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Cleveland Guardians Closer Passes Chicago White Sox Legend as Historic Run Continues

What a year it's been for Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase!

Brady Farkas

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) follows through on a pitch in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Progressive Field on Aug 13.
Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) follows through on a pitch in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Progressive Field on Aug 13. / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
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The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Texas Rangers 4-2 on Sunday afternoon as they continue to pace the American League Central. At 75-55, they lead the division by 3.0 games over both the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins.

Matthew Boyd pitched well again in the win, going 6.0 innings. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Boyd is now 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 16.2 innings. For a Guardians team that is missing Shane Bieber, who is out for the season with his own surgery, Boyd's contributions are certainly welcomed.

While Boyd did his thing at the start of the game, closer Emmanuel Clase did his thing at the end. The best closer in the game shut the door in the bottom of the ninth inning but striking out the side. He now has 38 saves on the season and a miniscule 0.60 ERA. While Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers) remains the favorite to win the American League Cy Young, Clase will likely get some votes as well.

He now has 149 career saves, which passed Chicago White Sox legend Bobby Thigpen on this all-time list, per @StatsCentre:

Most saves - Pitcher's first 5 seasons:
186- Craig Kimbrel (2010-14)
160- Joakim Soria (2007-11)
155- Billy Koch (1999-03)
154- Roberto Osuna ('15-19)
151- Jonathan Papelbon ('05-09)
149- @Cle Guardians Emmanuel Clase (2020-24)
148- Bobby Thigpen ('86-90)
146- Bobby Jenks ('05-09)

Thigpen spent nine years in the big leagues, including eight with the White Sox. He made the All-Star Game in 1990 and led the league in saves that year with a whopping 57. He also made 77 appearances that year.

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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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