ST. PETERSBURG -- If you had to design a Major League closer from scratch, you would probably prioritize a handful of traits.
Poise, obviously, to handle high-pressure situations in high-stakes games. Swing-and-miss stuff, for sure, to minimize the margin for error on the mound. And confidence, no doubt, to never lose faith even in the volatile profession of relief pitching.
But how about consistency? How about knowing what you’re going to get every time your team goes into the ninth inning with a narrow lead?
How about Bryan Baker, the All-Star closer for the Rays?
In his second trip to the postseason, but his first as Tampa Bay’s closer, Baker picked up right where he left off. The 31-year-old right-hander recorded a save in all three of the Rays’ wins over the Yankees in the American League Division Series, preserving a pair of one-run leads (Games 1 and 3) and a three-run edge (Game 2).
“We've talked about it a lot, but probably haven't talked about it enough,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “You look at his numbers and the consecutive saves he's gotten, I mean, there's just so much confidence [when] we've got a lead late in the ballgame and definitely heading into the ninth. Is there a team that should feel better than us?”
Baker faced 10 batters in the ALDS, struck out four and allowed just one to reach base safely on a walk. That made him one of four pitchers to nail down a save (which became an official statistic in 1969) in each of his team’s first three games of the postseason, joining Manny Corpas (2007), Mark Wohlers (1996) and Dennis Eckersley (1988 and ‘96).
Baker is the only one to accomplish that feat without surrendering a hit.
“He's a rock, man. He's a maniac,” veteran starter Nick Martinez said. “He's been coming through for us all year, man, and it's really fun to watch.”
It is almost challenging to overstate how integral Baker was to the Rays’ success, their standing atop the AL and now their third AL Championship Series appearance in franchise history.
His stats say plenty. He joined Alex Colomé (2017) as the only Rays to lead the Majors in saves, as Baker tied Cleveland’s Cade Smith with 41. The rest of his numbers were similarly hard to comprehend, including a 1.44 ERA, a .161 opponents’ average, a 0.91 WHIP and 2.9 Wins Above Replacement according to Baseball Reference.
But this figure probably says the most: Baker has successfully converted each of his last 33 save opportunities dating back to May 17, the longest streak at any point in a season in franchise history. He was saddled with a pair of losses during that stretch -- both in extra-inning games where he didn’t allow an earned run -- but the last time he blew a save opportunity was May 13 -- the Rays’ 42nd game of the season.
“He’s come through for us all season,” Martinez said. “We can't talk enough about how great he's been.”
Baker’s backstory has been pretty well-documented at this point. So has the way that he became an All-Star closer for a Rays team that wasn’t planning to use a traditional closer coming out of Spring Training. And if you’ve been paying attention at all this season, you’ve become familiar with the thoughtful, mild-mannered Baker’s fiery celebrations when he steps off the mound at the end of a game.
The former Orioles reliever is still getting by with two pitches, his fastball and changeup, a perfect illustration of how the Rays encourage their pitchers to use their best stuff more often -- and trust it.
“For a lot of people, myself included, it's a confidence game,” Baker said. “When you have a bunch of people around you that really instill that confidence in you and share that belief, it elevates your game. In your mind, when you're that confident, you feel like you can go out and be consistent and keep doing the things that you do well.”
That mentality carried Baker through the regular season, and it’s serving him well in the playoffs. He picked up his first career postseason save in Game 1 last Saturday before a sold-out crowd at Tropicana Field, then came back after a day to rest and did it again in Game 2.
He proved he can do it in a hostile environment, too. Baker got Trent Grisham to go down swinging against a changeup with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning of Wednesday night’s 4-3 victory at Yankee Stadium, then marched down the mound to embrace catcher Liam Hicks.
Next stop: the ninth inning in the ALCS.
“That was a different level of excitement right there,” Baker said after Game 3, smiling. “I normally black out for about three seconds. I think I blacked out for 10 seconds after that. Just to be able to get in all three of those games and close out all three is super special to me, and I just want to keep it going.”