Three outs away from setting a franchise record for wins in a season – and clinging to a one-run lead over San Antonio on Wednesday night – the Springfield Cardinals called on the Texas League leader in saves to close out a historic win.
Photo courtesy of PJ Maigi | Springfield Cardinals
Matt Svanson notched a pair of strikeouts, but the Missions moved the winning run into scoring position for centerfield Joshua Mears. Svanson fired a first-pitch fastball on Mears’ hands to yield a tapper that rolled halfway to the mound. The towering righty zipped a perfect throw to first and beat Mears by three steps.
Save number 26 to close out win number 78, a 2-1 Springfield victory.
After the regular season finale in San Antonio on Sunday afternoon, Springfield travels to North Little Rock on Tuesday for Game 1 of the Texas League North Division championship series against Arkansas. Game 2 and 3 (if necessary) will be in Springfield next Thursday and Friday.
Svanson is 26-for-26 in save opportunities with a 2.74 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 62.1 innings. He enjoyed 19 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run, helping Springfield to a 58-1 mark when leading after eight innings. After the Cards’ playoff run, Svanson is slated for the Arizona Fall League, a reward for a stellar 2024 campaign.
A 27th out 20 years in the making. pic.twitter.com/VYvvVCtoXS
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) September 12, 2024
“It’s nice to have a constant routine…I know (I’m pitching) in the eighth and ninth inning every time. It’s kind of nice to have that routine, (but) also with this team, there’s been times where they’ve said I’m in the game if we’re tied, and we’re down by five and then tie it up – it’s nice to have that routine but be ready even if we’re down by a lot, or up by a lot,” Svanson said.
“He’s a warrior, he takes the ball everyday and he throws strikes, he’s not afraid…really good competitor and definitely has good stuff, got up to 97 mph with a lot of movement.” Springfield manager Jose Leger said.
“There’s not much more I want to ask from him, he’s had a tremendous year.”
The scoreless streak ended on September 1 when Svanson labored for 30 pitches and Wichita touched him for two runs, but Leger says his reaction reflected the reliever’s growth.
“That was probably one of his worst outings, and he came into the dugout and said, ‘I’m ready for the next inning’, because we were tied at the moment,” Leger said.
“His ability to go back-to-back and put failure behind, there were a couple times (last season) when he had a bad game, and he wasn’t able to recover well from those. The ability to have a short memory and go work the next day despite having a bad day, he’s amazing.”
He on developed a cutter in the offseason to improve against lefthanded hitters, but the sinker remains an out pitch.
“I’ve kind of changed some stuff throughout the year, I went to more sinker-heavy in the middle of the season, it’s been playing well,” Svanson said.
The Chicago area native grew up a Red Sox fan despite living 30 miles from Wrigley Field, and his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame resembles Beantown legend Johnathan Papelbon. Svanson leans on a sinker that’s been his go-to pitch since he threw a perfect game in his first varsity start at Lake Zurich High School.
Svanson added size and velocity during the COVID shutdown and Toronto drafted the Lehigh product in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB draft. As the 2023 trade deadline approached, he sported a 4-1 record and 1.23 ERA in 24 relief appearances for High-A Vancouver.
Motivated by an injury to starting shortstop Bo Bichette, the Blue Jays sent Svanson to St. Louis for Paul DeJong.
“We always joked around about (being traded) because we knew the Blue Jays at the time were buyers and they were trying to make a lot of moves. It was kind of shocking to get that call, again you joke about it but kind of weird feeling when it all plays out,” he said.
Springfield pitchers are dominant in the late innings, but starting pitching will be critical for the playoff series.
Tink Hence’s injury-plagued summer continued Wednesday night as he was pulled after just 29 pitches, and his playoff availability is doubtful. Cooper Hjerpe has been on the shelf since early July and Tekoah Roby recently returned from the IL after missing most the season.
Andy Carroll is a freelance sports writer living in the Ozarks with his wife and four great kids. He loves St. Louis, toasted ravioli and minor league baseball. You can follow him on Twitter @carroll_sgf and Instagram @andycarroll505
