KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Craig Kimbrel is the most obvious heir apparent to Mariano Rivera as the game’s premier closer, combining dominance and durability for four-plus seasons now.
But that is just two of the three most overt qualities that elevated Rivera to be the best closer ever. What really made Mo, Mo was October. Great From April to September, Rivera was better in the postseason. The bad teams went home and the pressure rose, yet Rivera elevated.
Kimbrel has gotten that chance. And he hasn’t. The Braves have made the playoffs three times in the righty’s career and collapsed late to miss the postseason twice, including this season. But Atlanta’s playoff stays have been so brief and underwhelming that Kimbrel has been more non-factor than X-factor.
He has appeared in six postseason games and the Braves led just twice when he entered. Kimbrel has just one save and his most famous playoff moment was when he was not used in the eighth inning of Game 4 of the NLDS last year. He was warmed. The Braves were leading 3-2, trying to force a Game 5. But manager Fredi Gonzalez stuck with David Carpenter, who gave up a decisive two-run homer.
Thus, Kimbrel has yet to be truly tested in October. And I do believe because of the nature of the closing job, success or failure at this time of year does shape legacy, like quarterbacks needing to thrive in the NFL playoffs. Closers are the air-traffic controllers of baseball — the plane lands or it crashes with really no middle ground. You get the save or you don’t. You play so little, but it means so much. It is winning or losing time.
Joe Nathan and Billy Wagner withstood the test of time in a job that because of the stress on the arm and emotions does not foster longevity. But both have poor postseason records that stain their reputations. Trevor Hoffman, No. 2 all-time in saves, failed enough in the playoffs to diminish him, as well.
Rivera, obviously, had postseason setbacks. But he was blessed with annual opportunities and mostly capitalized on them like no one else.
And now Greg Holland is getting the opportunity that has mostly eluded Kimbrel, and he is taking advantage of it. The Royals’ closer has six saves in six tries heading into the World Series. Add that to a regular-season résumé that stacks up quite well against Kimbrel and you might actually have an argument for who is Rivera’s heir.
Holland became a full-time major leaguer in 2011 and in the period since only Kimbrel (10.9) has a higher Wins Above Replacement than Holland (9.4) among relievers. Holland became Kansas City’s closer when Jonathan Broxton was traded on July 31, 2012. The save leader since that date is Kimbrel — and Holland. Both have 109. Holland’s OPS against for his career is .471. That is the same as Orel Hershiser’s career mark — as a hitter.
“He is right there with Kimbrel,” Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens said. “I know if he is in the game, we are in trouble.”
Holland’s set-up men, Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis, just might have more explosive stuff — and their lead-in work has been terrific all season and great in the playoffs. But Holland’s stuff is excellent, too, with a 96 mph fastball and a slider that Kansas City’s Raul Ibanez said is four different pitches because of Holland’s ability to vary depth, speed and movement.
But there is more. Dave Eiland, who was Rivera’s pitching coach in New York and Holland’s now in K.C., praised Holland’s consistency in work habits, attitude and routine, noting that though the job dictates that he is the last to play, Holland is nevertheless the first to the park. Plus, Eiland said, “He has an ability to have confidence and calmness, which Mo was just the best at.”
Holland brings his combos — confidence/calmness and fastball/slider — to the Fall Classic. He is getting an opportunity that has yet to come to Kimbrel in full and, therefore, a chance to further enhance an argument for the best closer in the game.
SF reliever had KC blues
Jeremy Affeldt would return to his home daily in Overland Park, Kan., at 135th Street and State Line Road, just behind the Walmart, and cry. He was just 27, but he wanted out of Kansas City, maybe out of the sport. “It wasn’t because I hated the team or the city,” he recalled. “I hated the game.”
He had spent 4 ¹/₂ seasons with the Royals (2002-06) failing as a starter and reliever (17-22, 4.74 ERA), failing to such a level he hoped each day he wouldn’t be used and prayed for the games to go quickly. He did so on Royals teams so bad, he said, “They mathematically eliminated us in spring training.” Affeldt contemplated quitting, and had Dayton Moore released him, Affeldt thinks he probably would have retired.
But less than two months after being hired as Royals general manager in June 2006, Moore traded Affeldt to the Rockies in a rather nondescript deal. Moore followed with a letter to explain the move — essentially writing to tell Affeldt he needed a fresh start, a chance to rediscover a love for the game that could never come in Kansas City.
On the eve of the World Series, Affeldt thanked Moore for the letter and for giving him an opportunity “to enjoy the game again.” He went to the World Series as a valuable member of the Rockies bullpen the following season, and he has been a key piece in two Giants’ titles and the team’s attempt now at a third in the last five years. Affeldt, in fact, has not given up a run in his last 18 postseason outings (covering 18 innings) dating to 2010.
You can expect the lefty, 35, now to see a lot of Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas in this World Series. It is a role he revels, looks forward to. He is back in Kansas City, a happy baseball player, this time.
Bumgarner aced Righetti’s test right from start
The Giants had plenty of candidates to start Opening Day. Matt Cain had done it in 2013 and Tim Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, had done it the four years before. San Francisco had just signed respected veteran Tim Hudson, who had five career Opening Day starts – three for the Braves and two for the A’s.
But it was time, pitching coach Dave Righetti said, to test Madison Bumgarner. He was just 24. Yet it was clear he was now the Giants’ best starter and Righetti thought it was appropriate to throw this responsibility at the lefty, to see how he would handle it with teammates and reporters and even fans in the street.
Rightetti said everyone tries to play off the magnitude of starting Opening Day, but that it is an honor and important. And, Rightetti admits now, it was part of a bigger picture he had in mind.
“I thought he had physically and mentally grown,” Righetti said. He meant to handle the burden of being an ace, of being given the ball for Game 1 — of anything. Righetti was right. Bumgarner followed a stellar season by starting the one-and-done wild-card game and threw a four-hit shutout and won the NLCS opener with 7 ²/₃ shutout innings and now gets the ball for Tuesday night’s World Series Game 1. That will mark his fifth start in the Giants’ 11 postseason games this October.
“He’s a very competitive man and it was time to test him,” Righetti said.
From Opening Day to World Series opener, he has so far passed all tests.