Jeff Hanisch/US Presswire

Trevor Hoffman has 17 saves this season in Milwaukee, running his career total to 572.

By Orel Hershiser, ESPN

"Hells Bells" are as loud as ever. Even if they are now ringing in Milwaukee instead of San Diego, the song still blares when Trevor Hoffman exits the bullpen and heads for the mound.

Longtime Yankees closer Mariano Rivera earned his 500th save Sunday night, but he is still well behind career saves leader Hoffman (572), who has 18 saves for the Brewers this year after needing just one pitch to finish off the Mets on Monday.

Hoffman, 41, is still chugging along. One of the major reasons for his continued success is his changeup. That pitch was almost impossible to hit when he was in his prime, and it's still been hard to hit even in the later days of his career. The great thing about the changeup is that as long as you continue to reduce its speed in relation to a declining fastball, you can still be very effective. Some pitchers lose their fastball but can't get their changeup to match. If you throw a 90-92 mph fastball, you can usually figure out an 80 mph changeup. But if your fastball is now at 85-86 mph, can you throw a changeup around 72 mph? That takes artistry.

Three guys have changeups that were absolutely essential to their success: Hoffman, Fernando Valenzuela and Mario Soto.

Those guys absolutely mastered the pitch. It was not just a pitch in their repertoire; it was the lifeblood of their existence as big league pitchers.

It all starts with the grip, but the touch and feel for the pitch is what makes the real difference. Hoffman, like Valenzuela and Soto, understands and can execute that pitch unlike almost anyone else. The first level of the changeup is basically just a bad fastball. But the next level involves understanding how to throw it. You need deceptive arm speed, spin and movement on the ball. The ability to manipulate and locate that pitch as precisely as your fastball, slider or curve and throw it for a strike is extremely valuable.

Another thing that gets talked about a lot with Hoffman is his work ethic. He works hard and smart. As an older pitcher, he realizes the importance of staying in top condition. He is a dedicated athlete in great shape, but he understands his arm and actually doesn't throw a lot between appearances. He does other things to keep fit and saves all the bullets he can.

At this stage of his career, Hoffman doesn't fit the stereotype of the intimidating closer. But in the same way a hitter needs to adjust late in a game to a hard-throwing closer, a hitter needs to adjust to Hoffman's wicked changeup.

With any pitcher there is a risk of injury, and with older pitchers it can become more of a concern. Still, in my opinion, this won't be Hoffman's last season. Don't look now, but with his ability and dedication, I think 600 career saves is likely and even 700 is not out of the question. I think the bells will be echoing in major league stadiums for years to come.

Past Baseball Tonight Clubhouses: June 28 | June 25 | June 24 | June 23 | June 22

TOUCH 'EM ALL

Who went deep? Keep track of all the home runs hit each day on "Baseball Tonight" and on the Baseball Tonight Clubhouse page.

For more, check out the Home Run Tracker page.

Home Run Tracker
NAME	HR	OPP	PITCHER	SITUATION
R. Theriot, ChC	7	Pit	Duke	Top 3: 1-0, 1 Outs. None on.
C. Crawford, TB	7	Tor	Halladay	Top 3: 1-1, 0 Outs. 1 on.
J. Hardy, Mil	8	NYM	Nieve	Bot 3: 3-1, 0 Outs. None on.
R. Zimmerman, Was	13	Fla	Nolasco	Top 2: 0-0, 0 Outs. None on.
J. Drew, Bos	10	Bal	Berken	Top 4: 1-1, 1 Outs. 1 on.
P. Burrell, TB	3	Tor	Accardo	Top 7: 1-1, 0 Outs. None on.
D. Murphy, Tex	6	LAA	O'Sullivan	Bot 3: 3-1, 2 Outs. None on.

The complete list of Monday's homers

ON DECK: TUESDAY'S BEST MATCHUPS

Red Sox at Orioles, 7 p.m. ET

John Smoltz gives it another go after a rough Red Sox debut last week. Smoltz went five innings and gave up five runs -- including four in the first -- in a loss against the Nationals. His opponent, Rich Hill, has seen his ERA climb by nearly two runs (from 4.15 to 6.03) over his past five starts.

Mets at Brewers, 7:05 p.m. ET

Johan Santana has pitched well this season, but he has been susceptible to the long ball. Santana has given up a homer in seven of his past eight starts. Mike Burns makes his third start of the season; in his previous two, he did not last past the fifth inning.

Giants at Cardinals, 8:15 p.m. ET

Two former Cy Young winners meet, with Randy Johnson set to face Chris Carpenter. Johnson has won four of his past five decisions. Carpenter enters with a 1.78 ERA and .162 batting average against this season.

For the rest of Tuesday's schedule, click here.