Guardians Clase: In A Class Of His Own

Emmanuel Clase (2022 AL LatinoMVP Reliever/Closer of the Year) did not see the mound in Game 1 of the ALCS, but his time is sure on the way - Image Credit: Bill Menzel/ Latino Sports

BRONX, NY — Five or six good innings from starting pitching and a few runs? Good enough to win a share of ball games? The Cleveland Guardians earned their AL Central division division title also with a bullpen that led Major League Baseball write-to-wire.

Attributed to their bullpen and a closer who has been perfect, a bullpen also a major reason why the Guardians advanced to the ALCS, winning the best-of-five division series over the young and surprising Detroit Tigers. Cleveland’s bullpen pitched to a 3.18 ERA with 37 strikeouts in the ALDS, 25.2 innings pitched, a remarkable stat in terms of a short series.

However in the postseason and short series it’s known, to win with pitching. And a bullpen that is stingy in giving up runs, as the Guardians have continued to accomplish, has been a catalyst to their success.

Though Monday evening in the Bronx the Yankees bullpen was better as Luke Weaver recorded his fourth save of the postseason. The Yankees took a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-seven ALCS with their 5-2 win. Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday evening in the Bronx.

But this was not a Guardians bullpen night. Their top closer Emmanuel Clase, MLB leader with 47 saves this season, and 2022 AL LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year, stayed loose in the bullpen. He wasn’t needed, then again the Guardians never had the lead. Beware, though, Clase will be ready Tuesday night.

“I feel the adrenaline is a little higher when the game is closer,” he said through an interpreter prior to Game 1. “You get that sense of comfort when you get those two, three runs. And what I notice, it tends to speed up a little bit when the game is closer.”

He said it is learning to remain focused when the game is close. He has that mentality of staying comfortable, success with a cutter has also been a part of his repertoire. He has been patient and admitted to watching Yankees Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, perfectionist of the cutter.

🇩🇴 Emmanuel Clase on pitching at Yankee Stadium, and the same mound as 🇵🇦Mariano Rivera: “I'm very happy to be here. I'm really proud to be able to be in the same place that he was, and the focus is to keep securing the pitches the way I have been doing it.”#MLB #LatinoSports pic.twitter.com/zXt71tOHNn

— Latino Sports (@LatinoSports) October 14, 2024

Though not compared to Rivera, Clase is that reminder of the Guardians who have a closer that can close the door in a tight ballgame.

And of course Rivera set records as a top postseason closer in leading the Yankees during their run of four World Series championships. Clase, though, is in a similar class as was those Rivera Yankees teams and bullpen. A Guardians bullpen that knows how to hold a slim lead and get the ball to their closer.

“I feel it comes down to time, being able to put in practice everything that you’ve learned and the experience,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of failures and things to learn from while being here. So I think the key is putting in practice all the lessons I’ve learned through the time and how I know myself a little more as a pitcher.”

Said Guardians manager Stephen Voght about his bullpen,”I think coming out of spring training we didn’t know. We lost Trevor Stephan and James Karinchak at spring training, so we lost our seventh and eighth inning guys from last year. We had a lot of guys that hadn’t been out there before. It seemed over the next few months, no matter what position we put any number of our guys out of the bullpen in, they all got outs and all did their job.”

And midway through May into early June, Clase got stronger and closed the door during those tight games. He has been able to pitch three consecutive days out of the pen, and in the postseason that is significant for the Guardians especially in this ALCS.

“I think somehow my body has adjusted to the rhythm of the season,” he said. “So sometimes when I pitch two, three days in a row, I actually feel more comfortable. I feel like I have more control over my pitches. I know it’s kind of counterintuitive, but I feel more comfortable the more I pitch in a short period of time.”

It is the Guardians’ way. And if they are to continue this run to the World Series, they have their closer.

In other words, the class is in session with Emmanuel Clase.

Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and contributor at LatinoSports.com – X (Twitter)@Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso

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