Closer: Major League Players Reveal the Inside Pitch on Saving the Game
Neary and Tobin turn near-stenographers in transcribing large chunks of interviews to fill this collection of miniprofiles (three to five pages each) of 62 of baseball’s greatest game-saving relievers, or closers, past and present. Still, this is a fine idea for a book, since fans can easily compare and contrast eras and styles, from Pittsburgh Pirate pioneer reliever Elroy Face (1953–69), who routinely entered games in the sixth or seventh inning—unheard of today—to Mitch Wild Thing Williams (1986–97), against whom Pete Rose would wear a helmet in the dugout, to modern-day closers Mariano Rivera and Jonathan Papelbon. And those interviews, which the authors conducted with the relievers themselves or, for those relievers who have died, with a close teammate, do give veracity to the high-adrenaline, pressure-cooker life of a successful closer. --Alan Moores