761:
20:
596:
77:
As closers were reduced to one-inning specialists, setup men became more prominent. Setup pitchers often come into the game with the team losing or the game tied. They are usually the second best relief pitcher on a team, behind the closer. After closers became one-inning pitchers, primarily in the
78:
ninth inning, setup pitchers became more highly valued. A pitcher who succeeds in this role is often promoted to a closer, and often fill in for the regular closer when the regular closer needs a day off for rest. Setup men are paid less than closers and mostly make less than the average
104:, with the nod usually going to closers with large save totals. From 1971 through 2000, only six relievers with fewer than five saves at midseason were selected as All-Stars. There were 10 such players from 2001 through 2009. In
444:
202:
Illustrating the general trend, both Rivera and
Rodriguez were moved to closer soon after excelling as setup men. On January 22, 2019, Rivera became the first player unanimously elected to the
199:
that season when leading after six innings. McCarver said the
Yankees played "six-inning games" that year, with Rivera dominating for two innings and Wetteland closing out the victory.
504:
376:
162:
527:
629:
131:
195:, typically pitching in the seventh and eighth inning of games before Wetteland pitched in the ninth. Their effectiveness gave the Yankees a 70–3
418:
203:
105:
89:. Due to the definition of the statistic, setup men are rarely in position to record a save even if they pitch well, but they can be charged with a
183:, "a middle reliever who should have been on the All-Star team and who was a legitimate MVP candidate." He finished third in the voting for the
272:
241:
97:
statistic was developed to help acknowledge a setup man's effectiveness, but it is not an official Major League
Baseball (MLB) statistic.
760:
101:
496:
391:
470:
622:
368:
196:
519:
112:'s All-Star relievers were not closers, outnumbered 4–3. Setup men who have been named All-Stars multiple times include
615:
1081:
1076:
1019:
806:
166:
258:
908:
125:
264:
191:, the highest a setup man has finished. That season, Rivera primarily served as a setup pitcher for closer
703:
561:
165:, an award traditionally given to closers. Hader was then promoted to closer the following year. In 2020,
683:
79:
169:
became the second setup man to win the award, pitching as the seventh to eighth inning man for Hader.
556:
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35:
1050:
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1035:
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638:
113:
233:
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67:
31:
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27:
1004:
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184:
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23:
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954:
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The Book on the Book: An
Inquiry Into Which Strategies in the Modern Game Actually Work
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445:"2014 MLB All-Star Game: For Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard, a perfect setup"
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710:
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832:
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471:"Eight under-the-radar relievers who deserve All-Star consideration"
18:
146:
in a single postseason after recording his fifth victory in the
611:
206:, having been inducted his first eligible year on the ballot.
85:
The most common statistic used to evaluate relievers is the
419:"Yankees' Betances leading wave of standout setup men"
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977:
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891:
880:
820:
779:
768:
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225:Fireman: The Evolution of the Closer in Baseball
100:Historically, setup men were rarely selected to
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497:"Rodriguez Is a Fantasy Player Like No Other"
392:"All Star Game could be decided by setup men"
8:
369:"Set-up guys who would be worthy All-Stars"
888:
776:
651:
630:
616:
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214:
179:in 1996 "revolutionized baseball" with
530:from the original on October 16, 2014.
507:from the original on October 21, 2014.
379:from the original on October 19, 2014.
161:became the first setup man to win the
74:, with the closer pitching the ninth.
7:
518:Johnson, Chuck (February 20, 2005).
142:'s Major League Baseball record for
520:"Rodriguez set to close for Angels"
134:, who was a setup pitcher for the
54:, also sometimes referred to as a
14:
469:Crasnick, Jerry (June 23, 2018).
70:. They commonly pitch the eighth
66:who regularly pitches before the
759:
594:
495:Curry, Jack (October 11, 2002).
417:Jennings, Chad (July 13, 2015).
443:Kilgore, Adam (July 14, 2014).
367:Rancel, Tommy (June 24, 2013).
138:in 2002, tied starting pitcher
1:
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543:
354:
342:
330:
318:
306:
294:
1098:
390:Kay, Joe (July 13, 2015).
163:Reliever of the Year Award
93:if they pitch poorly. The
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16:Pitching role in baseball
26:was a setup man for the
222:Zimniuch, Fran (2010).
704:Left-handed specialist
565:. Sports Reference LLC
562:Baseball-Reference.com
108:, the majority of the
39:
863:Center fielder (8/CF)
843:Second baseman (4/2B)
257:Felber, Bill (2006).
204:Baseball Hall of Fame
22:
868:Right fielder (9/RF)
848:Third baseman (5/3B)
838:First baseman (3/1B)
557:"1996 Awards Voting"
265:St. Martin's Griffin
909:Batting order (1–9)
858:Left fielder (7/LF)
449:The Washington Post
132:Francisco Rodriguez
36:Los Angeles Dodgers
1051:Phantom ballplayer
639:Baseball positions
501:The New York Times
398:. Associated Press
333:, pp.165,168,171–3
114:Justin Duchscherer
102:MLB All-Star Games
40:
1082:Baseball pitching
1077:Baseball strategy
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914:Designated hitter
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274:978-0-312-33265-5
243:978-1-60078-312-8
159:Milwaukee Brewers
148:2002 World Series
32:Baltimore Orioles
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853:Shortstop (6/SS)
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177:New York Yankees
28:Seattle Mariners
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1000:Bullpen catcher
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812:Position player
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684:Middle reliever
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602:Baseball portal
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267:. p. 102.
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197:win–loss record
185:American League
175:wrote that the
122:Dellin Betances
110:American League
24:George Sherrill
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955:Contact hitter
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934:Cleanup hitter
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807:Utility player
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193:John Wetteland
189:Cy Young Award
181:Mariano Rivera
167:Devin Williams
136:Anaheim Angels
118:Tyler Clippard
64:relief pitcher
60:setup reliever
15:
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689:Long reliever
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584:Zimniuch 2010
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544:Zimniuch 2010
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230:Triumph Books
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140:Randy Johnson
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126:Andrew Miller
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56:setup pitcher
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21:
1046:Injured list
960:Power hitter
924:Pinch runner
919:Pinch hitter
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586:, pp.219–221
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567:. Retrieved
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278:. Retrieved
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173:Tim McCarver
171:
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130:
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84:
80:Major League
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59:
55:
51:
47:
41:
978:Non-players
737:Ground ball
480:October 13,
454:October 13,
428:October 12,
402:October 12,
357:, pp.169–70
232:. pp.
228:. Chicago:
1071:Categories
802:Outfielder
569:January 9,
297:, pp.168–9
280:January 5,
210:References
155:Josh Hader
91:blown save
52:set-up man
882:Offensive
821:by number
797:Infielder
770:Defensive
694:Setup man
524:USA Today
153:In 2018,
48:setup man
943:by style
742:Fly ball
720:by style
711:Swingman
679:Reliever
647:Pitchers
528:Archived
505:Archived
475:ESPN.com
396:The Star
377:Archived
373:ESPN.com
234:154, 168
82:salary.
44:baseball
1041:Battery
1036:Captain
1029:Related
995:Coaches
990:Manager
892:by role
884:players
792:Catcher
787:Pitcher
780:by type
772:players
732:Control
662:Starter
655:by role
546:, p.221
345:, p.169
321:, p.163
309:, p.169
157:of the
62:) is a
1010:Batboy
985:Umpire
904:Runner
899:Batter
747:Switch
699:Closer
672:Opener
271:
240:
124:, and
72:inning
68:closer
34:, and
727:Power
187:(AL)
571:2012
482:2018
456:2018
430:2018
404:2018
282:2011
269:ISBN
238:ISBN
144:wins
106:2015
95:hold
87:save
50:(or
46:, a
667:Ace
58:or
42:In
1073::
559:.
536:^
526:.
522:.
503:.
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473:.
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246:.
38:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
