Kirby Yates of the San Diego Padres has been voted April’s National League Reliever of the Month Presented by The Hartford, and Shane Greene of the Detroit Tigers has been named the American League Reliever of the Month Presented by The Hartford.
Yates earned his first career Reliever of the Month Award, and became the fourth different Padres pitcher to acomplish the feat. Brad Hand was named NL Reliever of the Month last season for May, and Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman owns the franchise record with three monthly honors. Greene became the first Tigers pitcher in franchise history to be awarded a Reliever of the Month Award.
Kirby Yates, San Diego Padres (@kirbskauai)
• Appeared in an NL-best 16 games for San Diego, posting a 0.56 ERA with 25 strikeouts and an MLBbest 14 saves over 16.0 innings of work. Permitted one run on 11 hits with five walks.
• Yates’ 14 saves across March/April were the most of any pitcher in Major League history. His 11 saves in April trailed Hoffman’s 12 saves in May 2005 for the most in Club history for any calendar month.
• Enters play today in the midst of a 12-game scoreless streak dating back to April 5th, which is the longest streak by a Padres reliever since Craig Stammen, who posted a streak of 13.2 innings from July 15-August 10, 2018.
• Began his dominant 2019 campaign by tallying at least one strikeout in 13 consecutive appearances from March 28thApril 23rd, tied for third-longest in team history, trailing Brad Boxberger (20 in 2012) and Bryce Florie (15 in 1996).
Shane Greene, Detroit Tigers (@sagreeney)
• Made 14 appearances for the Tigers, logging a 1.29 ERA with 17 strikeouts and an AL-best 12 saves. Surrendered two runs and six hits during his impressive, permitting one home run and three walks.
• Established a franchise record with 12 saves in March/April, which tied for fourth in Major League history.
• Recorded his eighth save of the season on April 10th against the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first player since saves became an official statistic in 1969 to notch eight saves in a Club’s first 12 contests.
• Made 13 scoreless appearances over the course of his award-winning month. His streak of eight scoreless games to begin the 2019 season was the most by a Tigers reliever since Justin Wilson’s streak of 11 scoreless games in 2017 (April 4th-27th).
Others receiving votes for NL Reliever of the Month included Felipe Vázquez (7 SV, 0.71 ERA, 12.2 IP, 21 SO) of the Pittsburgh Pirates; John Gant (3-0, 0.90 ERA, 20.0 IP, 19 SO) and Jordan Hicks (1-1, 2.13 ERA, 9 SV, 16 SO) of the St. Louis Cardinals; Edwin Díaz (13 G, 1.54 ERA, 8 SV, 20 SO) of the New York Mets; Adam Morgan (15 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 12 SO) of the Philadelphia Phillies; and Nick Anderson (13 G, 2.08 ERA, 27 SO, 2 BB) of the Miami Marlins.
Others receiving votes for AL Reliever of the Month included Brad Hand (14 G, 9 SV, 1.32 ERA, 19 SO) of the Cleveland Indians; Lou Trivino (1-0, 1.42 ERA, 12.2 IP, 16 SO) of the Oakland Athletics; Roberto Osuna (2-0, 0.73 ERA, 7 SV, 10 SO) and Ryan Pressly (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 12.1 IP, 13 SO) of the Houston Astros; José Alvarado (14 G, 1.38 ERA, 4 SV, 19 SO) of the Tampa Bay Rays; Sam Gaviglio (2-0, 0.95 ERA, 19.0 IP, 20 SO) of the Toronto Blue Jays; and Blake Parker (11 G, 0.96 ERA, 6 SV, 8 SO) of the Minnesota Twins.
The National League Reliever of the Month presented by The Hartford, Kirby Yates, and the American League Reliever of the Month presented by The Hartford, Shane Greene, will each receive a specially designed plaque, suitably engraved, for their accomplishments. The Hartford, the Official Business Insurance & Employee Benefits Sponsor of MLB, has presented baseball’s annual Relievers of the Year Awards since 2015. The Hartford Presents the 2019 Relievers of the Year, named in honor of Mariano Rivera (American League) and Trevor Hoffman (National League), will again be presented during the World Series.