ST. LOUIS — For the Guardians this playoff season, the spotlight has shone brightly on their stars. José Ramírez is pursuing a remarkable 40/40 season, Emmanuel Clase is in contention for the American League Cy Young Award, and earlier this summer, Steven Kwan was on the verge of a .400 batting average.
A dominant bullpen has played a crucial role this season, consistently ranking at the top of the league in ERA by a significant margin for most of the year.
However, the Guardians’ ascent to an AL Central title was made possible by numerous individuals, including unsung heroes who stepped up during times of injury and inconsistency, as well as newcomers who provided a much-needed boost when the team faced challenges.
Before each of his home starts at Progressive Field, the warm-up music features not a loud heavy metal song, but the gentle tones of Ringo Starr singing “Yellow Submarine,” a whimsical tune recorded by The Beatles long before Lively was born. This unconventional choice creates an unusual atmosphere, yet Lively maintains that it helps him stay calm, despite the fact that each of his pitches seems like an attempt to detach his right arm from its shoulder.
“If I miss my target by a foot and pull it the other way, I can get frustrated,” he remarked, “but I believe that attitude keeps me competitive and motivated.”
Pitching with intensity, Lively pours all his energy into his right arm, delivering the ball to the plate with the force and power of a flamethrower, capable of reaching triple digits on the radar gun.
Interestingly, Lively’s fastball registers at approximately 89 mph, making it one of the slowest in the major leagues. Yet, the effort he exerts with each delivery belies that speed.
So if you’re looking for a baseball player to root for, pull for the Guardians’ Ben Lively. I was at the game tonight, and he warms up to “Yellow Submarine.” Backstory ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/NkgFYgs84m
— They May Be Parted (@TheyMayBeParted) May 21, 2024
“When I’m out there,” he stated, “I strive to throw at 100 mph at all times.”
This intensity, he explains, comes from his father, a charter boat captain. Lively channels his dad’s energy by vocally expressing his passion for hunting protocols in a raspy voice. While in the past this fervor may have caused him issues, he has learned to manage it effectively.
“I’ve been ejected from games for losing my temper, being foolish, and letting frustrations linger too long, which led to poor pitches,” he reflected.
Now at 32 and having played for five different MLB organizations, plus a three-season experience in Korea, he no longer considers himself a hot-headed young player who believes he has everything figured out.
“That mentality gets you nowhere,” Lively asserted. “It’s counterproductive. Wasting energy frustrates me more now.”
After each season with the Samsung Lions in Korea, he hoped for an opportunity from a major league team. Unfortunately, that call never came, leading him to question if he had played his last game in the U.S. after recording an unsatisfactory 120 innings with the Phillies and Royals from 2017 to 2019.
A year and a half after being drafted by the Reds in 2013 — notably, the Guardians initially selected him from high school in 2010, but he chose not to sign — Cincinnati traded him to Philadelphia in exchange for Marlon Byrd. Over two seasons, he made 20 starts for the Phillies, but while on a rehab assignment in Buffalo, he faced challenges that impacted his journey.
While riding a hoverboard, he took a nasty fall and fractured his collarbone. Despite being experienced on the device, a sudden hit against a divot in the soft earth caused him to land heavily on his shoulder.
The injury was anticipated to conclude his season. He faced fines and intense criticism, and a month later, after making a swift return to throwing, he found himself placed on waivers.
The Royals picked him up and assigned him to the bullpen, a situation he wasn’t particularly fond of. He then moved to the Diamondbacks, but while he was laboring in Triple-A, he got an offer to pitch in Korea. He spent three seasons there, enduring some lonely weeks and months during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, he returned to the Reds, where Pat Kelly, his first professional coach, served as the manager at Triple-A Louisville.
This life as a journeyman pitcher has helped him come to terms with whatever comes next.
“When I finally began to relax, things improved,” he remarked. “You can’t stress over things that are beyond your control.”
Upon signing a major league contract with Cleveland last December, he assumed his role would primarily be that of a long reliever. However, after contracting a virus during spring training and the Guardians’ rotation struggling with injuries and inconsistency, he has emerged as a consistent presence, boasting a 3.80 ERA across a career-high 147 innings. In nearly two-thirds of his outings, he has pitched at least five innings and kept the opposition to two runs or fewer.
Even as one of the veteran players on the team, he is experiencing a breakout season.
“I still feel like a 22-year-old little crazy person,” he quipped.
Brad Goldberg, bullpen coach
What does a bullpen coach do, exactly?
“I merely answer the phone,” chuckles Goldberg, who is in his first year on Cleveland’s coaching staff.
There’s much more involved than that, of course, although he downplays his role in what has become the league’s most effective bullpen—one of the finest in recent memory.
Best bullpen ERA, last 30 years
