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

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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

5) Todd Worrell, Closer – St. Louis Cardinals, 1985-1992

The first relief pitcher to save at least 30 games in his first three full seasons, Worrell is often overlooked when we look back at Cardinals closer history. And, to be honest, that’s a bit of a shame.

As a rookie, the right-hander was effective, raising the expectations for him heading into the ’86 campaign, where he racked up the innings, pitching over 100 frames of 2.08 ERA ball while earning a league-leading 36 saves.

In four full seasons with the Cardinals, Worrell hit the 30-save mark three times before leaving for the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he struggled before re-finding his form. Injuries de-railed his once-promising time in St. Louis, and, for the most part, he’s largely overlooked these days.

That being said, for a brief time, Worrell was one of the most consistent relievers in the league, giving the Cardinals a solid answer at the back-end of games.

Next: Things looking Rose-y in St. Louis

May 5, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (44) throws to a Chicago Cubs batter during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Cubs 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

4) Trevor Rosenthal, Closer – St. Louis Cardinals, 2014-present

I have no doubt that a decent chunk of you will be ready to get on my case for adding Rosenthal to this list after just one full season as the St. Louis closer, but, well, that’s life.

Since he broke on to the scene, he’s been good – very good. And that, in and of itself, is deserving of the No. 4 spot on this list.

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Rosenthal has been nothing short of dominant this season, posting a 0.67 earned run average en route to a league-leading 18 saves through the first two months. Last season, he struggled at times, but still racked up 45 saves for the Cardinals.

In his career with the Redbirds, Rosenthal has 66 saves, which already ranks as the sixth-best mark in franchise history, tied with Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley.

Yes, he’s young and he’s still transforming into a top-notch reliever, but one thing is for sure: he’s done more than enough to warrant mention amongst the Cards’ all-time greats.

Next: A little-known, mustached closer

Bruce Sutter. Mandatory Credit: USA Today Sports

3) Bruce Sutter, Closer – St. Louis Cardinals, 1981-1984

After establishing himself as a top-notch ninth-inning man on the North Side of Chicago with the Chicago Cubs, Sutter came to St. Louis ahead of the 1981 season and never looked back.

Over the course of his four seasons in St. Louis, Sutter finished over 200 games, including 127 saves. He averaged less than six punch-outs per nine innings, which wasn’t nearly as impressive as his Jason Motte-like beard, but, more often than not, he got the job done.

His best season with the Cardinals came in 1984, his last season in red and white, when he nailed down a career-best 45 saves with a minuscule 1.54 earned run average in 71 appearances. He racked up 122 2/2 innings of work that year, finishing sixth in the National League MVP voting, as well as third in the Cy Young race – but it would be the last time he pitched at such a level.

For Cardinals fans, at least they got to see him at his best before he tailed off quickly in his mid-30s as a member of the Atlanta Braves. As for this list, he wasn’t around long enough in St. Louis to warrant a top spot, but he’s definitely earned our respect for his work.

Next: Lee-ding the way

Lee Smith. Mandatory Credit: Steve Gardner: USA Today

2) Lee Smith, Closer – St. Louis Cardinals, 1990-1993

In just-under four seasons in St. Louis, Smith racked up 160 saves while finishing 245 games in the process. During his illustrious big-league career, the right-hander closed out 478 contests, which, to this day, ranks third all-time.

His best days came as a member of the Chicago Cubs, but you could make the case (fairly easily) that he was more effective with the Cardinals. How, you may ask? Simple. He appeared in 458 games for the Cubs, earning 180 saves in the process. With St. Louis, he needed just 245 games to hit 160 – an impressive ratio.

During the 1991 season, Smith set a new NL record, closing out 47 games for the Cardinals, finishing second in the Cy Young voting in the process. Leading the league in saves was something he became familiar with, as he did it in the National League on three separate occasions and in the American League once with the Orioles.

It wasn’t until the top man on this list came along that any Cardinals reliever topped his 160 saves with St. Louis, and for that reason, he comes in at No. 2.

Next: A run of success ending with a 'ring'

Jason Isringhausen closed things out during a run of historic success for the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Mandatory Credit: Redbird Rants

1) Jason Isringhausen, Closer – St. Louis Cardinals, 2002-2008

The run of success in the early 2000s put together by the St. Louis Cardinals was one that left little hope in the hearts of fans of other National League Central clubs.

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  • It was almost a forgone conclusion that St. Louis would win the division and take aim at the Fall Classic and it was with Jason Isringhausen at the back-end that the club experienced its greatest success.

    Reaching the World Series twice and winning it once with Izzy as the closer, St. Louis re-invigorated a fan base that had waned, at times, after the Home Run Era drew to a close and allegations poured in against slugger Mark McGwire.

    Ahead of the 2002 season, St. Louis signed Isringhausen as a free agent and changed the make-up of the bullpen for years to come. Over the course of the next seven years, the right-hander averaged 31 saves for the Cardinals, including a league-leading 47 in 2004.

    For the better part of a decade, the former Oakland reliever handled the late-inning duties for the Cardinals and manager Tony LaRussa, amassing 217 saves in the process – a franchise record that stands to this day.

    Next: Cards' Martinez strikes out career-high 11

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