The Oakland A's bullpen continues to be one of the best stories of the year for an otherwise disappointing team, and that story gained a whole new chapter on Monday. Ryan Dull, who entered the season as the last guy in the pen, set an MLB record by stranding his first 36 inherited runners of the season.
When judging the performances of pitchers, it's natural to turn to their ERA as a starting point. However, that stat contains a major blind spot when it comes to relievers, since their job often requires them to enter the game with runners already on base.