It depends on how you measure it.
When Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 30th save of the season Sunday, it came in his 36th appearance of the season.
Only one player in baseball history (or at least that portion of it since saves became an official statistic in 1969) has needed fewer appearances to reach 30 saves in a season. Lee Smith recorded his 30th save in his 35th appearance for the Baltimore Orioles in 1994. (Dennis Eckersley also had 30 saves in his first 36 appearances for the 1990 Oakland A’s.)
But Rodriguez’s 30th save also came in the Angels’ 76th game of the season — that is faster than any other closer has reached 30 saves.
Mariano Rivera (2004 Yankees), Danny Graves (2004 Reds), Eric Gagne (2003 Dodgers) and Smith (1993 Cardinals) each had 29 saves in their team’s first 76 games.
F Rod? F ROD???? You know better. It’s K ROD
Frankie has had an amazing career thus far. No telling how good he;ll be and what his career stats will end up being. Good for him!
It’s interesting the way the shadow of Lee Smith always seems to loom over the current crop of closers. I think it’s time he became a member of the Hall of Fame. If Eckersley and Fingers can get in ( and deservedly so) Smith should also be worthy of inclusion.
f-rod??? f-rod is felix rodriguez. frankie rodriguez is k-rod.
Is anyone else bored with Angels baseball? It’s the same thing year in and year out, the Angels make the playoffs because they come from the smallest and weakest division in all of baseball, then choke in the playoffs? As far as Frankie’s record goes, doubt he’d be nearing a record if he didn’t get to play the lowly Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners and Oakland As so many times. Now that we have interleague play, it just makes sense to add the Arizona Diamondbacks to the AL West, and the Houston Astros to the NL West. That would put five teams in every division and make it fair. As it stands now, the Angels and Frankie Rodriguez are being given an unfair advantage by getting so many games against the pathetic Rangers and Mariners. Real baseball fans know I am right, most Angels fans fear evening out the divisions. Go figure.
Andrew,
No, no one is bored with Angels baseball. And if you’re keeping track (which you’re not), the A’s and Rangers are playing good baseball and keeping it close for the Halos. The Angels are 7-5 against the two divisional rivals (after demolishing the M’s, the preseason favorite).
And we all look forward to seeing this 2008 squad against any other team in baseball– especially as we’re a collective 8-3 versus the Red Sox, Tigers, and Phillies.
Enjoy watching those riveting Diamondbacks you seem so fond of? Chris Snyder… Mark Reynolds… awesome dude. And tell Justin Upton that his bags should be packed for Tulsa.
Oh Aaron, you’re such a good lil Angels puppet. Rex Hudler and the crew have brainwashed you into such a good mindless soldier. And I love how you chose not to address the fact that the Angels still get a huge break coming from the smallest and weakest division in baseball. Scared of a level playing field, Aaron?
Smallest division in baseball? Yes, the AL West has 4 teams. It’s definitely a break.
Weakest division in baseball? That’s Internet logic, the kind that needs no foundation. The division’s been about .500 all season and is just over that right now.
Bored with Angels baseball? I find the Moneyball teams much less interesting. Walks, though probably effective, are boring. These guys get to swing the bats and run the bases.
Um Richard, speaking of Internet logic, why don’t you check yours facts. The Angels ARE one of those moneyball teams you’re talking about. Check their 2008 salary and you will see they are among the biggest spenders in MLB. Bottom line is, if Angels fans TRULY believed their team was any good, they would push MLB to add a fifth team to the AL West. That won’t happen, though, because we all know the Angels cannot compete on a level playing field.