First came the four-man rotation. Then the pitch-count limit of 100 pitches, which seemed to shrink constantly. The latest restriction being placed on pitchers is the most novel of all: start the game with a relief pitcher and bring in the starter after an inning or two.

The Tampa Bay Rays initiated this latest practice in May of this season. It wasn’t designed to preserve pitchers’ arms, as the other limits are, but it serves the same purpose.

The Rays and their young manager, Kevin Cash, deserve credit for their imagination and ingenuity, taking the team with the majors’ fourth smallest payroll ($77 million), to the eighth best won-lost record (86-68). Entering the last week of the season, the Rays had the same record as the American League Central champions Cleveland Indians and half a game better than the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

There may be some irony in the fact that the Rays have done so well with their revolutionary pitching scheme while having the best starting pitcher in the league, if not the majors.

Blake Snell, a 25-year-old left-hander, who entered his third major league season with an 11-15 record, has produced the most impressive pitching performance of the season, compiling a 20-5 won-lost record and 1.97 earned run average in leading the Rays to a surprisingly strong season.

Snell, a strong contender for the A.L. Cy Young award, understandably has been excused from the Rays’ innovative use of their starters. He has pitched in 29 games, starting all of them.

The Rays differentiate between starting pitchers and those who pitch an inning or two at the start of a game, labeling the latter group openers.

Snell started last Wednesday against Texas, pitching six innings in a 4-0 victory over Texas. Diego Castillano opened the next game against Toronto, allowing one hit in 1 2/3 innings. Ryan Yarbrough relieved him and pitched four innings, giving up three runs in a 9-3 win.

Ryan Stanek was the next opener in a game against Toronto, giving up two runs in his one inning of work. Yonnie Chirinos relieved him and shut out the Blue Jays for 4 2/3 innings, giving up only one hit, but they won, 9-8.

Castillan opened again Friday with only one day off between openings and allowed two runs in one inning. Jalen Beeks pitched the next two innings and gave up two runs but was the winning pitcher in the11-3 win.

The Rays did not use an opener in Saturday’s game. Tyler Glasnow started and pitched six innings, allowing three runs in the 5-2 loss.

Before the season began, the Rays did not plan to be revolutionary. They had four pitchers set to start: Chris Archer, Snell, Nathan Eovaldi and Jake Faria. However, Faria got hurt, and the Rays traded Archer to Pittsburgh and Eovaldi to Boston.

Of their 154 games before Sunday’s game, the Rays had used an opener 51 times. Their record in games started by openers was 42-31 (575). In games started by traditional starters, their record was 44-37 (.543).

Before his scheduled start against Toronto Sunday, Blake Snell had already established himself as one of two standout pitchers in the major leagues this season. The other is Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets. DeGrom, though, is one of the strangest cases in pitching history.

He leads the majors with a 1.77 earned run average and is second to Max Scherzer (only four behind) with 209 innings pitched. He is fourth in strikeouts. Among National League pitchers, his earned run average is more than half a run lower than the second lowest, Aaron Nola’s 2.44.

But – and it’s a big but – he has a 9-9 won-lost record. Many observers would not find that a problem. He doesn’t give up many runs, but the Mets don’t score any runs. DeGrom can’t be blamed for the Mets’ lack of run support.

The analytics crowd contends that wins for pitchers are overrated and perhaps even meaningless. But I am not ready to give up Warren Spahn, Hal Newhouse, Bob Lemon, Bob Feller, Jim (Catfish) Hunter, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver, Phil Niekro, Ferguson Jenkins and a bunch I have left out.

Obviously, deGrom is a special case, and allowances can be made for special cases. My grandson, whom some of you may know as this site’s former writer, Zach Kram, now writing for The Ringer, asked me if I would vote for deGrom for the Cy Young award. Without much thought, I said yes, and he was somewhat surprised because he knew how I feel about the importance of wins.

But now, with more thought, I say yes. Give me a performance like deGrom’s and no really serious challenger, I can be reasonable.