In Brad Boxberger’s first six appearances with the Rays this season, he pitched last. He pitched a clean ninth in a (team) loss, lost a game in the 10th, and pitched four ninth innings to earn saves. Typical closer activities.
In his seventh appearance, though? Wednesday night against the Red Sox, Boxberger took over in the seventh inning of a 5-5 tie, with the heart of Boston’s order coming up. He struck out the side. The Rays’ usual eighth-inning guy pitched the eighth, and – with the Rays having scored twice in the bottom of the seventh – their usual seventh-inning guy pitched the ninth and got the save.
Which is unorthodox, even for the Rays.
In 2014, Jake McGee earned his first save on the 15th of June. While he did occasionally pitch the eighth inning rather than the ninth afterward, he didn’t enter a single game earlier than the eighth.
In 2013, Fernando Rodney never pitched before the eighth inning, and in fact never earned a single Hold in the entire season. Same thing in 2012.
In 2011, Kyle Farnsworth never pitched before the eighth or earned a Hold.
In 2010, Rafael Soriano never pitched before the eighth or earned a Hold.
Make no mistake: Last season, Joe Maddon wasn’t locked into the conventional bullpen tactics. On the 20th of July, for example, McGee took over in the eighth inning with a 5-3 lead. He needed 29 pitches to throw a scoreless frame. Probably because of all those pitches, Maddon summoned Grant Balfour to start the ninth, and later Kirby Yates, who earned the first (and so far only) save of his major-league career. Maddon did roughly the same thing on the 8th of August: McGee pitched the eighth against the Cubs, then Boxberger pitched the ninth ... and blew the save, but earned the “win” when the Rays scored in the 10th.
But in five years, Joe Maddon never did anything with his closer like what Kevin Cash did Wednesday night.
Caveat: Brad Boxberger’s not officially the Rays’ closer, which makes it easier for the manager to do non-closer things with him. Jake McGee’s the incumbent, and is expected to reässume his closer’s duties upon rejoining the club at some point in the next couple of weeks. Will Cash use McGee in the seventh inning, if the situation’s just right? That will be the real test of his (and McGee’s) flexibility.
