CLEVELAND — Major League Baseball relievers, and more specifically, closers, often find themselves put into high-stress situations with game results very much hanging in the balance.
But by looking at Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand, fans, teammates and coaches alike would never know if he is feeling the pressure because of his calm, cool and collected demeanor upon entering games in the late innings.
“This guy, I don’t know what his heart rate is, but I know it’s slow,” Indians pitching coach Carl Willis told WKYC.com at TribeFest back in January.
“He doesn’t get rattled, and there were a couple times last year, one in Cincinnati and one in Chicago against the White Sox where something happened and we had to get him into the game quickly, and it got a little spooky, but he continued on with such a calm and was able to manage that situation both times to get out of it.”
According to Willis, part of what makes Hand calm on the mound is his ability to be a strikeout pitcher when using his breaking pitches.
“His slider is definitely a swing-and-miss pitch that people have trouble with,” Willis said. “Again, when you look at closers, you look at their heartbeat, their demeanor and how they handle pressure situations, and this guy seems to have been born to be in that position.”
After being traded to the Indians last season, Hand appeared in 28 regular-season games, where over 27.2 innings, he struck out 41 batters and walked only 13 and had a 2.16 earned run average. Hand was 0-1 with eight saves over the final two months of the 2018 season.
In his career, Hand is 18-38 with a 3.76 ERA over 529.1 innings pitched in 313 appearances for the Florida/Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres and Indians. He has registered 55 career saves, including a single-season best, 32, in 2018.
Hand has struck out 511 opposing hitters and limited batters to a .234 average.
“He’s a freak,” said reliever Adam Cimber, who came to the Indians along with Hand in a trade for catcher Francisco Mejia last July. “His stuff is amazing. Mentally, he’s just unfazed by anything. I saw so many times this last year that everybody in the bullpen was clinching their teeth and he was like, ‘Whatever, man.’
“Brad was a guy I looked up to in the bullpen. He was, obviously, one of the leaders in San Diego, so to have him come over in that trade…it was already scary enough changing teams in your first season, but it was nice to have a familiar face and somebody to bounce ideas off of.”
It is that even-keel approach to pitching that has inspired others to follow Hand’s example.
“For me, it was cool to be around guys like Andrew Miller and Cody Allen, some of these guys that have been there and done that,” Cimber said.
“My first year learning how it’s done and how they go about their business. It’s been cool to watch Brad and see his laid-back, surfer attitude on the mound. It’s easier said to implement than done, but it’s something you can always strive for.”
