April 9 – Happy Birthday Graeme Lloyd
If you have been a Yankee fan for at least the past couple of decades, chances are that you agree that 1996 and 1998 were two of your all-time favorite baseball seasons. In 96 the Bombers weren’t picked to win anything and ended up winning everything, terminating a drought that had lasted for 18 years. Then two years later, the 1998 team put together the greatest season in franchise history. I don’t think it was a coincidence that the Yankees picked up Graeme Lloyd during the 96 season, just to get out tough lefty hitters in late-inning situations. By 1998, this 6’7″ Aussie had perfected that role and helped make the Yankee bullpen the envy of baseball.
The Yankee team of the mid nineties had a hunger and a team-spirit they have had a difficult time replicating. Veteran specialty role players like Lloyd, who had no ego and knew exactly what was expected of him, helped nurture this positive environment.
One of my all-time favorite ”weird” Yankee moments was when Lloyd charged the mound and threw one of the funniest looking punches I have ever seen at Oriole reliever Armando Benitez, during a 1998 early-season contest with the Orioles. Both team’s benches and bullpens had cleared after Benitez threw a pitch at Tino Martinez.
Lloyd also pitched for the Mets in 2003, in what was his last season in the big leagues.
You may or may not have the answer to this, but how old is the lefty specialist phenomenon?
-Mateo
http://mateofischer.mlblogs.com
Hello Mateo. The earliest specialist I personally remember was Jim Kaat toward the end of his career in the late seventies but I gotta believe there were others before him. I think prior to free agency, there was too much of a stigma attached to such a limited role for a pitcher. But I’m sure every Manager since the beginning of time has pre-selected a pitcher on their staff they would insert at a key moment of a game to get get a better match-up against an opposing hitter.
Ah, Kaat became a lefty specialist? Interesting,thank you for letting me know