BY ROB MACNEIL – FAN FUEL
On Tuesday afternoon, Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopolous (hopefully) found his new closer for the next six seasons in righthander Sergio Santos. The 28-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox in exchange for top pitching prospect Nestor Molina.
In honour of the deal, Fan Fuel looks at some of the most memorable closers in franchise history.
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1. Tom Henke – Arguably the greatest closer in club history, the Terminator came up in 1985 and dominated right from the start. He helped lead the Jays to division titles in 1985, 1989, 1991 and a World Series victory in 1992. Henke finished his Toronto career with a record of 29-29 with 217 saves and a 2.48 ERA.
2. Duane Ward – Henke’s former eighth inning setup man took over the closer’s role 1993. That season, Ward recorded 45 saves with a 2.13 ERA and was as close to a sure thing as any closer in baseball that year. While arm troubles would end his career shortly after, this season ranks as one of the best in Blue Jays history.
3. Mike Timlin – Older Blue Jays fans remember that Mike Timlin fielded Otis Nixon’s bunt and threw to Joe Carter at first to clinch the club’s first World Series title in 1992. Timlin was a solid reliever in his early years with the Blue Jays beginning in 1991, and took over the closer’s role in 1996 and recorded 31 saves.
4. B.J. Ryan – While he didn’t earn all of his $47 million, Ryan’s 2006 season shows what could have been if he had stayed healthy – a 1.37 ERA and 38 saves.
5. Billy Koch – As a 24-year-old, Koch debuted in 1999 and recorded 31 saves for the Jays and a total of 130 for the club in his first three seasons. His control got the better of him and Koch was shipped off to Oakland for the 2002 season.
6. Jason Frasor – The all-time pitching appearances leader in Jays history, Frasor was the club’s closer in 2004 and 2009 earning 17 and 11 saves respectively. While more of a middle reliever, he was on the mound often enough in the ninth inning.
7. Kelvim Escobar – This fireballer was consistently switched between the starting rotation and the bullpen except for 2002, when he nailed down 38 saves despite a 4.27 ERA and 44 walks in 78 innings.
8. Kevin Gregg – Here in Toronto for one season in 2010, Gregg earned 37 saves – and most of them were not easy with 30 walks in 59 innings.
9. Randy Myers – Signed to a three-year, $18 million deal in the fall of 1997, Myers earned 28 saves with a 4.46 ERA during the 1998 season before the Blue Jays were able to swindle the Padres into taking the remaining years and money on the contract.