Yardbarker
x
Cleveland Guardians Lead MLB In Impressive Stat
May 7, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) is congratulated by catcher Bo Naylor (23) after earning a save against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Cleveland Guardians Lead MLB In Impressive Stat

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Tommy Wild  |  Last updated Jun 14, 2025 10:15 PM ET

The Cleveland Guardians' roster has its holes and weaknesses. However, there's one area in Stephen Vogt's squad that has been elite over the past two seasons: the bullpen.

Cleveland's impressive reliever core is one of the reasons the Guardians lead all of MLB in a notable category.

Codify Baseball on X recently highlighted just how well the Guardians perform in close games. Dating back to the 2024 season, Cleveland is 112-0 when leading after eight innings, which is the best record in baseball.

The next closest team to the Guardians is the Seattle Mariners, who are 101-2 in the same situation. Of course, Cleveland is currently playing the Mariners to start a three-series West Coast road trip.

Cleveland's success in late games largely hinges on the elite performance of their bullpen.

As a group, the Guardians had a bullpen ERA of 2.57 during the 2024 season, which, by far and away, is the best in baseball. The 2025 bullpen staff is more in the middle of the pack with an ERA of 3.74, but Cleveland's go-to relievers are still among the best in baseball.

The pitcher that stands out the most among Cleveland's core is obviously three-time All-Star Emmanuel Clase.

Even with Clase's struggles at the start of this season, he has a 1.39 ERA, 0.842 WHIP, and a 2.22 FIP during the 2024-25 regular season.

However, Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, and Tim Herrin have just as impact late in games and deserve recognition, too.

The Guardians aren't a perfect team, but with a bullpen as good as Cleveland has, they'll always stay close in tight games.

Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage


This article first appeared on Cleveland Guardians on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.