Kuzul

In a Bleacher Report Community effort, the top Featured Columnists for MLB’s top teams have come together to give the fans a thorough understanding of what to expect when your ace succumbs to playoff pressure, putting a close game in the hands of your bullpen.

Each Bleacher Report Featured Columnist has been a fan of their team, as have you, for as long as possible.

In speaking with these writers, they understand the history as well as the current state and future prospects for their bullpen.

This has been a learning experience in putting these analyses together and may this be a guidebook to you fans who need to know what your opposition is going to be throwing at you late into a game.

Two last things:

1) In finding the videos for this slideshow I found it comical that every closer either enters the game to Metallica’s, “Enter Sandman,” or at least has a youtube tribute to him set to that song.

2) Make sure to check out Mariano Rivera’s video on how he dominates attached to the first Yankees slide.  It’s a must-see.

Begin Slideshow

You could make a case for CC Sabathia and possibly Mariano Rivera, but it is clear that Robinson Cano is and has been the MVP of the New York Yankees all year, but will his success at the plate continue when it counts the most, the postseason?

Cano has always been a highly praised prospect and player in the Yankees organization, with even Don Mattingly predicting that he would win a batting title at some point in his career. He was even used as trade bait when the Yankees acquired Alex Rodriguez from the Rangers. Luckily Texas chose Joaquin Arias to go along with Alfonso Soriano, instead of Cano.

Since his impressive rookie campaign in 2005, Cano has evolved into one of the best, if not the best second basemen in the Majors, both at the plate and with the leather.

I always like to compare how he plays the game to how Mariano Rivera pitches; it just seems so effortless. Mo looks like he’s just lobbing the ball to the plate and it ends up as a 93-MPH cutter. It’s the same with Cano and his side-arm bullets to first base, or how he makes over-the-shoulder catches so easily.

And also like Rivera, he has the numbers to back it all up. Cano has only made three errors all season, which gives him a .996 fielding percentage, and puts him in line for his first gold glove. He also has a .314 batting average with 28 home runs and 106 RBI—both career highs.

It is obvious that he will get some major consideration for AL MVP, but will he be able to replicate his regular season success in the month that means the most to Yankees fans

Statistically speaking, he has been very disappointing in the postseason for his career, and last season was no exception. He went 11-for-57 in the 2009 postseason, with no home runs and six RBI, while striking out 15 times. Certainly, the playoffs are an area in which Cano can improve.

After watching teammate Alex Rodriguez put up monster numbers last year in the playoffs and getting the monkey of his back, it is time for Cano to do the same. No, I’m not asking or expecting a six-home run, 18-RBI postseason from Cano, but the Yankees are going to need him to come through more than he has in the past.

If the Yankees are going to repeat as World Series Champions, the offense is going to have to do some major damage to pick up their starting pitching, which remains a mess after CC Sabathia. So it’s time for Cano to get the monkey off his back and earn his real Yankee Pinstripes.

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Say what you want about the problems with MLB‘s current playoff system. You can bemoan the addition of the Wild Card, or whine about how home field advantage for the World Series is determined by the All-Star Game, or complain that a best-of-five series is a poor way to determine which of two good teams is superior.

But when the first round kicks off on Wednesday, don’t pretend that you won’t be watching.

The postseason is when heroes are made. It’s when role players become household names, and stars aim to reach immortality. I know it sounds like a cheesy MLB Network commercial, but I defy any baseball fan to disagree.

In this slideshow are the 25 players who have had the best postseason careers in MLB history. Because this is about the career as a whole, I tried to make rankings relatively context-neutral, so a clutch hit or a walk-off homer didn’t matter as much as they would have in, say, a “top postseason moments” article.

If someone you think deserves to be here didn’t make the cut, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t considered—my original list had 75 names, meaning 50 nearly worthy players almost made it in.

Begin Slideshow

The New York Yankees are sputtering down the stretch and could find themselves as the American League Wild Card team once the playoffs get underway.

A.J. Burnett struggled yet again as the Yankees suffered a 7-5 loss to the Blue Jays in Toronto Monday night.

New York’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is still stuck at one following their fifth loss in six games.

Make no mistake, the reigning World Champions have big problems as the postseason rapidly approaches.

Here’s a look at 10 reasons why the Yankees won’t make it out of the ALDS.

Begin Slideshow

Mariano Rivera has been as consistent a player as any in professional sports. His prowess in the playoffs is simply unmatched by all challengers. While every year there seems to be a hot new closer that everyone is in love with, the New York Yankees’ not-so-secret weapon has been terrorizing opposing hitters for years.

In the past month, however, Rivera has looked decidedly mortal. He has blown three saves this month, as well as an ERA that is a very un-Rivera-like, 5.04, which nearly triple his career average. Despite these facts, it should not cause concern for Yankee fans anywhere.

The last time he blew three saves in a month was in August of 2004. He simply fails less than anyone else at his position, ever. That being said, he still isn’t perfect. He’s bound to blow saves and, once every six seasons or so, they come in bunches.

Along with rarely giving up many saves in a given time period, the man just might be made of steel. He has been to the disabled list only four times in his 16-year career, the most recent coming in 2003. He still throws 92-93 MPH and shows no signs of physically wearing down. 

His consistency physically is due to the lifestyle he leads. He’s never been back-page material for the New York Post and, by all accounts, leads a very quiet, sober lifestyle. Hard-partying may have been the bane of other closers in the past, but it’s of no concern for Rivera.

It hardly seems necessary to speculate if he is still possesses the same mental toughness. He is never rattled even in the most pressure-packed postseason situations. He has experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows, with a blown World Series Game 7 to his record. His even temper will never waver.

His postseason numbers add up to over a season’s worth of dominance. In 88 games, he has rang up eight wins against only one loss, with 39 saves. Not to mention his minuscule 0.74 ERA. Rivera was built to pitch in the bright lights of New York in October.

To ensure that he continues his dominance, Joe Girardi must never use Rivera in the eighth inning. Despite the fact that Rivera has a record 14 career postseason, two inning saves, those days are behind him. He must be carefully guarded to ensure that when the ninth inning rolls around, the opponent will be all but doomed.

Rivera is a human superlative. Not enough could possibly be said about the scope of his dominance, especially in the postseason. That said, nobody should ever doubt River or think he is “finished”. With nine career postseason series clinching saves and 558 regular season saves to his record, he’s earned the benefit of the doubt. 

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This is not a panic post about Mariano Rivera struggling, because as always, I have full faith in him. At the same time, it’s hard to ignore what’s been going on.

Rivera’s struggles go back to September 11. On September 10, he pitched two innings in Texas. It was a strong performance. He needed just 23 pitches to get through those two innings so Joe Girardi decided it was okay to go with him the next night.

That day things went wrong for Rivera. He needed 21 pitches to get just one out and was pulled without being able to get through the inning.

Here are his numbers from September 11 on:

Six G, 0-1 record, three SV, 3 BS, 5.2 IP, nine H, six ER, two BB, one SO, one HR, and a 9.53 ERA.

Now, Rivera’s velocity has been consistent, so it’s not likely a physical problem. He’s hasn’t been as consistent within the strike zone as he usually is.

Again, this is not a panic post, Rivera will turn it around. But I did want to point out how bad he has been. And at the age of 40, we need to be reminded that he won’t last forever. Once he does fade, the Yankees could be in real trouble.

Related Stories

• September 27, 2010 — Yankees Win a Wild One, Magic Number Down to 1
• September 19, 2010 — Pettitte Returns But Mo Blows Lead
• September 12, 2010 — Yet Another Walk-Off
• September 8, 2010 — The Experience of The Core Four Will Prove Invaluable In The Playoffs For The Yankees

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Almost a year ago, September 13, Joe Girardi was a ticked off manager.  Even though the Yankees had the best record in the game (92-52) and a seven-game lead in the AL East over the Boston Red Sox, Girardi had been tossed out of a close game against the Orioles for arguing balls and strikes.  

The bases were loaded in the bottom of the fourth with A-Rod at the plate.  It was the third game of a three-game series against the O’s and the Yankees were on the verge of being swept at home, having lost the first two by a combined score of 17-7.  Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie was on the mound in a 4-4 game and struck out Rodriguez on a 2-2 pitch that did appear to be outside.

Girardi came out to argue and was thrown out of the game.  He got his money’s worth as he stood on the field and argued with umpire Marty Foster for quite a bit of time.  A-Rod was chirping from the bench and was ejected as well.  The fans applauded as Girardi gave the hand motion to eject Foster and the crew chief, Wally Bell, had to step in between them at one point.  

The Bronx Bombers would go on to score eight in the eighth and win the game 13-3.  Sure, Girardi had been thrown out, but at least the Yankees were able to avoid the sweep at the hands of the O’s.

The Yankees would finish the month of September with a 19-9 record (.679), which was their second-best record in a month behind their 21-7 August (.750).  The Yankees went 11-7 to close out the regular season.  They would go on to win their 27th Championship against the Phillies, with Hideki Matsui playing as if he was Babe Ruth reincarnated.  

Fast forward a year and it would be an understatement to say the Yankees are in trouble heading into the postseason.  A-Rod, Andy Pettitte, Nick Swisher, and countless other players have dealt with injury problems through different parts of the season, and recently their play has been downright ugly.  

They have scored significantly less runs (829-763) than last season and are underperforming in the second half, with a 31-25 record (.553), which is off their first half pace of 56-32 (.636).  They were a Nick Swisher home run from being swept at home by Buck Showalter’s O’s (who, by the way, has them playing very well), were swept by the Rangers, and lost the first game of a very important AL East series against the Tampa Bay Rays.  They have tied up the series with a win and must win it tomorrow in order to take a semi-comfortable lead in the AL East.  

There is no doubt that this is a very talented team and on paper the best in baseball.  However, they have to start playing like it or they will be kicked to the curb by the Rangers or even the Twins very early in the postseason.  

So, that brings me to the biggest question for Yankee fans and even the Yankee haters: Does this team have it in them to win it all again? 

Here are my top five reasons why and possibly why not, followed up by my answer at the end:

Begin Slideshow

Picture this: a game lasts over four hours, uses 41 players, features 374 pitches, has two blown saves, and ends in a walk-off hit by pitch—by Mariano Rivera.

Welcome to Yankees–Rangers, September 11 (and part of 12), 2010

It was a peculiar game to say the least, and it was no surprise that such an odd game was perpetuated by a series of unorthodox managerial moves. This game featured moves as simple as a pinch hitter, to as questionable as a 3-0 sac bunt.

Back up. A 3-0 sac bunt? In the top of the ninth inning, already leading by one run, the Yankees had a runner on second and nobody out. Eager to get the run in, Yankees manager Joe Girardi called for a sac bunt, even after the count had been worked to 3-0.

As if this doesn’t sound ridiculous enough, it should be pointed out that it was the first sac bunt on a 3-0 count in all of Major League Baseball this season. 

Why is it such a ridiculous thing to do, and thus so rare? To start, the league combined has a .413 batting average and a .893 slugging percentage on a 3-0 count, so sac bunting becomes just a waste.

Furthermore, if you look deeper, sac bunting with a runner on second and nobody out not only destroys the at-bat, but also destroys the inning.

Based on run expectancy data collected from 1999-2002, the Yankees had a run expectancy of 1.189 when they had a runner on second and nobody out. After the sac bunt, now with a runner on third and one out, their run expectancy actually decreased to .983.

So, what Girardi thought was helping his team actually sunk them in two ways: he destroyed a great chance to get a hit with a 3-0 count, and he destroyed a great chance to score with a runner on second and nobody out.

Thus, the Yankees failed to score and lost the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. 

E-mail me at jess@jesskcoleman.com, follow me on Twitter and Digg.

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Via ESPN:

General manager Brian Cashman said every Yankees pitcher not named CC Sabathia or Mariano Rivera is “auditioning for a role” in the postseason.

The size of a player’s paycheck, he said, will have no bearing on how or if he is used in October.

That means rookie right-hander Ivan Nova, with all of 24 innings pitched in the major leagues, has as much of a chance of starting a playoff game as A.J. Burnett, who is in the second year of a five-year deal that pays him $16.5 million a season.

“Everything will be decided in these last three weeks,” Cashman said Wednesday night. “The guys who we think give us the best chance to win are the guys who are going to pitch.”

[snip]

The GM refused to speak about individual pitchers and their status for the postseason. He did say if Nova pitches well over the final 22 games of the season, in which he is likely to make four starts, Cashman would be inclined to trust him with a postseason start.

“Aside from CC, nothing is guaranteed for anyone,” Cashman said. “Some guys who are starters now may wind up pitching out of the bullpen. We’ll make that determination based on how well they perform down the stretch for us.”

This is exactly as it should be. Burnett and Javier Vazquez make about $27 million combined, and Nova isn’t even earning half a million, but if Nova is the better pitcher, he should start in the playoffs. Period.

This is great to hear because it wasn’t long ago that the Yankees former manager, Joe Torre, would use inferior players based almost soley on their salary and cite experience as the reason for playing them. Experience is good and can make the difference, especially in the playoffs. But you have to back that experience up with results.

Both Burnett and Vazquez have had stretches of strong performances this season, but neither pitcher has even come close to anything that resembles consistency. For that reason, they shouldn’t just be handed roster spots.

Related Stories

• September 6, 2010 — Forget Derek Jeter, The 2010 Yankees Have A Bigger Issue
• August 30, 2010 — Yankees: Worst Rotation, Best Bullpen Last 30 Days
• August 31, 2010 — Enough Moseley, Vazquez Deserves Back in the Rotation
• August 28, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Burnett, Pettitte, Aceves, Berkman, and Nova

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There has never been a more successful quartet of players than Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada who have won a combined 19 World Series together.

What makes this foursome so special is that they have won those rings on the same team they all came up with, the New York Yankees. Aside from Andy Pettitte’s three year stint in his home state of Texas with the Houston Astros, they have all spent their entire career’s in Yankee pinstripes, which is amazing for any era in sports, but especially in this era of free agency, where you hardly see even one player spend their entire career with one team.

Amidst the Yankees core four, is the greatest closer of all time and greatest postseason pitcher of all time, Mariano Rivera. In over 130 innings pitched in the playoffs, Mo has an ERA of 0.74 and a WHIP of 0.773, clearly stifling numbers to opposing hitters. He has also recorded the final out of 70 games and nailed down 39 saves in postseason play.

2010 arguably, has been Rivera’s best season ever, considering he has his lowest ERA of his career at a minuscule 1.07, he also has recorded 29 saves as well.

Then there is Andy Pettitte, who is no slouch of a postseason pitcher himself. He went 4-0 for the Yanks last year, winning each clinching game of the three playoff stages, and in doing so he became the all time wins leader in postseason history with 18.

Pettitte has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts here in 2010, going 11-2 with an ERA of 2.88, which could have wound up being his best year ever, had it not been for a groin injury that has kept him sidelined for the past month and a half. But it looks like he will be returning shortly, the groin seems to feel fine, and he should be back in the starting rotation after a rehab start this Thursday.

And of course there is Mr. November, Derek Jeter who has had his worst offensive season since his rookie year, hitting at a very pedestrian .264 coming into play tonight. The home runs (10) and RBI (60) are what is expected out of a lead-off hitter, and he does have 96 runs scored, but the low batting average really sticks out, considering he is a .314 career hitter and hit .334 just last year.

Never the less, Jeter’s .313 batting average in the postseason speaks for itself and I believe that should hold true, despite the down year in the regular season. Jeter is a natural born leader and wants nothing more than to win another championship for the Yankees.

The lesser of the core four, in terms of performing in the playoffs, is Jorge Posada. The veteran catcher has continued to prove to be a productive catcher, even at age 39, posting a .261 batting average, along with 17 home runs and 52 RBI this year. However, his .239 postseason batting average is less than sparkling, and he certainly will never be held in the same breath as Jeter or Rivera when it comes to playoff legends.

But just like Jeter, Rivera, and Pettitte, Posada has more playoff experience than any other player on any other team can even come close to. Sure, Joe Mauer is a better player than Posada, Hanley Ramirez has better numbers than Jeter, and David Price is a better pitcher than Pettitte, but I wouldn’t even consider swapping any of those players for one another, why? Because the core four has experience, and that is all that counts when the playoffs roll around.

So when the Rangers, Rays, Twins, or who ever rolls into the Bronx this October, the Yankees will always have at least one advantage over them, experience, and I will take that any day of the week over younger and more talented players.

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