Numbers prove Blue Jays' Romano is one of MLB's most clutch relievers
When the game is on the line, with the Toronto Blue Jays hanging on by the smallest of threads, there’s no one they trust more than Jordan Romano.
In his second full season as Toronto’s closer, he’s been one of baseball’s unheralded clutch relievers. Names like Edwin Diaz and Emmanuel Clase garner most of the attention when it comes to discussing the best closers of 2022, but Romano’s no slouch, either.
The Blue Jays have played 45 one-run games this season (where they own a 28-17 record) and the Markham, Ontario native has played a huge part in the team locking down those close wins.
Most closers get at least a little cushion when they enter the game, but 17 of Romano’s 32 save appearances have been in one-run games.
No pressure at all, Jordan.
Despite the tough task, he’s answered the bell on most occasions.
Not only is Romano close to the top of the pack in traditional statistics like saves and games finished, the numbers also show he’s consistently called upon in high leverage situations and he rarely fails.
| Statistic | Value | Rank |
| Saves | 33 | T-3rd |
| Games Finished | 47 | 2nd |
| WPA for Pitcher | 4.0 | 2nd |
| FanGraphs WPA | 3.81 | 2nd |
| Player Leverage Index | 2.56 | 1st |
| Leverage Index on Exit | 4.30 | 1st |
| Shutdowns | 33 | 3rd |
Statsistics via Stathead and FanGraphs as of September 11, 2022
Metrics like win probability added and average leverage index underscore how clutch the 29-year-old has been in the thick of a playoff race for the Blue Jays. He ranks second in win probability added, and first in player leverage index and leverage index on exit.
Let’s not gloss over the fact that his 33 saves are tied for third-most in baseball and his 47 games finished are second-most in baseball, it’s the fact that he’s finished games under extreme high-pressure situations.
Or how about this one via the Talkin’ Baseball account: of his 53 appearances this season, Romano’s surrendered two or more earned runs in two games. In 51 of 53 appearances, he’s given up either one or zero earned runs. That’s insane.
The first month of the season by far was Romano’s heaviest workload as he appeared in 12 games, saving 10 of them, and six of those games were one-run victories.
Two of Romano’s gutsiest performances of the season involved him performing some trying death-defying escape acts. On August 25 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, he had the bases loaded with nobody out in the ninth inning, escaped the jam, then locked down the save with 1-2-3 inning in the 10th.
NOW PLAYING: Sweeping Up In Boston – Dropkick Murphys 🧹 pic.twitter.com/zUR2Iinoud
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 26, 2022
On September 4 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Romano had runners in second and third with nobody out in a one-run game, then he turned on beast mode and struck out the final three batters to finish the game and secure the victory for the Blue Jays.
Romano told the BABIP Gods to increase the difficulty because thats how much he believes in his grind 💯 pic.twitter.com/0BmawrkbPz
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 4, 2022
And when it comes to the best seasons all-time by a Blue Jays reliever, Romano’s climbing his way up that list as well. His 2.7 bWAR currently has him ranked as the 17th best by a Blue Jays closer or reliever.
Romano’s one of the big reasons the Blue Jays’ bullpen has been one of the most lockdown units post All-Star break. Toronto’s reliever ERA of 2.85 is the fifth best in baseball, and their K/9 of 9.7 ranks sixth among all bullpens.
Combined with Yimi Garcia and newly acquired Anthony Bass, Romano heads up one of the deadliest back ends of the bullpen in the American League. What once was a huge weakness for this Blue Jays team has suddenly become a strength.
One could only imagine where the 78-61 Blue Jays would be without the herculean contributions with their closer in Romano. He’s already won two AL Reliever of the Month awards this year, he was named an All-Star, now he’s pitching the biggest games of his career for his hometown team.
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