SAN DIEGO — Joe Borowski came in Monday night and the gloves came off.
The Indians’ closer led the majors in saves last season, and his own fans wanted to see anyone but him face the heart of Boston’s order.
They booed and hissed. Borowski knew he was in trouble, naked without his velocity. When he hit 83 mph with his first fastball, the Red Sox announcers wondered if something was wrong with their network’s radar gun. When slumping Julio Lugo smoked a double into left field, it was obvious Borowski was flawed.
Game blown, triceps hurt, Borow- ski was banished to the disabled list Tuesday, continuing a trend of closer meltdowns across baseball.
Trevor Hoffman has blown two saves. Takashi Saito dissolved before Dodger eyes Monday. Kerry Wood and Eric Gagne faltered in the same game, and Houston Street let a victory slip between his fingers in Japan.
Anyone can muff a save. Knowing when to throw out the life raft, however, is difficult. The closer is baseball’s quarterback.
“And everyone loves the backup,” Rockies bench coach Jamie Quirk says, “because he’s never thrown an interception.”
Making the switch requires a deft touch. Chemistry and fragile egos still exist in sports.
Fans had tired of swigging Dramamine for Borowski’s wobbly ninth innings. And Rafael Betancourt was a devastating setup man last season. If the leash is too short for Borowski, there will be players questioning the manager’s loyalty. If it’s too long, there will be players wondering about the manager’s sanity.
Betancourt takes over, and Borow- ski likely will never close again.
Those are dynamics that a manager has to consider when making a switch. The move has permanency. Think about it in terms of the Rockies. Brian Fuentes, Jerry Dipoto, Shawn Chacon and Jose Jimenez all lost the job and never regained it.
“The closer affects everyone else in the bullpen,” Rockies reliever Matt Herges said. “The other guys know their roles and have a real good idea when they are going to be used, and if you don’t know who’s going to pitch the ninth, it can get a little crazy down there.”
The ninth, regardless of what number crunchers say, is different. A walk is considered a rally. Palms sweat. Hearts crumble. Chacon told me he’s never experienced anything worse in sports than blowing a save.
It’s the field-goal kicker missing the last-second attempt.
In Cleveland, many fans got their wish. Will Betancourt be a good closer? It will soon be open for debate.
