In the beginning, there was a closer, and the closer was Hector Neris, and Gabe saw it was good and said it was good.
It’s important to remember this, now that the Phillies’ bullpen and Gabe Kapler’s use of it have become such sources of frustration and discussion. Kapler has generally tried to use his most effective relievers – Seranthony Dominguez, mostly – in the highest-leverage situations, and he has generally eschewed the traditional practice of assigning defined and immutable roles to the bullpen’s members. Who is the Phillies’ closer? Who is their eighth-inning reliever? Who is their long man?