The Cleveland Guardians picked up an important win over the reeling Los Angeles Angels to put a little bit of distance between themselves and the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.
They now lead it by a full three games with 23 remaining on the schedule.
After coughing up an early 4-0 lead, Cleveland went back on top in the bottom of the seventh.
The Guardians led 5-4 when they turned to Emmanuel Clase in the ninth.
Clase was dominant again and earned his 34th save.
In fact, since 2021, Clase has reached a new level of elite among his fellow MLB relievers.
He’s first in ERA, opponent OPS, and barrel rate, and second in home runs per nine innings, FIP, and ground ball rate.
Good luck.@CleGuardians | #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/BhSvzsbRPm
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) September 13, 2022
Clase’s Dominance
These are some amazing stats courtesy of Clase.
He’s been virtually unhittable since last season and has quickly emerged as one of the best closers in the game of baseball, even on the same level as guys like Edwin Diaz and Ryan Helsley.
His ERA for this season sits at a microscopic 1.34.
You can’t ask for much more than that from your closer.
The Guardians have been a pleasant surprise for many around baseball.
This is a team that had a ton of question marks entering the season.
A lot of those early concerns have been put to rest thanks in large part to the dominance of Clase.
The Guardians’ All-Star closer commands a presence whenever he enters the game.
Coming back against him is rare and incredibly hard to do.
Good luck trying to beat this guy if you’re the opposition.
He’s been a weapon out of the pen and will be relied on heavily down the stretch and in the postseason should the Guardians make it.
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