A JAL game is only 5 innings long and 1-pitch per at-bat. It's not hard for pitchers to throw complete games and that's why almost every team doesn't bother using relief pitching. Maybe a team like the Express, who have an excess of high-caliber pitchers, should though this season.
Earlier this offseason the Express acquired all-star pitcher Scott Coleman who's been the ace for the Wrecking Crew his whole career. The expectation is that Godinho and Coleman will rotate games and essentially split time at the position this season. If that's what happens the team will no doubt still be great, but is there a better way for the Express to get the most potential out of their loaded pitching staff? What if instead of giving Godinho and Coleman full games at a time they went with a starter-closer strategy?
In JAL, even the best pitchers really only have 2 good pitches at most in the rwepitware. What we're trying to say is that by the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings of the game, batter's aren't really unfamiliar with what they're trying to hit anymore. They've seen what's coming and it's now a matter executing their swing well enough to get a hit.
One big reason a starter-closer strategy might work very well for the Express is because of how different Godinho and Coleman's pitching style is from each other. Godinho's go to pitch is of course fastball whereas Coleman's is riseball. As we know, they're two of the best in the game at those throws, so can you image going 3 innings against say, Godinho's fastball, start feeling like you've got the timing down by the 4th inning, but then have to start facing Coleman's riseball which has a completely different movement pattern? — or vise versa.
That would be very tough to say the least.
Another thing the Express should consider is that when Godinho has given up runs in his career, especially as of late, it's toward the ends of games when he starts getting fatigued... Just look at last season's WWCD Cup, for example. Coleman on the other hand, has always had fatigue problems as a starter. Neither guy's biggest weakness is in their talent or skill, it's when their stamina starts wearing thin. A starter-closer game plan would probably not only be deadly to other teams, it'd also help the Express from beating themselves.
What do you think, should the Express rotate starters and let them try to go all 5 innings, or play with a bullpen strategy? If they try doing the latter it would at least be revolutionary in the JAL as no team has ever tried a starter-closer system.
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