SI

Guardians Closer Emmanuel Clase Had Such a Cool Custom Glove at MLB All-Star Game

Clase notched his second career All-Star Game save, joining some rare company.

Tim Capurso

Jul 16, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; American League pitcher Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians (48) pitches in the ninth inning during the 2024 MLB All-Star game at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 16, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; American League pitcher Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians (48) pitches in the ninth inning during the 2024 MLB All-Star game at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase made a statement during the MLB All-Star Game, both with his custom glove and his performance on the mound while helping the American League to a 5-3 victory at Globe Life Field.

Let's get to the glove first.

Clase, who hails from the Dominican Republic, wore a glove that featured the Spanish words, "La Kabra", which translates to "The Goat" in English, or in this case, "The GOAT", or Greatest Of All Time.

In addition to the transcription, the glove also included an image of an actual goat wearing a Guardians hat and rocking Clase's own dyed hair.

Clase, who leads the American League with 29 saves this season, then went out and delivered on the mound.

The Guardians reliever entered the game in the ninth and proceeded to light up the radar gun with his already-blazing fastball and cutter, as he averaged over 100 MPH with both offerings.

Clase struck out New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso, got Cincinnati Reds rising star Elly De La Cruz to ground out to second, then struck out Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds to end the game after San Diego Padres rookie Jackson Merrill reached on an infield single.

In doing so, Clase notched his second career All-Star Game save. He's just the fourth pitcher in MLB history, since saves became an official statistic in 1969, to record multiple career saves in the All-Star Game, joining Baseball Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley and Bruce Sutter, according to Sarah Slangs of MLB.com.

That's a La Kabra-type performance.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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