The Chicago Cubs and their fans have their eyes fixed on the World Baseball Classic [WBC] final Tuesday night, when Team USA meets Team Venezuela for the championship. Specifically, they’ll be watching Team Venezuela closer Daniel Palencia along with Team USA stars Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman.
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On Monday, Palencia continued his scorching-hot spring by closing out the semifinal game against the surprising Team Italy. It was another dominant showing from the 26-year-old, who pitched a shutout ninth inning, striking out the last two batters of the game.
So far this spring, the Cubs closer has yet to give up a run. In the WBC, he’s pitched 4 shutdown innings, striking out 7. In regular Cactus League play, he’s thrown 3 scoreless innings, striking out 3.
Palencia on the secret to his run of success
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Before Monday’s game against the Italians, Palencia talked to the guys at MLB Network about he found the success last season, that has extended through this spring, after not having much success at the major league level before.
“For me, it was just finding a way to put the fastball wherever I want,” Palencia told them. “Using more my splitter and my slider, in that way I can protect my fastball…and it works right now”
Last season, he had a surprise breakthrough season for Chicago. Called up from Triple-A Iowa in mid-April following the Justin Steele injury, he would soon win the closer gig in an eye-catching run that made him a Wrigley Field fan favorite. Through the end of July, the hard-throwing righty had posted an impressive 1.40 ERA and was working with the swagger of an established veteran.
Then, things kind of went sideways.
Over the final two months of the regular season, Palencia fell off. He posted a 7.07 ERA in 17 appearances during that time and suffered through an IL stint after the first week of September. In the playoffs, he was no longer closing games and, instead, being used by manager Craig Counsell as a mid-game stopgap.
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Very early this spring, however, Counsell made the bold move of declaring him the Cubs closer.
“I told Counsell the first time I met him, ‘I’m going to be ready wherever you need me,’” Palencia told MLB Network. “Last year, he put me in the sixth, in the fourth, seventh sometimes. I just try to be ready whenever he needs me. If you need me in the first, I’m going to be ready.”
He did acknowledge, though, that “of course” coming out to pitch in the ninth was cooler.
Then, Palencia was asked about the possibility of facing Cubs teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong, who’s playing center field for Team USA.
“I would love to face Pete…[In spring training] I told him, ‘I’m coming after you.’ It was the same with Seiya. I told him, ‘Hey, bro, I’m coming for you.’”
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