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Jorge Alcala RP | TOR
Twins' Jorge Alcala: Earns save against Kansas City
Alcala struck out three in 1.1 perfect frames to earn the save in Sunday's win over the Royals.
Alcala recorded a 3.92 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 59.2 innings during his third season with the Twins, but he was dominant late in the year and was rewarded with his first save of 2021 in Sunday's season finale. The 26-year-old tossed eight scoreless innings across his final eight appearances of the season and recorded three holds during that time.
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Jackson Kowar RP | BAL
Royals' Jackson Kowar: Charged with loss in season finale
Kowar (0-6) allowed five runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six in four innings to take the loss against the Twins on Sunday.
Kowar gave up four runs in the top of the first inning before recording an out, but he settled down later in his outing and retired nine consecutive batters across the next three innings. However, he was forced to finish the season with his fourth loss in his last five appearances. The right-hander made nine appearances (eight starts) during his first major-league season and recorded an 11.27 ERA and 2.08 WHIP in 30.1 innings.
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Bruce Zimmermann RP | STL
Orioles' Bruce Zimmermann: Chased in first inning
Zimmerman (4-5) allowed three runs on five hits and recorded one strikeout while taking a loss against Toronto on Sunday. He recorded two outs.
George Springer launched a leadoff shot off Zimmermann to begin the first inning. Toronto scored two more runs in the frame and ended Zimmermann's day after just 28 pitches. He posted a 3.24 ERA in his previous five outings but saw his season ERA climb to 5.04 through 64.1 frames. Zimmermann finishes the 2021 campaign with a 56:21 K:BB and a 1.48 WHIP.
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Phil Maton RP | CHC
Astros' Phil Maton: Earns win in relief
Maton (6-0) earned the win Saturday against the Athletics by recording one out, allowing one hit and one walk.
Maton recorded his sixth win of the campaign, and while he recorded just one out, he needed 19 pitches to get the job done (12 strikes). If this was his final outing of the campaign, then Maton will end the year with a 4.73 ERA across 66.2 innings in 65 appearances. He has posted an ERA above the 4.00 mark in each of his five big-league seasons.
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Griffin Jax SP | TB
Twins' Griffin Jax: Finishes season on high note
Jax (4-5) earned the win over Kansas City on Saturday, pitching five shutout innings during which he allowed one hit and two walks while striking out three.
Jax put together an up-and-down rookie campaign, and he saved his best for last as Saturday's outing was his first in which he didn't allow a run. The right-hander surrendered just one hit -- a third-inning single -- and didn't allow any runners to reach second base. Jax finished his first big-league season with a 6.37 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 65:29 K:BB across 82 innings. Moving forward, he'll need to do a better job of keeping the ball in the park to find sustained success, as his 2.52 HR/9 in 2021 ranks third-highest among pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings.
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Paul Sewald RP | TOR
Mariners' Paul Sewald: Settles for the win
Sewald (10-3) got the win in Saturday's 6-4 victory over the Angels, allowing three runs on one hit and two walks with three strikeouts in one inning.
Sewald was brought in for the eighth inning with Seattle protecting a three-run lead and surrendered two walks before permitting a Jared Walsh homer to tie the game and blow the save. Seattle rallied with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead and put the 31-year-old in line for the win. The earned runs give Sewald only four in his last 12.2 innings, and he's struck out multiple batters in three of his last five outings.
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Liam Hendriks RP | CHC
White Sox's Liam Hendriks: Secures 38th save
Hendriks pitched a perfect ninth inning during which he struck out two batters to register the save against the Tigers on Saturday.
The right-hander needed only nine pitches (eight of which were strikes) to retire the side in order and close out the one-run victory. Hendriks has successfully converted each of his past 12 save chances and has posted a 1.27 ERA, 0.61 WHIP and 31:1 K:BB across 21.1 innings since his last blown save Aug. 12. He is tied for second in the majors with 38 saves on the season.
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Luis Patino RP | SD
Rays' Luis Patino: Grabs win in relief
Patino (5-3) picked up the win in Saturday's 12-2 rout of the Yankees, striking out three batters in two perfect innings of relief.
Shane Baz got the start but pitched only 2.2 innings before turning things over to the bullpen with the Rays already ahead 7-1, and Patino -- who took over to begin the fifth inning -- was awarded the victory due to his fantastic effort. He fired 20 of 29 pitches for strikes, and he'll wrap up the regular season with a 4.31 ERA and 74:29 K:BB through 77.1 innings. Look for the 21-year-old to fill a multi-inning role for Tampa Bay in the playoffs.