St. Louis Cardinals: All-time top five Cardinals closers

Oct 18, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Fans in the bleachers cheer and wave rally towels before game six of the National League Championship Series baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

On Friday night, St. Louis Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal nailed down his 18th save of the season – putting him on pace for 40 for the second-straight season.

While finishing things out in the ninth is a sure-fire thing for this year’s Cardinals team, it hasn’t always been that way. On the other hand, some years have been even more sure-fire than in 2015, which is saying something.

Either way, it’s worth delving into whether or not Rosenthal even cracks the ranks of the best closing pitchers in organization history.

With names like Lee Smith, Bruce Sutter and Jason Isringhausen in the mix, Rosenthal faces a steep challenge in the minds of St. Louis baseball fans, despite his racking up 63 saves over the course of the past 14 months.

Without further adieu, here’s a look at the top five closers in St. Louis Cardinals history.

Next: Bursting onto the scene in a big way