Parker Messick got one last regular-season tuneup Sunday, and the Guardians will now turn the page to October with a decision still hanging over them.
The rookie left-hander worked three innings in Cleveland’s 3-2 loss to the Royals in Kansas City, allowing one run in what could wind up being his final start before the best-of-five American League Division Series opens Saturday at Progressive Field. Messick may be the choice for Game 1.
Cleveland is set to face the winner of the best-of-three wild-card series between Houston and the White Sox. Houston clinched the AL West on Sunday after Texas lost to the Twins. The Astros and Rangers were tied for the division lead entering the day, but Houston owned the tiebreaker.
Messick’s season has been one of the biggest stories on the roster. He finished 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA across 32 starts and 186 innings, and he piled up 193 strikeouts against 49 walks while allowing 147 hits.
That strikeout total is the most by a Cleveland rookie in a single season since Herb Score had 245 in 1955, the year he won the AL Rookie of the Year award. Cleveland’s most recent Rookie of the Year was catcher Sandy Alomar in 1990.
Even more impressive, Messick’s ERA never climbed above 2.85 in any of his 32 starts. He became the fourth rookie pitcher in the divisional era, which began in 1969, to win at least 12 games for Cleveland, joining CC Sabathia (17 in 2001), Dennis Eckersley (13 in 1975) and Dick Tidrow (14 in 1972).
“This has been a blessing of a season for me,” said Messick after his start Tuesday in Boston. “I couldn’t be more grateful to the team, to Lord and everyone who has been a part of it.
“I’m just grateful for all these starts. It’s been incredible.”
Cleveland used right-hander Austin Peterson after Messick, recalling him before the game to handle the final five innings. Peterson, who is 0-1, made his second big-league appearance and gave up three hits while striking out five and walking two. Two of those mistakes became Vinnie Pasquantino home runs in the fifth and eighth innings, and that was enough to send Kansas City to its 67th victory.
The game itself swung back and forth early. Salvador Perez singled home the Royals’ first run in the opening inning, then Daniel Schneemann answered with a leadoff homer in the third. That was Schneemann’s seventh homer of the season and his first since June 17 against Milwaukee.
Pasquantino put Kansas City back in front with a two-out homer in the fifth, but Jo Adell answered in the sixth with a 440-foot blast to tie it again. It was Adell’s 23rd homer of the year, his seventh since joining the Guardians on Aug. 3 from the Angels, and it pushed his RBI total to 94.
Cleveland finished the regular season 85-76. The club went 16-9 in September and 35-30 after the All-Star break.
The Guardians also close the year having won the AL Central for the third straight season. They’ve taken the division seven times in the last 11 years and 14 times overall since it was created in 1994.
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Messicks season line tells part of the story, with a 12-9 record and a 2.55 ERA underscoring how important he has become to the rotation. He is expected to start the regular season finale and then take on a key role in the American League Division Series, giving Guardians fans one more reason to feel good about where this team stands heading into October. [Read more 🡒]