Josh Hader's amazing consistency as Brewers' closer allows them to avoid late implosions that plague other clubs
Tom Haudricourt
CLEVELAND – It often is said you need a short memory to be a successful bullpen closer in the major leagues, meaning you have to put failure behind you quickly with another game around the corner.
It might also help to wear blinders. The Milwaukee Brewers’ Josh Hader was blissfully unaware that two teams fighting it out for the NL East crown, Atlanta and Philadelphia, had bullpen implosions Thursday night although the Braves survived theirs.
“The only baseball games I watch are ours,” Hader said Friday before the Brewers opened a three-game interleague series against Cleveland at Progressive Field. “I love the game but I don’t love it enough to watch it on my spare time.
“I do watch highlights and stuff like that but I really don’t go out of my way to check in.”
More:At the top of the Brewers' postseason wish list: Seeing shortstop Willy Adames healthy again
Thanks to Hader and those who come before him, particularly Brad Boxberger and Devin Williams, the Brewers’ bullpen has been anything but volatile as the club has pulled away in the NL Central. Entering Friday, they were 64-3 when leading after seven innings and 67-1 when ahead after eight, with the only loss coming when rightfielder Avisaíl García missed a fly ball against San Francisco in the ninth inning.
“The way (pitching coach Chris Hook, bullpen coach Steve Karsay and manager Craig Counsell) run this pen, I think it’s special. When you have a role, knowing when you have the potential to go in, that makes it different mentally. You can prepare yourself for a situation or an inning, whatever it may be.
“You don’t have a fully defined role, but you know you’ll most likely go in, in certain situations. I’ve been able to get into more games. Health is the biggest thing for me, being able to feel ready each and every day, and be consistent.”
For Hader, those situations have been the final outs of a game. When he locked down a 4-3 victory Wednesday night over Philadelphia at American Family Field, he recorded his 30th save of the season in 31 chances. Combined with his 37-save season in 2019, Hader became only the fourth reliever in franchise history with multiple 30-save seasons, joining Dan Plesac (1988-89), John Axford (2011-12) and Francisco Rodriguez (2014-15).
Of joining that threesome, Hader said, “I think it’s pretty special. Obviously, the guys the Brewers have had in their pen, even coming up in 2017 and having the pen we had, I’ve enjoyed my time here. The fans and the team we’ve had each year. It’s a competitive group so it builds into that.
“This game is hard enough. With the data we have with hitters, and also what they have on us, I don’t like to stay complacent. There’s a lot of things to learn in this game, even if you’re having success, there are things that can help you improve. It’s just the next step for me to advance my game.”