Cleveland Guardians Closer Falls Short Of Incredible MLB History

Emmanuel Clase finishes in third place in the 2024 Cy Young Award voting.

Aug 2, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Emmanuel Clase was trying to do something the American League hadn't seen in nearly 30 years. That's winning the Cy Young award as a reliever. However, the Cleveland Guardians closer fell short of that accomplishment, with the winner officially being announced on Wednesday night.

Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal was the unanimous 2024 Cy Young winner, receiving all 30 first-place votes from votes. Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals was the runner-up finish with 14 second-place votes.

🚨 UNANIMOUS 🚨

Tarik Skubal had a no-doubt Cy Young season 💪 pic.twitter.com/Rx4RXxBoCF

— MLB (@MLB) November 21, 2024

That leaves Clase in third, with nine second-place votes, seven third-place votes, fourth-place votes, and five fifth-place votes for a total of 93 points.

Finishing first in the Cy Young race was a tall task for Clase and would've been a historic if he was able to pull it off.

The last reliever to finish third or higher in the award since Francisco Rodriguez in 2008. The last bullpen member to win it in the National League was Eric Gagne in 2003, and the last American League reliever to win the award was Dennis Eckersley in 1992.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase looks before throwing a pitch against the Detroit Tigers during the ninth inning of Game 1 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. The Guardians won, 7-0. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was always going to be interesting to see how the votes valued Clase compared to other pitchers. Obviously, he had an incredible season, but that came as a reliever, while the two players who finished ahead of him were starters.

This third-place finish shouldn't diminish what Clase accomplished during the 2024 season. He was undeniably the best closer in the game and had one of the most dominant seasons for a reliever in recent memory.