The Cleveland Guardians hope they found their closer for years to come. The life of an MLB closer is much like that of an NFL kicker. When you do your job it’s par for the course, and when you don’t it is viewed as a failure. The back end of the bullpen can often make or break a team’s chances of winning the pennant or even the World Series, making their performance vital to the health of a contending ball club. During the regular season, their contributions can vary and be unpredictable but when someone is having a season like the Cleveland Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase is having, it deserves recognition even before the calendar turns to October.
Clase has been a top closer in the American League for many years and is a key reason why the Cleveland Guardians are sitting atop the AL Central and are one of the top teams in baseball. Clase is leading the American League in saves with 37 and is cruising through this season’s outings with a sparkling 0.64 ERA, having only allowed one home run. Though his whole season has been exemplary, the past four days have seen Clase do something rarely seen in baseball anymore. What did he accomplish?
A League Of His Own
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The Cleveland Guardians downed the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Tuesday night to clinch a win in the three-game series. The win came a day after the Guardians won 9-8. Both wins featured Emmanuel Clase shutting the door to secure the one-run victory. Clase went through the Chicago hitters with ease. On Monday night, Clase went 1-2-3 and needed only 11 pitches. Tuesday night saw the tying run get on base but get tagged out to end the game.
Clase’s mark on the series between the Cubs and Guardians has been prevalent but shouldn’t be surprising for the talented closer. Clase has been a bulwark in the Cleveland bullpen for the last four seasons, giving the team great security. He has been durable and consistent throughout his young career, perhaps explaining why first-year manager Stephen Vogt felt comfortable on Tuesday sending Clase out to the mound despite having done the same for the past three days.
It is not common for relievers to get four consecutive work days in today’s baseball climate, especially when it’s in high-leverage situations like closing out a one-run ball game. If there is anyone in baseball who would be qualified to do this however, it would be Clase. The 26-year-old touts a career 1.74 ERA and 0.91 WHIP, with 147 saves. His meteoric start to his career has drawn comparisons to one of the last shutdown closers to dominate the American League, Mariano Rivera.
Emmanuel Clase Career Summary
Clase started his career in Texas and Rivera toiled as a starter in the infancy of his career. Once these closers settled into their roles, their first four full seasons have been highly comparable. With a month and a half to go for Clase before his fourth full regular season with the Cleveland Guardians is in the books, Clase has an ERA of 1.74, compared to 2.14 of Rivera. Rivera had amassed 160 saves in his first four seasons, 14 more than Clase. Rivera has also thrown 7.1 more innings than Clase but struck out fewer batters. The Cleveland Guardians closer averages 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings, while the New York closer averaged 6.9.
Rivera may have been the last closer with enough cache to accomplish the feat that Emmanuel Clase was just able to do. Four games in a row is something that would be a great footnote for the career of some closers and relievers but Cleveland is hoping that Clase is going to help them in October, much like Rivera. All told, if this four-day stretch ends up being the highlight for Clase this season it would be a disappointment. It would also speak volumes, not only about where this Cleveland team is but about the talent and sensational arm that closes the door for the Cleveland Guardians.
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