Fastball

Cleveland Guardians Closer Looking to Make Baseball History in Incredible 2024

Emmanuel Clase is seeking to do something never done before in baseball history.

Brady Farkas

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) reacts after delivering a final out against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sept 11.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) reacts after delivering a final out against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sept 11. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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The Cleveland Guardians are looking to win the American League Central in 2024 and closer Emmanuel Clase is looking to do something never done before in baseball history.

Per @MLB on social media:

Emmanuel Clase is having a historic season
5 ER, 68.1 IP, 0.66 ERA
45 saves (leads MLB)

His 0.66 ERA would be the 4th lowest in a season of 50+ IP in MLB history

He is looking to become the first pitcher to lead MLB in saves 3 consecutive years since saves became an official stat in 1969

Sure, saves is a relatively "new" baseball stat but there's still nearly 60 years worth of data there, so it's incredibly impressive what he's done this year.

Clase had 42 saves in 2022 and 44 in 2023 before registering the 45 (thus far) this season.

He has a lifetime ERA of 1.70 entering play on Monday and is the most dominant reliever in the sport. He's been an All-Star for each of the last three seasons and is destined to get some American League Cy Young and American League MVP votes this year too.

The Guardians lead the Kansas City Royals by 4.0 games in the Central heading into play on Monday. They are taking on the Minnesota Twins in a four-game series at Progressive Field.

Minnesota is in the thick of the playoff battle themselves. They are 6.5 games in the division but are trying to hold onto the third and final wild card spot as well. Both Detroit and Seattle are 2.5 games behind them.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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