Indians’ bullpen has goods to join greats

thanks to terrific relief pitching. Here are some examples: OAKLAND ATHLETICS (1972)

Long before the concept of the one-inning closer, bullpens were run much differently. Rollie Fingers was Oakland’s star reliever of this era. In 1972 he went 11-9 with 21 saves in 65 appearances, pitching 111 1/3 innings, and Joe Horlen, Bob Locker and Darold Knowles also contributed. The A’s beat Cincinnati to win the World Series in seven games, with Fingers appearing in six and posting a 1.74 ERA. OAKLAND ATHLETICS (1989)

Tony La Russa’s 1989 champions were led by Dennis Eckersley (33 saves, 1.56 ERA), aided by Todd Burns, Rick Honeycutt and Gene Nelson. The A’s won it all in 1989, but Kirk Gibson’s homer off Eckersley cost them the previous year, and in 1990, Oakland was denied by another incredible bullpen … CINCINNATI REDS (1990)

Randy Myers, Norm Charlton and Rob Dibble — dubbed the “Nasty Boys” — formed a dominant late-inning trio for Lou Piniella’s Reds. Dibble’s numbers were particularly outstanding: 136 strikeouts in 98 innings and a 1.74 ERA. Cincinnati swept the A’s in the World Series. NEW YORK YANKEES (1996)

Before he became one of the greatest closers, Mariano Rivera was a setup man in 1996, throwing 107 2/3 innings and finishing third in the Cy Young vote. Closer John Wetteland was World Series MVP, and Jeff Nelson was also a factor in a six-game victory over Atlanta. ANAHEIM ANGELS (2002)

Francisco Rodriguez’s debut year consisted of 5 2/3 innings in the regular season, then the Angels turned him loose in the postseason. He struck out 28 in 18 2/3 innings during Anaheim’s march to the title, teaming with Brendan Donnelly and Troy Percival to form a championship-level bullpen. BOSTON RED SOX (2013)

Closer Koji Uehara capped an amazing season by allowing one run in 13 2/3 postseason innings. He was the ALCS MVP and had help from Junichi Tazawa and Craig Breslow. KANSAS CITY ROYALS (2015)

After reaching Game 7 of the 2014 World Series behind the relief trio of Greg Holland, Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera, the Royals won it all in 2015. An injured Holland was unavailable, but Davis and Herrera combined to allow one earned run in 24 1/3 innings.