CLEVELAND — Although Slade Cecconi’s role changed as a result of the Guardians’ recent moves ahead of the MLB trade deadline, he has a history with being conditioned to operate out of the bullpen.
“You just flip the switch,” Cecconi said on Tuesday, Aug. 4, after the Guardians lost 6-2 to the New York Mets at Progressive Field. “When the phone rings, it’s like Pavlov’s dog, man. You start grinding your teeth a little bit. You start thinking about reasons to hate that guy in the [batter’s] box, and that fires you up.”
Cecconi had no choice but to become fired up right away. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt called Cecconi on the night of Monday, Aug. 3, to tell him he would be moved to the bullpen. Cleveland had acquired All-Star pitcher Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals shortly before the MLB trade deadline expired at 6 p.m. Aug. 3. The team decided to turn Cecconi back into a reliever as Griffin enters the starting rotation.
Then in their interleague series opener against the Mets, the Guardians summoned Cecconi from the bullpen to begin the sixth inning. Cecconi replaced starter Joey Cantillo and allowed one run (a solo home run by Carson Benge) and two hits in 2⅔ innings of work. Cecconi also struck out four.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Cecconi, 27, said. “I was ready to go.”
The right-handed Cecconi made his first appearance from the bullpen since Sept. 11, 2024, when he played for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“He’s just excited that he’s here to help us win ballgames, however that looks, and he’s willing to take the ball whenever we ask him,” Vogt said. “It’s going to be a change to his routine. It’s going to be a change to some things, so it might take him a little time to settle into what the new day to day looks like. But he took the news really well because he just wants to help us win games.”
In 21 starts this season, Cecconi went 4-7 with a 4.78 ERA. He allowed 63 runs (57 earned), 123 hits and 35 walks in 107⅓ innings. He struck out 84 and posted a 1.47 WHIP.
“I don’t think disappointed is the right word necessarily [to describe my feelings about no longer starting],” Cecconi said. “I was a little bit maybe disappointed in my own performance as of late. I know I went on a pretty good stretch after a pretty bad stretch to start [this season]. It was like bad stretch, good stretch, couple bad ones after the [All-Star] break, and we’ve got to win baseball games. We’re trying to do something special here, and whatever I can do to help the team accomplish that goal, I’m here for.”
Even though the Guardians’ aggression at the trade deadline led them to shake up their starting rotation and alter Cecconi’s job responsibilities, he is enthusiastic about the big picture.
“It’s exciting that this team wants to win baseball games and believes in the group of guys that we have,” Cecconi said. “I think everybody in the Cleveland fan base should be excited that we as a group made decisions that are going to help this team win baseball games.”
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Back in bullpen, Guardians’ Slade Cecconi is thrown into fire vs. Mets
Reporting by Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
