The prestigious Dennis Eckersley Award, named after the former Vancouver and Toledo star pitcher who dominated in the early 1990s, is given to the most astounding Relief Pitcher in the DMBL. A series of points are given to score a reliever's Eckersley standings. Two points are awarded for each save and each victory earned in relief and one point is subtracted for each blown save and each loss.

And the award goes to....

Troy Percival, Phoenix Dragons

The Dragons reliever has certainly seen his ups and downs throughout his seven year DMBL career. Percival started out as the top draft pick of the Norfolk Ewes back in 1996 and did not disappoint with a 2.87 ERA in 59 apperances and 14 saves and 145 strikeouts in 106 2/3 innings. He followed that season up with an even better 1997: 2.52, 19 saves in 62 games with 103 strikeouts in 82 innings. Then it all fell apart for the flamethrowing righthander. His first year in Hillsborough, Percival amassed an 0-7 record with a 10.41 ERA. The Destroyers had enough and shipped him off to Carolina where he continued his downward spiral. 1998 was the first of four straight years that Percival amassed 10 or more losses. It looked like Percival started to turn things around his first year with the Dragons in 200. He lowered his ERA to a respectable 4.48 and saved 21 games, but he reverted back to his old ways in 2001, and despite saving 20 games, Percival blew 10 games and compiled a 7.74 ERA and 7-10 record. But Phoenix didn't give up on him.

Finally in 2002, Percival showed why he was picked so high back in 1996. Percival tied with Stanhope's Mariano Rivera for the league lead in saves with 34, while blowing only 5 opportunities. Percival finished with a team-low 1.96 ERA in 73 1/3 innings and 87 strikeouts. He broke his string of 10-loss seasons with a 4-2 record. Percival was the anchor of the best bullpen in Dragons history, consisting of righthanders Jeff Nelson, Jim Mecir, and sidearmer Scott Sullivan. "Those guys gave me the confidence to just go out there and do my job" said Percival after saving game number 30. "It took the pressure off me when those guys would shut the door before the ninth for me."

For his career, Percival has 138 saves, 34-55 record, 4.74 ERA and 755 strikeouts in 623 innings and 472 appearances.

Last year's winner, Rivera came up second by three relief points. Vancouver's Billy Wagner, the record-holder for most relief points and saves in a season, came in third after a slow start to the season. A trio of converted middle relievers, Octavio Dotel of Arkansas, Felix Rodrigues, who split the season between Brooklyn and Newark, and Jeff Fassero of Tijuana were tied for fourth.

Percival's brilliant 2002 campaign ranks sixth all-time, tied with Austin's Jeff Shaw.