"It's not exactly revolutionary, but the high-flying Kansas City Royals are changing the face of baseball with the way manager Ned Yost uses his talented bullpen.
Other teams are adopting the successful formula, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if in seasons to come, it becomes the accepted way, just like today's widely used defensive shifts.
For the Royals, it's known as HDH -- flame-thrower Kelvin Herrera in the seventh inning, dominant Wade Davis in the eighth and closer Greg Holland in the ninth. Opponents better attack the Royals in the first six innings because with HDH, it's lights out. Each late-inning reliever has a role, and each is essentially a closer in his assigned frame.
Complete games are a thing of the past -- Royals starters have just two in their 128 games -- but I believe we're seeing an era where starting pitchers will be asked to go just six innings."
You're right: Is isn't revolutionary.
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