Nice article. I would have thought that you would have at least mentioned two giants amongst all time great closers: Lee Smith and Jeff Reardon, albeit their careers in Boston were short-lived and did not lead to playoff success like some of the others you highlighted in your article. Reardon had 40 in 1991 -- a pretty spectacular performance. And while I will admit I always dreaded when Lee Smith entered a game for the Sox in 1988 and '89, he did have 29 and 25 saves respectively and helped the Sox to the AL East title in '88.
Ok, you mentioned them, but no provided no commentary...especially the fact that Reardon's 40 saves in 1991 was the team record (I believe) until Tom Gordon broke it in 1998. Dishonorable mention to Ugueth Urbina for his 40 saves in 2002!
Yep, wasn't just looking for the highest number of saves. Was looking for the most dominant season by a closer based on other metrics. Those seasons were good but not as dominant as Papelbon, Uehara, and Chapman.
Nice article. I would have thought that you would have at least mentioned two giants amongst all time great closers: Lee Smith and Jeff Reardon, albeit their careers in Boston were short-lived and did not lead to playoff success like some of the others you highlighted in your article. Reardon had 40 in 1991 -- a pretty spectacular performance. And while I will admit I always dreaded when Lee Smith entered a game for the Sox in 1988 and '89, he did have 29 and 25 saves respectively and helped the Sox to the AL East title in '88.
I did mention them.
Ok, you mentioned them, but no provided no commentary...especially the fact that Reardon's 40 saves in 1991 was the team record (I believe) until Tom Gordon broke it in 1998. Dishonorable mention to Ugueth Urbina for his 40 saves in 2002!
Yep, wasn't just looking for the highest number of saves. Was looking for the most dominant season by a closer based on other metrics. Those seasons were good but not as dominant as Papelbon, Uehara, and Chapman.