The St. Louis Cardinals' Closer is Absolutely Dominant

Ryan Helsley did something very uncharacteristic last night. He let up a home run, just the second one he's allowed all season.

Helsley also picked up his 11th save, coming into the one-run game in the eighth with a runner on and inducing a Jose Trevino fly-out to end the inning. He then remained in the game after the St. Louis Cardinals scored three runs in the top of the ninth to make it a four-run game. He gave up a home run to DJ LeMahieu, but he retired the other three hitters he faced.

With that home run allowed, Helsley's ERA jumped from 0.61 to 0.79. It's August, pitchers aren't supposed to have that low an ERA anymore.

As of August 08, Helsley has a microscopic 0.79 ERA, a ridiculous 0.64 WHIP, and 67 strikeouts across 45 innings. He also has a 6-1 record and 11 saves. He is elite.

But that's not it. There are more numbers to indicate that what Helsley is doing this season is no fluke.

Some of Ryan Helsley’s Stats just don’t make sense

• 3 Earned Runs in 44.1 Innings
• 15 Hits with 66 K’s
• 38.3% Whiff Rate (League Avg. 24.9%)

Certified Superstar #STLCards pic.twitter.com/Nsrd2jZ5Sr
— Gateway Grinders (@gatewaygrinders) August 6, 2022

The twenty-eight year old is in the 99th percentile in expected ERA/ expected weighted on base percentage. He's in the 100th percentile in expected batting average, no one is better than him this year in that category. He's in the 99th pecentile in expected slugging, 99th percentile in K%, 98th percentile in whiff percentage, 93rd percentile in chase rate, 99th percentile in fastball velocity, and the 100th percentile in fastball spin. He's in the top 1% of the league in seven categories.

Yeah, Helsley's good.

The overlay of Ryan Helsley’s 100mph fastball & 91mph slider is bonkers 🤯 pic.twitter.com/NRWJxWOWUN
— Sports Entertainment (@OutsiderSports) August 5, 2022