Saving the Eck: Dennis Eckersley's move from starter to closer extended his career.

THE ECK RECALLS HOW HE learned his days as a starting pitcher were officially history.

"They traded for Bob Welch and got rid of Jay Howell," explains Dennis Eckersley. "That's when I knew I'd be in the pen full time."

The year was 1988, and Oakland A's manager Tony La Russa was about to rewrite the basic rules of relief, utilizing The Eck in a restricted closer's role that has become the standard operating procedure of baseball, at least until a club can demonstrate there is another viable way to proceed. But there is no doubt where the idea of a strict one-inning, only-pitch-when-ahead-and-only-in-a-save-situation use of a so-called "closer" (a very modern term, by the way) began.

It started in Oakland with Dennis Eckersley, and 15 years later he has no complaints. By this time next year he could very well be in the Hall of Fame, and that was not exactly his career path when the 1988 season began.

"It was a hell of an idea, and I was the lucky recipient," says The Eck. "I was 32. Starting was getting to be difficult. I couldn't go six or seven innings, wade through all those left-handers any more. But just pitching one inning, my fastball came back. I was throwing like I was 25 again. One inning suited me very well. I never would have lasted if I had to pitch two or three innings all the time. Plus, I would have had my head knocked off."

To hear The Eck tell it, he had the easiest job in baseball. "A lot of the tough stuff was done before I got there, back in the seventh and eighth. Rick Honeycutt got the tough lefties out. The ninth inning was a platter job. Nice and clean."

Then again, to hear Eckersley tell it, he had the nightmare job of all time. "It's all on you," he points out. They just say, 'Go get 'em, pal.' If you blew one, people would say, 'Well, he'll just turn the page.' (Expletive)! When I blew one, I came back and ...