Fansided · Oct 13, 2015
Phillies Future Fires: Who Puts Them Out?
Back in the day, there used to be pitchers in the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen and those of other MLB teams who the managers would use as a “fireman”, someone who could put out fires created by a starting pitcher who had a rough day, or was getting into late trouble.
That fire could have come at the end, in the 9th inning. But it could also have come in the 4th inning. Usually when that “fireman” reliever came into the game, he stayed for multiple innings.
I’m not talking about an inning and two-thirds here. I’m talking about three, four, maybe even five innings. This pitcher was considered to be the relief ace of the staff, and was very much prized by the manager.