Giants relieved to turn ninth inning over to Mark Melancon
SCOTTSDALE — Mark Melancon was coming off his worst season ever, a 6.20-ERA monstrosity with the Boston Red Sox in 2012 that included a demotion to the minors, when he joined forces on the Pittsburgh Pirates with catcher Russell Martin.
Their connection would change his career.
A life-long reliever, Melancon had developed a cutter in his second season with the Houston Astros but relied more on his four-seam fastball and curve. While those weapons served him well enough that he saved 20 games for Houston in 2011, they didn’t do him much good in Boston, where he gave up at least four runs in an inning (or less) four times.
Martin, a seven-year veteran and three-time All-Star at that point, had signed with the Pirates as a free agent before the 2013 season. He caught a glimpse of Melancon’s cutter and started calling for it repeatedly.
By the time Melancon was traded by the Pirates last July as his free agency approached, he was throwing the pitch about 65% of the time and had become one of the game’s elite closers.
“He just instilled confidence in me with that cutter; really helped me learn when to throw it, what we’re looking for in hitters, how to read them,’’ said Melancon, the San Francisco Giants’ new closer. “And then just being downright stubborn with throwing it. He would get mad at me if I wanted to go away from it, with reason. He was a great mentor for me.’’
Knowing he would be throwing to a similar receiver in Buster Posey was one of the reasons — along with a four-year, $62 million offer — why Melancon was thrilled to hook up with the Giants, who were determined to fill a gaping hole in their bullpen.
Posey’s offensive exploits — he’s a former batting champ and the 2012 NL MVP — often overshadow the defensive abilities that earned him his first Gold Glove last season. He has evolved into an expert pitch-framer, an especially valuable skill for a pitcher such as Melancon who lives on the corners and has long been known as an expert handler of pitchers.
Posey caught Melancon’s first bullpen session of the spring Tuesday as they seek to get familiar with each other before the All-Star catcher leaves the club in early March to play for the USA in the World Baseball Classic.
“When somebody really cares about who’s out on the mound and they take pride in how that guy does, that’s what I’ve seen here with Buster,’’ Melancon said. “He wants that guy to be so good, and he doesn’t want to take credit for it. Without him it’s a different story.’’
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The story of the Giants' 2016 season was all about their shaky bullpen, a major culprit in the club going from baseball’s best record at the All-Star break to a late entry into the playoffs as a wild card.
The Giants led the majors and set a franchise record with 30 blown saves during the regular season, nine times losing games they led going into the ninth inning.
Closer Santiago Casilla was responsible for nine of those blown saves and didn’t get the call as five relievers tried unsuccessfully to stem a four-run rally by the Chicago Cubs in the decisive Game 4 of the division series.
Only three times before in 827 postseason games had a team squandered a lead of at least three runs in the ninth. The Giants became the fourth, ending their season in an excruciating defeat that killed their chances of winning a fourth consecutive even-year World Series.
“All the talk about the bullpen and it just ended up happening like that,’’ said reliever Derek Law, who allowed a single to Kris Bryant leading off the ninth of that Game 4. “I mean, really? It was just like a little jab to the heart.’’
As a Pittsburgh native and resident, Law is quite familiar with the pitcher hired to prevent such future heartache. Melancon averaged 44 saves and a 1.93 ERA the past three seasons, mostly with the Pirates, converting 92.9% of his chances.
He also put up a sparkling 0.90 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) in that spell, likely sparing manager Bruce Bochy some of the cardiac saves he and Giants fans have endured during the years.
“Sometimes I was standing up in the ninth inning last year. I’m sitting down in the ninth inning this year,’’ Bochy said. “We’re in good hands there. He won’t be perfect; nobody is. But to have somebody of this caliber will make us a different club.’’
It certainly will be a different bullpen. Gone from last year’s team are three relievers — Casilla, Sergio Romo and the retired Javier Lopez — who were an integral part of San Francisco’s three championship seasons. The club made up for some of that lost experience by signing seven-year veteran David Hernandez to a minor-league contract Tuesday.
But it will be up to Melancon, who turns 32 just before the season starts, to stabilize the bullpen. Reaching 92 mph with his fastball, he does not fit the mold of the classic flame-throwing closer a la Aroldis Chapman, but Melancon induces a lot of soft contact and stands to benefit from the Giants’ superb infield defense. His WHIP did not climb above 0.96 in any of the past four years.
“I pitch with angles, I pitch down in the zone, I locate, I have movement on my ball, a little bit of deception,’’ Melancon said. “And I feel like I have a really good plan out there. It makes for a good mix.’’