by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–In his first year in the majors,(1995) Panamanian-born right handed hurler Mariano Rivera pitched in 19 games for the New York Yankees, starting in 10 of those, finishing the season with a 5-3 record and a 5.51 earned run average. After that he never started another game for the next 18 years, finishing his career with 652 games saved in relief, the all-time leader.

Mariano’s first pitching coach in the minor leagues with the Gulf Coast Yankees was Hoyt Wilheim, the great Hall of Fame knuckleballer specialist. As a young kid growing up in Havana, Cuba, I remember Wilheim when he pitched for the Leones del Habana(Havana Lions)in the old Cuban Professional Winter League, in the late 1950’s and then remember him pitch in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox.

Hoyt Wilheim was the first ever reliever elected to the Hall of Fame. Mariano Rivera made a Hall of Fame career with basically one pitch, a great cutter.

2.Dennis Eckersley started his career in the major leagues with the Cleveland Indians in 1975 as a starter. Ecksersley pitched for Boston and won 20 games in 1978, 17 in 1979 and when he arrived in Oakland in 1987 he had visions of continuing his career as a starter.

However, that year after starting 2 games and relieving in 52, he saved 16. He would never start another game in his life with the Oakland Athletics. He retired after the 1998 season, saved a total of 390 games and was inducted with his number 43 to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2004.

In 1987 Tony LaRussa was on his second year as manager of the Oakland Athletics and his right hand, pitching coach Dave Duncan converted Eckersley to the closer position.

And such is the history of most relievers today, known as “closers”because they get the ball to pitch in the ninth inning exclusively,(in some rare occasions managers would bring their closers in the eighth inning for an out or two).

3-Jim Johnson started his career with the Baltimore Orioles in 2006 and would pitch for them until 2011 and in those six seasons saved a total of 20 games. In 2012 he saved 51 games for the Orioles and 52 the next season.

Today Jim Johnson is fighting for his job with the Oakland Athletics, who acquired him with the purpose of closing their games. Johnson has appeared in 22 games with the A’s this 2014 season, has saved 2 games, won 3 lost 2, all with a 6.55 earned run average.

The Oakland A’s are so deep in pitching that even losing two of their regular rotation starters, Jerrod Parker and A.J Griffin and basically “losing “their closer, a man that saved 101 games last two years, still have the best record in the American League as they opened on Tuesday a ten game in ten days road trip to New York, Baltimore and Anaheim. The majority of teams today, could not lose two of their five pitchers in a rotation(including the number one)and still survive and even be in first place.

In today’s baseball, and since a complete game from a starter is almost “Breaking News”, a closer is necessary to win and make it to the postseason. Obviously the Oakland Athletics still hope that Johnson can be the closer he was in Baltimore; at least the A’s have the luxury to “figure this out”while they are in first place, which makes this much easier.

If the A’s lost all hope for Johnson, management has not said it publicly; one third of the season just concluded, the A’s have time to figure this one out, since there are still over 100 games this season. Who knows, Johnson can still end the season with another 50 saves. Of course for him to do that he must get the ball in save situations.

Action speaks louder than words, and the A’s are not giving Johnson the opportunity of closing these days. If this continues, I expect Billy Beane to work a deal for Johnson before the July trade deadline. What else can the A’s do?

A friend told me: Why not try him as a starter? Yes, sure, and the Chicago Cubs will also win the World Series this year!

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Vice President of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary each week on http://www.sportsradioservice.com