Guardians Believe Closer Will Use Rough Postseason Performance As Motivation

The Cleveland Guardians and Stephen Vogt are standing by Emmanuel Clase after rough 2024 playoffs.

Oct 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) reacts after giving up a home run during the eighth inning against the New York Yankeesin game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Out of all of the ways the Cleveland Guardians could have lost some of their playoff matchups last postseason, having Emmanuel Clase lose his command late in a close game was not one of them.

Cleveland's closer was fresh off of arguably the most dominant season from a reliever in MLB history and showed no signs of slowing down. However, Clase finished with a 9.00 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP, including giving up three home runs in the 2024 postseason.

Despite his struggles, Stephen Vogt is standing by his closer and believes this rough performance could actually lead to an even better season for him in 2025.

Oct 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) reacts in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees during game four of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images / David Dermer-Imagn Images

"I think for Emmanuel, it's just what it is. He had a phenomenal season," said Vogt. "We couldn't have asked for anything more from him. His demeanor never changed. His attitude never shook. He was the same person, of course, the results weren't there, but he still threw the ball great. We still wanted him out there in the ninth."

"I know Emmanuel pretty well after a year. I have a feeling that's going to fuel his offseason, and he's going to come back ready to go and even more so. He wants to be the best, and he has been the best. And outside of a couple of bad results, he had a phenomenal year for us. I'm really thankful he was taking the ball in the ninth inning at the end of a game, and he couldn't have been anything more for us."

Clase struggled quite a bit during the 2023 regular season and was even the subject of some trade rumors last offseason. However, he took all of that and used it as motivation to put together the best season of his career in 2024.

There's no reason to think Clase won't use the 2024 playoffs as more of a push to get even better in these high-leverage moments. We'll just have to wait almost a full calendar year to see what Cleveland's closer looks like in another postseason game.