Leclerc uses adrenaline, trust to earn 2nd save in as many days

HOUSTON -- José Leclerc admits that he was a little nervous on Monday afternoon.

“Just a little bit,” Leclerc said through translator Will Nadal. “But it really doesn’t deter me from going out there and competing.”

When manager Bruce Bochy turned to Leclerc in the eighth inning -- after a Yordan Alvarez home run cut the Rangers’ lead to one in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series -- the closer issued two walks. The Houston fans at Minute Maid Park reached a crescendo they hadn’t yet hit this series.

But Leclerc did what he has done all postseason long: close out games on the road. He retired the next four Astros to collect his second save in two days. Leclerc has thrown in every game of Texas’ seven-game playoff winning streak, with just one run allowed in 7 1/3 postseason innings (1.23 ERA).

“I felt a little accelerated out there -- the pressure, the moment, one-run game,” Leclerc said. “I didn’t have my best stuff out there, either. But I just trusted what I had, tried to compete and to get those outs.”

Texas’ bullpen continued its “bend, but don’t break” postseason mentality in a nail-biting 5-4 win over Houston. No other pitcher has exemplified the 'pen's turnaround from the regular season to the playoffs more than Leclerc.

“I never really thought that I would pitch the way that I’m pitching right now,” Leclerc said. “It’s something that I’ve worked for this whole time to get to this point.”

The longest-tenured Ranger on the roster, Leclerc joined the team in 2016, the last time Texas made the postseason. But the reliever didn’t make the postseason roster. He’s used it as fuel ever since: through ups, including a dominant ‘18 season (1.56 ERA in 57 2/3 innings) and downs, like Tommy John surgery in Spring Training of 2021.

When the Rangers opened the 2023 season, Leclerc was the team’s closer. It didn’t last for long, given neck issues that held him out of playing in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic.

“[His neck injury] kept him from being the pitcher that he is right now,” Bochy said. “[At] the start of the season as our closer, [his] stuff was down a couple of ticks. His command was off, and I'm sure that had something to do with it.

“This game is hard enough to play when you're 100 percent.”

As the season progressed and the Rangers’ other high-leverage options struggled, with 33 blown saves in 63 save opportunities, Leclerc’s neck got better. So did his command, as well as his stuff. Catcher Jonah Heim mentioned that Leclerc is always tinkering, coming up with new pitches to complement his dominant fastball-slider combo.

He worked his way back to being Bochy’s top option in high-leverage situations in September, posting a 1.98 ERA across 13 2/3 innings with 19 strikeouts.

“You could see the stuff coming up, you could see the command getting better, and that's when I knew we had the Leclerc that we know,” Bochy said.

Leclerc was ready to get multiple outs in Monday’s thriller. After all, the right-hander had recorded four outs to seal Texas’ postseason berth on Sept. 30, and he recorded four more to clinch the Rangers’ sweep of the Orioles in Game 3 of the AL Division Series.

Leclerc made sure to throw a little in the seventh inning to get warmed up. When Aroldis Chapman entered in the eighth to face the heart of Houston’s lineup, Leclerc said he was locked in mentally if something went wrong.

Leclerc -- the only Ranger remaining from the 2016 roster -- is cherishing every moment he gets in the playoffs. Four batters and four outs later, he sealed yet another special win and let his emotions out before hugging Heim.

“I’ve said it all along, this team right here is like family,” Leclerc said. “I mean, I practically spend more time with them than I do with my own family. So we have a really good, unique group. And I’m just thankful for the opportunity to be in this moment, this position to be able to go out there and help the team out.”