On Friday night, the Yankees pulled off a stunning win against the Guardians, marking their second consecutive game scoring multiple runs off Emmanuel Clase. While their efforts in Game 3 didn’t pan out as they hoped, this time they secured victory in Game 4 and are now just one win away from the World Series.
Clase, who was nearly untouchable during the regular season with only five earned runs over more than 74 innings, is now facing unexpected struggles in October. He’s allowed eight earned runs in just seven playoff innings, with half of those coming within a single day.
What could be causing such a downturn for one of baseball’s top closers? After examining his recent performances, there are several factors that might explain why he’s not at his best this month.
Cutter Changes
Clase heavily relies on his cutter pitch, using it almost 78% of the time during regular games. However, its movement has changed recently. In the playoffs, it’s breaking about two inches more horizontally than usual. Here’s how it looks month by month:
| Month | Cutters Thrown | Horizontal Break (inches) |
|---|---|---|
| April | 159 | 4.2 |
| May | 151 | 3.7 |
| June | 127 | 3.0 |
| July | 103 | 2.8 |
| August | 123 | 3.1 |
| September | 94 | 2.4 |
| ALCS | 28 | 5.1 |
This extra movement might be due to playoff pressure or an accidental change in grip or release point—no one really knows for sure.
Fans might wonder if these changes will affect Clase’s performance long-term.
Location Adjustments Against Right-Handed Batters
During regular games, Clase usually aimed his cutter inside against right-handed hitters but has been throwing it away more often lately—about a third of the time compared to just over a fifth before playoffs began.
Additionally, he’s been targeting higher parts of the strike zone with these pitches; nearly half have landed there compared to about a third during regular play.
Here’s where those cutters that resulted in hits were located:
Unlucky Breaks
Sometimes luck isn’t on your side; some fans might even say it’s like being hit by bad karma! On Friday night Alex Verdugo managed to get on base thanks partly due to an awkwardly bouncing ball that Brayan Rocchio couldn’t handle cleanly.
Here’s how data compares between seasons:
| Split | Exit Velocity (mph) | Launch Angle (degrees) | Whiff Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season                                                                              |
85 mph
6 degrees
29%
LDS
86 mph
7 degrees
32%
LCS
85 mph
9 degrees
31%
Batters seem able lift balls off him easier now than before—a few degree differences can mean everything when deciding outcomes!
In conclusion: small adjustments lead big results especially come crunch-time moments like closing out tight matches late into October evenings… What do you think?
