Clase passes Allen to become Cleveland’s all-time saves leader
3:42 AM UTC
CLEVELAND — Emmanuel Clase‘s save on Friday night looked a lot like the other saves he’s recorded in his nearly four years with the Guardians.
The only difference was this one came with a little more history.
In closing out the Guardians’ 10-8 win over the Pirates at Progressive Field, Clase nailed down his 150th save with Cleveland, which is the new franchise record, surpassing Cody Allen’s mark of 149.
“What he’s done here has been special,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “I’ve only been here for five months of it, but it’s remarkable.”
Clase’s record-setting ninth inning was emblematic of his dynamic tenure at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.
After allowing a leadoff home run to Andrew McCutchen, Clase struck out Connor Joe with a wicked 91.5 mph slider. Then, Clase induced a weak grounder from Nick Gonzales, and lastly, Clase got Bryan De La Cruz to line out to first baseman Jhonkensy Noel.
“It was incredible to see one of the best hitters of our generation take him deep to the opposite field and then settle right back in,” Vogt said.
After the game, the Guardians celebrated Clase in the clubhouse with a champagne toast that featured some words from pitching coach Carl Willis.
“[It’s] fun to celebrate your teammates,” Vogt said.
Every 100+ mph cutter and primal game-ending scream is just a reminder of the masterclass trade that the Guardians pulled off to acquire Clase.
After Cleveland missed out on the playoffs in 2019, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and the rest of Cleveland’s front office decided to move on from longtime ace Corey Kluber, who won two Cy Young Awards with Cleveland but missed most of 2019 due to a forearm fracture.
That December, Cleveland shipped Kluber to the Rangers for a package of Clase and outfielder Delino DeShields.
While the other players in the deal didn’t produce much (Kluber only managed to throw one inning with the Rangers due to an arm injury and DeShields hit .252 in his lone season in Cleveland), Clase has turned into baseball’s best reliever, and perhaps the sport’s most dangerous relief arm since Mariano Rivera wore Yankees pinstripes.
“It means a lot. It’s a big personal accomplishment,” Clase said through translator Agustin Rivero. “I know that things come and go and the goal at the end is to win [a World Series].”
After Clase missed all of the truncated 2020 season due to an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance, he hit the ground running in 2021, posting a 1.29 ERA in 69 2/3 innings and ended up taking the closer’s job away from James Karinchak.
Clase jumped into a new stratosphere in 2022 when he posted a sparkling 1.36 ERA, led the Majors in saves (42), tied for the big league lead in appearances (77) and introduced himself to the nation by nailing down the save in the Midsummer Classic.
He once again led baseball in saves in ‘23 (albeit with a slightly higher 3.22 ERA) before putting together his masterclass this season. Not only does Clase lead the AL in saves (40), but he also has a minuscule 0.71 ERA.
He also nailed down a save in the All-Star Game, making him the fourth pitcher in MLB history to record saves in multiple All-Star Games, joining Rivera (four), Dennis Eckersley (three), and Bruce Sutter (two).
With Friday’s save, Clase became the first Cleveland pitcher to earn 40 saves in three consecutive seasons. He’s the first reliever in baseball to earn three straight 40-save seasons since Craig Kimbrel did so in four straight seasons with the Braves from 2011 through ‘14.
At the end of last year, Clase was able to realize some mechanical mistakes that he was making in his windup. After an offseason of working with someone close to him, he’s been able to become one of the most efficient pitchers in baseball. McCutchen’s home run against Clase marked the first time he’d allowed an earned run since July 7.
“It comes down to work and preparation,” Clase said. “I know what I can do on the mound, but the key is to not do too much.”
While Friday’s win featured an offensive eruption that resulted in the Guardians recording their second straight comeback win, their steadiest pitcher earned a moment that no one in Cleveland will forget anytime soon.
“There was a lot that happened tonight, but tonight was about Emmanuel,” Vogt said.