Daniel Espino validating Stephen Vogt’s Game 3 trust shows Guardians’ World Series aspirations are for real 

Every MLB postseason offers countless baseball fans the opportunity to play manager from their living room couch. 

While there are countless spans who spend all summer analyzing their favorite team’s bullpen decisions, things always hit a new level in the postseason thanks to the amount of national attention that comes with every game. 

Kevin Cash’s decision to pull Blake Snell in the sixth inning against the Dodgers in 2020 wouldn’t have led to much of anything had it happened in July; instead it became a national talking point since it occurred in Game 6 of the World Series. 

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt had a chance to have his Kevin Cash moment on Thursday when he pulled Guardians starter Gavin Williams for reliever Daniel Espino after Williams recorded five effective innings on just 70 pitches. 

It wouldn’t have come with the same spectacle since it came at the start of the inning as opposed to Vogt having to walk out to the mound to take the ball, but it was the kind of move that could become a talking point for the entire winter. 

Instead it became the signature moment of Espino’s career, as he retired the Rays in order and struck out superstar Junior Caminero on a 100 mile per hour fastball above the strike zone.

Daniel Espino saved Stephen Vogt’s bullpen decision from becoming a national storyline 

Vogt said that his decision to pull Williams stemmed from the pitcher’s previous workload more than his health, which makes sense considering he entered Thursday with 11 2/3 postseason innings under his belt and is a little more than a week removed from the first relief appearance of his career. 

But part of the reason why he closed out the Guardians’ win over the White Sox in Game 4 of the ALDS is because the Guardians didn’t trust any of the other pitchers in their bullpen to close the game out behind Smith. 

Things were different on Thursday because Williams’ pitching appearance came before Vogt had emptied his bullpen, but it shows Espino has risen in the trust tree against the top of the Rays’ lineup. 

Espino marked the second time Vogt asked him to take care of business against the Rays’ trio of Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Caminero, and he set them down in order for the second straight appearance. He now has a 2.70 ERA in 3 1/3 innings this postseason. 

Not only did Espino’s latest outing help save Vogt from becoming a national storyline, but it also helped keep Williams fresh for his next appearance. It’s anyone's guess if that will come — whether that is going to come on normal rest in Game 7 or in relief before that . 

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