Joe Sambito

Relief Pitcher
Brooklyn Superbas (STL)
1976-1990

When it comes to relief pitchers and the UL Hall of Fame, the term "separate wing" is  more like an outhouse. Along with the third base position, the relievers' "wing" of the Hall was an empty chamber until Eddie Mathews and Ray Narleski broke the seal in 1979, the 15th year of balloting. Narleski was far-and-away the best relief pitcher in the UL's first two decades, but it still took eight ballots for him to win a narrow election. All of which sets the stage for Joe Sambito's entry into the Hall of Fame ballot this year.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Long Island, Sambito was the 7th overall pick by the Brooklyn Superbas in 1976. In just his second year, at the tender age of 23, he led the league with 36 saves. Two years later, in 1979, he again led the league with 40 saves and a career-best 1.55 ERA. After his age-25 season, Sambito had already racked up 117 saves and well on his way to superstardom in the alternate reality, niche world of relief pitchers. Though he never again saved more than 32 in a season, he was a consistently solid closer who averaged 26 saves a year over the next seven seasons, including 32 saves and a 1.98 ERA in 1985. In 1987, at age 33, it looked like Sambito's career was winding down. Despite notching his 300th save early in the season, he posted a 5.45 ERA and just seven saves with the Superbas.

With his best days apparently behind him, he was dealt to the St. Louis Maroons, where he experienced a resurrection, posting a 0.44 ERA and four saves in 17 appearances and helping the Maroons to the 1987 World Series, where he had a 1.35 ERA in four games. The next three seasons—1988-90—Sambito earned 34, 23, and 27 saves, winning his first World Series rings in 1988 and 1989. In the '89 Classic he had a perfect 0.00 ERA in 4.0 innings and got the save in Game 4 as the Maroons completed a sweep of the Toronto Polar Bears. In 1990 he posted a 3.09 ERA and 27 saves in his final UL season. He pitched a year in Memphis and a year in Buffalo before retiring at the end of 1992.

But this is where Sambito's legacy gets interesting. At the time of his retirement a year ago, Sambito ranked #1 in games and #1 in saves, giving him strong Hall of Fame credentials. However, during the summer of 1993, not one, but two pitchers surpassed his lifetime save tally. On July 25, Atlanta's Steve Howe got his 395th save, pulling ahead of Sambito. Within two months, Montreal's Lee Smith had leapfrogged Sambito and Howe, taking over the top spot with 405 saves before the end of the season. Hence, Sambito now ranks just third in the save category, and his relative standing could diminish further in the years ahead as both Howe and Smith are just 34. All of which further complicates what was already going to be an uphill battle to become the second relief man in Beachville.

Bonus material alert! How many relief pitchers have been selected in the first seven picks of the rookie draft?
A:  Nine since 1969. Rollie Fingers (1969),  Pedro Borbon (1972), Don Hood (1973),  Bruce Sutter (#1 in 1976), Joe Sambito (1976), Tom Henke (1982),  Steve Olin (1989), Rheal Cormier (1991), René Arocha (1993). Of the nine, only Sutter  (234) and Sambito have surpassed 100 saves.  (TJS)