MLB players choose who they want closing out a Game 7

During Spring Training, MLB.com beat writers surveyed their clubhouses, asking players for their opinions on a range of topics. Well over 100 players participated, in exchange for anonymity. In the leadup to Opening Day, MLB.com is publishing a series of stories based on the results of that survey.

Today's topic: Which pitcher would you want on the mound to get the final out in a Game 7?

It's not just any out -- it's the most important out of the season. MLB's most recent Game 7 came during the 2023 NLCS, and the D-backs' Paul Sewald came through with a flawless ninth inning to vault Arizona into the World Series.

We asked Major League players which current hurler they want holding the ball with everything on the line. Sewald's name didn't come up, but here are the ones that did.

1. Emmanuel Clase, Guardians

Clase, as you might expect, was the runaway winner in our poll. He received four times more votes than any other pitcher.

¡°0.61 ERA," an AL first baseman pointed out. "That's all that needs to be said.¡±

Beyond his microscopic 2024 ERA, Clase recorded a 0.66 WHIP, limited hitters to a .392 OPS and surpassed the 40-save mark for the third straight year. It all contributed to his case for the AL Cy Young Award. Clase ultimately didn't win it, but he was the first reliever in 16 years to be a Cy Young finalist.

Clase was a chief reason why the Guardians went 82-0 during the regular season when they held a lead entering the ninth inning. And we saw Clase lock down a winner-take-all game last October as he pitched two perfect innings to wrap up ALDS Game 5 against the Tigers.

"He's one of the nastiest pitchers in the world," an AL third baseman said.

2. Mason Miller, Athletics

You can't hit what you can't see, and hitters had a difficult time making any contact against Miller's blink-and-you-will-miss-it fastball last season. Thanks to a four-seamer that averaged 100.9 mph, Miller logged a 41.8% strikeout rate, the best in the game among pitchers who threw at least 60 innings. His 70.9% in-zone contact rate was the third-lowest, and his 5.0 hits-per-nine-innings rate tied for seventh. Miller saved 28 games during his rookie year and posted a solid 2.49 ERA over 65 frames, but even that indicated a little bit of bad luck as his expected ERA was an MLB-best 1.77.

3. Ryan Helsley, Cardinals

If you need to get the final out in a Game 7, why not choose the pitcher who saved more games than anyone else last year? Helsley's 49 saves were not only the most in MLB, they also set a Cardinals franchise record. The right-hander routinely hits 100 mph on the radar gun, but his best pitch is a slider that can touch 90 mph and produced a .195 slugging percentage last season. Although 2024 was a career year for Helsley, he owns a 1.83 ERA and a 12.1 K/9 rate over 167 2/3 innings since the start of 2022.

4. Gerrit Cole, Yankees

Cole has been one of baseball's most reliable and effective aces throughout his 12-year career and has commonly stepped up in big moments. The six-time All-Star has a 2.77 career ERA across 22 postseason starts. That includes a 2.17 ERA in 29 innings last October as he helped the Yankees win the pennant for the first time since 2009.

"He's just very, very prepared," one AL starting pitcher said of Cole. "I just know that for a moment like that, he's going to be ready for it."

However, when will Cole pitch in a big game this season? A current bout of right elbow discomfort has clouded his 2025 outlook.

5. Tarik Skubal, Tigers

Both of last season's pitching Triple Crown winners were mentioned multiple times by their peers, but Skubal was cited more often than Chris Sale. Maybe it's because Skubal followed up his phenomenal regular season with a 17-inning scoreless streak in the playoffs that spanned three starts and lasted until ALDS Game 5 against the Guardians. Regardless, you can't go wrong with either starter.

Honorable mention: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers

Ohtani has never pitched in relief in the Majors, but his iconic showdown against Mike Trout to end the 2023 World Baseball Classic was referenced by some players when they were asked our topic question.

¡°I know he¡¯s never pitched in the playoffs, but seeing the way Ohtani closed out the WBC -- especially against Trout, who was his teammate at the time -- you know he¡¯d deliver on the biggest stage," an AL starting pitcher said.

Even without that championship-clinching at-bat, Ohtani would still be a worthwhile choice. Over his final three seasons with the Angels, he produced a 2.84 ERA through 428 1/3 innings and finished fourth for the AL Cy Young in 2022. After spending a season away from the mound while recovering from right elbow surgery, Ohtani should be back on the bump at some point this year.

Honorable mention: Walker Buehler, Red Sox

Some players brought up the pitcher who recorded the final out of the 2024 season. In his first relief appearance since 2018, Buehler was nails in the ninth inning of World Series Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. He notched two K's and a groundout for a clean inning in a one-run game and lifted the Dodgers to their first full-season title since 1988. That one inning clearly made an impression on others around the league.

Other players who received multiple votes: Jhoan Duran, Twins; Devin Williams, Yankees; Max Scherzer, Blue Jays; Tanner Scott, Dodgers; Paul Skenes, Pirates; F¨¦lix Bautista, Orioles; Taj Bradley, Rays; Edwin D¨ªaz, Mets; Jacob deGrom, Rangers; Josh Hader, Astros; Raisel Iglesias, Braves; Kenley Jansen, Angels; Ryan Pressly, Cubs; Chris Sale, Braves; Blake Treinen, Dodgers; Zack Wheeler, Phillies