Ex-Bryant pitcher James Karinchak impresses in Fenway debut with Cleveland
BOSTON — James Karinchak is back.
The second Bryant player to reach the big leagues made quite a Fenway Park debut Monday night with the Cleveland Guardians. The right-handed reliever worked 1⅔ perfect innings and struck out four of the five men he faced.
There have been two different versions of Karinchak in his professional career to date — this was the 2020 vintage. The 26-year-old dominated opposing hitters in the shortened COVID-19 pandemic season before stumbling a bit through 2021. A back injury delayed his debut this summer to July 4, but early numbers suggest he could be finding something approaching a high-leverage future in the Cleveland bullpen.
James Karinchak, K'ing the Side. pic.twitter.com/QnNKqlM9Yt
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 26, 2022
“I’m really happy to be back here on a competing team with a bunch of great guys,” Karinchak said. “I’m fortunate to be playing at Fenway Park for the first time.”
Karinchak has made seven appearances this month and pitched to a 3.12 earned-run average. His strikeout rate is back up to 16.62 men per nine innings, and he’s yet to allow a home run. The lack of punchouts and opposing hitters frequently finding the seats against him in 2021 caused Karinchak to lose what could have been a grip on the closer role with the Guardians.
“It’s been quite the journey,” Karinchak said. “It means a lot to me to be back and throwing the ball close to how I think I should be. I believe I can still get a lot better.”
Karinchak was among a group of pitchers implicated — but never directly linked to — the Spider Tack controversy that stained baseball last season. League-ordered crackdowns on the possible application of foreign substances to the baseball seemed to cause a dip in performance for some throughout the league. New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole emerged as the face of the issue after a particularly guilt-ridden appearance at a pregame interview podium.
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Karinchak’s strikeouts dropped from 17.67 per nine innings to just 12.69. His home runs allowed climbed from 0.33 per nine innings to 1.46. More than 18% of balls put in the air against him went over the wall.
Does that mean Karinchak was cheating? Or was 2020 simply a smaller sample in which he was more fortunate? There tends to be a variance among relievers from year-to-year — few find a way to be dominant over an extended period of time. Any suggestion of wrongdoing would be purely circumstantial, and Karinchak said he’s moved past it mentally.
“When I’ve got the baseball in my hand, my mentality is to dominate,” Karinchak said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on besides that. When I’m on the mound, I plan to dominate.”
The game was considerably less complicated for Karinchak while playing for head coach Steve Owens and pitching coach Ryan Fecteau during his three years in Smithfield. He went 26-11 with a 2.83 ERA working primarily as a starter, fanning 272 in his 229 career innings. Karinchak was selected in the ninth round by Cleveland in the 2017 draft — he's one of 29 players all-time from the program to either hear his name called or sign as a free agent, and only the second to work in the big leagues alongside right-hander Keith MacWhorter.
“[Owens and Fecteau] had a way about them,” Karinchak said. “They ran a great ship.”
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Several of those players remain in the minor leagues at various levels, including Karinchak’s roommate on campus for each of his three years. Mickey Gasper is slashing .295/.418/.508 through 48 games at Double-A Somerset, an affiliate of the New York Yankees. Karinchak keeps tabs on the likes of Cumberland native Chris Wright and Ryan Ward, but he’s in daily contact with Gasper via text message.
“Me and Mickey have a pretty steady dialogue,” Karinchak said. “That’s the guy I’m really pulling for.”
Karinchak has seemingly the perfect manager to steer him through any rough patches. Terry Francona won two championships with the Red Sox, in 2004 and 2007, helping to break The Curse and change the psyche of a desperate fan base for good. He’s been at the helm with Cleveland since 2013 and has made five playoff appearances, including a seven-game World Series loss to the Chicago Cubs in 2016.
“He just has feel,” Karinchak said. “He’s been managing for two decades now. Everywhere he goes, he wins. I hope to keep being a part of that tradition.”
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ex-Bryant pitcher makes Fenway debut against Boston Red Sox
