It took less than one week and already the first round of the MLB playoffs are in the books. It was not without controversyùwhat with the botched callsùbut, for me, the storyline that prevailed through most of the series was the fall of many of the teams' closers.
Jonathan Papelbon, Joe Nathan, Huston Street, and Ryan Franklin were all victims of blown saves in what was otherwise a sparkling year for each of these closers. During the regular season, they saved a combined 168 out of 187 games, which is a 90 percent success rate.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the playoffs, that 10 percent can be the difference between making it to the next round and watching the rest of the playoffs at home with a bag of Scream Cheese Doritos.
The amount of pressure on these pit ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - MLB
Article written by Ian Hunter
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