Bullpen Blues: The Unraveling of Cleveland’s Dominant Relief Corps
In a season marked by remarkable performances, the Cleveland Guardians’ bullpen stood tall as a shining example of excellence. Led by Emmanuel Clase, widely regarded as the best reliever in baseball, the quartet of Clase, Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, and Tim Herrin formed an unstoppable force that carried the team to unprecedented heights. However, as the postseason wore on, the weight of their extraordinary workload began to take its toll.
The Unsustainable Pace
Manager Stephen Vogt had no choice but to rely heavily on his bullpen, given the struggles of the starting rotation. The Guardians’ rotation, once a strength, was decimated by injuries and underperformance. Bieber, McKenzie, and Allen, all expected to be key contributors, were either injured or ineffective. As a result, Vogt had to lean on his bullpen to an unsustainable degree.
The Cracks Begin to Show
As the playoffs progressed, the signs of fatigue became increasingly apparent. Clase, who had allowed just two home runs during the regular season, was touched for back-to-back homers by Judge and Stanton in Game 3. Smith, whose fastball had been clocked at 96 mph during the regular season, saw his velocity dip to 94 mph in Game 4. The usually dominant Gaddis struggled with control, walking Austin Wells in the 10th inning of Game 5.
The Price of Overuse
Austin Hedges, the Guardians’ catcher, acknowledged the toll of the postseason on the relievers. “It’s exhausting,” he said. “You can see it in the past – there are plenty of pitchers who pitched a lot in the postseason and they come back the next year and they’re just not the same.” The words proved prophetic, as the Yankees took advantage of the worn-out bullpen to devastating effect.
The Bitter End
In the end, it was Juan Soto who delivered the crushing blow, homering off Gaddis in the 10th inning of Game 5 to send the Guardians packing. As the dust settled, the reality of the situation became clear: the Cleveland bullpen, once the team’s greatest strength, had become its Achilles’ heel. The price of overuse had been paid, and the consequences would be felt long into the offseason.
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