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'That was a clinic': After a winding road this year, Joey Cantillo delivers for Guardians
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- 'That was a clinic': After a winding road this year, Joey Cantillo delivers for Guardians
CLEVELAND — It was a little more than a week ago that Joey Cantillo received the phone call to return to the major leagues after yet another stint in Triple-A. Since that time, he's delivered two outstanding outings that have played major parts in keeping the Guardians' playoff hopes alive .
He saved his best for Sept. 9, mowing through the Kansas City Royals lineup in a badly needed game as the Guardians try to chase down a wild card spot.
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Only two starts removed from being in the Triple-A rotation, Cantillo was dominant against the Royals, who are also desperately trying to track down a spot in the playoffs, tossing eight scoreless innings while striking out five and allowing only four baserunners.
It was Cantillo at his best, and it was delivered when the Guardians needed it the most. In fact, he worked quickly enough that it was a sub-two-hour game.
"I mean, that was a clinic on starting pitching right there," said catcher Austin Hedges , who helped Cantillo navigate the Royals lineup. "It's exciting, obviously, for Joey, but for the rest of us, too. We know exactly that he's capable of doing that every single night he pitches. So I know he's pretty excited, but I'm pretty close to as excited as he is."
Guardians starting pitcher Joey Cantillo delivers a fourth-inning pitch against the Kansas City Royals, Sept. 9, 2025, in Cleveland.
Joey Cantillo joins Guardians rotation as playoff race heats up
Last October, Cantillo, pitching in relief after a short start by Alex Cobb , was thrown into a difficult position against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS . This season, he broke camp in the bullpen and was then optioned to Triple-A to be stretched out as a starter. He was called up, sent back down, recalled and optioned again.
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"Obviously, this game is really challenging, and we all go through our ups and downs, and seasons aren't going to go how you want," Cantillo said. "That's something I'm working through every day, but I think every day I'm up here contributing to this team, I think that's really special."
Guardians starter Joey Cantillo throws a pitch in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves, Aug. 15, 2025 in Cleveland.
That winding road has led to his best two outings in the majors, and Cantillo now stands as one of the biggest reasons why the Guardians remain within striking distance of a playoff spot.
"That was some of the most fun I've had watching someone pitch this year," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "We saw the best velocity we've seen from him. … That was pitching 101 from Joey Cantillo tonight, and it was a lot of fun to watch."
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Cantillo averaged 92.8 mph with his fastball , a 1.4 mph uptick from his season average. Along with his go-to changeup, Cantillo has featured, in a more effective way, his curveball and slider.
Although the fastball-changeup combo still makes up a large percentage of his pitches — 76 of his 92 pitches Sept. 9 were fastballs or changeups — the curveball and slider being effective enough to be a concern for hitters has made the entire mix work.
"Yeah, just mixing it in," Cantillo said. "I think we threw a lot of fastballs, and obviously teams are going to look for the changeup sometimes, and I think just using that curveball as a weapon [has helped]."
It's also a matter of conviction. Upon being sent down earlier this season, Cantillo was given a message of being more aggressive. For Cantillo, in a way, it was a matter of getting out of his own head while on the mound.
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"Sometimes I'm thinking through at-bats and trying to [figure out], 'Hey, what is the hitter thinking, too?'" Cantillo said. "Today I did a better job of just saying, 'You know what? I'm going to leave that to Hedgie and just throw what's put down and throw with conviction and throw it aggressively.'"
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians pitcher Joey Cantillo becoming a key factor in wild card race
