Saves the Day

As I've mentioned a few times this year, it is quite often the case when major events happen in a short time span. Sometimes monumental moments happen on the same night, or within a day or two of each other. So it was again recently as two Hall of Fame players set career records, and solidified a place in history. Those two players were Milwaukee Brewers' reliever Trevor Hoffman, and Minnesota Twin's DH Jim Thome.

What did these players do to illicit such a response? Well for starters let's discuss Trevor's accomplishment. On Tuesday September 7th, Hoffman threw a scoreless ninth inning for the Brewers to collect his 600th career save. This is remarkable because no one in Major League Baseball history has done this before. Now it is true that saves have been an official statistical category since only 1969, but the style of the game was such that saves were not often collected, especially by a designated 'closer' pitcher. Besides that, websites like Baseball-reference.com have actually gone back and collected unofficial save data all the way back to 1871. So it is conclusive beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Hoffman is the first ever to accomplish this feat.

Consider now how difficult it is to close down another team, especially when only one or two runs separates a win from a loss. One misplaced pitch can be driven over the wall by a power bat, completely changing an outcome. It is a closer's job to come in and completely shut down the opposing team. And that is what Trevor Hoffman was best at. I say 'was' because this year has not been kind to Trevor. With a mere 9 saves and an ERA of 6.09, Hoffman's night was a bright spot in a mediocre send-off season. But let's forgive the man. It is his 18th season after all.

Think about that as well. Eighteen seasons, all but two of them with the San Diego Padres, of dominating opposing batters with a slow, sinking change-up that hitters and other pitchers alike have called possibly the best pitch of its kind, ever. Philadelphia Phillies' starter Cole Hamels actually spent time with Hoffman a few years back, just to learn the art of the change-up from the master pitcher. For years Trevor Hoffman was consistently near the top of the leaderboards, and that is the reason he was celebrated on Tuesday night. His longevity and domination are something that most closers can't match today. There are and have been some fantastic guys with lights-out stuff, but few have been able to sustain that success, whether due to injuries, ineffectiveness, conversion to another role, or just the tolls of age. But Hoffman was able to outlast all that.

It is possible that Hoffman's title may only exist for a short time period, though. Hoffman's career may very well end after this season is over. However, Mariano Rivera, the N.Y. Yankees' historic closer is currently sitting at 555 career saves. Rivera is only two years younger than Hoffman though, and at 40 years old, he might call it a career after 2010 as well. But if Rivera decides that he does want to play for another year, or two, then Hoffman's record will be under serious threat. If it proves that Mariano can't defeat Hoffman, though, I doubt any one ever will. That's how impressive this record is. It will go down as one of the greatest career accomplishments in baseball history, and it guarantees Trevor Hoffman a spot in Cooperstown in the near future.

The other historic event that happened recently was Jim Thome passing Mark McGwire for ninth place all-time on the career homerun record. Big Jim wasn't done there. He then tied Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson for eight all-time with 586 mashers, and will most likely pass Frank sometime this year. Not only that, but #585 was hit 480ft, the longest homerun of Thome's legendary career. And he's done this while filling a critical role for the American League Central leaders, the Minnesota Twins. That same homerun, it was a walk-off to win the game. That's what Big Jim does, he hits the ball in critical situations, and he hits it hard. He's done it his whole career, but does that punch his ticket to the Hall of Fame?

Well let's take a look at some of Thome's other stats. He has over 2200 hits to go along with his 586 homers. He has 428 doubles, he ranks 30th all-time with 1617 RBI, and he's 46th overall in total bases, which ranks higher than Hall-of-Famers Mike Schmidt, Wille McCovey, and Tony Gwynn. Thome has done all this while never having his name attached to steroid controversy in his 20-season career. Add in a lovable personality and a do-or-die attitude, and you have yourself one of the best all-around players to ever play the game. Now of course, there are people who say that off-the-field stuff doesn't matter, and that Jim's numbers aren't a lock for Cooperstown. But I defy that and say that Jim Thome deserves to have his likeness retired in the halls of greatness. Call me sentimental, call me a fool, just don't call me late for dinner. Congratulations to both Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman on tremendous accomplishments. Whether your careers' continue to thrive, or this is your curtain-call, it's been incredibly fun to watch you play your game. Thanks.