Editing Relief pitcher (section)

===Closer era===
[[File:Red_Sox_Bullpen_Cart_(7224550882).jpg|right|thumb|The [[bullpen car]] used by the [[Boston Red Sox]] to cart relievers into games]]
Relievers became more respected in the 1970s, and their pay increased due to [[free agency]]. All teams began having a [[closer (baseball)|closer]].<ref name=zimniuch_p80>[[#zimniuch|Zimniuch 2010]], p. 80.</ref> The 1980s were the first time in MLB that the number of saves outnumbered [[complete game]]s. In 1995, there were nearly four saves for every complete game.<ref>[[#zimniuch|Zimniuch 2010]], p. 129.</ref> It is unclear whether the specialization and reliance on relief pitchers led to [[pitch count]]s and fewer complete games, or whether pitch counts led to greater use of relievers.<ref>[[#zimniuch|Zimniuch 2010]], p. 78.</ref>

As closers were reduced to one-inning specialists, [[setup pitcher|setup men]] and [[middle reliever]]s became more prominent.<ref>[[#zimniuch|Zimniuch 2010]], pp. 168–9.</ref>

In past decades, the relief pitcher was merely an ex-starter who came into a game upon the injury, ineffectiveness, or fatigue of the starting pitcher. The [[bullpen]] was for old starters who had lost the ability to throw effectively. Many of these pitchers would be able to flourish in this diminished role. Those such as [[Dennis Eckersley]], as with many others, actually prolonged their tapering careers and often sparked them to new life. The added rest to their arms as well as the lessened exposure of their abilities became an advantage many would learn to capitalize on. Because these pitchers only faced some batters once a season, the opposing side would have greater difficulty preparing to face relief pitchers.

Recently, being a relief pitcher has become more of a career, rather than a reduced position. Many of today's top prospects are considered mainly for their relief pitching skills.<ref>[[#zimniuch|Zimniuch 2010]], p. 161.</ref> In the quest for a managerial edge, managers as time goes on have carried more pitchers in the bullpen, and used them in more specialized situations.  Acknowledgment of the [[platoon system|platoon]] edge has prompted managers to ensure that opposing lefty hitters face as many lefty pitchers as possible, and that the same occur with respect to righty hitters and pitchers.  [[Tony La Russa]] was particularly well known for making frequent pitching changes on this basis.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/tom_verducci/10/31/tony.la.russa.retires/index.html |title=Tony la Russa changed the game and now he leaves it on top - Tom Verducci - SI.com |access-date=October 25, 2012 |archive-date=October 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006065856/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/tom_verducci/10/31/tony.la.russa.retires/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

When [[Mike Marshall (pitcher)|Mike Marshall]] set the all-time record with 106 games pitched in 1974, he threw 208.1 [[inning]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/marshmi01.shtml|title=Mike Marshall Stats - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>  Currently, although some relievers still do appear in a large number of games per season, the workload for each individual pitcher has been much reduced.  Since 2008, [[Pedro Feliciano]] has three of the top four seasons in games pitched, with 92, 88 and 86.  However, Feliciano only averaged 58 innings pitched during those seasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/RZ1bT|title=For single seasons, From 2008 to 2012, sorted by greatest Games Played: Results - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> The last pitcher to throw 100 or more innings in a season without starting a game was [[Scott Proctor]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/hlV6i|title=For single seasons, From 2006 to 2012, (requiring IP≥100 and At least 100% games in relief), sorted by greatest Games Played: Results - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>

From the mid-2010s onward, MLB teams have given relievers an increasing number of innings at the expense of starters, due to the baseball game moving towards higher variance, and a flexible bullpen does give the manager more options of defending against high risk offensive strategies. In response, some teams have allocated funds and made trades to create a "super bullpen", nonetheless this is no guarantee of success since the performance of relief pitchers has been shown to fluctuate much more wildly than starting pitchers. For instance the 2016 and 2017 [[Cleveland Indians]] had the strongest bullpen in the league, however their bullpen in 2018 struggled and the Indians won their division thanks to the strength of their starting rotation.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23781702/the-cleveland-indians-bullpen-proves-baseball-gods-cruel |title = Cleveland's bullpen proves the baseball gods are cruel|date = July 11, 2018}}</ref> Similarly the 2019 [[Washington Nationals]] won the [[2019 World Series]] in spite of their relief pitching staff having the worst ERA (5.66) that season.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/washington-nationals-world-series-three-lessons-not-draw/ |title = Three lessons not to draw from Nationals' remarkable 2019 World Series win - Sportsnet.ca}}</ref>