NEW YORK – On Tuesday, Oakland A's manager Bob Melvin announced his team's intention to use righty Liam Hendriks as an opener for the AL wild-card game against the Yankees in the Bronx. Hours before first pitch Wednesday, Melvin further explained the strategy and suggested the Athletics never would have employed it if they hadn't seen the Tampa Bay Rays enjoy success with it first.
"It started with Tampa," Melvin said. "Everybody seemed to try to take a look at it and see what their benefits would be from it. Certainly our bullpen is our strength. So we're a team that looked hard at it and started to make some changes.
"I think it takes that first look to someone to do it, and then to see how you think it will go for you."
Aiming to optimize matchups and reduce the number of times a traditional starter – or "bulk guy," in the Rays' parlance – might face an opponents' best hitters in the same game, the Tampa Bay club used longtime reliever Sergio Romo as an opener for back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Angels on May 19 and May 20.
The Rays finished with 90 wins in the regular season, their surprise success drew attention to their unusual strategy, and teams all around the league followed suit. The Milwaukee Brewers will use an opener instead of a conventional starter for Game 1 of the NLDS against the Rockies on Thursday.
Asked to explain why relievers now pitch more innings than ever before, Melvin was unequivocal.
"It's numbers," the manager said. "Look at Houston: They've probably got the best rotation in baseball, and their guys are coming out after the sixth inning a lot. It's based on numbers after the sixth inning, and the impact relievers can have – especially power relievers.
"It's just a big change from (the starter facing an opposing lineup) the third time around to seeing a power reliever for the first time. It's the numbers."
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