Guardians Turn To Bullpen Early in Game 3 ALDS Win, But This Starter Saved the Day

The Cleveland Guardians decided to give Wednesday's Game 3 American League Division Series start to rookie righty Daniel Espino.

And while he had delivered a few times before in the opener role, Wednesday, he struggled immensely and was pulled fast.

In his place, the Guardians' coaching staff turned to left-handed starter Foster Griffin, who was acquired at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline. Using Griffin over counterpart Joey Cantillo was a shock, especially considering Cantillo's previous 15 innings of work in relief were scoreless. He was arguably the best option.

But although the decision to throw Griffin out there in a must-win moment, one that already saw the Guardians trailing due to Espino's struggles, seemed questionable at first, he delivered.

Cleveland Guardians, Foster Griffin — Oct 7, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Foster Griffin (22) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox in game three of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Guardians would go on to win 9-3 on the road in Chicago, forcing a Game 4 to take place on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Speaking on the game-saving relief appearance from Griffin, manager Stephen Vogt said to tip your cap to how well he performed.

"I mean, huge at-bat there in the first, gets a punch out," Vogt said. "Then turned in three really quality innings we needed. You know, you can draw up a script all you want; you can think about how a game is going to go."

"Foster got some big outs for us today, so tip your cap to Foster."

Griffin helped record the final out of the first inning, with the Guardians trailing 1-0, before going on to pitch 2.1 more innings. He would bow out in the fourth, finishing his night with a seven-strikeout line, all while giving up just two hits and one earned run.

When looking back at Griffin's regular season struggles in the navy blue and red, seeing him come up big when the team needed him the most was a major sigh of relief.

Across his first nine games as a member of the Guardians, Griffin posted a 5.19 ERA with 55 hits, 25 walks and four home runs allowed. He also gave up 27 runs, 25 earned and struck out just 42 batters.

He has never been a strikeout machine, but up until his time in Washington came to a close, he had posted seven 7+ strikeout games in 2026. When he came to Cleveland, that number dipped to just one, coming in his regular-season finale.

However, while his seven-strikeout line on Wednesday was just the second time he had eclipsed such a number in a Guardians uniform, it was the most amount of strikeouts from a relief pitcher in franchise history.

And Griffin said that his ability to welcome any role and make adjustments comes from something within him. Something that formed throughout his all-over-the-place baseball journey. He didn't enter the postseason believing he would be shifted to a bullpen role, nor did he think it would be just 2.2 innings of action, but he was ready to do whatever the team needed him to do.

"It was great, especially on the road. They were all against us," Griffin said postgame. when reflecting on his first appearance in the postseason. "The ups and downs and everywhere I've been in my career, minor leagues, Japan, big leagues. I feel like it kind of prepared me for that moment to not let the game speed up on me."

"The ups and downs and everywhere I've been in my career, minor leagues, Japan, big leagues. I feel like kind of prepared me for that moment"

(Via MLB Video) #Guardians Foster Griffin on his 1st playoff appearance#GuardsBall @WEWS pic.twitter.com/rBlbsXOCP1
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) October 8, 2026

The showing Cleveland put together in Game 3 of the ALDS shows just how impactful a well-rounded bullpen can be. And if somehow, someway the Guardians can replicate such success on both the mound and at the plate, they may be able to pull off an improbable comeback.

But as Vogt mentioned, tip your cap to Griffin, because without his quality relief appearance, the Guardians might not still be playing baseball in October.

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