Cleveland Guardians Rookie Joey Cantillo Makes History With Lack of Control

Joey Cantillo threw four wild pitches in Game 1 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees on Monday night, putting the Cleveland Guardians in an even bigger hole.

Oct 14, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Joey Cantillo (54) throws a wild pitch to New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) during the fourth inning the in game one of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Joey Cantillo didn't fare too great when the lights were brightest Monday night in the Bronx.

The rookie left-handed pitcher took the mound with two outs in the bottom of the third inning in Game 1 of the ALCS, his Cleveland Guardians already trailing the New York Yankees 1-0. Cantillo came in with the bases loaded, and he immediately let another run score by throwing a wild pitch past catcher Bo Naylor.

Cantillo walked Anthony Rizzo, then threw another wild pitch that resulted in another run coming across.

Although he eventually struck out Alex Verdugo to escape the jam, Cantillo walked Gleyber Torres to open up the bottom of the fourth. In the process of walking Juan Soto, Cantillo threw two more wild pitches that advanced Torres to third.

Manager Stephen Vogt finally gave Cantillo the hook then and there, but Aaron Judge capitalized on his mistakes by driving in Torres on a sacrifice fly.

Cantillo's final line was one earned run and three walks allowed in 0.1 innings, on top of his four wild pitches.

According to The Athletic's Tyler Kepner, Cantillo became only the second pitcher in MLB postseason history to record four wild pitches in a single game. The other is St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Rick Ankiel, who did so in Game 1 of the 2000 NLDS. Ankiel notably transitioned to center field a few years later.

No other pitcher in MLB history – regular season or postseason – had ever recorded at least three walks and four wild pitches in an outing that lasted less than an inning, per OptaSTATS.

Joey Cantillo is the only MLB pitcher in the modern era to have 3+ walks and 4+ wild pitches in an outing of less than an inning (regular season or postseason).

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 15, 2024

Cantillo fared much better in the playoff debut against the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 of the ALDS, notching one strikeout in a scoreless eighth inning.

After making his MLB debut on July 28, Cantillo went on to post a 4.89 ERA, 1.293 WHIP, 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.1 WAR across eight starts and one relief outing. He finished the regular season with four wild pitches in 38.2 innings, facing 163 batters along the way.

Cantillo matched that total in 0.1 innings against four batters Monday night, and the Guardians went on to lose Game 1 by a score of 5-2.

Game 2 of the ALCS is scheduled to get underway at 7:38 p.m. ET on Tuesday night. Tanner Bibee will take the mound for Cleveland, pitting him against last year's AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole.

Check out Fastball's full breakdown of the 2024 MLB Playoffs HERE, featuring schedules, brackets, matchups and more.

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