Emmanuel Clase Showed Off On Instagram, Then Blew His Second Game In A Row
The Cleveland Guardians are just one loss to the New York Yankees away from starting their offseason. Despite a ferocious comeback in game four after falling behind 6-2, the Guardians gave up two runs in the top of the ninth inning to lose 8-6. And once again, it was their best pitcher, Emmanuel Clase, on the mound as the Yankees rallied.
It was the second consecutive time Clase entered with the Guardians either tied or in the lead. And the second consecutive appearance where his team was trailing after he left the game. In game three, Clase had two strikes on Aaron Judge before allowing a game-tying two-run homer. Then he allowed another homer to Giancarlo Stanton.
READ: Aaron Judge, Stanton Go Back-To-Back, Guardians Stun Yankees In Wild Game Three
The Guardians completed a miraculous comeback to salvage the game, but Clase's performance was heavily criticized. And he responded by posting a defiant Instagram video after the game, showing off some of his past accomplishments.
And then he did it again in game four.
Oct 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) reacts in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees during game four of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Guardians On The Brink Of Elimination After Emmanuel Clase's Disastrous Ninth Inning
With the game tied at six after Cleveland's incredible comeback efforts, manager Stephen Vogt turned to Clase again to shut down the Yankees and give the Guardians a chance for another walk off. It didn't work.
Anthony Rizzo led off with a 68mph ground ball single, then Anthony Volpe followed with a line drive single to center. A stolen base put runners at second and third, and Clase got Austin Wells to strike out. Alex Verdugo bounced a swinging 44mph bunt to short, which scored pinch runner Jon Berti from third, and Brayan Rocchio's throwing error meant Cleveland still had to get two more outs.
Gleyber Torres followed with another line drive single, giving New York a two-run cushion.
The Yankees closed out the ninth, despite some shaky relief pitching of their own, and moved to within one win of the World Series.
Not all of this can be blamed on Clase; he didn't surrender a single hard-hit ball, and two runners reached on grounders hit under 70mph. But there were few swings and misses, and the two line drives from Volpe and Torres were both clean singles to the outfield.
After surrendering just five runs all regular season, Clase's now allowed eight runs in six games this postseason. A 0.61 regular season ERA, and a 10.69 ERA in the playoffs. That's baseball. It's hard to fault Clase for wanting to stay confident after game three; there's little to be gained by giving up after one bad outing. But for fans hoping to see some accountability, a defiant attitude isn't going to play well.
This yet again exemplifies the problem with postseason narratives: Cleveland's biggest strength was supposedly their bullpen. Clase being a major part of it. Yet the Yankees have now scored five runs against him in just two appearances. There's no magic formula for playoff baseball; there's no way to guarantee anything or plan for an unhittable bullpen. Cleveland tried, and they're a game away from going home.