2019 Eck Award winner: Sean Doolittle

The 2019 Eckersley Rolaids Relief Man of the Year results could not have been any closer, with just one point separating the top two relievers, and the award coming down to the final day of the season.

Vancouver's Sean Doolittle snatched The Eck on the final day of the season, after the Iron Fist scored 5 runs in the last 2 innings for a 9-8 win at San Francisco. The 59 points could be the lowest ever for an Eck winner but the voting couldn't have been any closer with Craig Kimbrel just one point behind.

Doolittle becomes just the fourth pitchers to have two Ecks, after winning in 2015 as well. Francisco Rodriguez won it in back-to-back seasons with Philly (2007-08) and Newark's John Smoltz did the same (2004-05). Mariano Rivera of is the only pitcher with three, winning it with the same franchise in different cities (2012, Marietta; 2001, Stanhope; and 1999, Jerusalem). John Wettleland won it in 1996 and 1998 with Newark.

Points are compiled based on a combination of saves, blown saves, wins and losses. Two points are earned for each save and win while 1 point is dedicated for each blown save and loss:

1. Doolittle, VAN -- 27 Sv, 3 BSv, 6-4 -------> 59 points
2. Kimbrel, TUC -- 30 Sv, 3 BSv, 2-3 --------> 58 points
3. TCole, PHI -- 23 Sv, 5 BSv, 8-3 -----------> 54 points
4. Diaz, EC-LIV -- 19 Sv, 3 BSv, 8-0 --------> 51 points
5. Morrow, ALN -- 26 Sv, 6 BSv, 5-6 --------> 50 points
6. Dominguez, HBK -- 19 Sv, 4 BSv, 9-5 ---> 47 points
7. Strop, POO -- 25 Sv, 5 BSv, 4-6 -----------> 47 points
8. LeClerc, LIV -- 16 Sv, 6 BSv, 9-1 ---------> 43 points
9. Treinen, LIV -- 19 Sv, 2 BS, 5-3 -----------> 43 points
10. Hirano, PHI -- 16 Sv, 1 BSv, 2-1 -----------> 34 points

Left-handers have only won The Eck pretty much once a decade (Billy Wagner, Vancouver, 2000; Matt Thornton, Philly, 2011) but it's now the second consecutive year for southpaws after Andrew Miller of Sardine City won in 2018.

Kimbrel led the league with 30 saves and .909 save percentage. He moved into a tie with Trevor Hoffman for 3rd all-time in saves at 192, passing three other relievers along the way last season, including Troy Percival at No. 5 with 187.

Philly's Yoshihisa Hirano blew just one save for .941 save percentage but did not qualify, with only 17 save opportunities. Doolittle was second in the league with 27 saves but his 6-4 record pushed him past Kimbrel, who was 2-3 in relief. Edwin Diaz, traded from Empire City to Livingston, finished the year with a perfect 8-0 mark out of the pen.

Doolittle finished 6th for The Eck in 2018 after two seasons playing second fiddle in the Iron First bullpen to Andrew Miller, who was shipped to Sardine City. The lefty also led the league in games finished, with 57.

Relievers are a quirky bunch. Without saves, there's not much by which to rank them so let's recognize some of the unsung hurlers who had strong seasons in either aspects of the relief corps.

Will Smith of Vancouver and El Paso's Collin McHugh led the league in holds with 22. McHugh also led the league in blown saves (8), tied with Mychal Givens of Hillsborough.

Poovey's Pedro Strop led the league in inherited runners scored with .105 (4 of 38), followed closely by rookies Seranthony Dominguez of Hoboken (.107, 3/28) and lefty Ryan Yarbrough of El Paso (.118, 6/51).

Special recognition goes to Josh Hader of Tucson, who struck out 206 batters across 113 inning in 91 appearances. That's a new record for strikeouts in a season by a reliever, breaking the mark of 200 set by Marietta's Chad Green just a year earlier.

The lefty flame-thrower had remarkably similar numbers to his rookie campaign in 2018 in certain categories: 7 saves, 5 blown saves, 16 holds in both seasons, 6-6, 3.66 ERA versus 6-4, 2.32 the previous year, and 0.92 WHIP v. 1.05 WHIP.