Ever since Matt Barnes pitched his way out of the closer's role last month, the Red Sox haven't designated a closer as his replacement. Alex Cora has utilized a number of relievers to close out games, depending on usage, matchups and availability. Of course, more recently, a COVID outbreak hastened that approach. There were nights Cora had to make do with a group of journeymen, promoted from the minor leagues.
In the last three weeks, no fewer than five different relief pitchers recorded saves for the Red Sox -- Garrett Richards, Josh Taylor, Hansel Robles, Garrett Whitlock and Adam Ottavino. It's been any -- and all -- hands on deck.
That's fine for a team in good position for the postseason, especially one that's been bludgeoning teams at home, with infrequent save opportunities.
The presumption was, however, that, assuming the Red Sox got into the postseason, that would change, Higher stakes, tighter games and more formidable lineups would seem to demand it.
Or perhaps not.
Cora, asked about his plans to identify a closer for the playoffs, indicated that might not be in the offing.
"We've got to get there first,'' cautioned Cora. "That's the most important thing. Little by little, there's certain guys who've stepped up, the last month, month and a half. There's other guys who are starting to throw the ball well, too, which is important. I do believe everything starts with our starting pitching. If they go deep into the game, it's a lot easier to go to this guy, that guy and the next guy. But if we're short and we're very aggressive, we have to recognize where we are in the game. People think that high-leverage situations are only the eighth and the ninth. But for me, I look at situations from pitch one.
"If we like matchups early on, then we can bring in (Taylor) because we feel like we can be aggressive there, just like Adam (Ottavino). One thing for sure -- there's a lot of guys throwing the ball well back there. You've seen it the last 15 days. We've been going to different people, different guys and they've done the job. I like structure, but obviously, where we're at right now, I think we'll keep it like this and see where it takes us.''
The last time the Red Sox were in the playoffs, Cora handled the bullpen masterfully, mixing in his starters on off-days for big, late-inning outs. In the clinching Game 5 of the 2018 World Series, he opted for Chris Sale to close out the Dodgers rather than struggling closer Craig Kimbrel.
This, however, seems like a riskier proposition.
If Cora holds to the idea, it would be without precedent. Rare is the playoff team without someone specifically filling the closer's role. It's not at all uncommon for a team that reaches the World Series to change closers over the course of the regular season. In 2013, the Red Sox tried a number of candidates before turning at last to Koji Uehara, who proved to be almost unhittable in the role and remained in all the way to a parade of duck boats.
But it's highly rare for teams to enter the postseason without a closer in place for October.
The decision by Cora is all the more surprising since, after experimenting with Barnes in a roving role in the first few months of 2019 season -- whereby Barnes was brought in to the highest-leverage spot, be it the seventh, eighth or ninth -- Cora declared himself a fan of structure and more carefully defined roles. Now, he feels no need to do so.
"Not with this group, not now,'' said Cora. "I do believe with everything we've been going through, you talk to them and they say, 'When that phone rings in the fourth inning, everybody's moving around.' ''
The Sox bullpen is a group in transition. In recent weeks, Richards and Houck have transitioned from the rotation to the bullpen, joining Whitlock (currently sidelined by a strained pectoral muscle) as hard-throwing multi-inning options. Relative newcomers Robles and Austin Davis, both obtained at the deadline, have also gotten some work in high leverage spots.
But even if the Sox aren't confident in Barnes' ability to replicate what he provided in the first half, Ottavino would seem to be a logical choice to take over save situations.
Instead, the Sox are working backward, under the belief that they utilize can many of their relievers anywhere from the fifth through the eighth, before identifying a closer du jour based on availability and usage.
It's a risky strategy for a role that is usually defined by order and predictability. But having utilized it with success in August and September, the Red Sox are apparently willing to apply the same methodology to October.