Dylan Cease has only made three postseason starts. But he is quickly earning a reputation of someone who cannot be relied on in a big game. In his four postseason appearances, Cease has only pitched a total of 7.2 innings and posted a 12.91 ERA with an 0-1 record.
Cease failed to make it out of the second inning of his first career postseason start. He was given the ball in a pressure-packed Game 3 of the 2021 ALDS, as the White Sox tried to stave off elimination from the Houston Astros. To that point, his only other playoff experience was a single inning pitched in 2020, with no fans in the stands. Off the bat, Cease looked amped up. He fired a perfect 1-2-3 first inning which was capped off with a 100 mph fastball to strike out Alex Bregman. But in the second inning, the wheels fell off. Back-to-back walks put Cease in a hole that he couldn’t recover from. He was lifted from the game after allowing three earned runs on two hits and three walks in 1.2 innings of work.
It marked a good learning experience for the 25-year-old right-hander. One he hoped would be useful three years later when he returned to the playoffs with the Padres. When he was given the ball for Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers, Cease hoped his first taste of playoff baseball would prepare him to handle the extra adrenaline rush that comes with it.
His offense helped him out by spotting him a three-run lead before he even took the mound. Cease had already given it back by the end of the second inning. He lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts. The biggest moment of the game for Cease came in the second inning against Shoehei Ohtani when a misplaced fastball quickly turned into a game-tying three-run homer.
Despite losing game one the Padres put themselves in a position to close out the series at home in Game 4. Padres manager Mike Shildt decided to turn to Cease of short rest even though he had never pitched on three days rest before during his six years in the MLB. The reasoning was simple. Cease is one of the best pitchers in the National League.
To his credit, Cease was on board with the idea and told the Padres before the game to treat it like it was a normal start. But once again Cease faltered. He threw 22 of his 38 pitches for strikes and was tagged for three runs on four hits and a walk. Unlike his previous outings, the Georgia native said he felt good on the mound.
“I liked how the ball was coming out of my hand,” Cease told reporters after the game. “I really didn’t feel like I shot myself in the foot too much, which I feel like I had been doing.”
Cease served up a home run to Mookie Betts in the first inning but was able to limit the damage. However, in the second inning, he ran into traffic on the basepaths after walking Gavin Lux and then allowing a single to Kike Hernandez. After striking out Chris Taylor it looked like he could escape the inning, but Ohtani was due up next. The Padres had action in the bullpen but opted to let Cease face Ohtani. The decision backfired. Ohtani laced a line drive to right field and cleared the basepaths while Cease walked back to the dugout after throwing just 1.2 innings once again.
In his four postseason appearances, Cease owns a -4.2% Championship Win Probability Added by Pitcher. The second inning has been the biggest culprit. Cease owns a 27.00 ERA in the second inning and has allowed five earned runs in the frame during his two 2024 postseason starts.
Cease is a very cerebral player. He does yoga in the offseason and spends time meditating. He rarely looks nervous or rattled on the mound. But where Cease runs into trouble is his inability to control his fastball at times. He constantly nibbles at the corners hunting strikeouts which racks up his pitch count. When he falls behind in counts it makes his fastball much more hittable. If the Padres survive Game 5, they are going to need Cease to deliver as the games and pressure continue to get bigger.
