{"id":74872,"date":"2024-05-29T17:27:33","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T21:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=74872"},"modified":"2024-05-29T17:27:33","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T21:27:33","slug":"brennan-bernardino-making-mlb-appearances-count","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/05\/29\/brennan-bernardino-making-mlb-appearances-count\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Sox Reliever Making Every Major League Appearance Count"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two years ago, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bernabr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-05-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brennan Bernardino<\/a> was a 30-year-old who had spent the last eight years fighting his way through the independent and minor leagues. Until 2022, he had pitched in just 35 Triple-A games. But two years later, Bernardino is making his name known in the Boston Red Sox bullpen. Although it may have taken a while, the left-hander is proving that he belongs. And Brennan Bernardino continues to make every major league appearance count.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The Road To The Show For Brennan Bernardino<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bernardino was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 24th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. During his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=bernar000bre\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">last year<\/a> at California State University, Dominguez Hills, he pitched to a 1.59 ERA in over 62 innings. Bernardino continued that in his first shot at Rookie ball, posting just a 1.01 ERA in nearly 27 innings. Things were looking up for the California native. In just his second MiLB season, Bernardino reached Triple-A in Louisville. But in two appearances, he didn\u2019t impress and was sent back down.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By 2018, Bernardino had thrown his last pitch in the Reds organization. He bounced around the Mexican League to start 2019 and, after 33 appearances, was purchased by the then-Cleveland Indians. But he again hit a wall, pitching under 12 innings in the system before the 2020 season was canceled. He again left MiLB and returned to Mexico, pitching across two seasons in the league.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After impressing yet again, the Seattle Mariners jumped in, purchasing his contract on June 25, 2022. He dominated in just over 11 innings at the Triple-A level. And on July 30, 2022, the Mariners selected his contract. Eight years after getting drafted, Brennan Bernardino was finally a major leaguer.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Bernardino Makes His Way To Boston<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bernardino appeared in just two games for the Mariners. He pitched to an 0-1 record and a 3.86 ERA. He bounced between Triple-A and MLB to end the 2022 season. On April 12, 2023, the organization designated him for assignment. Seattle was the third team to give up on Bernardino. They would be the last to do so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Red Sox claimed Bernardino off waivers just four days after he was DFA\u2019ed. He was assigned to Triple-A Worcester and quickly was called up by Boston on April 24, 2023. He played consistently for the Red Sox, pitching nearly 51 innings. Bernardino appeared in 55 games, had a 3.20 ERA, and struck out 58 batters. Not bad for someone who waited nine years for their first extended MLB opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To start the 2024 season, Bernardino didn\u2019t make the Red Sox\u2019s Opening Day roster. He threw just twice for Worcester, allowing three runs. On April 9, Boston decided to recall Bernardino from Triple-A. Since then, he&#8217;s survived <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/04\/28\/red-sox-dfa-joely-rodriguez-call-up-naoyuki-uwasawa\/\" target=\"_self\">multiple teammates<\/a> being sent down. And as the saying goes, the rest is history.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Brennan Bernardino Making Every Major League Appearance Count<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brennan Bernardino has blossomed into Boston\u2019s most dependable reliever. In 20 appearances and 23 innings of work, he has given up runs on just three occasions. Bernardino claimed his first loss of the year on April 15 when he surrendered a run in an inning against Cleveland. Since then, he\u2019s given up just two total earned runs and won two contests. As of May 29, Bernardino has a 0.78 ERA and 23 strikeouts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Brennan Bernardino continues to prove the Red Sox wrong for not putting him on the Opening Day roster.<\/p>\n<p>20 Appearances &#8211; 23 IP<br \/>\n0.78 ERA\/2.70 FIP<br \/>\n9.0 K\/9<br \/>\n3.9 BB\/9<br \/>\n3.5 H\/9<br \/>\n0 HR Allowed<br \/>\n.122 BAA<br \/>\n96th Percentile Hard-Hit%<\/p>\n<p>His new cutter has gone a long way against RHH. .143 BAA. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GIbw1GjXy6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/GIbw1GjXy6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tyler Milliken \u26be\ufe0f (@tylermilliken_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tylermilliken_\/status\/1795799275349201196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Possibly Bernardino\u2019s biggest complement to the current Red Sox bullpen is his ability to mitigate danger. Relievers are regularly brought in to put out the fire with runners on base or in scoring position. Lately, Bernardino hasn\u2019t had trouble in these spots. In fact, he\u2019s been utterly dominant with men on second or third. While facing his last 33 batters with runners in scoring position, none have gotten a hit, five have reached base, and one has scored. Pretty impressive for someone who didn\u2019t even start the year at the MLB level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Brennan Bernardino\u2019s last 33 batters faced with runners in scoring position:<\/p>\n<p>0-for-27, 5 BB, 1 SF<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SoxNotes\/status\/1795612958732755258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Bernardino Comes Up Big<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bernardino\u2019s best appearance of the year was his most recent. During an 8-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, he entered the matchup with two men on and nobody out in a one-run contest. Bernardino walked his first batter, loading the bases. But three hitters later, the inning was over and the score was the same. Two strikeouts and a groundout prevented any Baltimore baserunner from touching home plate. If that wasn\u2019t enough, Bernardino returned for the seventh inning and retired the side.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Brennan Bernardino comes in with runners on 1st and 2nd, no outs. He walks the first batter, bases loaded.<\/p>\n<p>Austin Hays, strikeout.<br \/>\nJorge Mateo, groundout.<br \/>\nGunnar Henderson, strikeout.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a bad man. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OTC1uRhs6V\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/OTC1uRhs6V<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Garrett Mashburn (@G_Mashburn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/G_Mashburn\/status\/1795614360632738283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brennan Bernardino has basically been reliable in every single outing this season. The 32-year-old has a 1.4 WAR, which is already more than his total in 2023. His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/glossary\/advanced-stats\/earned-run-average-plus#:~:text=ERA%2B%20takes%20a%20player&#039;s%20ERA,better%20than%20the%20league%20average.\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ERA+<\/a>, which measures how well a pitcher plays compared to his competitors, is at a staggering 538. Last year, it was nearly 400 points lower. That\u2019s a stark difference for a reliever who performs best under pressure. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bernardino didn\u2019t rise through the ranks quickly or make his name known until after his 30th birthday. But none of that matters anymore. With the Boston Red Sox, at the highest level, Brennan Bernardino is making every major league appearance count.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Photo Credit: \u00a9 Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two years ago, Brennan Bernardino was a 30-year-old who had spent the last eight years fighting his way through the independent and minor leagues. Until 2022, he had pitched in just 35 Triple-A games. But two years later, Bernardino is making his name known in the Boston Red Sox bullpen. Although it may have taken [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5152,"featured_media":74916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,926,1071],"tags":[28525,124,5042,158],"class_list":["post-74872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-redsox","category-milb","category-mlb","tag-brennan-bernardino","tag-cincinnati-reds","tag-cleveland-guardians","tag-seattle-mariners"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}