On August 31, 2020, Cleveland orchestrated a nine-person trade that sent pitcher Mike Clevinger, along with two others, to San Diego in return for six players.
The trade included Cleveland’s acquisition of left-hander Joey Cantillo, who secured a key divisional win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night at Progressive Field with eight scoreless innings of four-hit ball.
And so, that five-year-old trade continues to impact the Guardians today, with Cantillo serving as the latest example.
Cantillo shines in victory over Kansas City
Cantillo initially struggled to find the strike zone this season, prompting the Guardians to send him back down to Triple-A. He's made two starts since returning last week, tossing six innings of one-run ball at Boston while issuing just two walks.
But last night he was even better, yielding no walks with 72 strikes out of 92 total pitches.
“That was some of the most fun I’ve had watching someone pitch this year,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said, per Zack Meisel of The Athletic.
Cantillo’s start followed another exceptional performance from Slade Cecconi, who also threw eight scoreless innings on Monday night vs. the Royals. Cleveland acquired Cecconi from the Arizona Diamondbacks this past offseason by trading first baseman Josh Naylor, who was also part of that 2020 trade.
Per Meisel, Guardians’ pitchers have recorded consecutive starts of eight or more innings with zero runs allowed just four times in the last 30 years, including last night.
That bodes well for a team on the fringe of the 2025 playoff picture, sitting just 2.5 games out of the last American League Wild Card spot.