There is only one Sox closer, but not all games are decided in the ninth.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Andrew Bailey says he will transfer his closer's mentality to a new setup role.
When the Red Sox acquired Joel Hanrahan from Pittsburgh in the offseason, and immediately named him their closer, rumors that Andrew Bailey would be traded were quick to follow.
Monday's 8-2 win over New York offered evidence that the Sox were wise to keep him.
"My job is the same. Get outs,'' said Bailey, who struck out Kevin Youkilis with two on and two out in the seventh inning.
Manager John Farrell called it the biggest at-bat of the game. The Red Sox were leading 5-2 at the time.
In 2003, the Red Sox tried what was called "closer by committee,'' a poorly-defined mix-and-match use of the bullpen. The result was so disorganized that the term carries a negative connotation to this day.
The gist of the plan, however, was on display Monday with a twist. Hanrahan is the unquestioned ninth-inning closer and got the final three outs.
By the time he came in, the score was 8-2. Saves are not credited for seventh-inning work, but Bailey's effort validated the central theory of "closer by committee'' - that waiting until the ninth inning to anticipate game-deciding situations is often a mistake.
Bailey's willingness to accept a setup role has created a seamless transition. That is not to be taken for granted in an age where closers react angrily when they are bypassed for an occasional save opportunity - let alone replaced in their job.
Obtained from Oakland in a 2012 trade, Bailey arrived with questions about whether he could stay healthy and handle the brutal pressure of closing in Boston.
Neither question was answered with much satisfaction. Just before the season, Bailey required thumb surgery and was out until August.
When he returned, he blew three of nine saves. A three-run lead was lost in Tampa Bay, and in the final series of the season, Bailey lost a two-run advantage in the ninth at Yankee Stadium.
On Monday, he was out for redemption in the Bronx.
"I loved being in that situation again. The way my season went last year (bothered him). I want to show I'm capable,'' Bailey said.
If Bailey's 7.04 ERA last year was disappointing, the small sample size of 15 1/3 innings raises questions of whether fans and analysts were too hasty in calling his acquisition was a mistake.
Part of it might be the "closer's eye test.'' Bailey is a genuinely approachable person, with a boyish look that does not imply the ferocity a closer needs.
Mariano Rivera doesn't spit nails, either, and he's the best closer in history. Bailey has ranked competitiveness as his strength and says he has retained his closer's mentality in his new role.
"As a bullpen guy, you need that edge. You need to turn it on and get the job done,'' he said.
Farrell's respect for Bailey was shown when he did not call on his reliever for the eighth inning. Closers rarely experience the "up and down'' of pitching multiple innings, and Farrell does not ignore Bailey's pedigree if possible.
Farrell kept Bailey informed during the Hanrahan negotiations, so that the 2012 closer would not be ambushed by news he was no longer the ninth-inning man.
Both Bailey and Hanrahan started slowly in spring training. Hanrahan wound up the Grapefruit League with a 7.56 ERA, which he dismisses as meaningless.
Bailey whittled his spring ERA to 2.53. His one-batter outing Monday suggested that dismissing off his value, based on an abbreviated 2012 season, would be a mistake.
Even with Hanrahan aboard, the Red Sox did not do that. They seem to known that even with closers and especially in bullpens, every good committee needs more than one member.