What’s been so odd about the 2024 Braves is while it feels like the sky is falling, thanks to a slew of devastating injuries, there have also been some incredible bright spots helping keep the team afloat.
The rotation as a whole has been spectacular, led by Chris Sale, who in his first healthy season in five years is well on his way to his first-ever Cy Young award. Marcell Ozuna should really be getting consideration for the NL MVP as well, especially if he goes on to win the Triple Crown. Shohei Ohtani gets all the hype, but Ozuna has been just as good in every offensive metric. The Braves bullpen has also done its part, and few have been better than Raisel Iglesias at shutting the door in the ninth inning of games, especially recently.
In one of the bigger games of the season last night, Iglesias entered the game with the Braves leading 3-2 and the heart of the Phillies lineup coming to the plate, beginning with Bryce Harper. He would go on to strike out the side, needing just 12 pitching to do so.
Raisel Iglesias has been so dominant over the last few months that I genuinely can’t remember the last time he broke a sweat. Seriously, the last time Iglesias let a runner reach base was July 27th. That’s 10 straight appearances without giving up a hit or a walk. The last run Iglesias gave up came on June 16th, well over two months ago. Over that stretch, he’s pitched 23.0 of the Braves’ most important innings of the season, and opponents are hitting .056 against him.
That’s simply an insane level of dominance, but it’s really not too far off from who Raisel Iglesias has been ever since the Braves acquired him a couple of years ago at the trade deadline. He owns a 1.78 ERA over 135 appearances since arriving in Atlanta, including a 1.45 mark this season.
A lockdown closer is a manager’s best friend, and I imagine nobody is happier to have Raisel Iglesias on his side than Brian Snitker.
—
Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.