Yankees May Have Broken This Guardians Star Who Must Respond

Last season, Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was one of the most dominant forces in all of baseball. He was nearly untouchable during the regular season, allowing a grand total of five earned runs over 74 appearances. He posted a minuscule 0.659 WHIP.

But this year, Clase has already given up more earned runs (six) than he surrendered in all of 2024. He has permitted 14 hits over seven innings. It's hard to figure out why.

Clase is healthy. His velocity is there. The movement on his pitches remains nasty. So what exactly is the problem with the three-time All-Star?

Well, it's entirely possible that Clase's brutal showing in the playoffs last October may still be playing in his mind, so it may be a matter of the 27-year-old getting over this mental hurdle.

Clase was rocked for eight earned runs in last year's postseason. Perhaps most notable was his ALCS performance against the New York Yankees, like when he surrendered back-to-back home runs to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in Game 3 (which the Guardians ultimately came back and won). He then followed that up by surrendering two runs in the ninth inning for a Game 4 loss.

Keep in mind: Clase struggled in the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers, as well, but it was the Yankees who ultimately may have broken the tremendous reliever. At least temporarily.

Clase had an entire offseason to recover physically, so being overworked probably isn't the issue. Again, his stuff looks to be there. But as Guardians insider Paul Hoynes notes, he may still be fighting the demons that surfaced last fall.

“It’s a question of confidence,” Hoynes said during the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. “The postseason from last year is still in the back of his mind, even though he said he’s moved on from that.”

For as much as Clase says he has "moved on" from his shoddy playoff showing, his 7.71 ERA and .424 batting average against thus far in 2025 tell a different story.

Of course, there is still plenty of time for the right-hander to get himself right. He had been one of the best closers in baseball for an extended stretch, so he didn't suddenly just lose it. Not at his youthful age.

It seems very likely that this is a confidence issue with Clase, who fooled hitters into oblivion from late March through late September in 2024. He didn't randomly forget how to pitch.

It's up to Clase to overcome this mental battle and re-establish himself as one of the game's most prolific arms. If he doesn't, Cleveland could be in for a disappointing season.

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