CLEVELAND — Emmanuel Clase‘s career as a closer with Cleveland began with a major blemish. It’s been pristine ever since.
Clase became the club’s career saves leader on Friday night, notching his 150th in less than five seasons — and No. 40 in 2024 — as the Guardians outlasted the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-8.
The right-hander with the devastating cut fastball passed Cody Allen (149) on Cleveland’s career list. Clase has done it in hardly any time at all, and the 26-year-old only seems to be getting better.
Guardians first-year manager Stephen Vogt, who is asked nearly every day about Clase’s excellence, has run out of adjectives but managed to find another to describe Cleveland’s lethal late-inning weapon.
“It’s fun,” he said. “What he’s done in the short spurt here is truly special and I’m only here for five months of it. It’s just remarkable.”
That would certainly describe what Clase has done this season.
He has converted 27 straight save chances since May 20, the third-longest streak in team history. Clase is also the first Cleveland pitcher to record at least 40 saves in three straight seasons, and the first in the majors since Atlanta’s Craig Kimbrel did it four times from 2011-14.
The quickness of Clase’s ascent up Cleveland’s career list is even more impressive considering he sat out the entire 2020 season after being suspended for violating league rules by testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
There have been no missteps since, just fastballs, strikeouts and saves.
After giving up a leadoff homer in the ninth to Andrew McCutchen on Friday, Clase, who came to Cleveland in a 2019 trade from Texas, got three outs to make Cleveland history.
“He doesn’t get rattled. He doesn’t get shaken,” Vogt said. “He comes in and pounds the strike zone with really good stuff. I couldn’t be more happy for him and his family. There’s a lot that happened in this game, but tonight was Emmanuel’s night.”
Following the game, the Guardians saluted Clase with a champagne toast in the clubhouse and pitching coach Carl Willis presented him with a crystal plaque to memorialize his accomplishment.
“It means a lot,” Clase said through an interpreter. “It’s a good personal accomplishment, but I know those things come and go at the end. The real goal is to win the championship.”
Clase is also making a strong case for Cy Young consideration.
He’s allowed just five earned runs all season has as an MLB-best 0.71 ERA to go along with the league lead in saves.
The last reliever to win the Cy Young was Eric Gagné of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2003. Dennis Eckersley was the last AL winner in 1992.
Clase would be flattered to be in the mix.
“You don’t pay too much attention to that, but at the same time it’s good to be recognized in that way as pitcher,” he said. “I would love to be included in that conversation. Why not?”