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20 PLAY BALL BAY AREA NEWS GROUP T heychargethroughthe bullpen gate, often to the sounds of heavy met- al fanfare, always to em- brace the pressure. Yet most of the great closers in baseball history first slipped into the ninth inning through a side door . Trevor Hoffman was an infielder who swung a light bat. Same with Joe Nathan. Mariano Riv er a, a dece nt st ar ting pi tch - er in the minors, had no hope to crack the Yankees rotation. Robb Nen's shoulder couldn't withstand throwing 100 pitches. Troy Percival squatted behind the plate before he squinted from the mound. Kenley Jansen shed his chest protector, too. So many of baseball's elite clos - ers are made, not born. They are often failed or middling starters, too wild to be effective or possess- ing a mastery of too few pitches to survive facing a lineup multiple times. They often tote medical files that contain more red flags than a slalom course. No Little League coach takes the strongest arm on his team and reserves it for three measly outs. For so many who earned legendary status in baseball's most pressurized role, becoming a closer was a career save. "I guess that makes me a little different," Mark Melancon said. The Giants, who coughed up a franchise-record 32 save opportu - nities last season, were desperate to acquire a closer this past winter. Rather than find one through im- provisation, they gave $62 million to a rare soul who came to the role straight out of central casting. Melancon began life as a bull - pen fireman while a freshman at CHRISCARLSON/ASSOCIATEDPRESS