Emmanuel Clase picked up the save in the All-Star Game for the second time in his career. Since the save became an official stat in 1969, the only pitchers to record multiple saves are now in the Hall of Fame:
Prior to the save existing as a defined stat, Cleveland’s Mel Harder was the only pitcher to record multiple saves, in 1935 and 1937. Harder tossed three innings in each of his saves, though one was still a traditional save opportunity as the AL won 4-1.
Emmanuel Clase enters the All-Star break with 29 saves and a 0.81 ERA. He’s just the ninth pitcher in to record at least 25 saves with an ERA under 1.00 in the first half.
In 2023, Emmanuel Clase tied for the franchise record for saves before the All-Star Game. This year he’s broken it, picking up his 26th save on Saturday against the Giants.
Emmanuel Clase allowed his first home run of the season on Sunday against the Marlins, snapping his streak of not allowing a home run at 31 games. It was the 13th longest streak in team history by a reliever of not allowing a home run to start the year.
Emmanuel Clase in May: 9 saves, 0.00 ERA, 14 K in 13 IP
It’s the 42nd time in MLB history a pitcher had at least 9 saves in a month without allowing a run and with more strikeouts than innings pitched. The last to do it was Clase in September, 2022.
The only other Cleveland closer on the list is Jose Mesa in July 1995.
Emmanuel Clase’s 44 saves in 2023 were the fourth most in franchise history and also made him the first person in franchise history with multiple 40-save seasons.
Emmanuel Clase, who was named to the All-Star team for the second consecutive year, matched Joe Borowski‘s team record for saves in the first half with 25.
