Detroit – Guess how many relievers in the Major Leagues last season inherited at least 11 runners and stranded them all?
That would be one. And he pitched for the Tigers.
It was quite a rookie season for right-hander Bryan Garcia. He posted a 1.66 ERA (four earned runs in 21.2 innings) – the 10th-lowest ERA for a rookie reliever (minimum 21 innings) in franchise history. By September he’d become the closer and finished with four saves.
“I just kind of proved to myself that I belong, and I can be successful at this level,” Garcia said Monday in a Zoom call.