Narratives abound in October. Often, these are baseballisms handed down from announcer to announcer, such as “players need to bunt more” and “small ball wins playoff games”, and their accuracy can waver depending on how nostalgic the source is feeling. One that consistently arises, though, is that relievers are pitching more than ever in October with each successive season.

Logically, this tracks. Teams are smart, maybe too smart, and have realized several things. Firstly, starting pitchers pitch better in shorter stints; they can max out a bit sooner and don’t have to face the three time through the order penalty. Secondly, relievers generally perform better than starters, as they can rip off nasty breaking balls and high-octane fastballs in short bursts without remorse. But is it true?

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