Yankee rookie Dellin Betances is having a season so far that puts him in the company of some of baseball’s all-time great relievers. What seasonal pitching feat has been achieved only by these players?
Rk | Player |
---|---|
1 | Eric Gagne |
2 | Dellin Betances |
3 | Rafael Betancourt |
4 | Bruce Sutter |
5 | Mariano Rivera |
6 | Rollie Fingers |
7 | Tim Burke |
8 | Ted Abernathy |
9 | John Wetteland |
Hint: Betances will need to continue his strong performance the rest of the season to remain with this group.
Looks like I’ve stumped the panel on this one. The answer is that these are the only right-handed pitchers since 1901 to have a season with 80% of appearances in relief, 75+ IP and a ratio of ERA+ to WHIP exceeding 300. Betances’s ratio is currently at 347 times WHIP, so he has a good chance to still be on this list at season’s end. If he does, he will likely have the highest IP total for such a season (lefty or righty) since Bruce Sutter in 1977. More after the jump.