Their image is one of an unhittable, steely-eyed force of nature, and most baseball closers will admit to buying into the perception – complete with their own music when they enter.
Brandon League closes for the Seattle Mariners, and 72 games into the season, leads the American League with 20 saves. He is a tattooed, Mohawked “freak of nature,” according to teammates who are in awe of his 96-mph sinker.
And he plays with dolls.
Whatever League may be on the field, he is a delighted father off it, one who can dress a Barbie doll, help out in mock weddings and, given the chance, enjoy watching “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” on a rare off day.
League and his wife Sasha have two daughters – Skyler, 6, and Lexi, 4 – and are expecting a third child next month.
Clearly, he adores his girls.
“They give me different perspectives. We hang out together, we play a lot,” League said. “They’re interested in dolls and dress-up, a lot of role playing.”
Role playing?
“They like to pretend they’re princesses, that they’re getting married and having a wedding,” League said.
And the man mean enough to lead the league in saves participates in these girlish activities?
“Absolutely,” League said.
That may not fit neatly into the image of a closer, but League insists his family keeps him sane. As he said of his kids after a blown save last month, “They don’t even know I play baseball.”
“The time with them helps a lot, mentally,” said League, who then waved his hand at the Mariners clubhouse. “This is work. This is serious.”
League began the season as the interim closer for Seattle, a man holding down the job for injured David Aardsma, working the ninth inning for a team expected to finish low in the four-team American League West.
In 234 major league relief appearances before opening day, he had eight saves.
A setup man most of his career, League relies chiefly on two pitches, a hard sinker and a split-fingered fastball that reaches a velocity in the high 80-mph range. Sometimes from the dugout, it’s hard to tell the difference.
“He’ll throw a pitch that drops a foot and you’ll think, ‘That’s his splitty,’ ” Aardsma said, “and you’ll look at the scoreboard and it was 96 mph – so it was his sinker. Brandon goes right after guys, gets ahead of them and just keeps coming. He’s been great.”
Away from the mound, he is something of a free spirit with teammates, his Mohawk a shock of long hair when he’s capless, his tattoos a subject of much fascination when he’s shirtless.
“He’s a surfer,” fellow pitcher Shawn Kelley said with mock derision.
League began the season converting his first nine save chances, but closing is a tougher job than that.
“The key to that role is how you come back from tough, tough losses,” manager Eric Wedge said.
League crammed a season’s worth of agony into a six-day stretch of baseball that might have broken him.
On the final day of a homestand May 8 against the White Sox, League came into a 2-2 game, got through the ninth inning, then allowed three runs in the 10th and lost the game.
The Mariners fell to 16-19 that day.
After a day off to fly to Baltimore, the Mariners played a three-game series in Baltimore, then were scheduled to play three more in Cleveland.
“Worst trip of my life,” League said.
Usually, League takes Sasha and the girls with him. With Sasha pregnant, they didn’t make that trip.
In the first game against the Orioles, the Mariners took the lead in the 13th inning – and League blew the lead, the save and got the loss.
In the third game, the Mariners took the lead in the 12th inning.
League gave up two runs, blew the save, took the loss.
“Some guys say they don’t remember blown saves,” League said. “I do. I remember all of them.”
On to Cleveland, where the Mariners took a lead into the ninth inning. Wedge gave the ball to League – who allowed a walk-off, two-run home run with two outs to Travis Hafner.
Thanks to two days of rain, that was League’s trip.
A team on the brink of reaching .500 was suddenly 16-23 – and League had cost them four games in as many appearances.
Wedge gave his closer a few games off, then went back to him. That was 11 save opportunities ago, and League has gone 11-for-11.
What changed?
“Nothing,” League insisted. “Same pitches, maybe better location. Better luck with ground balls, maybe. I never lost confidence, but I got mad. Somebody asked me the next trip if I felt better than the one before …”
League laughed.
“Duh,” he said, shaking his head. “When you blow a save, lose a game, you remember. You want to face that team again, get a little redemption.”
On May 30 and 31 at Safeco Field, the Mariners and Orioles played again and Seattle won both those games. League saved each – and the Mariners climbed to two games above .500.
Today, League’s 20 saves have made him a candidate for the upcoming All-Star Game in Phoenix, which could become a family issue. Sasha is due July 20, but the couple decided to induce labor July 13 – during the break, so League would be there.
What if he becomes a first-time All-Star closer at age 28?
“I don’t think that far ahead,” League said. “It’s like with our new baby. We didn’t want to know what we’re having. We like surprises.”
larry.larue@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners
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