The Cleveland Guardians have gotten strong performances from many members of their pitching staff so far this year, and the team’s 3.23 ERA is fifth in the league and a big reason why the Guardians are sitting atop the AL Central at 31-17.
Even without former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber, who is out for the year with Tommy John surgery, the Guardians have pitched exceedingly well, largely due to the performance of one surprising pitcher.
Ben Lively hurled another gem on Monday night in a 3-1 victory over the New York Mets, going 5.2 innings and giving up six hits, one earned run, no walks, and seven strikeouts to increase his season record to 3-2 and lower his ERA to 2.84.
Ben don't break.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/jXCKkwATWH
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 20, 2024
Lively is 32 years old and has not found consistent success at any point throughout his career, and his best run was during the 15 starts he made as a rookie in 2017 where he posted a 4.26 ERA and only a 4-7 record.
After that, Lively pitched in just 11 games over the next two years before being out of the league entirely from 2019 through 2023.
He resurfaced with the Cincinnati Reds last season and again posted a 4-7 record with a rough 5.38 ERA in 12 starts.
With that context, Lively ripping off seven consecutive starts to open this season without giving up more than three earned runs is special.
Great teams need emergences from random players like Lively who step up to fill in for injured guys, and fans couldn’t ask for more from a veteran castoff like Lively.
Hopefully he can keep it up, because he has been a great story thus far.
NEXT: Guardians Announce Major Roster Move Involving Top Prospect
