The Guardians' path to a long-awaited World Series begins with their dominant bullpen

CLEVELAND – Shortly before the first pitch, David Fry and Austin Hedges find their place on the Guardians' bench. Fry turns to his fellow catcher and imitates his manager.

Hey, how fast do you want to see Cade Smith? Second inning? Let's do it.

It has become a regular gimmick, with two players tasked with keeping their teammates relaxed, easy-going, and often cackling, mimicking their boss to relieve any pre-game tension.

There is a lot of truth behind the parody. For Stephen Vogt, a first-year manager coming off a playoff season, the Guardians bullpen is his best friend.

It should be Emmanuel Clase rebounding from an erratic year, with James Karinchak, Trevor Stephan and Sam Hentges picking up the slack until the ninth inning. Clase delivered one of the most dominant backup seasons in the history of the sport, but the other three spent most or all of the season on the injured list. Instead, a pair of rookies stormed through the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to help build baseball's best bullpen.

As everyone predicted, the biggest threat to the franchise's 76-year title drought is a cadre of inexperienced but fearless backup players named Cade Smith, Tim Herrin and Hunter Gaddis.

Cleveland's bullpen posted a 2.57 ERA, more than half a run better than any other team and a full run better than 25 other clubs. It's the fourth-lowest bullpen ERA of the Wild Card era, dating back 30 years, and this group has pitched 150 more innings than the one before it on this list.

With a lot of off days and a lot of urgency in October, the Guardians will lean on their bullpen early, late and often. They haven't won the World Series since 1948, when bullpens were the last resort, not the first line of defense.

Their quest to end their championship crisis begins with their stars José Ramírez and Steven Kwan fueling the lineup and Tanner Bibee leading the rotation. But it requires significant involvement from these relatively anonymous executioners in the bullpen. At least that's how any manager would do it.

“If I could do it,” Fry said, “I'd just say, 'Let's go.' Let's go to the bullpen.' They smell so good. It’s incredible.”

On August 11, Clase loaded the bases in the ninth inning of a game the Guardians desperately needed. On the visitors' bench at Target Field, Vogt's fear consumed him completely. At least until he focused on Clase and noticed how unmoved the seamstress was.

The Guardians had suffered a seven-game loss the night before. Their lead in the AL Central had all but evaporated. Clase was on the verge of disaster. But he didn't sweat, so why should Vogt?

“This guy didn’t even take a deep breath,” Vogt said. “He didn’t compose himself. He didn't flinch. He just stayed behind and hit 102 (mph).”

First, Clase won in an eight-point war with Willi Castro, who was eliminated on a 102.2 mph cutter. He then triggered a game-winning double play. Another scoreless frame. Another save secured.

Clase allowed one earned run after the All-Star break. Opponents posted a .392 OPS against him this season. He let the tension fade in the ninth inning.

The last time a Cleveland club had such an advantage with its pitching setup late in the inning, Andrew Miller was the reliever jogging to the mound as virtual flames filled the scoreboard at Progressive Field. Miller's barely lethal effort in October 2016 led the Indians to break their World Series losing streak by just one win – actually just one run. And he recognized what Clase and the current Cleveland squad could accomplish.

“Unbelievable,” Miller said. “His stuff is crazy.”

Clase can use that three-digit cutter and nasty slider more often. With the season on the line, there won't be as many restrictions, especially with rest days scheduled between Games 1 and 2, Games 2 and 3 and, if necessary, Games 4 and 5 of the ALDS.

Clase made just one multi-inning appearance this season, a two-frame cameo at Yankee Stadium in a late August clash that reeked of playoff baseball. He threw out the ninth pitch, returned to the dugout and assured Vogt he was fine logging another inning. He pitched the 10th, returned to the dugout and Vogt delivered a different message.

“He said, 'I can't go with three?'” Vogt said. “I said, 'No, absolutely not.'”

However, the rules are set to be broken in October.

Clase won't be alone either. Fry joked about calling out Smith in the second inning of a game, but Vogt will call on his primary stopper whenever danger arises. Smith became the first Cleveland reliever in a quarter century to surpass the 100-strikeout mark. His fastball was the deadliest pitch in the league this season, according to Statcast. He entered games in the fourth or fifth innings to neutralize opponents' threats. In close games he covered sixth, seventh or eighth place. He gained a lot of experience pitching more than one inning. And nothing ever seemed to faze him.

“He’s a machine,” said fellow assistant Erik Sabrowski, “in a nice way.”

Because of the eye-popping numbers Clase and Smith posted, Gaddis almost flew under the radar, hidden behind his bushy, auburn beard. Gaddis allowed an earned run in just 10 of his 78 appearances. (Only Oakland's TJ McFarland recorded more appearances.) He kept his ERA under 2.00 from late May through the end of the season.

Two winters ago, Herrin rushed to the back of a Lululemon store to answer a call from Cleveland's director of player development, who told him he would be added to the 40-man roster, earning him an invite to big league camp brought in. Now the team's primary left guard, he posted a 1.92 ERA in 75 appearances. He's evolved from selling equipment for runners and riders to slinging fastballs, curveballs and sliders. (Excuse me.)

“He’s such a quiet, respectful, reserved boy,” Vogt said. “As he said, very monotonously: 'We have this buddy in us.'”

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The bullpen has also sprinkled its fairy dust on new members in recent weeks. Sabrowski and Andrew Walters combined to pitch 21 1/3 innings in September. They allowed seven hits, had 25 strikeouts and didn't allow an earned run.

“'Sabrowski, go and make your debut. “Oh wait, you just won’t give up running,” Fry said. “'Walters, you look really unsettled, man.' He just says: (casual pitch), 98 (mph), you're out, see you later.' …Where do we find these guys?”

In January, three weeks before the official start of spring training, Fry, Will Brennan and Bo Naylor faced minor league pitchers in a live batting practice on a backfield at the club's complex in Goodyear, Arizona. The three were unfamiliar with Walters, a second-round pick last summer. Brennan went up against him, striking on three pitches and retreating to his two teammates. “That seemed quick,” he told them. They reviewed the data on an iPad and found that Walters threw 97-99 mph throughout the outing.

“Okay,” Fry remembers, “well, he’ll be good.”

Walters had been destined for the majors since the Guardians committed nearly $1 million to him. Sabrowski's path to the big leagues was far more implausible.

Shortly after the Padres drafted him in the 14th round out of Cloud County Community College (Kansas) in 2018, Sabrowski underwent Tommy John surgery. He was recovering when the pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor league season. He needed another elbow reconstruction in 2021. To get through it all, he turned to what he considers “a bit of dark humor.”

“My reaction to a lot of it,” he said, “was sick laughter.”

He considered quitting baseball and pursuing a career as a social studies teacher. In October 2022, after his recovery from second surgery hit a setback, he told his agent that he had lost his love for baseball. His agent, a Toronto resident, said he would fly to Sabrowski's home in Edmonton and “kick my ass if I quit.”

Could he actually do that?

“No,” said Sabrowski, who is listed at 6 feet tall and weighs 220 pounds, “but it was enough to help me.”

Sabrowski realized that the people in his corner saw his potential, even if he didn't have many opportunities to show it. The Guardians saw enough to take him in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft this winter.

He spent that summer wondering how he could penetrate a relief corps that had proven itself invincible. But there he was, spraying champagne twice in three days as the Guardians secured a playoff spot and the AL Central crown.

“Who has it better than me?” Sabrowski said. “I think so. For example, the first place team, popped champagne twice, best bullpen ever. It was incredible.”

Hedges and pitcher Matthew Boyd assured him that wasn't the norm. “This is not normal. The teams are not that close. “Teams don’t have that much fun,” Sabrowski said. “Teams don’t win that often. Think about what that's like. And one day, hopefully, when you're in the locker room as a vet, you can let people know that these are the expectations and this is how it should be.'”

A few months ago, Sabrowski was at Triple A recovering from a concussion he suffered when a catcher hit him in the back of the head while throwing to second base. Now he's preparing to pitch in October, and so far he's looked like he's up to the role.

This is a team — and especially a bullpen — that welcomes and sets expectations for young players. Fry can't imagine how they evolved.

“My first punch,” Fry said, “I'm like, 'Okay, how can I not look like an idiot?' Don't stumble as you walk to first base. Don't throw your club. Don't do anything stupid.'”

Smith, however, had five hits in two scoreless innings in his debut. Sabrowski struck out a pair of royals. Walters didn't allow a hit in his first eight appearances.

Such is life in the Cleveland bullpen.

“When they give up runs,” Vogt said, “we think, 'What happened?'”

Last week, Fry noted new scoreboard videos and animations at Progressive Field in preparation for the packed crowds and hectic atmosphere in October. He was standing next to Bibee when Gaddis walked in from the bullpen as “Hoist the Colors” blared over the ballpark speakers.

“Can you imagine him in the playoffs?” Bibee said.

Then they dreamed of Smith hitting Naylor's mitt with 97 mph heaters. They thought of Clase, who was no longer bound by strict pitch specifications. They considered how this Guardians team could best navigate October.

“Every single one,” Fry said. … “It’ll be really fun to watch.”

(Top photo by Emmanuel Clase: Jason Miller / Getty Images)