Emmanuel Clase
A fireballing reliever whose cutter, one of baseball's hardest pitches, has made him one of the most dominant and feared closers in the game.
Born 1998 (age 28)·Dominican baseball player·Birthday: March 18·Generation Z
Biography
Emmanuel Clase throws pure heat, but it's a specific, terrifying kind. The Dominican right-hander, signed by the San Diego Padres as an international free agent in 2015, didn't burst onto the scene—he exploded onto it with a pitch that defies modern pitching logic: a cutter that regularly hits 100 miles per hour. Most pitchers use cutters for movement, not velocity, but Clase's is a singular weapon. He made a brief debut with Texas in 2019 before a trade sent him to Cleveland. After missing the 2020 season due to a suspension, he returned with a vengeance. Taking over as the Guardians' closer, he became an automatic force at the back of the bullpen, leading the league in saves multiple times. His combination of triple-digit velocity and late, sharp movement on his primary pitch creates an almost unsolvable puzzle for hitters, establishing him as a new archetype for the modern reliever and a cornerstone of Cleveland's pitching identity.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Emmanuel was born in 1998, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Emmanuel Was Born
The biggest hits of 1998
#1 Movie
Saving Private Ryan
Best Picture
Shakespeare in Love
#1 TV Show
Seinfeld
Emmanuel's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1998Born
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2003Started school
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2011Became a teenager
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2014Could drive
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2016Could vote
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2019Turned 21
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 28 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led Major League Baseball in saves in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
- Named the American League Reliever of the Year in 2022.
- Selected as an MLB All-Star in 2022 and 2024.
- Recorded a league-leading 67 saves across the 2022 and 2023 seasons combined.
Did You Know?
His primary pitch is a cutter that averages over 99 miles per hour, making it the fastest cutter in MLB history.
He was originally signed by the San Diego Padres as an international free agent before being traded to the Texas Rangers.
He served an 80-game suspension in 2020 after testing positive for a banned substance, which he attributed to a medication for his son.
“I just grip it and rip it; the cutter does what it wants.”
