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Being a closer in baseball requires an ability to get the biggest outs in a game as well as being able to bounce back the next day after not getting the job done the night before. Stereotypically, a MLB closer should look like "The Duke" from Major League. And while the mustache was mastered by Rollie Fingers, Rich "Goose" Gossage and others, the one MLB reliever who fits what the typical look should have been was long time MLB closer Rod Beck. Beck had the long hair and the handlebar mustache which made him look like a biker.
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As today would have been Beck's 44th birthday, it is worth noting that he was among the best relievers to pitch in the game. Unfortunately, due to some troubles, he was unable to pitch as long as guys such as Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. His career numbers are not all time, 286 saves over 13 seasons. He did have 519 games finished in 704 games pitched, which was almost 74 % of the games he pitched. It would have been higher except he spent three seasons being a set-up man in Boston.
In 1993, Beck was 2nd in the NL in saves with 48 (Randy Myers) as well as 1998 with 51 (Hoffman). In the strike-shortened season in 1994, he was among the league leaders in saves and led the NL with his 47 GF. He reached the postseason three straight years with three different teams (Giants, Cubs and Red Sox), finishing with mixed results. He also made the All Star team 3 times and once finished as high as 12th in the NL MVP voting.
This is all from a guy who struggled mightily in the Oakland Athletics organization and was acquired by the Giants in spite of his bad numbers. Originally a starter, his numbers improved drastically after joining the Giants organization. His career got off to a great start, pretty much a paralel to that of Hoffman's. He would have been among the highest save totals had he not skipped the 2002 season and pitched about 5 more seasons just like Hoffman did. Though the numbers are not all-time and he falls well short of the Hall of Fame, there is no question that Rod Beck had the look which should be the symbol of what the MLB closer should look like. Its amazing to know its now been five years since he has passed, RIP.
This is all from a guy who struggled mightily in the Oakland Athletics organization and was acquired by the Giants in spite of his bad numbers. Originally a starter, his numbers improved drastically after joining the Giants organization. His career got off to a great start, pretty much a paralel to that of Hoffman's. He would have been among the highest save totals had he not skipped the 2002 season and pitched about 5 more seasons just like Hoffman did. Though the numbers are not all-time and he falls well short of the Hall of Fame, there is no question that Rod Beck had the look which should be the symbol of what the MLB closer should look like. Its amazing to know its now been five years since he has passed, RIP.
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