New Cleveland Guardians Pitcher Makes Solid First Impression

The Cleveland Guardians have been looking for another stable arm to add to their pitching staff over the last week.

Injuries and overworked pitchers have made Cleveland's bullpen extremely thin.

Looking for some more depth, the Guardians traded for RHP Matt Festa from the Texas Rangers late last week.

Festa made his Guardians debut on Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays and was stellar in his first big-league appearance this season.

The veteran pitcher relieved Logan Allen in the bottom of the sixth and immediately got out of the inning with a strikeout.

Festa then came back out for the seventh inning and was just as efficient. After giving up a leadoff single, the right-hander got three straight outs.

Not only were these quick outs, but they came against Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Anthony Santander, the heart of Toronto's order.

Matt Festa throws a pitch — May 2, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Matt Festa (52) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Stephen Vogt shared how impressed and encouraged with Festa's outing after the game.

"Festa was awesome. He attacked the strike zone. He went right after these guys, and to give us four huge outs that we needed tonight, it was a nice welcome for him and defenitly some things we are really exctied about. Matt can pitch, and I'm really happy he's here," said Cleveland's skipper.

It will be interesting to see Festa's role with the Guardians moving forward.

Will he continue to be used in higher-leverage situations, or will the Guardians opt to deploy him as a long reliever?

Either way, this first appearance proves that Festa can help the pitching staff out in whatever situation they call on him to pitch in.

Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage