Guardians Pitcher Hunter Gaddis Is Thriving In His New Role

The 26-year-old Cleveland reliever currently owns MLB’s longest scoreless appearances streak so far this season.

The Cleveland Guardians added another win to their fantastic start to 2024 with a 4-1 series-opening victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

This latest triumph marks Cleveland’s fifth consecutive win, and ties the team for its best 23-game start in franchise history.

One player who contributed to the Guardians’ win on Tuesday night was relief pitcher Hunter Gaddis. The right-hander pitched a scoreless eighth inning, allowing a leadoff single and throwing a strikeout en route to his sixth hold of the season.

This latest performance is another example of how the 26-year-old is excelling in his first MLB season as a full-time reliever.

Gaddis has yet to allow a run through his first 12 relief appearances of the year, which is the longest scoreless appearances streak in MLB so far this season. In 11.2 innings of work, he has allowed five hits and three walks, while throwing 16 strikeouts. Additionally, the right-hander has tallied impressive marks of a 0.69 WHIP and a .132 opposing batting average.

Mar 31, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Hunter Gaddis (33) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

According to Stathead, Gaddis’s 12-game scoreless streak is the longest by a Cleveland pitcher to begin a season since James Karinchak’s 13-game scoreless streak to start the 2021 campaign.

For Gaddis, this streak comes after a remarkable 2024 Spring Training, where he allowed two total runs in nine relief appearances, issuing just two walks and throwing 17 strikeouts in 11.2 innings of work.

After serving primarily as a starting pitcher during his previous four professional seasons with the Guardians organization, it seems that Gaddis has found a new and prominent role on Cleveland’s pitching staff.