Trevor Hoffman is baseball's all-time saves leader. After the completion of the 2009 season, he has 591 saves. So he's pushing to become the first pitcher with 600 saves. And he's going to be doing it in a Brewers uniform. Trevor Hoffman’s entrance music is AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells”. I distinctly remember the first time that I heard it in person at Miller Park. It was Thursday April 30th, 2009. Hoffman had opened the season on the DL, so he was only making his 3rd appearance of the year and coming in for his second save chance. All the LCD displays went black, the lights dimmed a little, then “DONG!!” rings the first bell, and the crowd of 26,464 jumps to its’ feet in one unifying motion and the place erupts in noise. Then Hoffman slowly jogs in from the bullpen while the crowd rocks out. It sent chills down my spine with how unbelievably amazing the atmosphere was in that moment. It's one of those things that you have to see to believe, and no amount of explanation can replicate it. I'd offer to take you to a Brewers game at Miller Park, and if you play your cards right you might be seated next to me for a Trevor Hoffman save. But if that can't be arranged, I've provided the best quality video that I could find on Youtube (of his entrance, not from that night). It really doesn’t do it justice because like I said, nothing is like being there in person, but at least it gives you a taste of what this moment feels like.Entrance music is more common in wrestling, but there are a few players that take the field to some pretty memorable tunes. Former Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow had Metallica’s “Fuel” (because he was a flamethrower who sometimes hit triple digits) and current Brewers pitcher Todd Coffey sprints in to the WWF’s Ultimate Warrior’s theme music, but nothing is as iconic as Hoffman’s “Hell’s Bells.” You might be able to make a case for Mariano Rivera’s “Enter Sandman” or Rick Vaughn’s “Wild Thing” in the movie Major League, but "Hell's Bells" does it for me much more than those other songs. But of course I'm biased, because I get to hear that song and see Hoffman take the field many times during the year, and it just gets better every single time. And I count myself lucky to be able to watch this future Hall of Famer at least one more year as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.
On January 13 2009 the Brewers signed closer Trevor Hoffman to a one year deal. This was one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises that has ever happened to this team. Who would’ve ever thought that Hoffman would ever be playing baseball in anything but a San Diego Padres uniform? Everyone thought that he would retire with them (he did play there for 15 years) but San Diego was penny pinching and Milwaukee was in need of a closer after Solomon Torres retired. So they swooped in and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. And in 2009 he goes on to have one of the best seasons of his career – 1.83 ERA, 3-2 record, 37 saves (41 opportunities), 48 strikeouts and he made the NL All-Star Team. Apparently he enjoyed his time in Milwaukee (or the money was good) because he wasted no time signing another 1-year contract with an option for 2011 less than 24 hours after the season ended. With the closer locked down for 2010 and a bullpen mostly intact, Doug Melvin only had to worry about the starting rotation.
There’s a lot of debate on the importance of a closer in baseball and that the role is way overrated compared to 20 years ago. Anyone who says that has never been in the position where the game hinges on your performance. I hate to compare beer pong to baseball, but unfortunately that is the only “sport” that I have played that I can use as a comparison. I’ve played far too many games where my team was leading by 3-4 cups and we were shooting at just 1, but we ended up losing the game because we failed to hit the last cup and close out the game. A beer pong game is not over until that last cup is hit, and a baseball game is not over until the final out is recorded. Watch one Brewers vs Cubs game and you’ll know that all too well. I can’t rest comfortably (even if the Brewers are up 9-1 in the 9th inning) until the game goes final. If the starting pitcher goes out and throws a gem and the closer can't nail it down, then that starting performance is wasted. And when you only get at the best 5 spectacular performances from a bad starting rotation in a year, you can't afford to wasted any of them. That is why Trevor Hoffman is huge for our team.The biggest thing that he does is anchor down what looks to be another phenomenal bullpen. The Brewers finished 10th in the NL (16th in MLB) with a bullpen ERA of 3.97. While that certainly doesn't look like anything special, you have to consider that they pitched 544 innings, 3rd most in the NL. Since the starting pitchers only went about 5 innings on average, the bullpen was asked to cover the final 4 innings of every game. By September it looked like their arms were about to fall off and as a consequence the ERA's went through the roof. Hopefully with the addition of Randy Wolf and Doug Davis, who both should throw close to 200 innings each, the bullpen will still be fresh and effective during the playoff push.
But aside from anchoring the bullpen, his presence allows other players to slot (heh heh) nicely in the most effective places to make the most of their talents. For instance, either LaTroy Hawkins or Todd Coffey can set-up for Hoffman in the 8th, and whichever one doesn't will pitch the 7th. Mitch Stetter will serve as the left-handed specialist, and depending on how the rest of it shakes out, Claudio Vargas, Carlos Villanueva, and whomever the long reliever is will fall into their respective roles. Unlike in 2008 when Eric Gagne failed as closer and we had a closer by committee going on until Solomon Torres stepped up and earned the role, we don't have to worry about that this year. But the most important thing that Trevor brings to the bullpen is experience and veteran leadership. That is one of those things that you can't put an ERA, win total or price on.
Several players have spoken out that they are inspired by Hoffman's work ethic and his game preparation. If he gives younger players (especially pitchers like Stetter, Gallardo and Parra) advice through instruction, it's like having another coach on the team. Even if he doesn't verbally teach the players, they can still pick up important lessons from watching him go about his day to say business. His presence on our team is invaluable, and I hope that he is able to repeat that performance in 2010. You'd think that his body would start to wear down, and although his Spring Training numbers are less than desirable, Hoffman knows how to get in game mode once the calendar flips to April. Not much will change in 2010, as this old vet will once again put up age-defying numbers:2.12 ERA, 3-1 record, 35 saves in 38 chances, blow my mind with "Hell's Bells" for another year and record save #600 of his storied Hall of Fame career.
I've watched him do pre and post game workouts on the field, and it stuns me that he's in such good shape. I'd collapse in a breathing spasm after like 2 minutes if I tried to keep up with him. He was playing long toss with Todd Coffey in the outfield after the final game of the Brewers vs Tigers series in Detroit that I went to last year. I tried to get his attention so that he could toss me a ball, but he was too focused on his workout to notice me. Since the Brewers got swept, he didn't get the chance to enter the game. But being the workaholic that he is, he still went out there anyway on threw on the field. Except that the game was over. But that's just the kind of guy that he is.
I don't what kind of guy newcomer LaTroy Hawkins is. The Brewers signed him to a 2-year deal to add some more veteran presence in that bullpen. The only thing that I know about Hawkins is that he filled in for Jose Valverde as the closer on the Houston Astros last year when Valverde was injured. So I guess he's kind of a back-up plan to Hoffman if he needs a day of rest. But if that's all I know, I'm going to have to do a bit of research or write a pretty short article. I think I'm gonna go with the second option, since that count down to Opening Day is getting smaller by the minute. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!
- pookon -
www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com
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