So, what could be behind the early results? Vogt noted postgame Saturday that Clase appeared to be missing over the middle of the plate. The results could all just be a blip over a small sample size. Clase said his body is feeling good, and his velocity this season is consistent with that. Over his first six outings, his cutter averaged 99 mph (99.5 in ’24) and his slider 89.8 mph (91.0 in ’24).
Batters have been more aggressive early in the count against Clase, swinging 50% of the time in 0-0 counts (15 swings on 30 pitches). But Clase is a pitcher who pounds the strike zone, and hitters were just 1-for-5 against him in those spots entering Saturday.
“I feel like they've been aggressive all along,” Clase said. “I feel that's the only way they can attack me, in a way, because I’m a pitcher that throws a lot of strikes, that attacks the zone. And having only two pitches, that's the plan of attack. I feel it’s on me trying to execute better pitches in and out and mixing them up a little bit.”
One adjustment Vogt noted could be beneficial is Clase mixing in his slider more -- which he has done. Clase threw it 20.5% of the time in 2024 and had thrown it at a 31.5% rate entering Saturday. Opponents went 5-for-7 against it through six games.
“We saw that the slider was looking very similar to the cutter, obviously the profile, in a way,” Clase said. “So we're working, trying to make the slider have a little bit more depth, that angle towards the bottom of home plate.”
That could help Clase put batters away. He entered Saturday with a 40.5% whiff rate with zero or one strikes, and a 27.3% whiff rate with two strikes. Clase also has worked on his sinker and said he feels confident using it at any time.
He expressed his appreciation for the support he’s received from his teammates, which included a strong backing by catcher Austin Hedges this week.
“When you go and you put up a 0.60 ERA for a season, the league is going to do something about it,” Hedges said. “Now it's up to us and up to him to continue to get better. … He's got the ability to do so many things on the mound, not just throw the cutter. So we're going to keep being creative.
“When we look up at the end of September, I think everyone's going to remember why he's the best pitcher in the world.”
