Nen is the master.(San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Robb Nenn)

With the Giants' cool-headed closer, the furniture is safe and so is a lead

There are certain things major league managers find downright scary--Pedro Martinez on the mound. Mark McGwire up with the bases loaded. Turn Back the Clock Day in Houston. But for National League managers the most disturbing sight of all may be watching Robb Nen jog out of the Giants' bullpen with San Francisco in the lead.

Check out the past year, beginning last June 5: Nen has converted 44 of 48 saves for a .917 percentage--easily the best mark in the majors. Yes, that includes Mariano Rivera, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Armando Benitez and Trevor Hoffman. Nen also leads relievers in ERA (1.79) and fewest runners per nine innings pitched (8.2). In his last 70 1/3 innings, he has struck out 104 and walked just nine unintentionally. Until he gave up three runs last Saturday at the notoriously hitter-friendly Coors Field, Nen had gone 92 straight appearances without allowing more than two runs, something no other current closer could match.

"That guy Nen, I hate to even see him warming up," says Felipe Alou, fired last week as manager of the Expos. "He's the guy you least want to see out there. There are guys out there who are going to get you saves. But the stuff this guy has is wicked. It isn't hittable I can't remember the last time that guy gave us a pitch where I could say, `Wow, we missed that pitch?'"

Nen is distinct in another way. He isn't a Fu Manchu-wearing, finger-pointing, glaring-at-the-hitter type of closer. He isn't a rah-rah, guy in the clubhouse after a huge win or a furniture tosser after a tough loss. If you made a list of the game's most colorful closers, he wouldn't even rate a footnote. If hitters are intimidated by Nen it certainly isn't because of his approach on the mound, which is strictly business-like.

"I think the way you get respect in this game is to go out and do your job," he says, "and doing it the right way to where people notice and say, `Hey, this guy is pretty good.' That's how you earn respect and get a reputation."

Sometimes, though, respect comes even when a closer doesn't get the job done. Last June, Nen blew save opportunities in two consecutive games. Afterward, he politely dismissed reporters from his locker, left the Giants clubhouse and started to leave the ballpark.