Emmanuel Clase joining Andrew Miller and Jose Mesa in producing one of the greatest seasons by a Cleveland closer

Maybe it's because he's appeared in less than half of his team's games (46 percent) and when he does appear it isn't for very long, but Emanuel Clase is quietly producing the greatest season of any closer in Indians history. It's a three-man race, and the crown will be Clase's unless he totally collapses in the last four weeks of the season. His competition: Jose Mesa (1995) and Andrew Miller (2016). It gets a little tricky with Miller, who in 2016 didn't join the Guardians until July 31 when he was acquired in a trade with the Yankees, but he was so overwhelmingly dominant in his 26 regular-season relief appearances that he belongs in this discussion. The importance of having world-class closing for a team with high aspirations is evidenced by the fact that two of the three greatest closers in Cleveland history — Mesa and Miller — both presided over trips to the World Series. Mesa and Miller both pitched for far more talented versions of Guardians teams than the one Clase is pitching for this season. But all three closers were at their nastiest when the lights shone brightest, except for Miller, the MVP of the 2016 American League Championship Series who was out of gas in the World Series and Mesa not in 1995 but in 1997 when ... well, let's not even go there. Let's instead celebrate three relievers who have been Cleveland's best when it comes to getting the three most important outs of the game — the last three. Mesa A failed starter (like most relievers), Mesa's career took off when Indians officials decided to try him in the bullpen in sort of a last resort. The rest is history — and misery. He transitioned to relieving in 1994 and in 1995 became a beast, going 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA and club-record 46 saves. He finished second to Randy Johnson in the Cy Young Award voting but, oddly enough, finished ahead of Johnson — Mesa fourth, Johnson sixth — in the MVP voting. Two years later, with Cleveland three outs away from its first World Series title in 47 years, Mesa ... well, let's not even go there. Miller The gangly, slinging southpaw almost single-handedly won the AL pennant for Cleveland thanks to Terry Francona's revolutionary usage of his unhittable left-handed reliever in the ALCS vs. Toronto in 2016. In four appearances in the ALCS, Miller pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks with 14 strikeouts. The Blue Jays' batting average vs. Miller was .120. Clase One of the legendary moments in All-Star game history came in the 1934 game, when Carl Hubbell struck out five future Hall of Famers in a row: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin. Another legendary moment took place in this year's All-Star game. With the American League leading 3-2, Clase came into the game and in the bottom of the ninth inning struck out the side on 10 pitches. The three hitters weren't future Hall of Famers — Garrett Cooper, Kyle Schwarber and Jake Cronenworth — but getting three strikeouts and a save on 10 pitches in the bottom of the ninth inning to end the All-Star game still looks pretty good on your résumé. That brings us to a comparison of the three greatest closers in Cleveland history in their historic seasons — Mesa's 1995, Miller's 2016 and Clase's 2022 (regular season only). Won-loss record: Mesa in 1995: 3-0, Miller in 2016: 4-0, Clase in 2022: 2-3. Earned run average: Mesa 1.13, Miller 1.55, Clase 1.09. Saves: Mesa 46, Clase (so far) 31, Miller three. (In 2016 Cody Allen was technically Cleveland's closer and had 32 saves, but Francona, in a revolutionary departure from standard bullpen usage, called on his best reliever to get the biggest outs of the game, wherever they might have occurred). Innings pitched: Mesa 64, Miller 29, Clase 57. Home runs allowed: Mesa and Miller three each, Clase two. Strikeouts: Mesa 58, Miller 46, Clase 59. WHIP: Mesa 1.031, Miller 0.552, Clase 0.659. Hits per nine innings: Mesa 6.9, Miller 4.3, Clase 4.8. Strikeouts per nine innings: Mesa 8.2, Miller 14.3, Clase 9.2. Walks per nine innings; Mesa 2.4, Miller 0.6, Clase 1.1. Average pitches per appearance: Mesa 15.0, Miller 15.8, Clase 11.5. Opponents' batting average: Mesa .216, Miller .139, Clase .154. Another comparison worth mentioning is each pitcher's age in their sensational seasons. In 1995, Mesa was 29. In 2016, Miller was 31. Clase is 24. Another piece of interesting trivia: At the start of play Wednesday, Corey Kluber led all American League pitchers in fewest walks per nine innings: 1.1. Clase doesn't have enough innings to qualify because he's a reliever, but he, too, is allowing an average of just 1.1 walks per nine innings. In 2019, Kluber and Clase were traded for each other. Contact Jim Ingraham at jingraham4@gmail.com.