen has 420 saves in his career. In the postseason, he has 20 saves, which is the second most of all time. From 2014 to 2022, he collected 18 saves. He pitched for the Red Sox in 2023, but the Red Sox didn’t clinch a postseason berth. Moreover, Ryan Pressly has been the one of the most reliable pitchers in the Astros bullpen since he was traded to the Astros in 2018. He now has 107 saves in the Astros uniform and in the postseason, he collected 14 saves from 2018 to 2023. Pressly has 3 saves in the 2023 playoffs. Furthermore, from 2016 to 2023, Aroldis Chapman has 10 saves. However, the last time that Chapman picked up a save in the postseason was in 2020.
In addition, let’s look at ERA. From 2020 to 2023, Phil Maton tossed 21.2 innings in the playoffs, posting a 0.83 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP. Furthermore, Andrew Miller made 29 relief appearances in the postseason from 2014 to 2020. In the postseason, he owned a 0.93 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP over 38.2 innings. Miller was the 2016 ALCS MVP. Additionally, Kelvin Herrera made 22 relief appearances for the Royals in 2014 and 2015, posting a 1.26 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP through 28.2 innings. Moreover, Tyler Matzek had a 1.48 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP over 24.1 innings in the 2020 and 2021 postseason. And, from 2019 to 2023, Brusdal Graterol has a 1.64 ERA and a 0.68 WHIP over 22 innings in the postseason.
Finally, let’s take a look at batting average against. Well, it’s not easy to hit well against Kenley Jansen in the postseason. Opponents only batted .133 against him in the postseason. Moreover, Ryne Stanek threw 20 innings in the postseason from 2020 to 2023 and opponents hit .136 against him. Meanwhile, opponents hit .145 against Phil Maton.
Well, looking at Mariano Rivera’s career in the postseason, it’s just so unbelievable. He owned a 0.70 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP over 141 innings. Additionally, opponents only hit .174 against him. Rivera had 3 blown saves in the postseason, but no one can ignore his great career. And it’s extremely difficult to see another pitcher to pitch like him in the postseason. Over these 10 seasons, Jansen has been one of the most reliable closers in the majors, but in the postseason, he already had 4 BS. Chapman had 10 saves from 2016 to 2023, but he blew 3 saves. Hence, after Mariano Rivera retired, Ryan Pressly is the only pitcher who has 10+ saves and doesn’t have any blown saves.
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