SAN FRANCISCO — Since he returned from the injured list nearly two months ago, Reds closer Emilio Pagán has been back to being on all cylinders and as dependable as anyone could ask for.
“[It helps] when you count backwards in the game, we just got to get to the ninth and he’s going to pitch. That really does help. He’s a leader to boot," manager Terry Francona said on Tuesday.
Until he appeared in a non-save situation in the ninth inning of Monday's 5-0 loss to the Giants, Pagán had a career-long streak of 12 straight appearances with a win or save going back to July 21 at Seattle. It was the longest single-season streak for a Reds pitcher since Aroldis Chapman had 16 games in 2012.
Pagán, 35, has also converted each of his last 10 save chances since July 5, the longest streak of his career.
The season didn't start quite as smoothly amid a rocky first month. That included coming down with a tight left hamstring while converting an April 14 save vs. the Giants in Cincinnati. Pagán missed a couple of days but pitched through with discomfort but blew a couple of save chances.
On May 5 while facing the Cubs in Chicago, the same left hamstring failed Pagán — only this time it was far more serious strain that put him on the IL for nearly two months.
“Up to that point, I was happy with how I was throwing the ball," Pagán said. "Obviously being a competitor and everything and trying to pitch through stuff to be available for my team, my teammates … hindsight is 20/20. That period between when I tweaked it and went down at Wrigley, the results weren’t good. If we can go back, maybe we’d do it a little different. I’m not sure. The competitor in me would still want to try and get through it again."
In 17 games since returning to the mound on July 1, Pagán is 3-0 with a 2.20 ERA, 10 saves, three walks, 20 strikeouts and only two homers allowed.
“Obviously my stuff has ticked up, but just being able to repeat my delivery, which I think is a bit of an overused term," Pagán said. "But when you feel confident in your delivery, everything kind of just gets better. Your feel for pitches, your ability to command them to all parts of the zone, and so my stuff has gotten better and my execution has gotten better. I think it all stems from just feeling healthy overall.”
Overall, Pagán came into Tuesday with a 4.15 ERA and 16 saves in 19 chances over 32 appearances.
“It’s obvious when guys are down [injured], they’re not going on vacation," Francona said. "For him to come back and be that good, it takes a lot of work, a lot of preparation and he did a really good job.”
Pagán is back to pitching for the Reds like he did in 2025, when he had a 2.88 ERA in 70 appearances and 32 saves in 38 chances. As a free agent in the offseason, he re-signed with a two-year, $20 million contract. In reality, the second year for 2027 is a $10 million player option, which means the right-hander could opt to depart.
Based on how the Reds’ bullpen often struggled to close games while Pagán was on the IL, the club could definitely use him back in his same role next season.
The contract wasn't in the forefront of Pagán's mind at the moment.
“I’m not worried about it," he said. "It’s in my hands, but that’s something I lean on my agent for. I’ve been very open since I got here. I enjoy being here. I plan on being here.”