Until just over a month ago, Luke Weaver didn’t have a save in his major league career.
It was a five-out save in which the right-hander entered in the eighth inning with runners on the corners and one out to face two of the most dangerous hitters in the Guardians lineup. He whiffed David Fry and got Jose Ramirez to ground out to escape the jam left by Tim Hill, then pitched around a leadoff walk to Lane Thomas in the ninth by fanning Josh Naylor, Daniel Schneemann and Austin Hedges.
“He’s been lights out for us ever since he got the ninth inning,’’ Anthony Rizzo said. “It’s been fun.” It might seem like a natural fit now as Weaver mows down opposing hitters one step away from the World Series, but as pitching coach Matt Blake noted late Monday night, there was no guarantee Weaver would take hold of the closer role when he got the role in early September.
Weaver has shown an ability to pitch more than one inning, although he said keeping his delivery from the eighth into the ninth proved to be a challenge and the spotlight will only get brighter the more the Yankees win at this point in the postseason. Neither Weaver nor Clay Holmes has allowed a run so far in October, with Holmes tossing another dominant inning in the seventh after replacing Carlos Rodon.“You could say he’s the nastiest guy we have out there,’’ Weaver said of Holmes. “He’s absolutely setting the tone.”
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