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Sandy Koufax used to say that he started every game with the thought, "you're not getting any hits today." After the first hit, he went to "you're not getting any runs." If the other team scored a run, he locked in "NO WAY you're beating me."

Probably the best thing about Felix is the way he pitches when he's behind two runs. Saturday night, he was in the dugout pointing fingers out at players who did something good on the field, hugging them at the end of the line when they came across home plate, making spectacular  defensive plays, and generally being everything you want a team captain to be.

Which is why I was blown away when he gave up the ball in the ninth inning having thrown only 95 pitches.

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White Knuckles and Statistically-Safe Thrill Rides, Dept.

Dr. D has never been Tom Wilhelmsen's biggest fan. As a closer, we mean.

His fastball command is average at best… nah forget that shtick. Wilhelmsen's fastball command is lousy.  

It seems like he is behind in a whale of a lot of counts for a closer ... if you check me on that you'll probably find that I'm exaggerating.  Also, you're never quite sure whether he's going to have a good old-fashioned 1997-era meltdown, throw 13 balls in a row or some shtick like that.

With the yakker, it has always seemed that if the other teams simply refused to swing at it, the odds would be in way in their favor...  just tip your cap if it happens to drop into the zone.  They keep taking those garbage swings.

We don't say he's a piece of junk. But compared to Joe Nathan, much less Mariano Rivera, his games feel like a ride through the mountain passes in a Porsche with the accelerator jammed to the floor. Dr. D always figured his chances to close 200 games as being something like 1%.

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Give It Up for Him

Objectively speaking, the fastball is "effectively wild." He gets TONS of called strikes where he misses onto the other side of the plate, and gets lots of swings and misses on fastballs that are too low (remember that downhill pitch angle).

The curveball, according to Mike Blowers, is absolutely THE  best number two in baseball. Who knows - maybe batters swing at hooks outside the zone because they just can't see the pitch well enough to decipher it.

There is no questioning the nuclear arm. From a pure stuff standpoint, he may be number one among current American League closers.  And his makeup is wild-eyed snarly way hardcore.  Probably the mound presence is enough to make you forget the command issues.  From my angle, I mean.  I guess I'd give him a nice contract.  Would rather give it to Capps or Pryor, though...

Still and all, he's not my kind of closer.  That statement and seven bucks gets you a cup of coffee, room service.

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Daily Zen Pearl from the Founding Father

James said, regarding Tweeners, that if an NBA team has a point guard playing the #2 guard, it's probably not going to win.  Zzzzingg!  ... Capps and Wilhelmsen are starting pitchers, probably, but ain't it nice having a few players who are overqualified to play their positions?

Felix likes to protect his arm, and that's smart.  Really smart!  Still -- bailing on a 3-2 Angels game, with one inning left, and you're under 100 pitches?  Dr. D is feeling pretty old tonight, know what uh mean?  Am trying to imagine Billy Martin here... no, forget Billy.  Just take Sweet Lou.

Here is a little quote from Bill James on David Cone, Jim Bunning, and Yu Darvish.

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Gene Mauch once told me, about Jim Bunning, that you couldn't bring anybody in to relieve him because all of his pitches were better than the relievers, so when you brought in the other guy, the other teams eyes would light up like, "well, we can hit THIS guy."

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Who do you replace Felix with, then?  In ANY game, much less in a game to take over the heavy lifting from him?

So we've got to admit, when you replace Felix Hernandez at 95 pitches – clinging to a 3-2 lead over the Angels - with Trout and Hamilton and Co. coming up?  I'd say whoever replaces Felix, that guy is a Closer.  

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