So long to Nunez

Strange to have emotion tied into an online league, but I find it satisfying that Oakland was able to take their first championship before we had to put Jackie Nunez out to pasture.

It would be hard to imagine him receiving much notice outside of Oakland, but for the better part of 16 seasons he provided exactly what you want in a middle reliever; he ate innings like a madman (8 seasons of 80+ innings, plus 2 more of 70+), was always available (8 seasons of 78+ games including an NOBL record 103 appearances in 2008, and the career record of 1,048 by a pitcher), and he closed out games whenever it was asked (46/46 SVO in 2016, 50 straight including the end of 2015/beginning of 2017).

Other than the amazing run of saves in 2016, he was never spectacular or dominating, but he finished out his career with a very respectable 1.23 WHIP. He was usually not the designated closer for the A's, even though he was probably the more effective reliever than his long-time teammate, Daniel Kellam. The Athletics often used both of them as setup men, with no designated closer and they would each close out 15-20 games on the year, but on his own Nunez probably would have been good for 300 saves over his career.

His postseason performance in 2016 as the A's ran to with a single game of the championship was remarkable as well, with 7 saves in 9 appearances, allowing 3 walks and 3 hits in 8.2 innings while striking out 8. He also played a crucial role in one of the more bizarre series endings ever, brought in to preserve a tie in the bottom of the 10th with a man on first in game 7. A sacrifice hit, wild pitch and a balk later saw the Dodgers head home with the championship, and ended what looked like Nunez's best shot at a ring.