St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley is on pace to break the team’s single-season save record. Helsley became the first player in Baseball to reach 30 saves with the team’s 2-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. He’s saved 30 in a row in 2024.
“I feel pretty good; I definitely feel it a little bit. I’ve been pitching a lot, but I’ve been doing all of my recovery and staying with the pitching staff, and I feel great out there,” Helsley said. “Been working through a couple of things mechanically and just trying to iron a few things out and keep it rolling.”
Best Season For A Cardinals Closer
The Cardinals team single season save record is 48, set by Trevor Rosenthal in 2015. If Helsley’s pace continues at the halfway point in the season, he’ll save 60 by the end of the year.
🔥 HEL’S BELLS 🔥
Ryan Helsley becomes just the second Cardinal in franchise history to record 30 saves before the All-Star Break!#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/sPcNNMhanM
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 30, 2024
Helsley doesn’t mind talking about the numbers but doesn’t focus on them either.
“I don’t really try and pay attention to them (the numbers),” Helsley told Bally Sports Midwest after his 29th save on Friday in a 1-0 win over the Reds. “I felt good tonight, and I liked the way I attacked and hopefully it keeps trending that way.”
The National League single-season save record is 55, set by John Smoltz with the Atlanta Braves in 2002 and tied by Eric Gagne with the Los Angeles Dodgers the following year. The MLB record is 62 by Francisco Rodriguez with the Anaheim Angels in 2008. Helsley is on pace to break the NL save record and total the second-most saves of all time.
Huge Part Of Cardinals Success
Of the Cardinals 42 wins, 30 have been saved by Helsley. He’s picked up the win in two more of those. Helsley averages more than a strikeout per inning, with 46 in 38 innings. He has given up just 11 runs this season with a 2.61 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. His teammates have a lot of confidence in him.
“He’s been unbelievable, the most consistent guy in the game. Whenever he comes in, we know we’ve got a great chance, and he showed it today,” said Cardinal’s shortstop Masyn Winn after Helsley’s 30th save. “Whenever he comes out, we’ve got the utmost confidence.”
Opponents are batting just .210 against Helsley. He’s only given up 29 hits in the 38 games he’s played in. He’s only walked 16.
Helsley was given the ninth inning going into the season. Previously, he would pitch in high-leverage late-game moments. Sometimes, that meant more than one inning. This year, the Cardinals changed their approach, allowing him to expect to pitch the ninth if he was going to pitch. Helsley likened the energy to when he played football growing up. He comes in with the loud music and cheering in the stadium, ready to compete hard, one play at a time.
“You’ve got to be able to harness that energy you feel out there and control it, or you could be flying all over the place out there,” Helsley told Bally Sports Midwest. “Just trying to go out there and keep it as simple as possible.”
Even The Recent Struggles Have Been Good
In the last fifteen games, Helsley has allowed four hits, four walks, and two earned runs but has still picked up six saves.
“It’s funny to say this because he’s been so good, but he’s been working on some stuff with the consistency of his delivery and repeating it,” Cardinals Manager Oliver Marmol said Sunday after Helsley’s 30th save.
Helsley hasn’t been as happy with his late performance. In an interview with Bally Sports Midwest, he acknowledged that his outings haven’t been as sharp.
“Honestly, I don’t really feel like I’ve been throwing the ball all that well. Would like to throw the ball better than I have been,” Helsley said. “But just trying to get the job done and when I come in the game just make sure we leave winning.”
Two Pitches Keeping Batters On Their Toes
Helsley splits most of his pitches between a screaming fastball and a dropping slider. He throws both pitches more than 45 percent of the time.
Helsley’s fastball averages 99.4 miles per hour. That is in the top two percent of the league. The spin rate of his fastball is in the top four percent of the league.
The slider drops an average of 34 inches while moving about 88 miles per hour. The drop is six percent better than the league average for a slider. It tricks batters up after seeing his fastball.
According to Baseball Savant, the two pitches have put Helsley in the top five percent of the league for Whiff Percent and lowest Barrel Percentage.
Main Photo Credits: Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports
