For months, Cleveland’s relievers have followed the same routine, starting every game with a trivia contest against each other. Topics can include world history, geography, and sports—no subjects are off limits.
“Just the first and second innings we’ll do it,” said left-hander Tim Herrin. “And then after that we have to lock in.” And lock down.
Here’s a recent trivia question: Who has the best bullpen in baseball this season? The answer is clear: Cleveland—and it’s not even close.
Led by All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, who had 47 saves and a remarkable 0.61 ERA thanks to his sharp cut fastball, the Guardians’ bullpen has become one of the best ever.
Cleveland’s bullpen topped the majors in several categories: ERA (2.57), batting average against (.203), on-base percentage (.276), slugging percentage (.328), OPS (.604), WHIP (1.05), hits per nine innings (6.53), home runs per nine innings (0.75), and games with at least three scoreless innings (60).
If there were stats for missed swings and the stress levels of opposing managers, the AL Central champions, who are set to play division rival Detroit in the AL Division Series, would lead those categories too.
In comparison, Milwaukee had the second-lowest bullpen ERA in MLB at 3.11, while the Guardians were nearly a full run ahead of the other AL playoff teams—Detroit (3.52), New York (3.62), Houston (3.66), Kansas City (4.13), and Baltimore (4.22).
The Guardians’ bullpen ERA is the lowest in the AL since Kansas City’s 2.55 in 2013 and the lowest for any Cleveland team since 1954 (2.52), a season when the team won 111 games and reached the World Series.
This group is both highly regarded and adaptable.
“They’re really, really good,” said Astros manager Joe Espada, who might face Cleveland and its strong bullpen in the ALDS. “They have good arms. They throw a ton of strikes. They give you a different look. Their repertoire is that they kind of have different stuff.” Their pitches are nearly unhittable and almost unfair.
Emmanuel Clase, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis, and Cade Smith made history as the first group of teammates to each play in at least 70 games and have ERAs of 2.00 or lower. Only one other team has had three players do this: the 2003 Los Angeles Dodgers.
First-year Guardians manager Stephen Vogt has relied on his bullpen all season, and that won’t change in the postseason when he might shorten games and use his relievers for most of the innings.
He has a valuable resource and isn’t afraid to utilize it.Vogt hasn’t ruled out the possibility of using his bullpen for an entire game this October.
“We’re going to take the same approach we’ve taken all year and that’s how do we win today’s game?” Vogt said last week. “Sometimes that looks like the bullpen’s coming in in the sixth. Sometimes it looks like they’re coming in in the fourth or fifth because the game’s getting away.
“We’re going to take it one game at a time. We’re talking through all kinds of different strategies.”
To test his bullpen and give his starters some rest, Vogt decided to use the relievers for a game last week. The results were almost perfect.
Cleveland’s bullpen carried a perfect game into the seventh inning until Herrin allowed a leadoff bunt single. Over two games, the Guardians’ bullpen retired 31 straight batters, achieving perfection and more.
As the Guardians know, any plans for the bullpen can change quickly.
Before the season started, Vogt, who was Seattle’s bullpen coach before joining Cleveland this winter despite having no managerial experience, knew he had an elite closer in Clase, now the team’s all-time saves leader.
However, Vogt wasn’t sure what other pitchers he would have. Then, during spring training, he faced challenges when right-handers Trevor Stephan and James Karinchak both got hurt.
These roster gaps led to open auditions, and as training camp went on, the Guardians discovered they had some strong, even surprising options.
“Obviously, we saw the arms we had in spring training, and we weren’t exactly sure who we were bringing to start the year,” said All-Star utilityman David Fry, who made two emergency relief appearances in 2023. “We were like — this guy deserves it. This guy deserves it. And a guy like Cade, we weren’t even sure he was going to make the team and he ends up being unbelievable.”
From the start. Smith found out he made the team just hours before the first game in Oakland, and in his first appearance two days later, he struck out five batters in two innings.
The 25-year-old ended the regular season with 103 strikeouts, and only two of the 36 runners who came to him scored.
“We always joke during games about how quick can we get to Cade Smith?” Fry said. “Why wouldn’t you?”
Everything hinges on Clase, who has been very reliable for months. At just 26 years old, there’s no one else like him in baseball. The right-hander has made 34 consecutive saves and became the team’s career saves leader in only four seasons.
Catcher Austin Hedges calls him “the best pitcher — ever.” “If we can get it to the ninth for Clase,” Herrin said with a smile. “We’re in really good shape.”
Of all his impressive stats, one stands out. Clase’s 1.67 ERA is the lowest for any pitcher with at least 200 innings since the stat became official in 1913.
