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Emmanuel Clase looks like All-Star self in Guardians walk-off win over Minnesota Twins
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- Emmanuel Clase looks like All-Star self in Guardians walk-off win over Minnesota Twins
CLEVELAND — Lost amid the Guardians' 2-1 walk-off win over the Minnesota Twins on April 29 was the return to form of closer Emmanuel Clase .
While fans celebrated Kyle Manzardo 's home run to right to end things, Clase looked more like the two-time Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year and less like the 27-year old who struggled at the beginning of the 2025 season.
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"He's our closer," Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. "I've been saying it all year and I'm going to continue to say it."
Guardians reliever Emmanuel Clase has looked solid in his last two outings.
Vogt didn't need to reiterate it as much as Clase, who had been fighting discomfort in his right shoulder, showed it.
On April 20, Clase gave up four hits, a walk and three runs, all earned, in an inning of work against Pittsburgh during a 5-4 win.
What a week of rest has done for Emmanuel Clase
Guardians brass decided to let him heal a bit and put Cade Smith in the closer role while Clase recovered.
While it's just a small sample size, the returns have been solid.
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Clase pitched one inning of scoreless ball on April 26 and notched two strikeouts in the eighth inning of a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox .
On April 29, Clase (4-0) picked up the win when he came on in the ninth of a one-all game.
"Being able to have him out there, it puts a lot of ease of the guys in the field's minds," catcher Bo Naylor said. "Just being able to see him work, continue to go out there, pound the zone and be the guy that we've come to know in this game, it's huge. I was super happy for him."
Defense comes through for Guards reliever Emmanuel Clase
That feeling was probably mutual for Clase.
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Ty France put a runner on first with one out on a single to left, prompting Twins manager Rocco Baldelli to bring in DaShawn Keirsey Jr. as a pinch runner. Naylor threw out Keirsey trying to steal on the next pitch and Jonah Bride fouled out to end the threat.
That allowed Clase to work his fifth outing in the last six without allowing a run as the Guardians look to the right-hander to return to his All-Star ways.
"It was a great team win, defensively," Vogt said. "We obviously got the two homers (Naylor hit one in the third inning). It was a really fun game."
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @ bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Emmanuel Clase works second straight scoreless inning for Guardians
