Yes. We're all over it here.
An interesting detail is that our old buddy Eric Gagne sent Cora a text about it. They were both on the 2007 team.
To which Slasher had one of the lines of the year: 'that trade for Gagne finally paid off'.
Let's take a look at some of those Koji numbers from 2013. They really are beyond incredible. I think it's the WHIP numbers that are the most mind-boggling.
July .391
Aug .364
Sept .286 !!!
ALDS .333
ALCS .667 not at his best! LOL
WS .429
In 2013 Koji probably had the best run of any closer in history, or maybe Rivera had a similar stretch.
When we say we don't want any drama from our closer, we're basically saying we don't want any baserunners. We don't even want any balls put in play, actually. An immaculate inning would be nice.
In the 2014 WS, Bumgarner pitched Game 1, 7 innings, Game 5, on regular rest, 9 innings, and Game 7, on 2 days rest, the final 5 innings. I would say it was fairly important to the Giants winning that Bumgarner started Game 1.
Yes, it's a bit risky. But saying it 'doesn't accomplish a whole lot' might be taking it a bit far. We're talking about trying to optimize our lineup in 3 World Series games. That can be a big deal.
I don't put a lot of weight on Butterfield's reaction. If it was a player it might be different. Butterfield was a member of John Farrell's coaching staff, as he was in Toronto, and I assume they're pretty tight.
When Pedroia said it's them, it's pretty obvious to me he was including Farrell. I think Farrell screwed up that whole retaliation thing.
So to me it's perfectly understandable Butterfield would be uncomfortable with the situation because of his allegiance to Farrell.
Price said throwing all those warmup pitches the night before actually seemed to make him feel better last night.
So on top of a great game, maybe he learned something useful about his preparation.