Coulombe on Bautista: "What he’s doing is honestly historical"

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Félix Bautista sat in the visiting bullpen last night, knowing the phone wasn’t ringing for him.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde needed Bautista to close out Wednesday afternoon’s game at Camden Yards. He needed Bautista Thursday night to cover the ninth and 10^th innings in a 4-3 win over the Rays that catapulted his club into sole possession of first place.

A save situation last night was going to be someone else’s responsibility.

Let the Mountain rest.

The Orioles were shut out 3-0. The entire offense went into a slumber.

Bautista is an All-Star who’s entering the Cy Young discussion – not a favorite but worthy of a guest pass to the debate. He’s appeared in 43 games and posted a 0.96 ERA, 0.851 WHIP and .131 average against in 47 innings. His 26 saves are tied for first in the American League. And his 17.4 strikeouts per nine innings are almost unprecedented.

Former Reds closer Aroldis Chapman holds the major league record for most strikeouts per nine innings, in a minimum 40 innings, with 17.67 in 2014. He fanned 106 batters in 54 innings.

Second on the list is Bautista, who’s struck out 91 in 47 innings.

The Mets’ Edwin Díaz is third at 17.13 in 2022, per STATS. Craig Kimbrel averaged 16.66 with the Braves in 2012 and 16.43 with the Red Sox in 2017.

Reliever Danny Coulombe said there’s “no doubt” that Bautista belongs on a five-man ballot for the Cy Young Award.

“What he’s doing is honestly historical,” Coulombe said. “We were talking about it (Thursday). I don’t think I’ve ever seen an outing before where you throw two innings, 15 pitches and get three strikeouts, which is pretty much impossible. He’s just been so good for us and it’s so nice having him at the back end there.”

Bautista already ranks first in Orioles history. Armando Benitez used to hold the record at 13.01 in 1997, when the Orioles went wire-to-wire and lost to Cleveland in the American League Championship Series.

Benitez surrendered home runs in Games 2 and 6 that cost the Orioles a trip to the World Series. Bautista allowed a home run this month to lose the All-Star Game.

That’s the time to stumble.

Tanner Scott is third with 12.83 strikeouts per nine innings in 2018. B.J. Ryan is fourth and fifth at 12.80 in 2005 and 12.62 in 2004, respectively.

Former Rookie of the Year Gregg Olson is the Orioles’ all-time saves leader with 160, followed by Zack Britton with 139. Jim Johnson is third with 122, Tippy Martinez is fourth with 105, and Stu Miller is the fifth in triple digits with 100.

Bautista has accumulated 41 saves in two seasons and 108 games to rank 17^th on the list. One more and he’s tied with Ryan and Sammy Stewart. Five more and he passes Don Stanhouse.

Chris Ray is 13^th with 49, Don Aase is 12^th with 50, former All-Star George Sherrill is 11^th with 51, and former North Carolina State basketball forward Tim Stoddard is 10^th with 57.

Dick Hall is ninth with 58, Eddie Watt is eighth with 74, Randy Myers is seventh with 76, and Jorge Julio is sixth with 83, which might surprise some fans and media who remember the blown saves more than the successes.

I did my share of story rewrites because of Julio, and I feel like most of them were at Tropicana Field, where he registered a career 5.75 ERA and 1.574 WHIP in 18 games.

Julio’s blown save on April 10, 2004 came in his first opportunity of the season and was his third via home runs at The Trop. I pretty much blacked out after that.

You don't want to blink and miss Bautista firing three-figure heat past hitters.

“Other teams know how good he is,” Coulombe said. “I’ve even texted with friends on the other team’s that were facing him who are like, ‘He is so big, and he is so hard to hit.’ And I go, ‘Yeah, he’s that good, he’s that talented.’”

And he’s got a chance to siphon Cy Young votes out of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

“He’s on my ballot, and the box is checked on my ballot,” said Hyde, who isn't in the BBWAA.

“What he’s doing is different than anybody else in the game right now. The multi-inning save situation, how dominating he’s been, situations I’m putting him in that aren’t easy, and the way he’s come through more times than not in dominating fashion. Just having a great year at this point.”