CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Just like snowflakes, no two jams are alike for relief pitchers.
But the last two big jams Trevor Stephan pitched his way out of certainly shared similar traits. They were the game-losing, sleep-stealing, ulcer-inducing situations that make relievers old before their time. In other words, just the kind of high-stakes situation relievers crave.
The first one came Tuesday at Target Field against the Twins. Stephan started the 10th inning with the score tied, 5-5, and the automatic runner on second base.
He put himself in trouble by walking the first man he faced, Byron Buxton. Now with runners on first and second, and no out, Stephan had to face the middle of the Twins lineup: Carlos Correa, Max Kepler and Gary Sanchez. Two right-handed hitters in Correa and Sanchez and one lefty in Kepler.
Stephan, a right-hander, struck out Correa, Kepler and Sanchez on swinging third strikes to end the inning. The Guardians scored a run in the 11th and held on for a 6-5 win.
“I was just focused on making pitch after pitch,” said Stephan. “In that situation, one pitch ends the game. You might not get that pitch back if you miss a spot. I just tried to stay focused.”
Between Tuesday and Saturday night, Stephan made one appearance. It came Thursday in a 1-0 loss to the Twins.
He started the seventh with the Twins leading, 1-0. He gave up a leadoff single to Minnesota’s Gio Urshela before retiring the next three batters, two on strikeouts.
That seemed rather ho-hum compared to Saturday night against the Red Sox at Progressive Field. Stephan started the eighth inning with Boston leading, 3-2. He allowed consecutive singles to Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers and walked J.D. Martinez to load the bases.
A tight game was one bad pitch away from becoming a one-sided beating. Stephan did not let that happen.
He threw a split finger fastball to Xander Bogaerts, who hit it on the ground to Andres Gimenez at second base. Gimenez threw home to force Duran. He threw another split finger to Alex Verdugo, whose three-run homer in the sixth inning gave Boston a 3-2 lead, and he beat it into the ground to first base. Owen Miller threw home to force Devers. Then he threw a called third strike past Trevor Story.
The Guardians lost the game, 4-2, but after the top of the eighth, they were still down by one run at 3-2. With six outs to go, it was still a winnable game based on the way the offense has been rallying over the last few weeks.
“This is shades of what Trevor did in Minnesota,” said catcher Austin Hedges. “A lot of these young guys have been in these situations now. Once you’ve been there, you know what to do.
“He knows right there that he doesn’t necessarily need strikeouts. He has to be able to trust in his defense and maybe get some ground balls. He struck out the last guy, but that was very impressive today.”
Said manager Terry Francona, ““It didn’t look good and all of a sudden he gets out of it and gives us a chance. He could have folded. He didn’t and made some really good pitches. That was really good to see.”
Stephan said Saturday night’s situation was different than his extra-inning sortie against the Twins.
“Tonight wasn’t extra innings, but it was a jam,” he said. “I was fortunate to get out of it. A couple things didn’t go my way early in the inning, but I was glad I was able to make pitches when I needed to.”
It has been a season of extremes for Stephan, which is not surprising concerning the nature of his job. In April, he didn’t allow a run in 10 innings. In May, he allowed eight earned runs in eight innings for a 9.00 ERA. As June draws to a close, he has a 2.08 ERA (two runs in 8 2/3 innings) with 12 strikeouts and four walks.
“Last month was a struggle, but it was a learning month,” said Stephan. “I take those struggles into this month and keep trying to learn and get better. Every time you pitch well, you build your confidence. But every outing, honestly, is different.”
The difference comes from what the scoreboard says. What’s the score? How many outs are there and how many men are on base? But the job is always the same -- get the third out before the jam gets the best of you.
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