'Game over': Emmanuel Clase has been a shut-down closer in 2024 thanks to his cutter usage

CLEVELAND — "We got a W incoming."

Once the Guardians reach the ninth inning with a lead and everyone in attendance at Progressive Field hears "Fireman" by Lil Wayne play over the PA system, they know Emmanuel Clase will soon be emerging from a door in the outfield wall to enter the game.

And everyone in the Guardians dugout, or on the field already warming up for the inning, is thinking some variation of the same phrase as what Triston McKenzie said above about a "W incoming," and that is whatever game Clase enters with a lead is already finished.

"Game over. I mean, that's my thought," said David Fry when asked what goes through his head as Clase enters the game with a lead. "He's special. I mean, there's not many arms that come around like him ... every time he's on the mound, you have a good feeling you're going to close the game out."

It would be difficult to fault the Guardians for that level of confidence.

Clase has been nearly untouchable this season, and he's only seemed to pick up steam in recent days. In 25⅓ innings, he's allowed just 16 baserunners and one earned run to go with 24 strikeouts and a league-leading 15 saves.

Oakland A's closer Mason Miller has unquestionably been the best reliever in baseball in 2024. Clase is just a step behind him and has by far the strongest case to be considered the No. 2 reliever in the American League this season.

First-year manager Stephen Vogt has the Guardians off to a tremendous start as winners of 33 of their first 50 games. He's made some moves that have worked wonderfully, like when he challenged Tanner Bibee during a mound visit instead of taking him out.

Perhaps the most stress-free part of Vogt's job, right now, is the decision to go to Clase in the ninth.

"It's so nice to be able to hand him the ball in the ninth and just kind of sit back and watch," Vogt said. "He's done everything that we've asked and more, and it's so fun to watch him out there just smiling when he's pitching, having a good time, and he locks it in."

Emmanuel Clase stats show he's using his cutter more in 2024

After a somewhat down 2023 season compared to his 2021 and 2022 levels, the reason for Clase's resurgence has been two-fold.

The first element might be the pitch clock. When it was implemented last year, it was a virtual lock that fellow reliever James Karinchak would be the first Guardians player to be penalized for slow pace. But Clase was another pitcher who felt the impact, and the Guardians believe a season of adjusting to it has allowed him to rediscover a pace that works for him.

"I think part of last year is that he was also a victim of some bad luck, and a big part of the early part of the season was adjusting to the pitch clock," said president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. "He always felt like he was being rushed, and that impacted less so his stuff but the pitch quality and his ability to execute. I think … that's no longer an issue for him."

Clase termed it more as finding a better "focus" while on the mound, in that he isn't thinking as much.

"I got to confess, when I'm in those situations, I don't even recognize myself," Clase said through a team translator. "I just only think about pitching and trying to get outs, and that's the only thing that goes through my mind."

The other adjustment involves his cutter usage. Clase has leaned on his cutter this season more than any year in the past, throwing it 81.6 percent of the time, according to Baseball Savant. His slider usage, which peaked at 38.1 percent in 2022, is now down to 17.8 percent.

"Just checked a little bit, the numbers, and I realized I've been a little more successful with the cutter, executing it properly," Clase said. "That's the logic behind [throwing it more]."

Vogt recently went to Clase in three consecutive games, which is possible with how efficient he is when on the mound. As long he's this dynamic, the Guardians will be giving him the ball and assuming that they have a "W incoming" as often as they can.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians Emmanuel Clase stats show he's throwing his cutter more