Dominican St. Louis Cardinals pitcher reached 24 saves in the first 24 opportunities to start his career, setting a new Major League record
Alex Reyes began his career as a Major League starting pitcher in 2016. At 26 years old, he was one of the top potential prospects within the St. Louis Cardinals minor league ranks, called upon to be a power pitcher for their starting rotation, but reality has not helped with that potential being reached.
Since his debut, Reyes has had three surgeries (including a Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow) that have ended his seasons. He sat out for two years after the 2016 season and barely surpassed the 100 innings pitched mark over the course of the 2021 campaign, but one thing he has done is make the most of every opportunity he’s had with the team.
In 2016, despite being used mostly as a starter, Reyes saved his first game and since then, he has simply been perfect. The Dominican has managed to save every game in his first 24 opportunities given to him since his debut, with 22 of those coming in the current season, including his most recent inside day on Sunday, which becomes the all-time record to start a career in MLB.
Reyes reached the record after dispatching the San Francisco Giants in a close game that ended in favor of the Cardinals. With his 22nd save of the season, he secures second place in that department in the National League (fourth overall in the Major Leagues) and remains the all-time leader among Dominican relievers for 2021.
With his first invitation to the All-Star Game coming this season, the Dominican continues with his sensational performance, which is turning 2021 into the best year of a career in which he has had to overcome multiple challenges. At the moment, he maintains a 1.45 ERA in 43.1 innings of work, along with an average bases on balls and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) of 1.323.
