CLEVELAND -- Indians manager Terry Francona is not sure how Twitter works and he does not care to find out. Francona was also fine with closer Chris Perez's explanation for deleting the social-media account he used to interact with fans the past few years.

Given Perez's history of actions and outspokenness, the disappearance of his Twitter account (previously @ChrisPerez54) following a pair of rough outings swirled into an unlikely news story. While it turned into a one-day distraction for this red-hot Indians club, Francona said Perez's intention was to turn the spotlight toward the team.

"I don't know about it being a good idea or a bad idea," Francona said of Perez deleting his account. "I understand his reasoning was to focus more on what we're doing. So I thought his thought process was really good. I don't think I've looked at a Twitter in my life. I don't even know if I know how. But I like his reasoning, so I'm cool with it."

Perez chose to issue a written statement rather than address the situation with reporters.

"The decision to deactivate my Twitter account," Perez wrote, "was a personal choice I made in order to maintain the greater focus on the success of the team this season and our shared goals moving forward. We have an extremely positive and supportive group of players, coaches and staff members in our clubhouse, and I want to participate in activities and routines that contribute positively to the culture we're building here.

"Out of respect for my teammates, I want to minimize any potential off-the-field distractions, so this is the only time I will comment on this topic. Thank you for your understanding."

Last season, Perez created a stir in the first half, when he made critical comments about the Indians' low attendance totals. The two-time All-Star's comments upset a segment of the fan base, but he received a standing ovation in his first appearance in Cleveland after airing his thoughts.

Perez's willingness to speak his mind has made him a polarizing figure for the Tribe's fan base. The closer was booed as he walked off the field Saturday, when he blew a save after giving up two home runs in the ninth inning of an eventual 5-4 win against Seattle. Perez also gave up a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of Monday's 10-8, 10-inning victory against the Mariners.

It marked the first time in Perez's career that he allowed home runs in consecutive appearances, but that did not stop some of his Twitter followers from attacking him on the social-media platform. It is possible that Perez, who is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA and six saves this season, deactivated his account in part due to the harsh criticism he was receiving.

Francona said he has no issues with how Perez has conducted himself this season.

"He's been terrific, I would say, and more," Francona said. "His level of communication with me has been fantastic."


(mlb.com)

CLEVELAND -- Speaking after Monday's thrilling 10-8 walk-off win in extra innings, Indians closer Chris Perez sounded like a guy who thinks something might be wrong.

In the ninth inning of a tie game, Perez threw an 0-1 fastball to leadoff hitter Endy Chavez, who launched it into the right-field seats to give Seattle a 7-6 lead. Chavez's homer came two days after Perez served up solo shots to Raul Ibanez and Justin Smoak that tied Saturday's game in the ninth.

"I don't know if I've mentally changed my mechanics with that little shoulder hiccup a week or two ago," said Perez, who felt shoulder stiffness while warming up on May 12. "I'm not one really to look at a lot of video, but I definitely will get in there tomorrow to see if I can pick up anything. Maybe I'm not closing off enough when I come set -- something."

Prior to the four-game series with Seattle -- which the Indians swept -- Perez had only given up one home run, a long ball to Jose Bautista that came back on April 3 in Toronto. The four solo shots account for all the earned runs that Perez -- who insists he's healthy -- has surrendered in his 15 innings.

"If I can walk the leadoff hitter, we'd be all right," Perez said. "Sometimes, you have to tip your cap. Again, today, I didn't think it was a terrible pitch. He just put a good swing on it and it went. It's just one of those things.

"It's a slump -- a little slump, mini-slump. It happens once or twice a year and you just have to keep grinding, keep trying to make good pitches and get through it."

Perez is 6-for-8 in save opportunities. He has a 2-0 record and 1.80 ERA.

Indians manager Terry Francona isn't overly concerned about his closer -- it'll take more than three home runs in two outings for that to happen.

"That's just part of it. That's the nature of the game," Francona said. "When you're in that role and you give up a home run, it's glaring. That's part of pitching at the end of games. The good part is he feels good and he's done this before. He's going to be a big part of what we do."


(mlb.com)

DETROIT -- Indians closer Chris Perez had both his and the team's long-term goals in mind when he said he couldn't pitch in Sunday's win over the Tigers.

While warming up in the bullpen in the top of the ninth, Perez felt stiffness in his right shoulder and alerted bullpen coach Kevin Cash. Indians manager Terry Francona went with the combination of left-hander Rich Hill and right-hander Cody Allen in the 10th inning to claim a 4-3 victory.

"Missing a day here is better than missing two months," Perez said after the game. "I might've pitched in the past. ... I always want to pitch. I always want to be up. But I felt a little better today knowing we have good arms down there."

Perez said he expected to be available for Monday's doubleheader with the Yankees.

Perez logged 22 pitches in a dramatic ninth-inning save in Saturday's 7-6 win over Detroit, giving the two-time All-Star six saves on the season. Through 13 appearances, the right-hander has gone 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 13 innings.

During Spring Training, Perez missed a significant amount of time due a right shoulder injury, but he said this latest incident is unrelated to that.
"It's definitely different," Perez said. "It's a different part of the shoulder."

Prior to Sunday's game, Francona met with Perez and asked the closer to be honest with how he felt during the game, given that the closer worked an intense save the previous night. The manager said he appreciated that Perez was honest with him.

"He was really good about it," Francona said. "After he got up and threw, he said, 'You know what? [the shoulder is stiff].' I thought he used very good judgment. He was feeling it. I just don't want it to lead to an injury."


(mlb.com)

CLEVELAND -- Mike Aviles passed his phone around to a gathering of teammates in the clubhouse on Thursday morning.

One by one, Indians players read the latest article discussing Wednesday night's controversial call. It may take some time before talk about the play dies down.
With two outs in the top of the ninth inning, Oakland's Adam Rosales hit a Chris Perez pitch toward the top of the 19-foot wall in left-center field. The ball appeared to strike the railing above the padded fence. Initially, umpires ruled it a double, but they reviewed the call as Rosales waited at second base.

After the review, they upheld the original ruling, and A's manager Bob Melvin argued his way to an ejection before the Indians eventually hung on for a 4-3 victory.

"That's definitely one of the weirdest saves I've had," Perez said. "The most memorable, for sure. To end the game like that -- I had two outs and nobody on and then the home run, err, double, and then a hit-by-pitch and a walk. It shouldn't have been as intense as it was."

On Thursday, Melvin detailed his thinking during the umpires' review.

"It actually worried me when it took so long," he said. "Even the group in the suite next to us, you could see them look at the replay one time, and they all turned around and said, 'It's a home run.' And when I went to look at it in the video room, their announcers were saying, 'It's a home run, let's go. What's taking so long?' So that was my experience with it."

As Indians players sat around a table on Thursday morning, playing cards and completing crossword puzzles, they discussed how they would approach the situation if they were forced to replay Wednesday's contest from the point of the disputed call.

Melvin doubted that would take place.

"I don't know if there's a precedent for that," Melvin said. "I do know the rule stands that when I ask them to go in and look at replay and they do, and when they come out with a decision, that's supposed to be the end of it. And that's why I was thrown out, for continuing it. Other than that, I don't know."

Major League Baseball executive vice president for baseball operations Joe Torre issued the following statement Thursday regarding the instant replay review: "By rule, the decision to reverse a call by use of instant replay is at the sole discretion of the crew chief. In the opinion of Angel Hernandez, who was last night's crew chief, there was not clear and convincing evidence to overturn the decision on the field. It was a judgment call, and as such, it stands as final.

"Home and away broadcast feeds are available for all uses of instant replay, and they were available to the crew last night. Given what we saw, we recognize that an improper call was made. Perfection is an impossible standard in any endeavor, but our goal is always to get the calls right. Earlier this morning, we began the process of speaking with the crew to thoroughly review all the circumstances surrounding last night's decision."


(mlb.com)

Chris Perez nailed down his fourth save of the season with a scoreless inning in Tuesday's win over the Athletics.

Perez allowed a one-out single to Yoenis Cespedes, but Cespedes was gunned out by Yan Gomes while trying to steal second base. Save chances have been few and far between for Perez, but he's had a fine year, posting a 0.82 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.


(rotoworld.com)

Cleveland Indians RP Chris Perez (thumb) said X-rays on his right thumb came back negative, and he'll be good to go Monday, April 29. Perez was hit by a comebacker Sunday, April 28.

Fantasy Tip: It probably wouldn't hurt to grab Vinnie Pestano, if you have the room, in case Perez suffers a setback or reinjures his thu


(kffl.com)

In his latest blog post, ESPN’s Buster Olney speculates as to a number of young players that could become part of the trade market. Among the names on the list are Philadelphia’s Chase Utley, New York’s John Buck, Chicago’s Matt Garza and Cleveland’s Chris Perez-

“Chris Perez | RHP, Cleveland Indians. He’s making $7.3 million this season, and the Indians were open to trading him during the winter but got little traction. The 27-year-old Perez is off to a good start, and it’s worth remembering that the trade market for relievers appears as if it’s going to be absolutely terrible — an extremely thin group.

Perez does have a lot of experience as a closer for a team looking to fill that spot (St. Louis, for example, knows Perez well, having drafted and developed him). Even if the Indians stay in the AL Central race, they might be open to moving Perez because they have Vinnie Pestano and because Cleveland would seem to be very unlikely to pay Perez the $10 million or so he could get next winter as an arbitration-eligible player.”

This is certainly not the first time we’ve heard rumors about Perez being available for trade. Our own Jon Steiner has advocated a Perez trade for some time, most recently here.

Generally speaking, it is way too early to know which teams will be sellers and which will be buyers at the deadline. If the Indians become buyers, perhaps Garza could be a target for the Indians to consider.


(yardbarker.com)

Chris Perez pitched a scoreless ninth inning Monday against the White Sox to convert his third save of the season.

Perez allowed a one-out single to Chris Perez and lucked out when a long Alexei Ramirez drive went about 10 feet foul, but he eventually got Ramirez to foul out and Tyler Flowers to ground out to end it. The bearded reliever blew a save earlier this month when he served up a solo homer to Jose Bautista, but it's the only run he's allowed in seven appearances this season.


(rotoworld.com)

Cleveland Indians RP Chris Perez nailed down the save in the team's regular season opener Tuesday, April 2, but he wasn't as fortunate Wednesday, April 3. He served up a game-tying solo home run to Toronto Blue Jays OF Jose Bautista to blow his first save of the season.

Fantasy Tip: Perez made just five appearances during the spring due to a strained right shoulder, and he was pitching on consecutive days for the first time since last season. Perez should be fine, and he isn't in any danger of losing his job. However, if you're really nervous, it isn't a bad idea to stash away Vinnie Pestano if you can afford the roster space, especially in rotisserie formats.


(kffl.com)

TORONTO -- Closers are trained to have a short memory. Whatever happened last night, last month or last season, turn the page and move on.

Indians closer Chris Perez made an exception on Opening Night.

Perez was summoned from the bullpen with the Tribe holding a 4-1 lead against the Blue Jays on Tuesday night. Opening Day starter Justin Masterson had given Cleveland a solid outing to help set up the save situation. On Opening Day against Toronto one year ago, Perez entered with a 4-1 lead following a gem from Masterson, blew the save and watched the Indians lose in 16 innings.

"I was definitely thinking about it," Perez said. "It was the same exact situation -- except the part of the order. It was 4-1 on Opening Day."

Perez opened the ninth inning on Tuesday by inducing back-to-back flyouts off the bats of Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind. After Toronto catcher J.P. Arencibia connected for a two-out double, Perez struck out Colby Rasmus to seal the win and collect the save.

In last April's Opening Day loss, Perez labored through 31 pitches. He was admittedly over-cautious after dealing with an oblique issue during Spring Training and gave up three runs on three hits with two walks in two-thirds of an inning.

What was the difference this time around?

"I just gave people my best stuff," Perez said. "I felt like last year I was a little tentative, trying to get that first strike, and they came out swinging last year. That kind of put me in a defensive mode. This year, I was able to pour in strike one and I felt good. Last year, I was a little -- not worried -- but questioning that injury.

"I didn't know if I was 100 percent game ready with adrenaline and all that stuff. This year, I knew I was ready. No worries."

Perez's drama-free ninth inning followed perfect innings from setup man Joe Smith and Vinnie Pestano in the seventh and eighth.

"That's what we do," Perez said. "That's how it lines up. Seven, eight, nine. Smitty, Vinnie and me. That's our formula going back to last year."


(mlb.com)

Chris Perez pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Tuesday in the Indians 4-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Perez dealt with shoulder issues this spring, so his availability and effectiveness Tuesday were both good signs for owners of the 27-year-old closer. Despite some questions about his place in the organization, the right-hander saved 39 games last season for the Tribe and was given the first opportunity of 2013. He seems to have a decent amount of job security at this point.


(rotoworld.com)

After allowing four runs in his last outing, Indians closer Chris Perez settled down and got back on track in Saturday's spring training finale against the Reds.

Perez entered the game in the sixth inning and gave up a leadoff single Tanner Rahier. But he retired the next three batters. The right-hander finished spring with a 7.20 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP in five appearances.


(cbssports.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Chris Perez was in a good mood Tuesday afternoon. He was holding a Gatorade paper cup in his teeth, while catching baseballs dropped by fans from the right-field wall at Goodyear Ballpark.

Perez would catch the balls, autograph them and flip them back to the fans. It went on for about 10 minutes before he opened a door in the right field wall and disappeared. The Indians closer, appearing in his first Cactus League game since Feb. 26, pitched a scoreless seventh inning in a 7-6 loss to Oakland.

It was the latest indication that he'll be ready for the season opener Tuesday in Toronto.

"I felt normal," said Perez. "Now I'm just trying to get up to speed with my location. Velocity wise I felt normal.

"The big test will be going back-to-back during the season. Honestly, I feel better than I did at this time last year."

Perez made only three Cactus League appearances last spring because of a strained left oblique muscle.

"He looked good, really good," said manager Terry Francona. "He said he felt rusty, but it didn't look like it. That was the highlight of the day."


(cleveland.com)

The Indians closer, battling a shoulder strain, should be ready on Opening Day according to manager Terry Francona. Via MLB.com’s Barry M. Bloom:

Francona said that Perez can pitch every other day beginning Tuesday as Spring Training winds down, and then will throw a light ‘pen session on April 1, the day before the start of the regular season.

As far as him being ready to start the season on the active roster, Francona said:

“I think everything leans toward that as long as there are no setbacks, which I don’t think there will be. I think he’s looking pretty good.”
Perez himself thinks he’s ready as well:

“Great to get out there again. If the season started next week, I'd be ready. What's that? It does start next week? #Ready #BullpenMafia”

In 57.2 innings last year, the right-hander posted a 3.59 ERA with 39 saves in his third season as the team’s closer.

Chris Perez (shoulder) is scheduled to make an appearance in a minor league game on Saturday afternoon.

Perez has tossed a couple of problem-free bullpen sessions and told reporters earlier this week that his shoulder feels "100 percent." The Indians closer is fully expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.


(rotoworld.com)

On March 1, it was revealed Indians closer Chris Perez was shut down for "three to four weeks" with soreness in his pitching shoulder. Perez himself expressed optimism that he'd be back earlier than that and would be ready to go for the start of the season. And it looks like he was right.

Perez told reporters Monday he is "100 percent" and "should be ready for opening day, barring anything unforeseen." (via Paul Hoynes on Twitter)

Assuming Perez is recovered in time to be with his team on opening day, it would mark the second straight season in which Perez suffered a spring injury and then healed quicker than his ballclub expected him to.

Perez, 27, had 39 saves in 43 chances with a 3.59 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings last season, making his second straight All-Star Game.


(cbssports.com)

Cleveland Indians RP Chris Perez (shoulder) is scheduled to throw off a mound on Saturday, March 16.

Fantasy Tip: This would represent progress in the right-hander's throwing program as he works his way back from this strain. He's aiming to be ready by opening day, but he'll be cutting it close, and that's assuming no setbacks. Vinnie Pestano could get a couple of save chances to start the year.


(kffl.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Cleveland All-Star closer Chris Perez hopes to recover from a shoulder injury in time for the Indians' April 2 opener at Toronto.

Perez was diagnosed Friday with a strained muscle in his right shoulder, an injury that could sideline him for a month.

"The way it feels, just moving around, it gets better every day," Perez said Saturday.

Perez pitched an inning Tuesday during a 4-1 loss to Kansas City and felt pain in the shoulder Thursday. The right-hander said the injury is not as serious as the strain he suffered last spring to a muscle on his left side in his first bullpen session on Feb 23.

He made it back for the opener, when he allowed three runs in the ninth against Toronto in a game the Blue Jays won in 16 innings.

"I was more concerned last year," said Perez, a 2011 and 2012 All-Star who saved 39 games in 43 chances last season. "I think that if this was regular season, I could have managed it. But this is spring training. It's early. We're playing this a lot slower than we would if it was July and we were in the middle of the race."

Indians manager Terry Francona didn't want to set a timetable for Perez's return.

"Is it on Opening Day? We'll see," Francona said. "If he's a week late, he's a week late. That's the way it goes."

Perez, who has 98 saves during the last three seasons, is frustrated he had to withdraw from the U.S. team headed to the World Baseball Classic.

"The WBC is important. To this point, it's the biggest honor in my career," he said. "Yeah, it's disappointing, but it would have been a lot worse if I had pitched and then been out for three or four months."


(espn.com)

The San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies expressed interest in Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez this offseason, according to Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Hoynes notes the Phillies were interested in Perez, while the Giants also "kicked the tires." Philadelphia ultimately ended up signing free agent Mike Adams, while San Francisco re-signed Jeremy Affeldt and reacquired Ramon Ramirez.

The Indians were reportedly willing to entertain offers for Perez considering his sizeable salary and outspoken criticism toward the team. Perez is set to make $7.3 million in 2013 and is under team control for two more years.

Perez understands that there are no guarantees as a reliever, even when you're an established major league closer. He told reporters he realizes relievers often don't receive the long-term contracts starting pitchers do. The right-hander termed bullpen arms as "easy commodities to trade," and he tries not to pay attention to the rumors in hopes of retaining his sanity.

Perez has already been dealt once in his career, as he came to Cleveland from the St. Louis Cardinals in the summer of 2009 in exchange for Mark DeRosa.
Since joining the Indians, Perez has compiled 98 saves over the past three seasons. He maintained an ERA of 3.59 last year, and the 27-year-old owns a career mark of 3.23 with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.26 over five seasons in the majors.


(mlbdailydish.com)

Indians All-Star closer Chris Perez is promising not to run his mouth off the mound anymore.

Perez was embroiled in controversy most of last season, when he knocked Cleveland fans for not supporting the team, criticized ownership for not spending money and irritated some opposing teams with gestures on the field. Perez says he won’t be a distraction this season, and new Indians manager Terry Francona doesn’t expect any problems with the colorful right-hander, who had 39 saves last season.

Perez doesn’t regret much of what he said last year, but says he “should have controlled it better.” Perez says most of what he said was driven by wanting to win, and he’s certain the Indians will do more of that this season after spending $117 million on free agents.


(washingtonpost.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Chris Perez, the Cleveland Indians' perpetually outspoken closer, made some pointed observations about former manager Manny Acta at the end of last season in October. It's now been four months since the Indians fired Acta and replaced him with Terry Francona, but the passage of time hasn't dulled Perez's ardor on the subject.

Perez said he wondered about his future with the organization after his name had appeared in numerous trade rumors. But his mind was eased after the Indians relieved Acta of his duties with six games to go, hired Francona as a replacement and spent $117 million in guaranteed money on free agents this offseason.

"I was wondering where we were going,'' Perez said. "Stuff wasn't getting better with Manny as our manager. I didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. He's very stubborn and he doesn't really use input well, so I was getting frustrated. I thought, 'If we have the same guy next year, it's going to be the same stuff.'

"When Francona came on board, that kind of changed the mindset. To me, that signaled that I have a good chance of staying here. Then he came and sat down with me in Tampa [Fla.] and that cemented it even more. With the moves we made, we're not rebuilding. We're here to win this year.''


(espn.com)

The call came, but Chris Perez missed it.

The Holmes Beach native, IMG alum and Cleveland Indians closer was busy moving the day his cell phone rang and Joe Torre was waiting on the other end.

"I hope it's good news," Perez remembered thinking.

The owner of four World Series rings, Torre, as it turns out, isn't above leaving a voice mail.

And once Perez returned it, his fears melted away.

Torre, who will manage Team USA during next month's World Baseball Classic, was calling Perez to tell him he was on the team.

And unlike a large of swath of superstars, Perez didn't turn down the invitation.

He was the one he wanted it to begin with, as soon as the player's association began taking a preliminary head count toward the end of last season.

"I was like, 'Yes, I'd love to play,'" Perez said. "It's a great game, and we invented it."

It's understandable why some of the sport's biggest names have waved away Torre's request to play for Team USA, which will come together in early March at the Colorado Rockies' spring training complex in Salt River Flats, Ariz.

Spring training is all about easing into a routine; the World Baseball Classic is all about playing to win in mid-March. And while teams aren't permitted to prevent a player from participating in the WBC, it isn't always the easiest thing to go against the guy who signs your paycheck, especially when said paycheck could easily put a few dozen twins through college.

Perez, however, never thought twice about playing.

He wants to represent

his country, which hasn't made it past the semifinals during the first two WBCs.

"It's kind of a black eye," Perez said of Team USA's previous performances. "Also, it's an honor to be selected. It's what you've worked your whole life for. When I played in college, I wanted to be one of the best in college. When I played in the minors, I wanted to be one of the best in the minors. And now that I'm a major leaguer, I want to be one of the best in the majors. And this kind of validates that."

In preparation for playing competitive games rather than easy-as-Sunday-morning Cactus League contests, Perez began throwing a couple of weeks early in attempt to round into the guy who has produced 98 saves and two All-Star team selections during the past three years.

"I wanted to make sure I'm closer to midseason form, and I feel stronger because of it," Perez said. "I'm not concerned about wearing down later in the year. I hope I don't. But right now, I'm feeling fine."

He's ready to wear USA across his chest, ready to play for a manager likely to land in the hall of fame and ready to help the United States take back ownership of the game we proudly call our own.

It's big-time baseball in the middle of spring.

Perez is ecstatic to be a part of it.

Given how some of baseball's other guys have reacted to the WBC, that's good news, too.


(bradenton.com)

Chris Perez has avoided arbitration in his second-to-last season of eligibility, agreeing to a one-year, $7.3 million deal with the Indians.

Perez showed some signs of decline in 2011, including a career-worst strikeout rate of 5.9 per nine innings, but last season he whiffed 9.2 per nine innings while saving 36 games with a 3.59 ERA.

If the Indians struggle in 2013 he’ll likely be a prime trade candidate, as Perez will probably command more than $10 million via arbitration for 2014 and would then hit the free agent market at age 28. Vinnie Pestano is waiting in the wings to take over ninth-inning duties if needed, although for now at least Perez is obviously a big part of Cleveland’s plans.


(hardballtalk.com)

Chris Perez has committed to pitching for Team USA in the upcoming 2013 World Baseball Classic.

The 27-year-old reliever recorded 39 saves while posting a 3.59 ERA and 1.13 WHIP during the 2012 campaign. With Joe Nathan also expressing possible interest in playing for Team USA, it seems likely that Perez will be used in a setup role as opposed to the ninth inning.


(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Indians GM Chris Antonetti used one word to describe his end-of-the-season meeting with closer Chris Perez on Monday.

"Long," Antonetti said.

The only person in the Indians organization Perez didn't criticize during the season was Chief Wahoo. He ended the season by firing one broadside after another at fired manager Manny Acta.

Asked about Perez's sharp tongue Thursday, Antonetti said during his postmortem of the 2012 season: "I still think it comes from a good place with Chris. He's an exceptionally competitive guy, who badly wants to be a contributor to a winning team.

"Now, I wish he would have chosen his words differently . . . and maybe use the opportunity to do it more privately. But the root from where he's coming from is that he wants to be part of a winning team and he wants to do his part to help out."

Many feel Perez's verbal outbursts are a signal he wants out of Cleveland. Perez said Tuesday that was not so. He gave the same message to Antonetti.
"He expressed to me, and I think he expressed it publicly, that he wants to remain an Indian," Antonetti said.

As for his opinion on Perez's candor, Antonetti said: "I appreciate it when it's behind closed doors. Everyone would be best served if he chose his words more carefully. But I want guys on my team who care as much as Chris Perez does about winning ... absolutely."


(plaindealer.com)

CLEVELAND -- Outspoken closer Chris Perez thinks the Indians need a more intense manager and better players.

Perez said Tuesday that Cleveland's second-half collapse was embarrassing and the laid-back approach of former manager Manny Acta didn't help.
"August wasn't baseball, it was pathetic -- in all aspects," Perez said about Cleveland's 5-24 slide that came after losing nine of its last 12 games in July.
Acta was fired Thursday and replaced by bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. on an interim basis.

"I'm not saying that a change earlier would have done anything," Perez said. "But sometimes we pressed the panic button. Why? A lot of things left you kind of scratching your head."

Alomar doesn't mind Perez being outspoken and said the right-hander's occasional outbursts are not detrimental if you understand his mindset. Alomar pointed out that Cleveland had controversial players while winning five consecutive AL Central championships in the 1990s.

"That's what drives him," Alomar said. "He's an All-Star player and in the clubhouse he's everybody's friend, always talking. On the field, it's a little different."
Alomar said Perez's passion to win sometimes leads him to go overboard. He would not want to douse that competitive fire.

That's fine with Perez, who hopes whoever is hired as manager will match his own intensity. He said either Alomar or Terry Francona, who led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles, would be a better fit than Acta. Alomar is due to interview for the full-time job on Thursday; Francona on Friday.

Perez suggested that watching Acta not argue with umpires or get angry with underperforming players led to his own frustrations boiling over in comments to the media earlier this season.

"A lot of that went out the door last week," Perez said. "The Manny you see and the Manny we see are different."

Perez insisted he likes and respects Acta, but disagreed with some of his decisions. Most of all, he wanted him to take a stronger stand in the dugout and the clubhouse.

"He's not very confrontational," Perez said. "We are men, we can handle it. Last year, he had two speeches -- on Opening Day and the last day.

"It's not like we (he and Acta) had yelling matches. Actually it went the other route -- seven, eight, nine days not even talking."

Despite Cleveland's horrible second half, Perez thinks the Indians have a good foundation on which to build. They led the AL Central for 40 days, until June 23. A gradual fade turned into an all-out collapse to last place.

"We kind of fell off the cliff," he said. "We are better than this."

Perez said he had a "very professional" conversation with general manager Chris Antonetti and came away with a better understanding of the organization's plans. He said he wants to stay in Cleveland and be part of a winner.

"If I didn't want to play here, the easiest way to get out was to tank," Perez said. "I didn't.

"They have control of me (under contract) for two years and while I'm here I want to win."

Perez doesn't anticipate being traded, but said that is beyond his control.

"I got the impression we're going to build upon our very strong bullpen," he said. "We were not in first place on luck. We have some good players here. Not enough, obviously, because we're not in the playoffs.

"I can't see these same players jumping over four teams in our division, but we can get better."

Perez doesn't want veterans added just for the sake of getting experienced players, and he wouldn't mind seeing the Indians push younger players as they did with right-hander Cody Allen, who moved up four levels to Cleveland this summer.

"Talent plays, whether it is 18 years old or 40," Perez said. "Baltimore called up a Dylan Bundy at age 19 because he can pitch."

Perez pointed to that decision helping the Orioles clinch a playoff berth after a decade and a half of losing. He thinks a new manager can do what Buck Showalter has done in Baltimore.

"It took a couple years, but he definitely had an impact on team chemistry and camaraderie," Perez said.

Alomar said he is confident he can do that. The longtime Cleveland fan favorite as a player and coach acknowledged that Francona does, too.

"Anybody would want Terry," Alomar said. "What's not to like? I respect him, but I feel I am ready, too."


(espn.com)

CHICAGO — Chris Perez held on in a shaky ninth to give the Cleveland Indians a satisfying win over the AL Central-leading White Sox.

He gave up a homer to Paul Konerko to open the ninth inning, but Gordon Beckham hit into a game-ending forceout with the potential tying run on second base, giving Cleveland a 4-3 win on Tuesday.

“We had a rough time and we’re just thinking about winning games,” manager Manny Acta said. “The last thing in our mind is to hurt somebody or knock somebody off. It’s just nice to win after what we’ve gone through the last two months.”

Chicago’s loss gave Detroit an opening to tie for the division lead later Tuesday night against Kansas City.

Russ Canzler had three hits and homered for the second straight game and Cory Kluber (2-4) shut down the White Sox for seven innings.

Down 4-0, Chicago closed when A.J. Pierzynski and Dayan Viciedo hit consecutive fifth-inning home runs off Kluber and then pulled within a run when Paul Konerko homered off Chris Perez leading off the ninth.

In the rocky ninth, Perez walked a pair of batters with two outs, and Beckham grounded to shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who threw to second baseman Jason Kipnis for the force. Perez earned his career-high 37th save in 41 chances.

Chicago (82-72) has held sole possession of the division lead since Sept. 3.

Kluber gave up four hits in a career-high seven innings, retiring nine of his last 10 batters. Vinnie Pestano and Perez completed the six-hitter.

Kluber ran into trouble in the fifth inning. Pierzynski extended his career-high with a solo homer leading off the fifth, his 27th of the year. Dayan Viciedo followed with his 22nd homer to cut Cleveland’s lead to 4-2.

“I made a couple bad pitches and they took advantage of them,” Kluber said. “For the most part, I hadn’t left too many balls over the middle. That’s what I kept telling myself, ‘Keep executing your pitches.’ ”

Beckham reached on a one-out walk after the home runs, but Kluber struck out Alejandro De Aza and Kevin Youkilis to retire the side.

“He grew a little as a pitcher today,” Acta said. “That was a well-pitched ballgame, a crucial situation for those guys. It’s a meaningful game and after starting a little shaky with his command in the first inning, he was really good.

“He had a good slider and his pitch count was unbelievable, very efficient. He gave up those two homers. He just settled down and continued to pound the strike zone and gave us seven solid innings of baseball.”

Pestano redeemed himself for blowing a two-run lead in Monday’s 5-4 loss with a scoreless eighth inning. He got De Aza to ground into his first double play of the season before he struck out Adam Dunn to end the inning. Dunn stunned the Indians with a late three-run homer off Pestano on Monday.


(washingtonpost.com)

CLEVELAND -- Closer Chris Perez loved seeing Cleveland's offense break through for three runs in the ninth inning against Texas on Thursday night. He was especially happy that the dramatic rally came with no outs.

"I had time to get ready," Perez said with a laugh on Friday morning.

Save opportunities -- especially those like the one that rapidly presented itself in Thursday's 5-4 victory -- have been few and far between over the past two months. That's the nature of the beast for a closer employed by a ballclub mired in a long losing streak.

Needless to say, Perez enjoyed slamming the door on Thursday.

"It felt like a fun game," he said. "That's what we did last year a lot, those kind of wins. It's been a while since we felt like that."

Over the past 45 games, during which Cleveland has a 10-35 record, Perez has logged 13 1/3 innings over 15 appearances that included only nine save chances. Compare that with the team's first 99 games, when the two-time All-Star worked in 40 games (38 1/3 innings) and had 31 save opportunities.

To put it another way, Perez went from having a save opportunity roughly once every three games over the season's first three months to averaging one every five over the past two months.

"The closing role, it comes fast and furious, and then it's barren, and then fast and furious, and then barren again," he said. "It's an ebb and flow. This year it's been a little easier. I don't know why. I really haven't lost anything with the days off."

Perez knows that the volume of save opportunities he receives is out of his control. And with three weeks left in the season, he said that he and his teammates need to focus on the things that are under their control.

"Everybody knows what they're playing for, hopefully," he said. "There's probably only a handful of guys who should feel comfortable in this room with where they stand going into next year. Unfortunately, when teams underperform or you don't meet expectations, they tend to want to change stuff. Teams that win or make the playoffs, they don't get overhauled, because obviously, they were successful.

"So these next three weeks are big for guys to show what they can do here. They might just say, 'It's only three weeks,' but it's a big three weeks. What else do they have to go by? This is big league competition. You can only get by so much with what you did in the Minors. Eventually, you have to step up here."


(mlb.com)

ARLINGTON -- When a player publicly criticizes decisions made by his team's owner and general manager, it will often result in a one-way ticket out of town. The Indians are currently working through a situation along those lines.

Closer Chris Perez made critical comments about the Tribe's front office last week, creating the perception that he wants out of Cleveland. General manager Chris Antonetti, who is in Texas with the team, said perception is not always reality.

"If that's how people are perceiving it," Antonetti said, "or if that's how others are interpreting it, I really can't control that. Ultimately, I have to rely upon the conversations that Chris and I have had since that time. That's what I'll go on."

Antonetti would not delve into the specifics of his discussion with Perez, but it is no secret that members of the front office and ownership group were hardly pleased by the pitcher's remarks.

"I'm not going to get into the details of that," Antonetti said of his conversation with Perez. "Chris would probably tell you that he could've chosen his words differently -- the specifics of his words. But, again, I think it's coming from a bit of frustration that the team hasn't been as successful as we all had hoped, Chris included."

As for possibly looking to trade Perez this winter, Antonetti would only say that the Indians are open-minded to exploring deals for any of their players (Shin-Soo Choo, Justin Masterson, Asdrubal Cabrera and Perez have all been floated in rumors). The GM reiterated that the Tribe's situation is such that no player is untouchable.

"I've said that all along," Antonetti said. "We're not in a position to say any particular player is off limits. Now, that said, all of those guys who have been rumored about at various points in time, they're all still here, right? They're still Cleveland Indians. Just because teams call and ask and express interest doesn't necessarily mean we're going to trade someone."


(mlb.com)

DETROIT, Mich. -- That didn't take long.

Closer Chris Perez rejoined the Indians on Tuesday following the birth of his daughter and is already taking shots at the team's ownership and front office. In a FoxSports.com story about the success of small market teams such as Oakland, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, Perez was critical about the Indians ownership and front office.

Asked about the difference between the Indians and AL Central rival Detroit, Perez pointed to Indians owner Larry Dolan and Detroit owner Mike Ilitch.

"Different owners," Perez is quoted as saying. "It comes down to that. [The Tigers] are spending money. [Ilitch] wants to win. Even when the economy was down [in Detroit], he spent money. He's got a team to show for it. You get what you pay for in baseball. Sometimes you don't. But most of the time you do."

The Tigers opened the season with a $133.5 million payroll. The Indians opened at $65 million.

The story made the point that small-market general managers have a smaller margin for error when it comes to trading their key players. It said Oakland GM Billy Beane got more in return for Andrew Bailey, Trevor Cahill and Carlos Gonzalez than the Tribe did for CC Sabathia (2008) and Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez (2009).

"You can't miss," Perez said. "You have to be right. That's why I say it's not just ownership. They don't make the trades. It's the GMs. It goes hand in hand. The GMs can only spend the money the owners give them, but they pick who they spend it on or who they don't. They pick. The owners don't pick.

"Josh Willingham would look great in this lineup. They didn't want to [pay] for that last year. ... That's the decision they make, and this is the bed we're laying in."
The Indians pursued the right-handed hitting Willingham last winter, but he signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Twins. The Indians reportedly would only offer Willingham two years.

When asked about the comments before Wednesday's game, Perez said, "It's all online right? There you go."

Manager Manny Acta, when told of Perez's comments, said, "That's his opinion and I don't have anything to add to it."

"While we work to understand various perspectives, we strongly disagree with Chris' comments," said Tribe GM Chris Antonetti. "Nonetheless, we are not satisfied with our recent results and our entire organization remains committed to fielding winning teams and that is the standard by which we will continue to operate."

Antonetti did talk to Perez. Asked if Perez would be disciplined, Antonetti said only that the matter would be handle internally.

Earlier in the year Perez ripped fans for not coming to Progressive Field when the Indians were in first place in the Central. He also criticized Cleveland fans for their loyalty to the Browns and their refusal to forgive LeBron James for leaving the Cavaliers. On a recent trip, he became embroiled in a profanity-laced argument with a fan in Oakland that was videotaped and put on the Internet.

"We all have different DNA and we all have to live with each other and deal with each other the best way we can," said Acta, when asked if it was frustrating to manage Perez. "What really concerns is when he comes into the game in the ninth inning to save the game and gets it. The rest of the stuff we handle internally."

Not closed yet: Perez saved his 34th game Tuesday. He did it by returning to the scene of one of his biggest blown saves of the year. On Aug. 5, Perez entered the 10th inning with an 8-5 lead. He retired the first two batters and then gave up five runs in a 10-5 Tiger victory.

"When I got to two outs [Tuesday] that's what I thought about," said Perez. "You're supposed to have a short memory as a closer, but you never really forget. I used it as motivation."


(cleveland.com)

Indians closer Chris Perez was not available for Monday's series opener against the Tigers after leaving the team to be with his wife for the birth of his child.

On Tuesday Perez mowed down all three Tigers he faced on Tuesday en route to his 34th save of the season.
Perez came out of the gate firing, fanning Prince Fielder and Brennan Boesch before getting Delmon Young on a weak ground ball. After consecutive blown saves at the beginning of August, Perez has responded by converting five consecutive chances for the fading Tribe.


(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND -- The Indians have six weeks left to turn the page on their recent struggles. It has been a damaging stretch for a Cleveland club that was in contention only a month ago, but the players understand there is time left to shift their focus.

That said, Indians closer Chris Perez does not think the team can completely erase what has taken plan over the past four weeks.

"I don't think you can wash it all away; it was too stinging," Perez said. "To be right there and then not lose because of injuries or stuff like we did last year, it's tough to take. At the same time, we've got 35 games to find out what we have for next year. Guys can step up and impress our staff.

"We've got some young guys in the rotation that need to show them what they've got, trying to get a spot for next year. It's the same with position players. ... There's a lot of stuff we can do moving forward, looking at next year."

Cleveland sat 3 1/2 games out of first place in the American League Central on July 26 but then suffered losing streaks of 11 games and nine games in a 26-game span. Now, entering Sunday's game with the Yankees, the Indians faced a 15 1/2-game hole in the division and was only four games ahead of the Twins for the worst record in the AL.

"I'll never forget about this season for the rest of my career," Perez said. "For me personally, yeah, this is going to go back into my bank. I'll be like, 'I don't ever want to get there again. How did it get to this? How did it get to 11 in a row? How'd it get to nine in a row?' Me personally, yeah, it'll help me out in the future.

"As a team? I don't know. It's hard. Because you're in the middle of a streak, it doesn't mean you come to the park trying to do something different. You try to win every game. We were losing all different ways -- bad starting pitching, bad hitting, bad bullpen, errors, walks. Everything. Home runs. You name it, and we found a way to lose.

"If anything, if we come out here and have a good September, we can say, 'Look, we went through the worst you can go through, and we bounced back and we're professionals.' At the end of the day, that's our job."


(mlb.com)

Making fun of pitchers in the bullpen is an age-old baseball tradition. Now in the YouTube era we get to record such interactions for posterity. Case in point: Chris Perez of the Cleveland Indians. The relief pitcher was getting heckled by an Oakland A's fan and he didn't take kindly to it.

Normally, pitchers ignore such fan trolling, but Chris Perez decided to fight back with some trash talk, eventually telling the guy to "get your dick out of your mouth."

Here is a transcript of the Chris Perez incident:

Perez: "I got more saves than your whole fucking team does, so why don't you go look at those stats, you fucker."

Fan: "Oh, what's the standings? Oh, we're ahead of you."

Perez: "I don't give a fuck. I don't give a fuck."

Fan (to security guard): "He's swearing. I'm not."

Perez: "What's my salary this year?"

Fan: "What's your salary? Who gives a shit? How many blown saves you got?"

Perez: "Four. Was I an All-Star again? Was I an All-Star again?"

Fan (to some other Indians player): "Hey, who the hell are you? Who the hell are you? I don't even know who you are."

Perez: "Was I an All-Star again, you piece of shit? Go back to your fucking ----."

Fan (to someone else): "Go back to whatever Triple-A team you are. You're all scrubs. You play for the Indians."

The conversation continues after Perez asks security to eject the fan;

Fan: "Oh, get me out of here?"

Perez: "Have a nice day."

Fan: "Have I said a swear word?"

Perez: "Get your dick out of your mouth."

Fan: "I haven't ... Oh. Really? Really? Hey. Did you hear that?

Other fan: "I did."

Fan: Did you hear that? You're classless, bro. Get a haircut. You're garbage. You are garbage. You're garbage. Way to come over here and show yourself. Way to prove yourself, garbage man."

Other fan: "Hey, gimme a high-five. They gave each other high-fives."

Fan: Yeah, keep walking away. Garbage. Fucking cunt


(sportsgrid.com)

SEATTLE, Wash. — At least this time closer Chris Perez didn't go head-to-head with Indians fans.

Before Saturday night's game against Oakland at O.com Coliseum, Perez argued with a heckler dressed in Athletics gear at the grandstand near the Indians' bullpen. One of the heckler's friends videotaped the confrontation and put it on the Internet. It can still be seen on deadspin.com, but YouTube.com took it down.
Perez had no qualms about the profanity-laced exchange, with Perez using most of the foul language, being captured on video.

"I don't regret it," he said before Monday night's game in Seattle. "I wouldn't have done it (if I regretted it). Looking back, it's not the best thing to be on the Internet and stuff. I had no idea they were videotaping it. I wouldn't have done it if I knew that.

"Looking back, that's what he was planning. So he got me."

Perez said the same fan has been heckling him for four years.

"Let me give you some history," said Perez. "He's been there for four years. I always shag in left field and he's been wearing me out for four years. On Saturday, I was in right center to get away from him. He came around to right center and got on me again.

"I ignored it for 1 1/2 groups (of Indians hitters during batting practice). Then I just said, 'What's your problem? If you got something to say, come down to my face and say it down in the bullpen.' That's what happened."

The video shows his ulterior motives. It's unfortunate. It's out there and I've just got to live and learn from it."

Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti talked to Perez on Monday after viewing the video.

"While there is more to the situation than the video depicts, Chris understands that he should have handled the situation differently," said Antonetti. "In my conversation with him, Chris assured me that he would deal with any future incidents more appropriately."

The video shows an A's security guard standing next to Perez during the exchange.

Bob Rose, director of public relations for the A's, said: "The A’s security guard on the field stepped in and then monitored the verbal exchange to make sure it did not escalate. The exchange ended and that was the extent of it."

In the video it appeared the Perez asked the security guard to eject the fan, but it's not clear if he was ejected or not.

"You have to live and learn," said Perez. "Luckily, I didn't say too much bad stuff. It was pretty bad, but it could have been worse.

"It's one of those things ... four years and I'd had enough. I'm not even playing the game. I'm shagging. I understand during the game it's all part of the game. It wasn't just a random guy that I just pointed out. It was the same guy for four years who has just been on me and on me."

Perez did not think he should be disciplined by the Indians or MLB.

"For what, talking?" asked Perez. "No, I think I'm all right."

As Perez walked away from the argument, the fan yelled: "Get your hair cut. You're garbage."

Perez complimented Oakland fans.

"We've had really good experiences with their fans," said Perez. "We're right there in that little wood box (bullpen dugout) and all those people are nice. He's an isolated incident.l I've never had any problems warming up there. Usually they're complimentary."

Twice this season Perez has criticized Cleveland fans, once for not coming to Progressive Field and watching the Indians when they were in first place in the AL Central, and again when he questioned their blind loyalty to the Browns and wondered why they couldn't forgive former Cavalier LeBron James.


(cleveland.com)

ANAHEIM -- When Indians closer Chris Perez notched the 100th save of his career in Monday night's 6-2 win over the Angels, he did so in a way that he probably wouldn't have, say, 100 saves ago: with total command and composure.

Perez came into a two-on, no-outs jam in the ninth and proceeded to throw 12 strikes in 15 pitches to retire the side and nail down his 32nd save in 36 chances. Perez says that efficiency is a sign of the growth he's experienced since tallying his first career save as a 22-year-old Cardinals reliever in 2008.

"I'm a much more polished pitcher now," Perez said. "Back then I would just try to throw as hard as I could to get guys out. Now I'm setting them up, trying to make my pitches. I've learned a lot."

With those lessons in tow, the 26-year-old seems poised to eclipse his career high of 36 saves, a mark he set last year after recording 23 saves in the previous campaign. He's allowed just 18 earned runs in 43 2/3 innings this season and struck out 49. His walk totals are down (11), he hasn't hit a batter, and hasn't thrown a wild pitch.

"The command's just there," Perez said. "The more innings you throw, the more pitches you go, the more comfortable you get. ... It's not as frustrating as it used to be. It's going where I want it."

His manager, Manny Acta, sees a clear progression from the time Perez assumed the closer's role midway through the 2010 season to this year.

"He has really grown into the [closer's] role. This year it's a totally different guy," Acta said. "He spent the first year setting up until we moved him there last year. ... He started with some forearm issues and the velocity wasn't there, he was getting used to it. This year he's been the whole package."


(mlb.com)

Chris Perez shut down the Red Sox on Saturday night, allowing just one hit in his one inning of work while earning his 31st save of the season.
That's two strong outings in a row for Perez after a pair of epic blown saves last week. While he isn't the prototypical shutdown closer, he's more than capable of succeeding in the role and should make a push toward 40 saves before the season is over.


(rotoworld.com)

After a pair of colossal blown saves, Chris Perez rebounded nicely on Thursday, retiring the Red Sox in order to earn his 30th save of the season.
While Perez's job was never in serious jeopardy, had he blown a third consecutive chance there may have been rumblings of making the switch to Vinnie Pestano. As it stands, Perez has now converted 30-of-34 chances on the season while posting a 3.89 ERA and 46/11 K/BB ratio over 40 2/3 innings.


(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND -- After Chris Perez blew his second consecutive save for the Indians on Tuesday night, the closer said he may need to look at video to solve his recent problems.

On Wednesday, he dismissed the idea.

"I still haven't watched video," Perez said. "I don't need to, because I know it's just minor, nothing major. If I was throwing stuff to the backstop and hitting guys, that's a major mechanical issue. ... It's just little things that are painful."

Perez met with pitching coach Scott Radinsky in the clubhouse on Wednesday morning, and the two discussed the possibility that the All-Star closer has been tipping his pitches. Perez allowed three runs in Cleveland's 7-5 loss to the Twins on Tuesday, and he gave up five runs with two outs in a 10-8 extra-inning loss to the Tigers on Sunday.

Perez had converted 29 of his first 31 save opportunities.

"I just keep opening up to hitters, and they're seeing the ball really well, obviously," Perez said. "I felt good last night. The one in Detroit -- that's [a] lack of concentration, that's something."

Perez struck out Joe Mauer to begin the ninth inning Tuesday, but then the struggles began. Josh Willingham muscled a single to right field, stole second and scored after an error by first baseman Casey Kotchman on a ball hit by Justin Morneau.

Perez wasn't upset with Kotchman because it was a tough play, but Perez was upset with himself for letting Willingham steal second.

"I was more mad I didn't hold the runner better, honestly," Perez said. "If I would have held him better, Kotchman's [covering] on first, [and] that might be a one-hop right to him instead of getting that second hop, and it might be a double play."

Still, even amid his recent blown saves and the team's 11-game losing streak, Perez seemed in good spirits on Wednesday. Manager Manny Acta walked through the clubhouse, patted his closer on the back and told him to keep his head up. Perez had a simple response.

"I just want to get back out there," he said.


(mlb.com)

Chris Perez blew his second straight save opportunity, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk in just 2/3 of an inning in Tuesday's loss to the Twins.

He entered the game with a 4-3 lead, and retired the first hitter before Josh Willingham singled. Darin Mastroianni pinch-ran and stole second base, then came around to score as Casey Kotchman made a critical error on a ball hit by Justin Morneau. The error surely didn't help keep Perez's emotions in check, as he proceeded to allow a double, sacrifice fly, single, single and walk to the next five hitters before being removed. While he's still converted 29-of-33 save chances on the season, Vinnie Pestano has been incredible this season and provides them with a strong alternative the next time a save chance arises.



(rotoworld.com)

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Chris Perez has always been vocal about his career through social media. He has over 51,000 followers and describes himself as, "Just a normal guy with an arm like a fu***** cannon." Normal guys have strong emotions, and after he fell apart on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers Perez cut no corners when he spoke about his overall performance:

"There aren’t enough words in the dictionary to describe how much I sucked today. Go ahead Cleveland, give it to me..."

Perez wasn't finished, as he went on to further express his frustration:

"Definitely the low point of my professional career. Only thing I can do is work harder tomorrow and get better. #NeverGiveIn"

Perez had a three run lead when he entered Sunday's game in the 10th inning, but after recording the first two outs, he gave up two walks, a double, a single and a two-run home run to blow his third save of the year.


(sbnation.com)

Chris Perez melted down in Sunday's 10-8, 10-inning loss to the Tigers, allowing a season-worst five runs on three hits, two walks and a home run.

The home run was a two-run walkoff job from Miguel Cabrera. Both the blown save and loss were Perez's third of the year. He had yet to allow a run in seven innings over eight appearances since the All-Star break. Perez's ERA is now an ugly 3.82, but 11 of his 17 runs allowed have come in just three games. It's not a concern for a closer who's made 43 appearances. Perez's job is safe.


(rotoworld.com)

The Giants lost their outspoken, eccentric closer with imaginative facial hair before the season began, so they apparently need a new outspoken, eccentric closer with imaginative facial hair. The Indians’ Chris Perez:

The San Francisco Giants, seeking late-inning help, are interested in Perez, according to major-league sources. The Indians could entertain moving Perez for two reasons – they are deep in relievers, and Perez likely will earn about $7 million next season in his second year of arbitration.

Closers are never more valuable, or are at least never perceived as more valuable, than this time of year. Unless the Indians really plan on paying Perez $7 million or more next year, they should seriously think about moving him.


(hardballtalk.com)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The addition of a second wild card this season will spell salvation for two teams come September. All-Star closer Chris Perez doesn't think the Indians can count on that.

"We're going to have to win the Central," said Perez Monday to a swarm of reporters around his podium at the American League interview session. "The second wild card is coming out of the AL East. That's the superior division in our league."

At the All-Star break, the Indians are 44-41 and in second place in the AL Central. They trail Chicago by three games with Detroit lurking in third place, a half-game out of second.

If the season ended today, the two AL wild card teams would be the Angels and Orioles. The Indians would miss the second wild card by one game.

"We've been in a dogfight all year," said Perez. "Now it's a three-team race."

Detroit was the preseason pick to win the Central. They paired newly signed Prince Fielder with Miguel Cabrera to lead the offense and had Justin Verlander, the AL's Cy Young winner in 2011, to lead the pitching staff.

The Tigers have had a hard time getting out of their own way through much of the first half. The Indians and White Sox gladly filled the void, trading first place in the division for the first 31/2 months of the season.

"For sure, we can catch them," said shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, the Indians' other All-Star. "I believe in my team. We just have to keep doing what we're doing and be more consistent."

The White Sox under General Manager Ken Williams and rookie manager Robin Ventura had a good first half. They went into the break with eight rookie pitchers on their staff. Lefty Matt Thornton was the only veteran in the bullpen.

All-Star left-hander Chris Sale is not a rookie, but he had a lot to do with the White Sox's rise in the first half. Sale, in his first year in the rotation, could have easily started for the AL tonight against San Francisco's Matt Cain after going 10-2 with a 2.19 ERA. AL manager Ron Washington went with Verlander (9-5, 2.58), though Sale had the better numbers.

"At the start of the season, some people might have said you're crazy if you said we'd be sitting where we are at the All-Star break," said Sale, "but we're not surprised at all. . . . We're going to try and do the same thing in the second half."

The White Sox, who won 11 of their past 15 games going into the break, are 8-4 against the Indians this year. The two teams do not meet again until September when they play six times in the final 10 games of the regular season.

Sale, Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko and Jake Peavy are representing the White Sox at the All-Star Game.

"I don't think we're playing over our heads at all," said Dunn. "We had a lot of guys do a lot of great things in the first half, but myself included, I think we're capable of doing way more. I can get on base more. I can drive in more runs."

Dunn has always been an all-or-nothing hitter. Last year in Chicago, he was just nothing. This year he's hitting .208 (61-for-293) with 21 homers and 61 RBI. He leads the big leagues with 68 walks and 134 strikeouts.

Asked what this year's first half meant to him, Dunn said, "To be honest with you, it means nothing. I know it sounds crazy. I'm looking forward to the second half. There are a lot of things I need to clean up. Hopefully, I can have a better second half than first."

The White Sox beat the Tribe to Kevin Youkilis. They acquired the veteran third baseman from Boston and he has driven in 14 runs in 13 games. The Indians could have used his right-handed bat to balance their left-handed dominated lineup.

GM Chris Antonetti is still looking for help from the outside. It was suggested to Perez that the Indians could use another starting pitcher.

"We did it last year and it didn't work when we traded for Ubaldo [Jimenez]," said Perez. "I like what we have in-house, we just haven't played up to our potential. Justin Masterson is starting to get better. Ubaldo is throwing the ball better. Josh Tomlin had a nice start his last time out. Zach McAllister has really impressed me.

"We need to just keep being consistent."


(cleveland.com)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It was a year ago this month that Danny Valencia handed his good friend, Chris Perez, his second blown save of the 2011 season, lacing a bases-loaded single to score two runs in the ninth inning of a 2-1 walkoff victory over Cleveland at Target Field.

Perez, a former high school rival and University of Miami teammate, spent that night at Valencia's place as the two celebrated their major leagues trajectories. A year later, however, Perez is making his second All-Star Game appearance and Valencia is battling to get back to the major leagues, 55 games into a tuneup at Class AAA Rochester.

"It seems like he's in a good place," said Perez, who has converted 24 of 26 save opportunities for the Indians this season. "He's not happy, obviously. He's frustrated. But he's doing his work down there; he just needs an opportunity again.

"Unfortunately, what's-his-name's crushing the ball."

What's-his-name, of course, is Trevor Plouffe, who has taken hold of Valencia's old job. Since Valencia was optioned to Rochester in May, Plouffe is batting .280 with 18 home runs, nine doubles and 34 RBIs. And in a weekend series at Texas, he made half a dozen terrific plays at third, one of five positions he has played this season. In his past 29 games, though, Plouffe has been the team's third baseman.

Valencia hit .311 in 81 games as a rookie and led the team with 72 RBIs in his first full season in 2011, but he was hitting .190 with one homer and 11 RBIs when he was sent down.

With the Red Wings, he is batting .244 with seven homers, 11 doubles and 31 RBIs, and he drove in the winning run in a 1-0, eight-inning victory over Lehigh Valley in Sunday's doubleheader opener. If there is a glaring weakness in his numbers, it's in the walks -- just 11 in 224 plate appearances. His on-base percentage is only .281.

Perez said he talks to Valencia once a month and texts him frequently.

"His head seems to be in a good spot," Perez said.


(twincities.com)

KANSAS CITY — Former Springfield Cardinals closer Chris Perez arrived to the All-Star festivities on Monday sporting a long, flowing mane and Grizzly Adams beard, plus a penchant for speaking his mind on a Twitter account.

Make that, a big penchant for speaking his mind.

“I’ve always been like that. Now it’s just getting more play obviously. I’m a sound bite, I guess,” Perez joked during an interview with the News-Leader.

Perez last season became the first Springfield Cardinals alum to participate in an All-Star Game, and the Cleveland Indians closer could be called on again tonight for the American League, having converted the circuit’s third-most saves, 23.

But his opinion and personality have taken center stage almost more often, or so it seems. Now 27 and five years removed from Springfield, Perez has more than 48,000 followers on his Twitter account, @ChrisPerez54.

Then again, living on the edge was his modus operandi in Springfield in 2007, when he converted 27 consecutive saves after coughing up a winning home run in the second game of the season. Many nights, however, were more like high-wire acts.

“I was raw. Now, I’m not a totally different pitcher but I definitely am more refined. A lot more strikes, a lot more control,” Perez said. “You remember, I’d walk the bases loaded and strike out the side.”

Perez joked that he wonders now whether the Cardinals would have allowed his Twitter account in 2007, given the organization had strict rules: no-facial hair policy and players were required to wear their socks up to their knees throw-back style. He went the extra mile, often sporting a buzz cut.

Already this year, Perez has fired off comments about Indians fans not supporting the team enough, about anti-LeBron James sentiment in Cleveland and also has taken a dig at the Kansas City Royals.

Beyond that, he went on radio and implicated the St. Louis Cardinals in a recent pine tar-pitchers controversy, after baseball slapped Tampa Bay’s Joel Peralta with an eight-game suspension. Umpires discovered pine tar in Peralta’s glove.

As teammate and fellow all-star Asdrubal Cabrera said Monday, “He’s crazy.”

“But he’s a really good guy in the clubhouse,” Cabrera quickly added.

Perez is among 19 players off the 2007 Springfield club to reach the big leagues, and was one of the bigger names that season, given the right-hander was a 42nd round draft pick in 2006 out of the University of Miami. He had signed for a reported $800,000.

Pretty much, games were over after the starting pitcher exited on a team that fell two wins shy of the Texas League pennant. Perez, however, was promoted to Triple-A Memphis on July 31 that season.

“(Kyle) McClellan was the seventh, (Jason) Motte was the eighth and I was the ninth,” Perez said, listing three current big-leaguers who were the back end of Springfield’s bullpen during the heart of the 2007 season. “In Double-A, that was a pretty good bullpen.”


(news-leader.com)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chris Perez will take his place along the first-base foul line along with the rest of the American League All-Star team tonight at Kauffman Stadium.

The Cleveland Indians closer is likely to be booed more than any of the 68 players on the two teams, and he is fine with that.

"I'm sure it's going to happen," Perez said Monday. "That's OK, though."

The 27-year-old with the bushy black hair and beard to match then broke into a grin.

"I'm with the American League," Perez said. "I'm with the home team this time and I hope the Kansas City fans realize we're all in this together."

Perez drew the ire of Kansas City fans on April 14 when he made fun of the Royals' marketing slogan "It's Our Time," on Twitter after the teams had two benches-clearing incidents that day in Kansas City. The Indians used the slogan "It's Tribe Time Now," for a number of seasons before switching to "What If?" this year.

Perez also got into a war of words with Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson on May 29 after Perez struck out Dyson to end the game. Perez made the "I Can't See You" sign, popularized by World Wrestling Entertainment performer John Cena.

"I just don't get Kansas City using 'It's Our Time Now,' because they stole our slogan," Perez said. "What do they mean it's their time now? That's a front-office thing, a marketing department thing. It's not coming from their players."

When he isn't comparing marketing ideas in the AL Central, Perez continues to develop into one of the top closers in the major leagues. He converted 24 consecutive opportunities between blown saves on opening day and the final day of the first half.

With 24 saves, Perez is third in the AL behind Baltimore's Jim Johnson (26) and Tampa Bay's Fernando Rodney (25). Perez was fourth in the league with 36 last season.

Yet Perez has developed a reputation nationally more for his controversial comments than for pitching for an Indians team that is in second place in the AL Central, three games behind the Chicago White Sox. A member of the Indians media relations department stood near Perez for much of the 45-minute media availability with AL players on Monday.

"I say what I feel and I've always been that way," Perez said. "I'm not trying to cause trouble. When people ask questions, I answer them from the heart. That's how I've always been and how I always will be. I don't apologize for that because you should never have to apologize for being honest.

"I know there are players who (the media) already knows what they are going to say before the interview starts. I don't want to be like that. I want people to know how I feel."


(usatoday.com)

Chris Perez blew his first save since Opening Day in Sunday's loss to the Rays, allowing three runs on four hits in an inning of work.
The only bright side in an appearance where Perez served up both a home run and triple was the fact that he managed to record all three of his outs via strikeout. The nightmare day ballooned Perez's ERA from 2.59 from 3.34, but somehow we doubt the cries for Vinnie Pestano will be quite as loud as they were in April. Perez will represent Cleveland for the second consecutive season in Tuesday's All-Star Game.


(rotoworld.com)

Chris Perez pitched around a leadoff single to shut down the Rays in the ninth inning on Thursday, recording his 24th consecutive save.

After blowing his first chance of the season on April 5, Perez has been a perfect 24-for-24 in save opportunities, giving the Indians tremendous stability at the back of the bullpen. While his 2.59 ERA and 32 K's in 31 1/3 innings don't scream "elite closer", he's been one of the best in the league this season.


(rotoworld.com)

Baltimore – Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and closer Chris Perez are going to Kansas City for the All-Star Game on July 10.

It's the second straight All-Star selection for each player and a sign they are establishing themselves among Major League Baseball's upper crust. One reminder for Perez, who has converted 23 straight saves: Bring earplugs.

Perez, a closer who speaks his mind, has ripped Indians fans, Browns fans and LeBron James haters in the first half. But he has saved a special place for the Kansas City Royals, who call Kauffman Stadium home.

“I'm prepared to get booed,” said Perez, who celebrated his 27th birthday Sunday. “I'm hoping there's a lot of national baseball fans at the game. Not just Kansas City fans.”

Perez was fined $850 by MLB for a Tweet earlier in the year after the benches cleared during an April 14 game between the two teams. Later, Perez – while ripping Indians fans for not attending games – used the Royals and Pirates as examples of franchises that never win.

On May 28, after hearing the Royals were upset and “were coming after me,” Perez struck out Jarrod Dyson in the ninth inning and waved his hand across his face, copying WWE wrestler John Cena's “You Can't See Me” sign.

“Chris isn’t on the All-Star team because of what he said,” said Tribe manager Manny Acta. “He’s been pretty darn good after Opening Day. Has there been anybody better? He’s an All-Star closer.”

Perez and Cabrera were selected as a result of a vote by Major League Baseball players.

Perez is 0-1 with a 2.67 ERA in 32 appearances. He has converted 23 saves in 24 chances with 32 strikeouts, seven walks and 19 hits in 32 innings. The opposition is hitting .209 against him.

The most recent Indians closer to be named to consecutive All-Star teams was Jose Mesa in 1995 and 1996.

“I have to give most credit to my bullpen mates,” said Perez. “Vinnie Pestano, for sure. I only get the opportunities he converts, and he’s been outstanding since last year.

“And my teammates overall. I only get as many opportunities as they give me.”

Perez received a $50,000 bonus for making the All-Star team. Cabrera received a $100,000 bonus.


(plaindealer.com)

BALTIMORE, M.D. -- Indians closer Chris Perez was named to his second straight All-Star game Sunday. That's the good news.

The not so good news is that the All-Star game is July 10 at Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals.

"I'm prepared to get booed," said Perez, who celebrated his 27th birthday Sunday.

Perez, who has saved 23 straight games, was fined $850 by MLB for a Tweet earlier in the year after the benches cleared during a April 14 game between the two teams. Later Perez, while ripping Indians fans for not attending games, used the Royals and Pirates as an example of franchises that never win.

On May 28, after hearing the Royals were upset and "were coming after me,' Perez struck out Jarrod Dyson and waved his hand across his face, copying WEE wrestler John Cena's "You Can't See Me' sign.

In the second stop on this 10-game trip, Perez told the New York Times that he didn't understand Cleveland fans hatred of LeBron James and their blind loyalty to the Browns, while giving the Indians the cold shoulder. 

On the field, Perez has been the model of consistency. After blowing a save on Opening Day against the White Sox, he's been flawless.

"Chris isn't on the All-Star team because of what he said," said manager Manny Acta. "He's been pretty darn good after Opening Day. Has there been anybody better? He's an All-Star closer."

Perez is 0-1 with a 2.76 ERA in 31 appearances. He's converted 23 saves out of 24 chances. He's struck out 36, walked 13 and allowed 19 hits in 31 innings. The opposition is hitting .171 against him.

He earned a $50,000 bonus for his All-Star selection.

The last Indians closer to be named to consecutive All-Star teams was Jose Mesa in 1995 and 1996.

"I have to give most credit to my bullpen mates," said Perez. "Vinnie Pestano for sure. I only get the opportunities he converts, and he's been outstanding since last year.

"And my teammates overall. I only get as many opportunities as they give me."


(cleveland.com)

Because the city of Cleveland hasn't endured enough slings and arrows in recent years, there's this:

Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez believes the city's sports fans have issues. Deep issues.

Case in point: The Indians hover above .500, playing decent baseball, but nobody's buying tickets. Perez sees a group of malcontents more interested in sticking pins into LeBron James dolls.

Cleveland's age-old obsession with the Browns? Unhealthy and strange, according to Perez, who hails from Florida.

"That's what I don't understand," he recently told The New York Times. "Their whole thing is, 'We want a winner.' Well, why do you support the Browns? They don't win. They've never won. They left. You guys blindly support them. I don't understand it. It's a double standard, and I don't know why.

"... They've had a lot of years of misery. They say, 'You just don't understand because you don't live here,' O.K, maybe I don't. But that doesn't mean it has to keep going."


(nfl.com)

The Cardinals have become character actors in the drama resulting from last week's ejection and suspension of Tampa Bay reliever Joel Peralta for having pine tar on his glove.

Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez, a former member of the Redbirds' bullpen, noted during a subsequent interview with XM Radio that several "older" Cardinal pitchers used various substances during his time with the club.

Perez later amended his comments to say, "It wasn't like an organizational thing." However, his comments managed to partially redirect the issue.
Several veteran Cardinals starting pitchers admitted being familiar with mixing a foreign substance with resin to better grip the ball.

"First of all, I don't know what Chris is talking about," responded Chris Carpenter, who has been with the Cardinals since 2003, including his 2005 NL Cy Young Award season. "Second, it is what it is. I understand it's in the rule book. But it's a situation that happens. There are probably a lot of pitchers in this game who need something at times to help them get a better grip.

"If you're talking about scuffing or putting Vaseline on the ball to make it move differently, that's a separate issue. But to do something to get a better grip on the ball? With guys throwing 100 miles per hour? I don't think that's cheating. Unfortunately for (Peralta), maybe they didn't like him. I don't know. Pine tar, sunscreen, whatever… it's not there to help the ball sink, cut or do funny things. It's a tool to keep it from flying out of your hands."

Major League Baseball suspended Peralta for eight games, a sentence many players believe overly harsh.

The Cardinals were parties to a potential controversy during Game 2 of the 2006 World Series when Detroit starting pitcher Kenny Rogers was spotted with noticeable smudges, apparently pine tar, on his pitching thumb.

Then-Cardinals manager Tony La Russa didn't ask umpires to check Rogers' glove but did request that Rogers clean his hand. La Russa received criticism at the time for not pressing the issue.

"If it's something like Rogers in the World Series, that was different. That was overboard," Cards pitcher Adam Wainwright said. "He was getting an unfair advantage. If you're talking about remnants of pine tar on his glove, I don't buy into that" being a violation.

"I really don't know how (Rogers) used it. I guess you can create more spin on your breaking ball if you use enough of it. But the reason we didn't like it was because it was so 'in your face.' If he had been a little more discreet with it nothing would have ever been said."

Wainwright acknowledges at times using a mix of resin and sunscreen to enhance his grip. Just as significant, the combo applied to his pitching arm helps prevent sweat rolling onto his hand.

"There's a difference in pine tar from oil and grease, things that make the ball sink, cut or do different stuff," he said. "That's different than doctoring a ball. If one of our pitchers gets a scuff on the side of a ball he can do all kinds of things with it. An emery board or something like that is totally different.''

Manager Mike Matheny declined comment on the matter but the team is among those believing the use of substance mixed with resin to better grip the ball is widespread if not universal.

"If you're doing something to find a better grip, I don't have an issue with that," Cards pitcher Kyle Lohse said. "I don't think hitters would, either."
Carpenter maintained "every single person at some point or time has tried something" to better grip the ball.


(stltoday.com)

HOUSTON (AP) – Outspoken Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez said Friday he believes there are pitchers on every team who use pine tar and other substances to manipulate the ball.

"If before every game if they stopped and checked everybody's gloves or something there would be one or two guys on every team that would just get popped," he said.

Clarifying comments he made earlier on a satellite radio show, Perez, a former Cardinal, said he wasn't specifically calling out St. Louis for doing it.
"I've only played for two teams and more guys did it on the Cardinals than here," he said. "That's the only thing I was trying to say. It wasn't like an organizational thing."

Tampa Bay reliever Joel Peralta was suspended for eight games on Thursday for having pine tar on his glove. The suspension came after he was ejected Tuesday night when Washington manager Davey Johnson asked the umpires to check his glove when he was warming up in the eighth inning.

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was upset with Johnson's actions, saying he had inside information since Peralta pitched for the Nationals in 2010.

Perez believes the issue isn't pine tar on gloves, but rather that one of the many unwritten rules of baseball was broken when Johnson used inside information on a former player.

"I think the Rays are more mad about somebody calling them out," he said. "It had to be somebody that knew— that used to play with them. I have old teammates that I could tell (manager) Manny (Acta) to call out, but I'm not going to. It's not bush league, but it's still not on the up and up."

None of the St. Louis pitchers who were with the team when Perez was there were available for comment on Friday, but a couple of pitchers who have since joined the team weighed in on the issue.

Starter Lance Lynn wasn't sure how widespread the use of pine tar is.

"You hear about guys doing it, but I've never witnessed it myself," he said. "It's something you hear about around the league, one or two guys doing it."

Fellow St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse also seemed to agree with Perez that there's an unwritten rule about not using inside information on former teammates.

"If you're going to start throwing guys under the bus, then you'd better be sure there's nobody on your own team doing it," he said. "That's all I have to say."

Perez says he only uses rosin, but that he's seen players use pine tar, sunscreen, rosin, dirt and a mixture of those things. He doesn't believe that pine tar changes the pitches, but rather simply helps with gripping the ball.

"I use just rosin and it can get just as sticky as pine tar and if they checked me some games, there would be nothing in my glove, but my fingers would stick together because rosin with sweat and dirt is sticky," Perez said. "That's why it's out there is to help us."

Perez isn't one to hold his tongue, and called out Indians fans for lack of support in May and was fined by the league earlier in the season for a tweet after a series with the Royals in Kansas City. He also riled up Kansas City outfielder Jarrod Dyson recently with a hand gesture he made after striking him out.


(usatoday.com)

It wasn't that long ago that Tribe closer Chris Perez cut loose on some of his team's fans. 

Perez, if you'll recall, was angered by the boo-birds at Progressive Field when he allowed two runners to reach base….not score, but just reach base. Following the game, he lashed out about booing, and it led into resentment about attendance for the Indians' home games.

To their credit, the fans heard what Perez said and took it to heart, rather than lash back. They started showing up in bigger numbers, and the roar of approval that he gets every time he enters a game is testament to their belief in him.

If you pay attention, the booing has even decreased dramatically at the games now, even when things aren't going well for Cleveland.

But the outcries on the internet (which is usually where people go to whine) were all-out attacks on Perez, coming up with every excuse possible for not going to the games and supporting the home team. One of the more popular excuses was that "if he wants us to go to the games, he should buy us tickets."

Consider it done.

Perez has been using his Twitter account to give away tickets to each home game. He asks a trivia question, and the first three fans that answer correctly are treated to a Tribe game that night.

Tix Trivia: What are the only MLB teams never to play in a World Series?

That's the question that allowed six fans to see last night's 3-2 victory in ten innings over the Reds.

Fans of the opposition hate Chris Perez because he's very emotional and vocal on the mound. That, and the fact that he's very, very good at getting the other team out.

These are the reasons that Tribe fans love him, and they're starting to show up more and more at Progressive Field. Guys like Perez deserve to be praised for their dedication and their genuine desire to bring more fans to the ballpark.


(foxsportsohio.com)

Cleveland Indians RHP Chris Perez leads the majors with 20 saves. He blew a save on Opening Day, and since then has converted 20 consecutive save opportunities, the third-longest streak in franchise history.




(chicagotribune.com)

CLEVELAND -- Bored by 40-year-old artifacts that seem ancient to them, a group of junior high students were on a long, strange trip through a Grateful Dead exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when they saw something they could relate to amid Jerry Garcia's guitar collection.

Sunglasses sweeping back long hair, the bearded guy in jeans, retro sneakers and jeweled wristwatch had a rock star's look and swagger.

The kids rushed Chris Perez.

"What's your favorite thing so far?" Cleveland's colorful closer asked.

"You," one of the youngsters yelled.

Not everyone has been as excited to see Perez lately.

In case you haven't been following his exploits, Perez has been something of a renegade during this season's first two months. He's the first player to be fined under Major League's Baseball's social media policy. He's fired fastballs past opponents and offended others -- notably the Kansas City Royals -- with primal screams and gestures on the mound. He's antagonized Cleveland fans by shaming them for not backing an Indians team fighting for first place.

"You can't be afraid to speak your mind or worry about what people think about you," he said before pausing. "As long as you can back it up."
A large photo of Doors frontman Jim Morrison -- leering -- hung nearby. It seemed to fit.

In an age of political correctness, this CP doesn't worry about being PC. He's bold and brash, a baseball outlaw enjoying the ride of his life and getting paid big money to play a kid's game. He's making friends and enemies, and rattling cages along the way.

Pure rage
That's Perez's nickname, but it also would work nicely as the tag for a heavy metal band or punk group. It's also the attitude Perez carries with him to the mound. Now in his second season as Cleveland's closer, the hard-throwing 26-year-old, acquired in a trade from St. Louis in 2009, has become one of the game's top relievers.

After blowing his first chance of the year at home on opening day he was perfect since heading into the weekend, and has been a major reason the Indians, picked to finish way behind Detroit and Chicago in the AL Central, are hanging around the top of the division.

Perez's record almost is pristine. His performances have been far from perfect.

Watching him try to get the final three outs is not for the faint of heart. Perez is part knife thrower, part high-wire walker, a daring act loaded with surprise and suspense. He rarely retires the side easily, often putting a runner -- or two -- on base before working his way out of a self-inflicted mess.

It's the way he's always done it, going back to his days at the University of Miami and minor leagues.

"I was rough," Perez said. "I would walk three in a row and strike out three in a row. That still is me sometimes. But I'm more refined now."

In 2011, Perez made his first All-Star team and finished with 36 saves despite a tendon injury in his elbow he didn't reveal until spring training this year. Without his best stuff, Perez was forced to adapt. He learned how to pitch instead of just throwing heat.

If he allows a hit, Perez shrugs it off.

"This is going to sound bad, but it's all about cockiness and self-confidence," he said. "I take the mentality that if they get a hit, it's a fluke and it's not going to happen again. If I give up two hits, I think, 'OK, it's really fluky and I'm going to get the next three guys out.'

"I'm not going to lie, some days you don't have it, you don't feel right and the ball is nowhere I want it to go. What are you going to do? Cry? No, you've got to get the next guy."

Boiling over
The anger had been bubbling in Perez for weeks.

Rows of empty green seats, dwarfing filled ones by a 3-to-1 margin inside Progressive Field, irked him. The Indians were in first place and Cleveland didn't seem to care. The Indians, who once sold out 455 consecutive home games, are last in the majors in attendance, averaging about 2,500 fewer fans than the next-lowest team.

So, two days after being booed during a save at home, Perez unloaded on fans for their lack of support.

He needed to vent, and vent he did.

"I just didn't understand all the negativity," he said a few weeks later. "It's three years of seeing empty seats. We had met everyone's criteria. We were in first and playing good ball. What's your excuse now? There's no excuse. That was my whole thing. It was just building up and that one outing against Seattle was the ultimate slap in the face. Really, you guys are booing me? You don't fill the stadium and you're booing me?

"I got mad and I just went off. I tried to do it the best way possible. It was in the heat of the moment, but it was all from the heart."

It was a public relations nightmare for the Indians, but Perez stuck to his comments and found a lot of support after the initial firestorm.
"Maybe I woke up the echoes, and that's cool," he said. "That wasn't my intent, but it seemed to work."

Sure enough, the next time Perez pitched he was greeted by a standing ovation, a moment he called "humbling." He wasn't sure what to expect but was glad Cleveland, a place he seems to embody, had his back.

"I bring it every day," he said. "I got hurt in spring training and worked hard to get ready for opening day, and that didn't go very well, but I got back to the grindstone and that's what Cleveland is. My job isn't easy, but at the same time, I wouldn't want to be doing anything else."

The hubbub about Perez's comments barely had quieted when he caused another ruckus.

During an outing against Kansas City last week, Perez struck out Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson and celebrated by waving his hand in front of his face, a "You can't see me" move popularized by pro wrestling star John Cena.

It wasn't Perez's first run-in with the Royals. After two bench-clearing incidents between the team in April, Perez tweeted, "You hit us, we hit you. Period." He was fined $750 by MLB for demonstrating "a reckless disregard for the safety of the players on both clubs."

Perez wasn't fazed. He has no plans to change his ways. If he records a big strikeout or save, he's going to pump his fist, scream and let his emotions flow.

"If it takes me doing stuff like that to get me pumped up, so be it," he said. "I play for my team, my teammates. If they're the only 25 guys in the league who like me, that's fine. But I know that's not the case. I've got former teammates on other teams, and they know how I am.

"I've been doing this kind of stuff since college. Honestly. That's just how I am."

Music man
When he was 10, Perez's parents divorced and he moved in with his father.

"Bachelors eating dinner in our underwear watching baseball," he said.

Living in Florida, Tim Perez took his son to Rays games and drove him to various spring training camps. Along with teaching his boy the game, the elder Perez made sure his son learned never to back down -- from anyone. His father also broadened Perez's musical tastes, which includes an affinity for '70s classic rock.

"I was born 30 years too late," joked Perez, who posts a song of the day on his Twitter page.

Music helps define him. His mother, Julie, turned him on to the Beatles and his late grandmother, Pat Fleming, cleaned her house listening to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon."

Since college, Perez has made his way in from the bullpen with Prodigy's "Firestarter" blaring through the stadium speakers, the song's whaling guitar intro followed by a frenetic drumbeat that perfectly suits his potent personality as well as his powerful pitching style.

It motivates Perez to finish a game started by others.

He plays the final notes.

As for rock's best closer, Perez said there's only one band he would hand the ball. His favorite.

"It's Led Zeppelin, because they rocked hard," he said. "They brought it every day and never took a performance off. It's Jimmy Page doing some kind of solo with John Bonham because you've got to have the drums. You don't know how long it's going to last, but you know it's going to be good."


(coshoctontribune.com)

Indians’ closer and proCane Chris Perez woke up this morning and had some thoughts about sabermetrics:

“Saber metrics are good for some stats, but you will never be able to quantify a players' heart and balls”


(twitter.com)

DETROIT -- Almost three years ago, the Indians sent third baseman Mark DeRosa to St. Louis for relievers Chris Perez and Jess Todd. DeRosa and Todd are no longer part of the equation, but Perez returns to St. Louis Friday as the top closer in the big leagues with 19 saves.

Perez downplayed the reunion as the Indians head west to begin their first interleague series under National League rules at Busch Stadium.
"I was only there for 1 1/2 years," said Perez. "It's not like I was there for 10 years. I didn't help them win anything. I was a middle reliever, I don't think they really cared [that they traded me]."

Perez was acquired by the Cardinals as the 42nd overall pick in the 2006 draft out of the University of Miami. He made his big-league debut in 2008 and was traded to the Indians on June 27, 2009.

"I'm happy to go there because I have a bunch of friends left on the team," said Perez. "I played with pretty much half of their roster coming up through the minors. I'll just be happy to play big-league ball with the guys I started my career with."

Perez has converted 19 straight saves after blowing an opportunity on opening day this year. He was a closer throughout his minor-league career with the Cardinals and saved eight games for them in the big leagues in 2008 and 2009.

"I closed a little bit for them, but they never really gave me my shot," said Perez. "It is what it is. I don't know all the details on what happened at the trade deadline. There has been some rumors that it was up to the Indians and they could have picked me or Jason Motte [St. Louis' current closer].
"I don't know. I don't care. I'm glad I got traded. I got a good opportunity here. It worked out on their end, too. They won the World Series last year."


(cleveland.com)

QUESTION: The Indians head to town tomorrow night and bring along Chris Perez, who leads the American League in saves with 19. Back in 2009 when the Cardinals traded Perez to Cleveland for Mark DeRosa, did you envision him eventually having the kind of success he is now?

JOE STRAUSS
Perez was an All-Star last season but was better in 2010, his first full season in Cleveland. The Cardinals opted to move Perez rather than Jason Motte for Mark DeRosa partly because of uncertainty about Perez’ ability to handle the pressure of closing. Perez has answered forcefully, albeit not yet in a pennant race. Perez has saved 78 games the last three seasons. He was the first draftee of the Luhnow Era to reach the majors and the only Cardinals pick in that time to become an All-Star.
Did I see this coming? Not in STL because I questioned whether he would get the chance. Not yet 27, Perez has a chance for some prolific career numbers because of his early exposure to the role. A marginal walk-strikeout role seems his most obvious blemish but that, too, has improved this season. Right now he appears to be “the one that got away.”

DERRICK GOOLD
Sure. Of all the players the Cardinals drafted back then, Chris Perez was perhaps the easiest to project into a role. A closer in college, Perez was a closer throughout the minors, and when he reached the majors it was clear he had a closer’s repertoire, a closer’s power, and that less tangible closer’s mentality. The gravitational pull between him and the ninth was obvious. The only question was where. The answer came when the Cardinals decided to keep Jason Motte, trade Perez, and let him find the saves he was bound to collect in Cleveland.

RICK HUMMEL
At the time, both Perez and Motte suggested they might have futures as closers because they threw hard and threw strikes. The rub was whether one or both would develop a secondary pitch and it appears that both have. The downside of making the trade with Cleveland was not so much that Perez got away but that DeRosa was hampered physically, almost from the moment he got here.

JEFF GORDON
Chris Perez was clearly destined to become a major league closer. At the time the Cards had a closer and apparent closers-in-waiting, so the deal for Mark DeRosa made sense. Had DeRosa stayed healthy and re-signed in St. Louis, it might still make sense. But DeRosa broke down, Perez developed as expected and Cardinal Nation came to greatly regret his departure.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Absolutely. He’s always had two swing and miss pitches, an fearless attitude and experience at the position going back to college. The one thing he was missing in his early days with the Cardinals was command, but that has really come along. In fact, his walk rate has gone down every season since he debuted with the Cardinals during the 2008 season and that is directly linked to the success he’s having now.
I spoke to him on Wednesday as a preview for the Cardinals-Indians series this weekend and he said the very same thing, acknowledging that his command needed improvement when he broke in with the Cards. Perez also said that he’s refined his approach to attacking hitters. He remains aggressive but also says he’s more conscious of which hitters can do more damage than others. That maturity has given him the ability to turn “stuff” into results.

LARRY BOROWSKY (Editor of the “Viva El Birdos 2012 Baseball Annual&rdquo
Yes, I did.  Perez has always had the repertoire of a prototypical closer – explosive fastball, hard slider – and the hyperaggressive attitude to match. He has never been any fun to hit against. He held minor-league batters to an average of about .180, while recording more than twice as many strikeouts (151) as hits allowed (61). As a Cardinal he held big-league opponents to a .215 average and fanned over a batter an inning. Perez hadn’t fully transitioned from thrower to pitcher at the time the Cards dealt him, but the markers of potential dominance were always there.
I was sorry to see Perez go but thought (and still think) it was a defensible trade because the Cardinals were dealing from a position of strength. Despite losing Perez, they had Jason Motte, Eduardo Sanchez, Mitchell Boggs, Fernando Salas, and others in the majors or the high minors in mid-2009. They felt the makings of a good bullpen were in place even without Perez.  Although that assessment looks a little shaky at the moment, it may yet prove accurate.


(stltoday.com)

Chris Perez allowed a run but picked up his 18th save in Tuesday's win over the Tigers.

A Brennan Boesch sac fly followed a single and double in the ninth inning, but Perez then got Ramon Santiago to fly out to end it. Perez hasn't blown a save since his meltdown on Opening Day, converting 18 in a row to lead all of baseball.


(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND -- The colorful closer and the legendary leadoff man crossed paths outside the Cleveland clubhouse the other day.

It was not what you'd call a cordial encounter.

Chris Perez, you see, had recently uttered some choice words about an Indians fan base that he deemed to be too fickle and too negative for his liking. And Kenny Lofton, member in good standing of the Indians' alumni base, had gone on a local radio show and offered a few choice words of his own about Perez, essentially saying, "He just doesn't get it."

So when Lofton passed Perez and extended his hand and a greeting, Perez walked right past him without uttering a word.

Asked about it after the fact, Perez said, in effect, "If you're going to say that stuff about me on air, don't try to be nice to me in person."

And Lofton, unexpectant of such an encounter, could only look back in amazement at the brash young man who just blew him off.

"Really?" said Lofton, his mouth agape. "Wow."

Perez has been getting that kind of reaction a lot lately.

We're talking here about the first player fined for violating MLB's social media policy, after writing to the Royals, "You hit us, we hit you. Period." A player whose fist pumps and primal screams have offended the opposition. A player whose public sentiments about getting booed by his home fans and the small attendance tallies at Progressive Field became the biggest Tribe talking point in recent memory. And a player who, just this week, made a WWE hand gesture -- "You can't see me" was, apparently, the message behind the wave of the hand over the face -- after striking out Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson.

All this boldness, all this brazenness, all this brutal honesty has made Perez -- who goes by the nickname "Pure Rage" -- something of a polarizing figure.

In a sport that values, more than most, respect of the game and of the opponent, and in an era in which clichéd quotes and media training sessions are the status quo, Perez is an outlaw.

And his "antics," as one opponent called them, have caused some consternation in opposing clubhouses and, yes, even his own. One member of the Indians organization quipped that Perez's comments should all come with the television-ready caveat that "the opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the club."

Perez's take? This is a game. Let's have some fun with it.

"I'm doing something that I've wanted to do since I was 4 years old," said Perez, who has converted 17 straight save opportunities since blowing one on Opening Day. "And I'm doing it all right, right now. So I'm going to enjoy it."

Suffice to say, his critics aren't enjoying it at all.

"That's just a sorry guy looking to be loved," Royals catcher Brayan Peña told the Kansas City Star this week. "Nobody pays any attention to him, so he has to do stuff like that. You don't see guys who people know, guys like Mariano Rivera, do that, do you?"

Well, no, you don't. But such statements don't rattle Perez in the least.

The notion of the quirky, cocksure closer has become something of a cliché in and of itself, yet lately the 26-year-old Perez has been taking that posture to another plane. And if recent fan reaction is any indication, it's actually won him some followers.

Two weeks ago, in the midst of a rant about getting booed by his home crowd for putting two runners on base in a save against the Mariners, Perez called the fact that the then-first-place Indians ranked last in the Majors in attendance "a slap in the face" and "embarrassing."
Honesty, indeed.

"That's just how I am," Perez said. "I learned that from my dad. My dad's a small business owner. When he did a good job, he expected to get paid and for the other person to honor the contract. When that didn't happen, he stood up for his rights. I was in his office a lot of times when he chewed people out. He didn't back down. He stood up for himself."

What did Perez's version of standing up for himself and his team earn him?

His next trip to the mound was met with a standing ovation.

"It seems to have worked," he said. "I've heard from a lot of people who said, 'We needed to be called out for being so-called great fans.' Because that's what we always hear is, 'Oh, in the '90s, we sold out [455 straight games].' Well, we haven't seen it. We don't believe it until we see it. Good or bad, people are responding to what I said."

And Perez has backed up his words by offering up three pairs of tickets to every home game to fans through his Twitter account.

But one thing he said in that rant was that Indians fans don't have it nearly as bad as fans of the Royals and Pirates, who "haven't won anything in 20 years." Dyson heard that remark and told his friend Tony Sipp, an Indians reliever, that he wasn't happy about it. Sipp relayed the message to Perez, who did the hand gesture when he put Dyson away in Monday's game and performed an exaggerated celebration when he completed the save.

"Different players have different ways that they act," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Mike Maddux used to say to our pitchers in Milwaukee, 'You never want to give the opposition any more reason to beat you.' But some players have a lot of energy, and they display it."

How long Perez can effectively back up all this energy remains to be seen. His string of saves is indeed impressive, and he's a big reason the Indians, currently besieged by injuries in their lineup, are four games over .500.

But within the Tribe clubhouse, there is some concern that Perez has earned the Indians more enemies than they're comfortable with.

"There is a line," Perez allowed. "I don't think I've crossed it yet. Some people may disagree with me, but I'm just having fun out there."

Just don't ask him to pal around with Kenny Lofton.


(mlb.com)

CLEVELAND -- Defiant Cleveland closer Chris Perez has thrown some gas on the simmering rivalry between the Indians and Kansas City Royals.
The animated Perez angered Kansas City's Jarrod Dyson for a gesture he made after striking out the Royals outfielder in the ninth inning of Cleveland's 8-5 win on Monday.

After fanning Dyson on three pitches, Perez walked off the mound and waved his hand in front of his face to mock Dyson, who was unaware of the gesture until seeing it later on videotape.

"It's just terrible," Dyson said. "Nobody told me about it. As soon as I got done with my at-bat, I went down to see where the pitch was because I felt like the pitch was in and I saw him do that and it (ticked) me off even more."

It's the latest incident involving Perez, who recently criticized Indians fans for their lack of support and was fined earlier this season by Major League Baseball for an inappropriate tweet after the teams had a contentious series in Kansas City.

Perez said teammate Tony Sipp, who is friends with Dyson, had told him the Royals weren't happy with some of the comments and they were "coming for me."

During Monday's game, Perez promised his teammates in the bullpen that if he struck out Dyson he would make the "you can't see me" gesture popularized by pro wrestler John Cena.

Perez said before Tuesday's game that the gesture was in response to what Dyson told Sipp.

"That's the only reason I did it," Perez said. "I said, 'All right, you're coming for me, I'm coming for you.' If I strike you out, you're going to get the 'can't see me face.'

"What happened? Three pitches. You can't see me," he said.

Dyson said he was already looking forward to his next matchup against Perez, who leads the majors with 17 saves.

"I can't wait to face him again," Dyson said. "I want to beat him. That's the good part of this game, you get to go back and try to beat a guy, beat a team. If I had seen it, I would have said something, probably jumped out of character. Usually, that's not me. Though that's not how our organization is.

"But that's the game. When you win, you can say what you want," Dyson added. "They beat us. We lost. We have nothing to say. You lose, you shut up and go out and try to beat them. Then you can have something to say."

Perez wasn't troubled that Dyson didn't appreciate his actions.

"If he took offense to it, oh well," Perez said. "It happened and it's the same as when a hitter hits a home run and they come back to the dugout and do all their hand-slapping stuff. We see that as pitchers and we don't take offense to it because he just hit a home run."

Dyson chalked up Perez's antics to "him just being him."

"I think that's just the way he is. That's just him. If he needs that to get motivated, whatever. It was a little bit of disrespect," Dyson said. "I guess he felt good striking me out. It's not like he struck out Albert Pujols."

Perez has been known to let loose with a primal scream after getting a save or pumping his fists in celebration. While it may annoy and even anger some of his opponents, the rebellious right-hander said he does it to motivate himself.

"(Winning) definitely gives me some leeway to do what I do," he said. "Nobody wants to hear this from a last-place team. I mean, who cares, you're in last place. You talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. We're in first place right now, and it's fun. I know that, if I'm blowing saves, I can't do that stuff, either.

"I'm enjoying this. This is fun," Perez continued. "It's not very often you can go on a streak like this, especially in the big leagues, and pitch as well as I have been. Not trying to pump myself up, but it's fun."


(kansascity.com)

CLEVELAND: The fans are in love with Chris Perez. All he has to do is trot in from the bullpen in the ninth inning, and the crowd at Progressive Field goes wild.

The next time he blows a save — if he ever does — maybe things will be different. But ever since he ratted out the fans for not showing up in sufficient numbers, Perez has been the chosen one — by the fans he scolded. Go figure.

He delivered his 16th save of the season Thursday, giving up a hit but otherwise handling the Detroit Tigers with aplomb, as the Indians eked out a 2-1 win.

Ever since his first rant on Saturday, Perez has been getting standing ovations for merely showing his face.

“If I had blown that save [on Saturday], I still would be going out and doing my job the next day,” he said. “But I don’t think I’d have gotten the same recognition.

“Who doesn’t want to get cheered? That’s why we play. We want to interact with the fans. We’re like actors in a Broadway play. They get energy from the crowd.”

When Perez walked to the players parking lot after Saturday’s game, 20 fans were waiting for him outside the gate. That’s when he decided to give something back. He is awarding six tickets per game to fans who answer a trivia question on his Twitter account.

Thursday’s question: Who was the opposing manager when Perez earned his first save for the Tribe? The answer: Joe Torre of the New York Yankees.

Perez can’t understand why ESPN and other national media outlets haven’t paid much attention to the Indians, who have been in first place most of the season.

“They [ESPN] do their thing; they cover the Yankees and the Red Sox, and they tell people how bad the Angels are,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of star power. We just have a good team.”

Perez insists there was no more to his rant about the fans than a desire to express his feelings, but there have been some unintended consequences.

“I had no ulterior motive,” he said. “I just wanted to get something off my chest. Could it be a unifying factor for the team? That could be. I think we have some swagger now.”


(ohio.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — When Chris Perez stood on the mound in the ninth inning, he felt it.

The Tribe closer knew he was three outs away from something special, three outs away from his team sweeping three games from the Detroit Tigers.

"I thought about how we were so close to beating Verlander," said Perez after he saved the Tribe's 2-1 victory over Detroit.

Verlander is Justin Verlander, both the American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner last year. Verlander is a guy who entered the day 9-1 with a 2.89 ERA in his last 12 starts against the Tribe.

In the eighth inning, Verlander was throwing pitches that went from 98 to 102 mph – and those were pitches 110 and above for the game – yet Perez was in position to wrap up this game in Wahoo red, white and blue with three more outs.

Perez also thought about how Justin Masterson had held the Tigers to one run in seven innings. And how Shin-Soo Choo said hello to Verlander's third pitch of the game with an outrageous 457-foot homer into the second deck in right field.

"I'm a guy with one pitch," said Masterson. "He [Verlander] has four Hall of Fame pitches."

Perez so wanted this game for Masterson, who matched Verlander pitch-for-pitch, if not mile-for-mile on the radar gun.

Perez also thought about Michael Brantley slapping a single, stealing second base. He scored on a superb single to right field by Jose Lopez, who found a way not to be overpowered by Verlander.

There also was Lopez bobbling a grounder at third base, yet recovering in time to throw out a Tiger runner at home plate. There was a superb 6-4-3 double play pulled off by the Tribe, and there was Vinnie Pestano pitching a scoreless eighth inning for the third time in three days.

"I was sitting in the bullpen, just watching us playing a great game," said Perez.

And he didn't want to blow it.

Not on this day, against this team and in front of this crowd of 23,622 – which was standing and stomping and screaming and clapping as Perez entered the game in the top of the ninth.

"You can feel something special happening here," said Perez. "These fans have been great to me. I'll never forget this week."

It was last weekend when Perez ripped the fans for a lack of support and a general negative attitude. He feared a severe backlash, but discovered more support than slams from fans. At the ballpark, he was greeted with standing ovations in all three games against Detroit.

With the ball in his hands and the game on his broad shoulders, he didn't want to let anyone down. Not teammates, not the fans, not himself. He knew the impact of his two days of comments about the Tribe having baseball's lowest attendance, and that some critics would be hoping he'd fail.

"There was some extra pressure," he admitted. "But I also think what happened brought extra energy. I knew I had to do my job in these games."

And he did it, 1-2-3.

Not 1-2-3 innings, but 1-2-3 saves in three games against the defending Central champions.

Suddenly, the Indians are 15-9 in May, and were 6-2 on this homestand. They lead the Tigers by six games and are 26-18.

They are playing beautiful baseball – what Manny Acta and others call "Wahoo Baseball." They don't make errors, they are 10-2 in one-run games. They get solid starting pitching and reliable relief work. Perez and Pestano have been so dominating in the eighth and ninth innings, that the Tribe is 20-1 when it has a lead after seven.

"It's building here," said Perez. "ESPN can talk about the Yankees and Red Sox, we'll do our thing."

And they are doing it very, very well.


(cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND -- Chris Perez wants to stay in Cleveland, even if he is at odds with some Indians fans.

"I'm unhappy, but don't want out," the All-Star closer said Tuesday before the start of a three-game series against Detroit.

After several days of chastising local fans for not attending games, Perez said he is not looking to play anywhere else, emphasizing that he believes the Indians are in playoff contention.

"There's a saying in baseball: If you don't like it play better," he said. "I want to stay here. My friends are here. I like it here. I'm not out, I'm in."

Perez said that he wouldn't be doing everything he can to help the Indians if he didn't believe they could start capturing the city's interest.

"I wouldn't be signing the autographs, taking the time to bother," the 26-year-old said. "I wouldn't be pitching my butt off, I'd tank to get out. I'm never going to do something like that."

Perez is 0-1 with 13 consecutive saves after blowing a lead on Opening Day, when the booing started. He said he is more upset at the lack of attendance -- Cleveland is last in the majors -- and overall apathy than home fans getting on him.

After striking out the side on 10 pitches Saturday to save a win over Miami, the usually jovial reliever reacted angrily. He joked that his performance was spurred on by being booed in previous games, then got a bit more terse and pointed out that to him, Cleveland's low attendance was an embarrassment and kept the organization from attracting free agents.

The following day, he met with team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Chris Antonetti, but did not back off his remarks.

"The shame is it takes my comments to get national attention for our team," Perez said.

He then took a backhanded swipe at the town's infatuation with the NFL's Browns during spring activities, rather than the Indians.

"I could care less who is taking snaps at Browns quarterback," Perez said.

Asked if he didn't like football, he replied, "I would if I played football or if my team made the playoffs."

The Browns have been to the postseason once since returning to the NFL in 1999.

Perez said feedback was "overall positive" to his comments. He produced two cards written to him by season-ticket holders thanking him for "saying what we've been saying for years."

He said he wasn't worried about getting booed the next time he enters a game at Progressive Field.

"If I go 1-2-3, they'll cheer me," he said. "If I don't, they will boo. So what? I'm booed on the road. I'll treat it like a road game."

Perez has saved all eight road games he has appeared in this season, not allowing an earned run.

The right-hander now wants to wrap up the discussion.

"It's off my chest," Perez said. "Now it is back to work and playing baseball."


(espn.com)

Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez was in a chatty mood over the weekend. He first made headlines on Saturday by ripping the Tribe fans who booed him earlier in the week and by saying no free agents want to come and play in front of an empty ballpark.

Then, lest any of his pointed comments get lost in the weekend media cycle, Perez came right back on Sunday by putting on another rant for any media member who might not have been around for the first one. In five passion-filled minutes that reminded me a little of Lee Elia in its spirit (minus the intensity and profanity), the 26-year-old stood by his initial comments.

For one, Perez finds it "embarrassing" that the first-place Indians rank dead last in attendance (with an average of 15,872 fans per game, they're nowhere close to 29th-place Oakland, which averages 19,573 per game).

For another, he can't understand why the prevailing mood in Cleveland isn't one of  hope or at least enjoyment considering the Indians hold a 2 1/2-game lead over second-place Chicago. (Perez isn't the only one in town who feels this way as Paul Cousineau of The DiaTribe just wrote a great post about fellow fans who are only focusing on the time when the other shoe will drop.)

Here are some of the comments that Perez made on Sunday. As you can tell, he held absolutely nothing back (and remember that this is just a sampling of what he said):

• "I expected the (backlash from Saturday's comments), but I really don't care any more. I'm here to do my job and play for this team. If the fans come, they'll come. If they don't, it'll be just like it was in April. So who cares?"

• "It's not a good atmosphere (at Progressive Field). It's not fun to be here ... Baseball's still supposed to be fun. At the end of the day, this is a game. It's a child's game, I understand that. But if you have a choice to go to some place like Philadelphia, where every day it's fun just to go there. That helps you get through some seasons some times."

• "I was in Florida in '97 when (Cleveland) lost the World Series to the Marlins. I saw the atmosphere here. It's great. It's a good baseball town. I don't know how to get back to that. Everyone says, 'winning, winning.' Well, we were in first place for three months last year. We come out strong this year, so obviously it's not a fluke ... This year is a different year. If, at the end, you don't want to get your heart broken, then we don't want you."

• "I'm not stupid, I understand the economy's bad around here. I understand that people can't afford to come to the game. But there doesn't need to be the negativity. I don't understand the negativity, why? Like, enjoy what we have. You have a first place team. How many third-place towns in the country would want that right now?"

• "We could be in last place. We could be the Royals, we could be the Pirates. Haven't won anything in 20 years. We're not. Enjoy it. I don't understand the negativity."

• "(My teammates) feel the same way. They just won't say it."

• "It's just a slap in the face when you're last in attendance. Last. It's not like we're 25th or 26th. We're last. Oakland's outdrawing us. That's embarrassing."

As someone who watched last Thursday's extra-innings win over the Seattle Mariners and wondered where all the fans were, I'm glad that Perez is speaking up so passionately about this subject. It really has to galvanize the loyal Indians fans who are showing up to Progressive Field and remain hopeful the team can win its first division title since 2007. As any fan knows, it's nice to see that a player cares as much as you do. And who knows? Maybe estranged fans will see that Perez cares so much and will be willing to come out to the park now.

Perez is also right in another regard: What has he got to lose? Either the Indians are a young team playing exciting baseball in front of a full house or they're a young team playing exciting baseball in front of an empty one. If Cleveland fans can't get over past disappointments or the fact that the Dolans own the team, it's going to be their own loss — not a defeat for Perez or his teammates.

Finally, here's the best part: As Perez noted on Twitter, he's putting his money where his mouth is and will give away three sets of tickets to each remaining home game to make sure he's doing his part. With a guy like that on the roster and the team in first place, how could Cleveland fans not want to give the team a little longer leash than usual?

Here's the press conference in its entirety (starting around the 1:30 mark):

Anyone who watches baseball knows that closers are their own breed. Many of these guys are weird, and they aren’t afraid to show it. Like many closers before him, Cleveland’s Chris Perez is one of the more animated players in the game. On Thursday night, Alex Rios took exception to that as Perez closed out a 7-5 win over Chicago.

According to MLB.com, Perez got the benefit of a borderline third-strike call to A.J. Pierzynski for the second out of the ninth inning and gave a strong fist pump. He then got Rios to ground into the game’s final out, which led to more celebrating and a heated exchange between him and the White Sox outfielder.

“Well, I don’t know what was wrong with him,” Rios said with a smirk after the game. “He just started yelling for no reason. I don’t know why he started yelling, and that’s it.

“When I hit that ground ball, he was yelling when (Cabrera) was throwing to first. He was yelling the whole way. I couldn’t tell what he was saying. He was just staring and saying something.”

Perez said he was yelling at his teammates because he was happy they came up with a crucial win and that his animation was not directed toward Rios — not that he cares what Rios thinks anyway.

“He’s on a different team,” Perez said. “I’m not friends with him. I don’t know him personally. I’ve just been playing against him. That’s it. If he’s mad, whatever. I don’t care.”

The more it bothers opponents, the happier guys like Perez are with their antics. The best thing Rios can do is pretend it doesn’t affect him.


(yardbarker.com)

Cleveland Indians RP Chris Perez worked a perfect 12-pitch ninth inning Friday, May 4, against the Texas Rangers for his 10th save of the season. After blowing his first save chance of the season April 5, Perez has converted 10 straight save chances and allowed just one earned run in 11 innings over the past 12 appearances.


(kffl.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Through one-plus month of the baseball season, closing has proven hazardous to the mental and physical health. If closers are not getting rocked, they are tearing ACLs while shagging fly balls in batting practice.

The Indians have been fortunate. Not only has their closer survived, he has thrived. Chris Perez has 10 saves in 11 opportunities and a 3.09 ERA after Friday's 6-3 victory over Texas. Since a rocky appearance on Opening Day, when he gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning in a blown save against Toronto, he has allowed one run in 11 innings of 12 appearances.

While Perez has lived up to his All-Star status of last season, a number of his peers has had all sorts of issues. Here is a sampling of what already has befallen closers:

Mariano Rivera, Yankees: The greatest ever suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee during batting practice Thursday at Kansas City. He was tracking a fly ball hit by former Indian Jayson Nix. Rivera, 42, is a 12-time All-Star.

Brian Wilson, Giants: The three-time All-Star underwent Tommy John surgery in April, the second such surgery of his career.

Joakim Soria, Royals: The two-time All-Star injured his right elbow in spring training and underwent reconstructive surgery.

Sergio Santos, Blue Jays: He was placed on the disabled list April 21 because of right-shoulder inflammation. He is 2-for-4 in save chances and owns a 9.00 ERA in six games.

Carlos Marmol, Cubs: He entered Friday at 2-for-4 and owned a 6.23 ERA in 12 games. He was replaced as closer this week.

Heath Bell, Marlins: He entered Friday at 3-for-6 and owned an 11.74 ERA in 10 games. He went 43-for-48 last year with San Diego.

J.J. Putz, Diamondbacks: He entered Friday at 5-for-7 and owned a 6.48 ERA in nine games. He went 45-for-49 last year.

Jose Valverde, Tigers: He entered Friday at 4-for-5 and owned a 5.59 ERA in 10 games. In the 2011 regular season, he was 49-for-49 and had a 2.24 ERA.

Alfredo Aceves, Red Sox: He entered Friday at 5-for-7. In the two blown saves, he gave up eight runs.

Perez did not need to be informed as to how difficult it has been for closers this season.

"We're sort of a fraternity,'' he said. "We feel for each other, because we understand how short people's memories can be. You're always one or two bad streaks away from them calling for your job. And that's how it should be. When you have the lead after eight innings, you've got to win those games.''

Nothing to see here: Perez does not care what a TV replay might suggest or what White Sox outfielder Alex Rios says. Perez reiterated Friday afternoon that he directed no ill will toward Rios at the end of Thursday night's game in Chicago.

As Rios grounded to Asdrubal Cabrera for what was to become the final out of a 7-5 Tribe victory, Perez is seen turning toward the first-base line and yelling. As Rios runs to first, Perez's head follows him.

Rios reached the bag and immediately turned. He flapped his arms and barked at Perez.

"When I was running to first, he was yelling the whole way,'' Rios told reporters. "I don't know what was wrong with him. He just started yelling at me. For no reason. I couldn't tell what he was saying; he was just staring and saying something.''

Perez said he simply was pleased that the Indians prevailed.

"I wasn't talking anything to Rios,'' he said. "I couldn't care less if it was he or (A.J.) Pierzynski or (Paul) Konerko -- whoever made the last out, I was going to do the same thing. It was for the team. We had just won a series on the road.''

Perez maintained that his look toward the first-base line only was to follow the ball into first baseman Casey Kotchman's glove.

"When I knew Cabby had it, I yelled, '(Expletive), yeah! Game's over!''' Perez said. "I watched the ball go to first, then Rios spun on me. I said, 'What? The game's over. What's your problem?'''

Rios said: "If you are celebrating, that's not the right way to do it.''

Rios said he has no history with Perez -- but he does have a walkoff grand slam against him. On Sept. 10, 2011, Rios's blast with one out in the 10th inning gave the White Sox a 7-3 victory.

"Rios was happy after he hit that homer, as he should be,'' Perez said. "And I had a right to be happy after we won a series in their place.''
Give him his due: Count Perez and his teammates among those pleased that Rivera has vowed to return next season. Rivera is MLB’s all-time saves leader with 608.

“You want to see him keep going, for all that he’s meant to the game,” Perez said. “As an athlete, you always want to go out on your own terms and not because you’re not good enough or because of injury.”

Tribe left fielder Johnny Damon said: “He’s one of the greatest pitchers of all time — not just relievers.”

Damon, who played with Rivera in New York, said the closer always has enjoyed running down balls in batting practice.

“For the past 17 years, he probably was the best center fielder the Yankees had,” Damon said. “That’s how good of a shagger he was.”


(cleveland.com)

CHICAGO -- As Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez started to celebrate his team’s 7-5 win on Thursday night, Chicago White Sox outfielder Alex Rios took exception.

Believing that the demonstrative closer was yelling at him, Rios wasn’t so quick to leave the field. Instead he stared down Perez and began to shout in his direction.

Even as the dust of Chicago’s loss settled, Rios was still somewhat flummoxed.

“I don’t know what was wrong with him,” Rios said. “He just started yelling … for no reason. … When I hit the ground ball and I was running to first, he was yelling (at me) the whole way.”

The brief exchange between the two players escalated no further than a few words, however.

“I couldn’t tell what he was saying, he was just staring and saying something,” Rios said after the game. “If he was celebrating, that is not the right way to do it.”

Perez had a different take on the final out of the game.

“He might of thought I was yelling at him,” Perez said. “I wasn’t. I was yelling at my teammates, happy about the win.

According to both players, there was no past incident or bad blood between them prior to Thursday’s game.

“The only history we have is I gave up a grand slam to him last year,” Perez said. “He is a competitor, I am a competitor. He is on a different team. I am not friends with him. If he is mad I don’t care.”

The two teams play a four-game series in Cleveland beginning on Monday.

“You can use that as motivation in some way,” Rios said. “But let’s just play ball.”


(espn.com)

Chris Perez picked up his ninth save of the season, working 2/3 of an inning against the White Sox on Thursday.

The Indians led 7-3 heading into the ninth inning, and it didn't look like Perez' services would be needed. However, after Dan Wheeler surrendered a two-run homer to Adam Dunn, Perez came on to record two easy outs and pick up his ninth save of the season.


(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND: Chris Perez acted like a rookie.

Perez, the Indians’ closer, was way too excited and kind of feeling as if he were facing the biggest situation on the mound he’d ever encountered.
But Perez, a first time All-Star last season, has been around the major leagues long enough to know that although Opening Day is always a big deal, he’s certainly pitched in bigger situations.

So after he blew a three-run lead and the save that led to the Tribe’s 16-inning Opening Day loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, he promptly got over it and went back to being his normal, fun-loving self.

“I wasn’t worried after what happened on Opening Day because it helped knowing I’d been there before, having blown my first [save] opportunity in Double-A,” Perez said. “I know it’s just Double-A, but it’s still experience you can go back to. After I blew that save, I reeled off 34 in a row, so I’ve been there. I’ve blown it, had my back against the wall and recovered.”

In fact, Perez, 26, and the Tribe bullpen are a big reason the Indians are in first place going into a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox that starts tonight at U.S. Cellular Field.

Since the Opening Day disaster, Perez (0-0, 4.00 ERA) has been perfect. He’s saved each of his seven opportunities since, tying him for first among American League closers. Perez has held the opposition to one run in 8⅓ innings and opponents are hitting .161 against him in his past nine games.

“It starts from the top, the closer, and trickles down,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “If your top guy is doing good, then the rest of the guys just seem to fall into line. For Chris, he was right back out there right away and it didn’t even take him two outings to recover.”

Last year, in his first full season as the Tribe’s closer, Perez converted 36-of-40 save opportunities to rank fourth in the American League in saves and save percentage (90 percent). He saved 16 consecutive games from May 1 through July 15 and already ranks fifth in club history with 67 saves.

In spring training, Perez talked about how good he felt, better than he had all the previous season while dealing with a nagging arm injury.

Then he suffered a strained left oblique that kept him from making his first spring outing until right at the end of camp on March 29.

So when he blew his first save opportunity of 2012 in front of a Progressive Field crowd of 43,190, there were whispers that perhaps he was still hurt.

Maybe Perez was rushed back too soon. Maybe he should have gone on a minor-league rehab outing first to make sure he wasn’t rusty. Maybe his mechanics were out of whack from sitting out so long.

The worst part for Perez wasn’t the blown save. He knows he’s not going to be perfect all season. The worst part was what happened afterward, the game dragging on through seven extra innings before Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia hit a three-run homer that helped to end the longest Opening Day game in big-league history.

“I don’t know what it was that day, I just wasn’t myself,” Perez said. “It was my first inning of the year and the first two guys hit rockets right back at me. You start thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to have to try to trick ’em today.’ Instead of just trusting your stuff and saying, ‘I have good stuff, I’ll just come back and get ’em.’ ”

The time before the Indians joined Perez in the locker room gave him plenty of time to stew over his mistakes. Plenty of time to dress, shower and leave before the media arrived in front of his locker, wanting to recount the details of how and why he’d blown it.

Instead, Perez was patiently waiting for everyone, wanting to be there for his teammates and stand up to the media to take responsibility for the mess he’d left.

“It was a three-run lead but I still let everything just kind of speed up on me,” Perez said. “I just never recovered in time. Suddenly, two guys are on and [Blue Jays slugger Jose] Bautista’s coming up. That’s not how you want to start your first outing.”

Although Perez handled himself with class afterward, he had the need to seek out Acta.

“He’s got such good makeup for that job, the very next day he was over it,” Acta said. “But he still apologized to me a couple days later. Not because he didn’t get the job done, but because he wasn’t able to slow things down. He felt like he acted like a rookie because he was so excited that night.”

Perez knows now that finding a way to harness his excitement is part of his job as a closer.

“The closer’s job is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately? role,” he said. “Even Mariano Rivera, if he goes out there and blows four in a row, people are going to start calling for his job. I might have bought a couple blown saves with what I’ve done in the past, but at the end of the day, you can’t let the team tank because you can’t get three outs. I knew I had to figure out what I did wrong and fix it immediately.”


(ohio.com)

Chris Perez struggled in the ninth inning against the Royals on Tuesday, but escaped with his seventh save of the season.

Perez surrendered a run on a couple of hits in this one, but got Jeff Francoeur to ground into a fielder's choice to end the game. He's now saved seven straight after his blow up on Opening Day, and appears safe in the closer's role for the time being.


(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND — When Chris Perez blew a save on Opening Day, Northeast Ohio fans were ready to rip off his Indians uniform and trade him for Luis Valbuena.

Since then, Perez has had six chances to save games and has succeeded six times, allowing no runs, three hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. Perez cleaned up on the Tribe’s trip to Kansas City, Seattle and Oakland, picking up five saves, including three on consecutive nights.

So was Perez in danger of being overworked?

“Things even out in the course of the season,” manager Manny Acta said Tuesday. “When your team is losing, the closer is fresh and well rested. If you’re winning, he’s going to have to pitch a lot.”

Perez is 4-for-4 in one-run saves, 1-for-1 in two-run saves, 0-for-1 in three-run saves and 1-for-1 in four-run saves (the tying run was on deck).
“But we manage him so he doesn’t pitch more than three days in a row, unless there’s an emergency. If you’re winning and fatigue becomes an issue, you deal with that,” Acta said.

Most relievers thrive on work. Pitching two or three days in a row can sharpen a closer’s command and usually has little effect on his velocity or the movement of his pitches. Of course, there are exceptions, and even the most durable closer has limits.

But that’s why baseball teams have managers and pitching coaches. All relievers are monitored for signs of a tired arm.

“We look at how many times they’re up, and we go by pitches thrown,” Acta said. “We check with them every day.”

Perez wasn’t the only Tribe reliever to benefit from the nine-game trip that ended Sunday. The relief corps posted an aggregate earned-run average of 0.92 on the trip, giving up just two runs in 19 2/3 innings.

Yet because of an unproductive season-opening homestand, the bullpen ranks 10th in the American League with a 4.58 ERA (down from 6.51).


(therepublic.com)

Chris Perez said he may appeal a $750 fine he was given for a tweet following the April 14 dispute between the Indians and Royals.

Perez's tweet read, "Huge team win tonight, time for a sweep of the Royals. It's not 'Our Time,' it's TribeTime. P.S. You hit us, we hit you. Period." Joe Garagiola Jr., MLB's dean of discipline, said the tweet, "demonstrated a reckless disregard for the players on both clubs," but Perez disagrees, also noting that Jack Hannahan was ejected during the game but only was fined $500. "How do you justify that? [Hannahan] got thrown out of the game for being aggressive and instigating and he got fined less than I did?" Perez said. "But I showed reckless disregard for safety? I just don't understand." Perez was not suspended for his actions.


(rotoworld.com)

SEATTLE -- A $750 fine is not going to take the Tweet out of Chris Perez.

The Tribe's closer says his Tweeting style isn't going to change and that he may appeal the fine imposed on him by Joe Garagiola Jr., MLB's dean of discipline, stemming from the Tweet he posted following Saturday night's dispute between the Indians and Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

In the letter Perez received from MLB on Wednesday informing him of the fine, Garagiola told Perez he "demonstrated a reckless disregard for the players on both clubs."

"To me that would be saying to the Royals, 'Look out, I'm coming for you. And then hitting somebody. Inciting it,'" said Perez. "Looking back, nothing happened [Sunday]. We played a regular game. Nothing happened the rest of [Saturday], I pitched that night. I don't see where the reckless disregard for the players safety was."

Three Indians were ejected Saturday in the third inning of their 11-9 victory over the Royals -- starting pitcher Jeanmar Gomez, third baseman Jack Hannahan and manager Manny Acta. Gomez was suspended five games and fined for hitting Kansas City's Mike Moustakas after Royals left-hander Jonathan Sanchez hit Shin-Soo Choo in the top of the third. Hannahan was fined $500 and Acta was fined an undisclosed amount.

Gomez and Acta were automatically ejected because warnings had been issued after Choo was hit. Hannahan was ejected for his actions during the two bench-clearing incidents.

"I'm still kind of baffled that I got fined more than someone who got thrown out of the game," said Perez. "How do you justify that? [Hannahan] got thrown out of the game for being aggressive and instigating and he got fined less than I did?

"But I showed reckless disregard for safety? I just don't understand."

Two years ago team president Mark Shapiro embraced Twitter and other social media platforms as a way for the Indians to reach out to their fans. He encouraged players to open accounts. Shapiro, GM Chris Antonetti and Acta have their own accounts.

"For me, I think our players have been extremely responsible and done a good job promoting the team, the game and themselves," said Shapiro. "I look at this as a learning opportunity."

Shapiro said that when he read Perez's Tweet, "I thought that's probably borderline. I think that quote probably would have been disciplined no matter where it appeared."

Here Perez's Tweet: "Huge team win tonight, time for a sweep of the Royals. It's not 'Our Time,' it's TribeTime. P.S. You hit us, we hit you. Period."
The Royals slogan this year is "Our Time." Perez said he read MLB's and the Indians' social media policies. He did not feel he crossed any lines.
"It's freedom of speech," said Perez. "I felt I was within my rights as an American."

Perez is one of several players who have been fined over the last two seasons for what MLB determined to be inappropriate Tweets. When asked what his thoughts were on the subject, Acta said, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion ... and their own thoughts."

Shapiro believes Twitter represents a good opportunity for the Indians to bond with their fans.

"There will always be a line ... instances that require judgment," he said. "Sometimes mistakes will be made."

Perez, in his own way, agreed with Shapiro's take.

"You have to take the good and the bad," he said. "I don't think it was that bad, unless you're the Royals. But who cares? We're not the Royals. We're not supposed to be friends with them. I don't have any friends on that team and I don't really care for them all that much."


(cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND (92.3 The Fan) - Fines, suspensions, tweets. Are the Indians becoming the bad boys of Major League Baseball?

It sure seems that way, as just hours it was announced that pitcher Jeanmar Gomez was hit with a five-game suspension for throwing at the Royals on Saturday night, closer Chris Perez was hit with a fine for throwing out a tweet from the bench during the game.

The Indians closer was hit with the fine according to the Plain Dealers Paul Hoynes, who tweeted out earlier tonight from Seattle the following:
MLB fines Tribe closer Chris Perez for Tweet about Royals following Sat’s melee at Kauffman Stadium. Said he “crossed the line.” #Indians.”

The tweet in question that Perez threw out eluded to “You hit us, we hit you, period.” That of course could be where the crossing of the line came into play for Perez.

The amount of the fine was not disclosed.


(cleveland.cbslocal.com)

Chris Perez allowed the Mariners to load the bases in the ninth inning Tuesday, but he rebounded to pick up his third save.

Perez escaped without surrendering the lead in a 9-8 game, but his inning was a whole lot shakier than Vinnie Pestano's eighth, even though Pestano faced the top of the order and Perez got the bottom. Perez has now pitched four scoreless innings since a disastrous blown save on Opening Day.


(rotoworld.com)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Chris Perez wears his emotions on his sleeve and sometimes expresses them in a tweet.

Like Saturday night, after the Indians beat the Royals 11-9 in 10 innings in a game that featured two bench-clearing incidents when Shin-Soo Choo and Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas were hit by pitches.

Perez tweeted the following: "Huge team win tonight; time for a sweep to tell the Royals it's not 'Our Time,' it's Tribe Time. P.S. You hit us, we hit you. Period."

"Our Time" refers to the Royals' 2012 marketing slogan.

When asked about the tweet, the Tribe closer said, "It's the same as when I'm talking to you. I'm not afraid to say what I believe."

Trouble began in the third inning Saturday night, when Jonathan Sanchez hit Choo with a fastball just above the right knee, and Choo had a few words for Sanchez, as players swarmed the field.

Last year, when he was with the Giants, Sanchez broke Choo's left thumb with a pitch, putting Choo on the disabled list for almost seven weeks.
Moustakas led off the Kansas City third and was hit in the back by Jeanmar Gomez. Again benches cleared. Gomez, Jack Hannahan and manager Manny Acta were ejected.

Choo has been hit three times this season and almost was struck a fourth time. Perez's point: Even if no one threw at Choo intentionally, it's time the Indians send a message that recklessly pitching inside will not be tolerated.

"I'm not saying we let this go in the past, but we didn't have the right mindset on our staff," Perez said. "Choo is our No. 3 hitter for a reason. We can't afford to have people come inside (with abandon) and have them think it's no big deal.

"Last night, I don't think Choo was hit on purpose. But that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I've seen him hit six times already (including spring training), and I missed three weeks of camp. So enough is enough."

The book on Choo is to pitch him inside so he can't extend his arms.

"I know the scouting report on Choo," Perez said. "But if they miss, they hit him (and didn't worry about it). Sanchez hit Choo last year, and he lost six weeks of his career. He's not going to get those six weeks back."

Hannahan expressed similar feelings after Saturday night's game.

"If you're going to hit our studs, we're going to hit your studs," he said. "That's the way baseball has always been, and that's the way it should be."

Perez seems to think the Royals might feel bolder because they are considered the Central Division's up-and-coming franchise.

"The way I look at it, they're still behind us," Perez said. "They might be building a better team, but we still think we're better."


(sacbee.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Five questions with closer Chris Perez after he failed to convert a save in Thursday's Opening Day 16-inning loss to Toronto.

Q: Did your strained oblique muscle in spring training affect the way you pitched in the ninth inning?
A: "It had nothing to do with my injury. It was all about bad pitches and giving guys too many pitches to hit."

Q: Given the way Justin Masterson pitched for the first eight innings, how frustrating was it not to be able to get him the victory?
A: "Oh, man, he did everything you wanted in an ace. He dominated. Two hits in eight innings with 10 strikeouts. ... This feels twice as bad. Any loss hurts, but this was the easiest save in baseball ... a three-run lead."

Q: Did you say anything to Masterson?
A: "I already apologized to Masterson. ... I'll have his back the rest of the year. That's my job."

Q: How tough is it to bounce back from failing your first save opportunity of the season?
A: "It's not the easiest thing, but I've been here before. I blew the first save opportunity in Class AA. It's not the same as the big leagues, but I've bounced back before. Hey, everybody wishes they could be Mariano Rivera."

Q: You pitched in two minor-league games and three Cactus League games in spring training because of your injury. Do you think you were rusty?
A: "If I had struggled in spring training, I might say that, but I was sharp. I was throwing strikes, attacking hitters, I had my stuff. I won't use that as an excuse.

"It wasn't the most ideal conditions in spring training for me, but if I wasn't ready to pitch, I wouldn't be here."


(cleveland.com)

Perez blew his first save opportunity of the season Opening Day against the Blue Jays, allowing two runs to score on three hits. He was pulled before he could get the third out of the inning.

Recommendation:
Vinnie Pestano replaced Perez and threw 1.1 scoreless innings as the Jays and Indians played into extras. Perez drew just one swinging strike in his 0.2 innings of work, and this is what happens when relief pitchers allow too much contact: they blow saves. This is why many were worried about his sub-6.0 strikeouts per nine innings rate last season, and if he doesn't fix it soon, it could be Pestano closing games in Cleveland instead of Perez.


(rotowire.com)

GOODYEAR (AP) — Chris Perez is healthy and back as Cleveland’s closer. Sean Marshall now has that role in Cincinnati.

Perez pitched a perfect inning for the Indians in a 2-1 loss to the Reds, after which Reds manager Dusty Baker announced that Marshall will open the year as the closer in place of Ryan Madson, out for the season.


(cleveland.cbslocal.com)

Once the baseball season begins Thursday, Indians closer Chris Perez will be storming the mound to the strains of "Firestarter" and seeking the final outs in close wins.

Q. How do you feel about being called Pure Rage?
A. I like it. It's not what I try to portray, but it's what I am. I get fired up.'

Q. How do you like being called the Don of the Bullpen Mafia?
A. The first rule of the club is don't talk about the club.

Q. Oh, talk a little.
A. It's a unity thing. Those guys put in most of the work and make me look good.

Q. How's your left oblique coming along?
A. It's been frustrating having to deal with this injury, but it could be worse. I'm feeling really good and am ready for the beginning of the season.

Q. When was your first glimpse of Cleveland?
A. On St. Louis, we played interleague here in 2009. I said, "This city's not bad. The stadium's beautiful." Two weeks later, I got traded here.

Q. Where have you stayed in town?
A. My wife and I lived in Westlake the first year. Last year, we lived in Lakewood, right on the lake, and got more flavor of Cleveland. We'd walk to a diner or a drugstore. This year, we found a place in Rocky River.

Q. Is our weather hard on a Tampa guy like you?
A. The weather's similar and different than Florida. It's similar because it can be bright and sunny, and 20 minutes later there's a thunderstorm.
It's nice here in the summers. Last April, it was overcast a lot, with cold rain. That's hard for anybody.

Q: Can you handle our midges?
A. One night against Oakland, it was pretty bad. A thousand flew up. You just try to block it out.

Q. How's our scenery compare with Florida's?
A. I lived on the water in Florida, so Cleveland reminds me of home. I like how East Ninth Street dips down toward the water. When the sun hits, it's beautiful.

But I'm used to the water being on the west. The lake being north threw me a little.

Q. What else is different here?
A. I like how many pockets of Cleveland are locally owned. People remember your name. It's a hometown feeling. The dry cleaners remember my order. You stay in your community and shop around the corner.

Q. Any game-day superstitions?
A. Nothing, really. I have more of a routine. After the game, coming off the field, I don't step on the baselines. It's a little respect for the field.

Q. Tell us something quirky about a teammate.
A. Roberto Hernandez, he keeps all the price tags on his hats.

Q. Where do you and Melanie grab a bite?
A. My wife and I go to Tremont, to Lucky's. We like their natural food. They have a garden. In Westlake, we'd eat at the Cabin steakhouse.

Q. Where do you go for ice cream?
A. We like Mitchell's. My wife likes cotton candy, and I usually get a "Browns" brownie with cookies and cream and rocky road, or a chocolate peanut butter shake.

Q. Where for fun?
A. We like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I became friends with one of the curators, Jim Henke. We talk baseball and music.

Q. Do you have a favorite local group?
A. The Black Keys in Akron. In the bullpen, Tony Sipp plays Kid Cudi and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

Q. Where do you take Maxwell?
A. We took him to the park in Lakewood overlooking the lake last year. He hasn't been in the lake yet. He was too young. Maybe this year.

Q. Where do you get haircuts, if ever?
A. I've gotten haircuts in Norwalk, Ohio. The owners of the Christian Roberts spa are big Indians fans.

Q. How do you like Cleveland fans?
A. They're diehards. They're very loyal. They're really hungry for a championship, but they appreciate good effort.

Q. Do you believe in the Cleveland curse?
A. There's just been some bad luck, and that's sports. Eventually it's going to happen, and Clevelanders are going to be really proud.


(cleveland.com)

Indians closer Chris Perez enjoyed a silky smooth Cactus League debut on Thursday, throwing just five pitches in a hitless inning against the Rockies.

MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian has the full report.

Perez missed most of spring training after suffering a left oblique strain during a late-February bullpen session. But he pitched in two minor league games before Thursday’s debut and is scheduled to make two more Cactus League appearances before the Indians head north next week. The bearded 26-year-old should be completely up to speed by Opening Day.

Perez registered a cool 3.32 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 59 2/3 innings last season while tallying 36 saves.


(hardballtalk.com)

MESA, Ariz. -- Indians closer Chris Perez never doubted that he would be ready in time for Opening Day. With the season's first game a little more than a week away, it appears he will indeed meet that goal.

Following a pair of successful outings in Minor League games, Perez is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut when Cleveland hosts the Rockies on Thursday afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark. The left-oblique injury that sidelined the closer early in camp has not caused any lingering issues over the last five weeks.

"He's right on schedule to be ready for Opening Day, unless he has a setback," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "We're going on him. He's feeling good. Our medical staff is on board. His velocity was fine the other day, so we'll go on him outing by outing. But right now, he's on schedule to be ready for Opening Day."

Perez injured his side while working through his first bullpen session of the spring on Feb. 23. He resumed pitching off a mound on March 16 and has since advanced through live batting practice sessions and Minor League games.

The closer said on Wednesday that he has not felt any discomfort in his side since that first mound session.

That being the case, the Indians are expecting their Opening Day bullpen to include Perez, who saved 36 games in 40 chances last year and earned a spot on the American League All-Star team. If Perez were to suffer a setback, Acta has noted that setup man Vinnie Pestano would act as the temporary closer.


(mlb.com)

Good news out of Goodyear, Arizona.

According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Indians closer Chris Perez tossed a perfect seven-pitch frame Saturday in a minor league exhibition game. It was his first live action of the spring, and it couldn’t have gone smoother.

Perez strained an oblique muscle during his first bullpen session of the year and has yet to make an appearance in a Cactus League game. But that should change sometime early next week. The 26-year-old right-hander retired the first batter he faced Saturday on a grounder to short, the second on a line drive to center and the third on a dribbler to first base.

As long as there are no further setbacks, Perez should be sufficiently geared up by Opening Day. He registered a cool 3.32 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 59 2/3 innings last year while saving 36 games.


(hardballtalk.com)

Goodyear, AZ, United States (AHN Sports) – Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez took a positive step toward returning to the mound Wednesday.

Perez threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session under the watchful eye of Indians manager Manny Acta and the All Star looks like he is on the road to recovery.

“He looked really good, man,” Acta said. “He was able to throw all his pitches. His slider was really good. I was very impressed. I’m looking forward to seeing him out there. I think we’ve got plenty of time to get him ready for Opening Day.”

Perez is coming back form an oblique injury that occurred on Feb. 23 during his first bullpen session of the spring. The initial timetable for recovery was projected as four to six weeks.

With Wednesday’s session a success, Perez will look to start pitching in Cactus League games, which could happen as early as Friday or Saturday. Perez could make as many as six appearances before Opening Day.

“I felt great,” said Perez. “For the first time out there, I don’t think it could’ve gone any better. I didn’t feel it at all. I wasn’t apprehensive like the last couple [bullpen sessions]. I warmed up good, threw all my pitches and it was fun facing hitters.”


(gantdaily.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Indians closer Chris Perez could not help himself in the heat of the moment.

As the ball shot off Trevor Crowe's bat and headed back toward the mound on Wednesday morning, Perez thrust his right hand -- his pitching hand -- out to his side in an effort to make a catch. The baseball glanced off the closer's hand and bounced into shallow left field.

"What are you doing?" Crowe yelled from the batter's box.

Trying to catch a sharply struck baseball with a bare hand is a major faux pas for pitchers. Doing so in a live batting-practice session while trying to come back from a strained left oblique -- as was the case for Perez on Wednesday -- is frowned upon even further. Fortunately for Perez and the Indians, it was a minor blip in an otherwise encouraging outing.

"I was just reacting, honestly," Perez said. "I wasn't expecting the first time facing hitters to have the third one hit right back at me. Luckily, we escaped some damage."

Indians manager Manny Acta, who stood behind the batting cage to get a close look at Perez's progress, walked away impressed with what he witnessed on one of the backfields at the team's player development complex. Perez threw with authority and has put himself on a great pace to be ready in time for the start of the regular season.

"He looked really good, man," Acta said. "He was able to throw all his pitches. His slider was really good. I was very impressed. I'm looking forward to seeing him out there. I think we've got plenty of time to get him ready for Opening Day."

Likewise, Perez was in a great mood following his 20-pitch session, during which teammates Crowe and Chad Huffman stepped to the plate to offer the closer a couple of hitters. Crowe hit from the left side and Huffman from the right, allowing Perez to work on his location to both sides of the plate with his fastball and slider.

When the smoke cleared, Perez felt no lingering issues from the oblique injury that flared up on Feb. 23 during his first bullpen session of the spring. The initial timetable for recovery was projected as four to six weeks, and Cleveland's high-energy closer plans on doing everything in his power to be ready in time for Opening Day.

Getting through Wednesday's workout unscathed was a major step.

"Without a doubt," Perez said. "It's the biggest one so far -- the biggest hurdle."

With the live BP workout behind him, Perez can finally turn his focus toward pitching in Cactus League contests. His first official game outing will likely fall on Friday or Saturday, and the closer would likely pitch on an every-other-day basis down the stretch. Under that scenario, Perez could make as many as six appearances before Opening Day.

Perez -- a first-time All-Star for the American League last season -- said the most important aspect of Wednesday's session was the fact that he did not hold anything back. After firing his first pitch, the right-hander did not feel any tightness, allowing him to loosen up and throw with more conviction for the rest of the program.

"I felt great," said Perez, who saved 36 games in 40 chances for the Indians in 2011. "For the first time out there, I don't think it could've gone any better. I didn't feel it at all. I wasn't apprehensive like the last couple [bullpen sessions]. I warmed up good, threw all my pitches and it was fun facing hitters.

"That was another thing I was worried about, is not letting it go. I didn't feel anything. The first pitch I let it go and it felt good. I think that's what made it work today. I didn't feel anything at all from the onset. I just worked into it and let it go."

Joining the closer on Cleveland's comeback trail Wednesday were fellow relievers Rafael Perez and Robinson Tejeda.

Perez and Tejeda each logged one shutout inning in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Giants at Goodyear Ballpark. The left-handed Perez -- a lock to make the Opening Day bullpen, barring a setback -- struck out two in his lone frame. Tejeda, who is competing for one of the two available relief roles, gave up one walk and a hit, but escaped without allowing a run.

"He was around the strike zone," said Acta, referring to Rafael Perez. "He had a good slider. He was able to face some lefties and was able to retire them with no problem. It was good to see him get out there and have no traffic whatsoever on the bases."

Acta added that he still thinks there is time for Tejeda to make a run at a bullpen job.

"Hopefully we can get him enough innings," Acta said. "It's kind of tough at the end of camp, because the starters are getting stretched out and we need to see the relievers, too. But I think there's enough time to see what he's got."

Acta could do without seeing any more of his pitchers reach for hard-hit grounders with their bare pitching hand, though.
"Hey, it's instincts," Acta said with a shrug. "It was just reaction."


(mlb.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Indians are one step closer to getting back their closer.

On Friday morning, Chris Perez had his first bullpen session since straining his left side in his first bullpen of the spring on Feb. 23, and the 10-minute workout was deemed a success.

Perez said he eased his way into it but turned his fastball loose late in the session and didn't experience any problems.

"It felt good," said Perez, who saved a career-high 36 games in 2011, his first season as the team's full-time ninth-inning man. "I'm not 100 percent yet. I wouldn't expect to be. I felt like it was the first bullpen of Spring Training -- you know, kind of rusty, not hitting all my spots.

"But the side felt amazing. It felt better than I thought it would."

The plan for Perez is to throw another bullpen session on Sunday, which will be followed by a live batting practice session and then, if all goes well, his 2011 Cactus League debut.

Indians manager Manny Acta said a healthy closer would ideally get between 10 and 12 innings in a spring, but that Perez could still be ready for the beginning of the regular season even with only six or seven frames under his belt. Acta added that he liked what he saw from Perez on Friday.

"He put good effort into it and threw the ball very good with good life on his fastball," Acta said. "It's very encouraging to see him do that."

When asked if he could be ready to close on Opening Day with a limited spring workload, Perez laughed.

"I'm going to have to be," Perez said. "No other choice. But I really can't tell you a set number of outings [to be ready]. It's always different. Last year I was ready halfway through Spring Training. ... Two years ago I probably wasn't ready even when Opening Day came, but I figured out a way to get outs when it started.

"Hopefully this year I can get it all done within six or seven outings and be ready for Opening Day."


(mlb.com)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Indians closer Chris Perez cracked a smile when asked if it was silly to wonder if he was excited about finally being cleared to throw a bullpen session.

"It's not silly at all," said Perez, who has been sidelined for the past three weeks with a left oblique strain. "I'm excited about a bullpen. It's the next step."

On Wednesday, Perez threw long toss from a distance of 150 feet, marking the final stage of his flat-ground throwing program before being able to move back on a mound. If Perez feels fine over the next two days, the closer will be able to work through a bullpen session during Friday morning's workout at the Indians' player development complex.

Perez injured his side near the end of his first bullpen session of the spring and the team indicated that he would need four to six weeks to fully recover. If he continues at his current pace, Perez believes he will be able to squeeze in five or six Cactus League appearances before camp breaks.

Prior to pitching in spring games, though, Perez needs to work through one or two bullpen sessions and likely a simulated game against Minor League hitters.

"We're still on pace to make it for Opening Day, which is our biggest goal right now," Perez said. "No setbacks. I'm feeling good. My arm feels better than it did last year at any point. It feels like I did in 2010. I'm ready to go.

"That's another frustrating part. My arm feels so good that I want to get out there. I want to attack. I want to do my job and I can't do it."

Perez's job is to hold down the ninth inning and he did so to the tune of 36 saves in 40 chances as an American League All-Star last season. Cleveland remains hopeful that he will be able to be in the bullpen come Opening Day, but manager Manny Acta has noted that setup man Vinnie Pestano could serve as a temporary closer, if necessary.


(mlb.com)

Chris Perez (oblique) is planning to play long-toss from a distance of 150 feet on Wednesday.

If that goes well, it won't be long before Perez is cleared for mound work. He suffered an oblique strain while throwing his first bullpen session of the spring and was originally prescribed a recovery timetable of 4-6 weeks. But he's currently ahead of that pace and could be ready for Opening Day if the progress continues.


(rotoworld.com)

Indians closer Chris Perez is making a steady recovery from the oblique strain that he suffered during his first bullpen session of the spring, according to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian, and may be ready to resume mound workouts this week.

Perez, who was originally prescribed a recovery timetable of 4-6 weeks, has already progressed to throwing long toss at a distance of 105 feet.
Once he’s able to extend that to 120 feet, the Indians’ medical staff will clear him for bullpen sessions and then live batting practice.

“I feel good,” Perez told reporters Saturday in Indians camp. “Right now, everything is based on how I’m feeling each day and I’m feeling really good.”

The 26-year-old right-hander posted a 3.32 ERA in 59 2/3 innings last year, saving 36 games in 40 tries. If he’s not ready by Opening Day, early save chances will likely go to talented setup man Vinnie Pestano.


(hardballtalk.com)

Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com writes that the Indians believe Chris Perez (oblique) still has a chance of being ready for Opening Day.
Perez is gradually increasing the distance of his throwing after straining his left oblique late last month. Initial reports had him missing 4-6 weeks, so there's still a chance he could be ready if he doesn't run into any setbacks. Vinnie Pestano would be the likely candidate for saves if Perez needs extra recovery time.


(rotworld.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- After nearly two weeks of a gradual rehab process, Indians closer Chris Perez was allowed to pick up a baseball again on Tuesday morning.

Perez worked through 45 throws from a distance of 60 feet at the Tribe's player development complex, marking the first time he has played catch since injuring his left oblique during a bullpen session early in camp.

"I felt good," Perez told reporters on Tuesday. "I don't know what's on tap for tomorrow."

Perez strained his side in the later stages of a 10-minute mound session on Feb. 23. Cleveland announced that the timetable for recovery for his type of injury typically takes four to six weeks, meaning that returning before Opening Day remains a possibility.

"He played catch with [head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff]," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "That's a good first step, is being able to do it and follow the calendar."

Last week, Perez guessed that he might be able to return to game action by March 15, but that is likely an unrealistic target date. If the closer's comeback falls within the four-to-six-week time frame, he might be able to take the mound in a game at some point between March 22 and Opening Day on April 5.

The Indians will see how Perez feels on Wednesday morning before moving ahead with the next step in his throwing program, which will see the distances increase in 15-foot increments. Perez needs to build up to 120 feet before moving back on a mound and then beginning game activities.
Last year, the 26-year-old Perez posted a 3.32 ERA and saved 36 games in 40 opportunities in an All-Star season for the Indians.


(mlb.com)

Chris Perez (oblique) said his goal is to make it back by March 15 and he should be good to go for Opening Day.
Since he's been given a 4-6 week timetable, the closer is being optimistic here. Perez injured his left oblique during a bullpen session when he went full-out a little too soon rather than easing himself into things. The smart money would probably be on him starting the season on the DL, with Vinnie Pestano the likeliest candidate to handle the ninth inning work.


(rotoworld.com)

GOODYEAR, ARIZ. — Chris Perez couldn't even finish his first bullpen session without trouble.

Now he has to save opening day.

Cleveland's All-Star closer will miss at least one month and possibly six weeks with a strained left side muscle he injured throwing off the mound for the first time in spring training. Perez said Sunday he had thrown about 30 pitches Thursday when he pulled up with what he thought was a cramp.
Instead, he strained an oblique muscle.

"Just one of those fluke things," he said.

It's the second significant medical setback in camp already for the Indians, who were ravaged by injuries last season. On Friday, the club announced that center fielder Grady Sizemore will not be ready for opening day because of a strained lower back.

Trainer Lonnie Soloff said there's still a chance Perez will be ready for opening day on April 5, depending on how he does with treatments.
Asked if Perez would miss the opener against Toronto, Soloff said, "I wouldn't say that."

"We'll have to see how things go and how he responds with his throwing sessions once he gets back on a mound," he said.

Soloff said Perez will need four to six weeks to recover and the hope is the hard-throwing right-hander will be able to pitch in games "toward the end" of the exhibition season.

Perez, who had 36 saves in 40 chances and a 3.32 ERA in 64 games last season, believes he can return in time to start the season closing games for manager Manny Acta.

"Opening day is not out of the question for me," Perez said. "Four to six weeks is on the long side of when I want to be back out there. Obviously, I have to listen to my body. Now, it's just go out and bang out my rehab."

Soloff said Perez was pushing himself too hard so early in camp.

"His body was clearly not ready for the intensity of that bullpen session," said Soloff, who was asked if he meant Perez was not in shape.
"No," he said. "I'm just saying he wasn't prepared for the intensity of the bullpen session."
Perez later said he was just too aggressive.

"What he (Soloff) means by that is it was the first day, I was going 100 percent," Perez said. "He probably wanted me to go 75 or 50 percent, but that's not who I am. I get work in throwing 100 percent. I'm not going to go throw a bullpen at 50 percent and pretty much just waste a day.

"I was doing what I normally do when I throw a bullpen It wasn't because I came in out of shape or anything."

Because he's a reliever and not a starter needing to build stamina, Perez will not need as much time to get ready for the start of the season. If there's a bright side to his injury, that's it.

Definitely a positive," Soloff said.

If Perez winds up not being available for the opener, setup man Vinnie Pestano would be Acta's likely first option to close.
Acta has said there are two bullpen jobs up for grabs this spring.


(startribune.com)

Check out our EXCLUSIVE photos from the 2012 UM Baseball Fan Fest which featured a HR Derby won by proCane Minnesota Twin Danny Valencia. Other proCanes like Jemile Weeks, Jon Jay, Chris Perez, Eddy Rodriguez and many more joined the festivities.


Jemile Weeks, Danny Valencia

Jemile Weeks

Peter O’Brien

The Maniac

Jemile Weeks

Rony Rodriguez

Danny Valencia

Jemile Weeks

Danny Valencia

Danny Valencia, Peter O’Brien




Click here to see more photos ->> Read More...

Check out our EXCLUSIVE photos from the 2012 UM Baseball Fan Fest which featured a HR Derby won by proCane Minnesota Twin Danny Valencia. Other proCanes like Jemile Weeks, Jon Jay, Chris Perez, Eddy Rodriguez and many more joined the festivities.


Jon Jay, Danny Valencia, Jemile Weeks, Coach Jim Morris, Chris Perez

Peter O’Brien, Rony Rodriguez, Jemile Weeks, Danny Valencia

Jon Jay, Jemile Weeks

Danny Valencia

Jon Jay, Coach Gino DiMare, Jemile Weeks

Adan Severino, Richard Giannotti

Chris Perez

Jon Jay

Alex Fernandez




Click here to see more photos ->> Read More...

For those of you who are also suckers for a good baseball story involving fathers and sons, Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez has one that will warm your winter bones.

In a recent interview with Jim McCarthy Jr. of Bleacher Report, the 26-year-old right-hander related the tale of how much he enjoyed his first-trip to the All-Star game — and how he made sure to thank his father for being there for him during every step of his career.

"The morning of the All-Star game there was a family brunch for the players and their families," Chris Perez said. "Before entering the brunch, they handed out All-Star rings. When I picked mine up, they asked me to try it on. (I already had planned to give the ring to my Dad, so I had told them to make the ring 5 sizes too big for me.) My Dad was right next to me and noticed how big it was on me. I tried to play it off, but he kept making a deal about it. So finally I just walked away.

"Flash forward to after the game, my family and I are relaxing back in the hotel, and I pulled out the ring and gave it to him. He was shocked/surprised/happy/speechless. I couldn't think of anyone else that deserved the ring more than him; he's the reason I love the game, and the reason I became an All-Star."

That's great stuff right there. Though Perez never saw the field during the Midsummer Classic, the expanded rosters still gave he and his father the chance to share a special moment like Heath Bell did with his dad the year before. There are a lot of arguments to be made against the expanded rosters, but this is definitely one for them.

If you're wondering what Perez's dad thought of the gesture, you're also in luck. Tim Perez told his side of the story to the Bradenton Herald last July.

"I wasn't expecting it. We were in the room, and Chris just said 'I want to give you something,'" [Tim Perez] recalled. "My first reaction was, 'Son this is your ring. And he says 'No, dad, I wouldn't here without you.' I wasn't expecting anything. I was just a dad supporting his son."
Just a dad supporting his son. And a son paying thanks to his dad. Maybe some of you roll your eyes at the saccharine sweetness of it all, but I don't think it gets much better.

Chris Perez finished the 2011 season with 36 saves and a 3.32 ERA, but like his Indians, stumbled a bit in the second half. It'll probably take another stellar first half from both sides for Perez to make another All-Star game, but it sounds like it'll be tough to top the moment that he and his pops had during his first trip.


(sports.yahoo.com)

CLEVELAND — All-Star closer Chris Perez and the Cleveland Indians have locked up a one-year contract to avoid arbitration.

Perez, who had 36 saves last season, will make $4.5 million in 2012. He earned $2.25 million last season, when he developed into one of the AL’s premier finishers.

The 26-year-old had 36 saves in 40 tries, ending the year with a save in his final nine chances.


(washingtonpost.com)

The Indians have offered contracts to all the unsigned players on their roster, including seven who are eligible for arbitration this winter.

The club had until midnight Monday to tender contracts for the 2012 season to any unsigned players listed on the 40-man roster. Any players who are non-tendered become free agents.

All-Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, starter Justin Masterson, closer Chris Perez, third baseman Jack Hannahan and relievers Joe Smith and Rafael Perez have all been tendered contracts. The next step for them is to file for arbitration.

It's likely the Indians will try to sign all seven before any arbitration hearings are held. The team hasn't gone to a hearing with a player since 1991.
Cabrera could be in for a big payday. He batted .273 with 25 homers and 92 RBIs last season.



(cnnsi.com)

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports that the Indians will listen to offers for closer Chris Perez.

Bastian cautions, though, that the market "likely is not there this winter." Perez is under team control for three more years and is coming off an All-Star season, so the Tribe would probably ask for quite a bit in return in any deal. The Indians don't have much money to spend this season but seem to have a right-handed hitter at the top of their list.

(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Three home runs accounted for all the Indians runs Tuesday as they beat Chicago, 4-3 [box score], Tuesday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Progressive Field.

The win went to Fausto Carmona (7-15). Chris Perez pitched the ninth for his 35th save in 38 chances. Joe Smith and Vinnie Pestano cleared the way for Perez by retiring the side in order in the seventh and eighth. Perez made it nine straight as he worked a one-two-three ninth.


(cleveland.com)

Chris Perez nailed down his 34th save Sunday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in a one-run win over the Twins.

Perez allowed a hit and struck out a batter to help Cleveland complete a sweep of Minnesota. It was a nice bounce-back performance from the closer, who had allowed six earned runs over his previous two appearances. Prior to those implosions, Perez hadn't surrendered an earned run in his last 14 outings.


(rotoworld.com)

Chris Perez is under the Indians' control through '14, but his job could be in danger next spring. Perez posted a 2.43 ERA before the All-Star break, but since then, he's carrying a 4.64 ERA with three blown saves and three losses. The Indians look like they'll stick with Perez for the rest of '11, but Vinnie Pestano (2.40 ERA, two saves, 12.14 K/9) may force their hand next year. The Indians' reliever broke out this year and with his arsenal, he's worth a speculative add in all AL-only leagues if Perez continues to struggle.


(cnnsi.com)

Chris Perez nailed down his 31st save Friday, pitching a clean ninth inning in a win over the Royals.

Perez went through a rough straight after the All-Star break, but he's now gone 13 straight appearances without allowing an earned run. The All-Star closer has successfully saved 31 of 35 chances on the year and holds a nice 2.68 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.


(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND (92.3 The Fan) – The past few seasons as the Cleveland Indians have been looking to rebuild for the future, the closer spot has been nothing more than an afterthought.

There was the ill faded experiment to sign and bring in Kerry Wood, which turned out to be nothing more than an awful waste of a two-year deal that cost the team $20.5 million. In return, Wood was an unhappy, mostly injured pitcher who put up 28 saves before he was finally shipped off in a deal to the New York Yankees.

What that move did was open the door for the pitcher that Indians fans now cheer for entering the game in the ninth inning. Chris Perez.

Perez is the best closer the Indians have had since Joe Borowski, who in the magical season of 2007 put up 45 saves in a year that saw the Indians come just short of reaching the World Series.

Monday night at Progressive Field, Perez notched his 30th save of the year. He’s 30-for-34 in save situations, to go along with a mark of 3-6 with an ERA of 2.79.

While Perez has gotten the job done a lot in 2011, it usually doesn’t happen until a few beads of sweat fall from the brows of fans during his save situations.

That was not the case Monday, as Perez struck out Brandon Allen and Conor Jackson before getting Kurt Suzuki to hit a harmless pop up to Asdrubal Cabrera at short to end the game and save the 2-1 win over the Oakland A’s.

“I felt good in the bullpen,” Perez said. “Just one of those nights where everything was going where I wanted it. Kept the slider down and fastball was going away where I wanted it.”

Moving forward, the Indians are happy with the direction that Perez has taken, and entering 2012 and beyond, there’s no doubt the team has their closer.

“I wanted the highest save percentage I could get,” Perez said. “My main thing is to stay healthy and help this team 60 to 65 times a year, that’s my job. If I’m healthy and my arm is good and I execute my pitches I’m gonna have a pretty good year.”

Following in the footsteps in some of the great Indians closers of the past like Ernie Camacho, Doug Jones, Bob Wickman and Jose Mesa, Perez already is on his way to being one of the great Indians closers in the team history.


(cleveland.cbslocal.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians' plan to get healthy at the expense of the lesser lights began with a thud Monday night against the Seattle Mariners.

Not that the Indians are heavyweights at the moment, or since late May. But they seemingly are in a division race and are supposed to beat the non-contending Mariners at home, especially when Felix Hernandez does not start.

Instead, Seattle received strong pitching from lefty Jason Vargas and capitalized on wildness by Tribe closer Chris Perez to win, 3-2, at Progressive Field.

Vargas gave up two unearned runs in seven innings as the Mariners (54-72) defeated the Indians for the first time in five games this season. The Tribe (62-62) has lost four straight and fell into a tie for second with the White Sox in the AL Central. Both are 5 1/2 games behind the Tigers, who won at Tampa Bay.

The Tribe has not been in third since April 3.

With the score tied at 2, Perez opened the ninth by plunking right-handed batter Miguel Olivo with his first pitch. Perez hit right-handed Brendan Ryan with a 3-1 pitch, which the Indians thought might have ticked the bat.

"I guess I was flying open to righties, and the ball was taking off," Perez said. "By the time I made the adjustment, it was too late."

No. 9 batter Trayvon Robinson bunted toward the mound, where Perez fumbled the ball attempting to throw to third.

"I tried to do too much, too fast," Perez said.

Ichiro Suzuki whiffed. Former Indian Franklin Gutierrez popped to shallow center, where Ezequiel Carrera caught the ball and threw a strike to the plate with decent velocity. Olivo slid under the tag of catcher Lou Marson in a bang-bang play.

Tribe manager Manny Acta, who has seen more than a few calls go against his club, argued briefly with plate umpire Phil Cuzzi.

"I watched it on replay," Acta said. "It was very, very, very close -- but he was right."

Perez walked Dustin Ackley, then struck out Mike Carp swinging.

"It was one of those bad outings, and it's unacceptable," Perez said. "I gave up a run without giving up a hit. That's pretty embarrassing."

Perez has been a superb closer this year, but several non-save situations have ended ugly.

"I think it's more coincidence than anything," he said. "The game is still on the line. I'm mentally in it. I'm still trying to get three outs without a run scoring and get my team back in the dugout."

The Indians threatened in the bottom of the ninth against Brandon League. With two outs, Jack Hannahan singled to left and sprinted to third on pinch-hitter Lonnie Chisenhall's single up the middle. Mariners shortstop Brendan Ryan should have made the play on Chisenhall's grounder, but the ball went under his glove.

With Carrera at bat, Chisenhall stole second unopposed. Carrera fouled three full-count pitches before grounding to first.

"Our pitching gave us a chance one more time; we just couldn't execute offensively," Acta said. "We had plenty of opportunities but couldn't take advantage."



(cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND - It’s been an ongoing debate all season.
Should closer Chris Perez be employed in the ninth inning in a non-save situation?
Cleveland manager Manny Acta says yes, but the results keep screaming, “Noooooooo!”
Once again Perez took the mound in the ninth inning without a save on the line Monday night, and once again he imploded, paving the way for a 3-2 loss to the Mariners at Progressive Field.
Perez allowed an unearned run in the ninth on his own error, as Seattle handed Cleveland its fourth straight loss without a getting a hit in the final inning.
The right-hander hit the first two batters he faced, the first on his first pitch, then committed an error on a sacrifice bunt to load the bases. Miguel Olivo barely beat the throw to the plate on a one-out sacrifice fly from former Indians outfielder Franklin Gutierrez to win it.
“I got off to a terrible start, first pitch,” Perez said. “It was an adjustment I couldn’t make in time. By the time I made the adjustment, the bases were already loaded.
“It was just one of those bad outings, unacceptable - you name it.”
Though his numbers in non-save situations aren’t terrible - 0-2 with a 3.37 ERA in 21 appearances - it is when Perez has been least effective. He has taken the mound in the ninth inning without a save on the line 15 times and allowed at least one run in seven of the outings.
Still, Acta keeps running Perez out there and will continue the approach the rest of the season, no matter the consequences.
“That’s part of his job, simple as that,” Acta said. “He’s the one that should be there. He should be comfortable, because last year he wasn’t pitching in save situations. He was backing up (Kerry) Wood.
“You’re not going to play with a 24-man roster because someone’s not comfortable in a situation.”
“I think it’s more of a coincidence,” Perez said. “I have more of a chance to fail in those situations because if they score we’re going to lose the game. But there’s obviously something I need to change.”
The Indians need to change something fast. They have fallen back to .500 at 62-62, and thanks to a Detroit win Monday, are facing their biggest deficit of the season - trailing the first-place Tigers by 5 1/2 games in the Central Division standings. Chicago, which was idle Monday, is also 5 1/2 games back.
Indians starter Fausto Carmona continued his effective stint since leaving the disabled list, allowing just one earned run on six hits, while striking out six over six innings.
Carmona, who is 2-2 with a 2.49 ERA in seven starts off the DL, wasn’t dominant, tossing too many pitches during the early stages of his outing, but he got credit for a quality start.
“Fausto kind of labored a little bit and got his pitch count up,” Acta said. “But he made pitches and gave us a chance to win the ballgame with six strong innings.”
As has been the case throughout the majority of the season, a Cleveland starter got little run support.
Mariners starter Jason Vargas allowed two runs on seven hits over seven innings, surrendering both as the Indians tied the game in the second. Cleveland outhit Seattle 9-7 but left seven on base and struggled to come up with a big hit - something that has plagued the Indians all year.
“We just couldn’t execute offensively,” Acta said. “Hits don’t help you win games. Hits with runners in scoring position help you win games.”
The Indians got much of their production from the bottom of the order, with Lou Marson, Lonnie Chisenhall and Ezequiel Carrera combining for six hits and both of their club’s RBIs out of the last two spots in the lineup.
It was part of that mix that helped produced Cleveland’s final chance in its final at-bat.
Jack Hannahan sparked the would-be rally with a two-out single and moved to third when Chisenhall pinch hit for Marson and delivered a base hit through the middle.
Carrera had a quality at-bat, fouling off three straight 3-2 offerings from Mariners closer Brandon League before grounding to first to end the game.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.



(chronicle.northcoastnow.com)

Indians closer Chris Perez entered Thursday's series finale against the White Sox in the ninth inning with a two-run lead. The right-hander needed just 12 pitches to retire the side in order and secure the 4-2 win. Perez also lowered his ERA to 3.06 while collecting his 27th save of the season.



(fantasysp.com)

Cleveland Indian Chris Perez pitched a perfect ninth for his 25th save in 28 chances on Saturday as the Indians earned their fourth win in five games to remain three back of AL Central-leading Detroit.





(signonsandiego.com)

Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez has posted 22 saves and a 3.11 ERA this season so far.

He is one of the more entertaining players in Major League Baseball.

Check out the video of him a few posts down.

Here are some other questions I asked him:

Smitty: Do you know whether a pitch will be a strike or not immediately after you release the baseball?
Perez: On most days, I do know whether it’s going to be a strike or not when I release the ball. But sometimes, you release the ball and you just hope it’s going to go in there. I’m sure every pitcher has gotten into one of those stretches, where your location — you just kind of lose it for a little bit. And you’re just feeling your way through and hoping the ball gets into the strike zone. But for the most part,when it leaves the hand, you kind of know. It feels like it’s going to be a strike.

Smitty: If you could talk pitching with anybody, who would it be?
Perez: Talk pitching or hitting?

Smitty: Either.
Perez: Hitting-wise I’d probably want to talk to somebody like a Tony Gwynn or a Wade Boggs or somebody like that who hit for a high average because obviously that’s more difficult to do. Power hitters are special … but to hit for a high average — maybe like Pete Rose who’s the all-time hits king — you have to be a pretty smart hitter, have a good idea, have a good approach and kind of know how the pitchers are going to try to attack you. Somebody like that, I’d like to try to pick their brain and see what kind of approach they took, especially late in the game because that’s when I pitch. I know hitters switch up their approach with a starter compared to a reliever.

Smitty: Any pitcher you’d like to chat with?
Perez: I actually got to talk with Bob Gibson quite a bit when I was with the St. Louis Cardinals and he’ a pretty special guy to talk about pitch with. Just about intimidation and having a presence on the mound. He’s one of the all-time greats of that. I picked up some stuff from him. And It was just cool listening to him and his stories.


(eagletribune.com)

Indians manager Manny Acta is not opposed to using closer Chris Perez in the ninth inning or later of a tie game when the Indians are on the road.

He did it once this year on April 13 against the Angels. Perez, with the score tied, 3-3, started the 10th inning and pitched 11/3 scoreless innings. The Indians lost, 4-3, in the 12th when Chad Durbin gave up a run.

The idea of a manager using his closer on the road in a non-save situation is to extend his team's chances of winning the game. If Acta had waited to use Perez against the Angels until the Tribe had a lead, his best reliever would have never left the bullpen.

Acta could have used Perez on Tuesday and Wednesday in the ninth inning against Boston. In each game, the score was tied going into the bottom of the ninth. On Tuesday, he went with Vinnie Pestano, who gave up a walkoff single to hitter Jacoby Ellsbury to beat the Tribe, 3-2.
On Wednesday, Joe Smith took a 3-3 tie into the bottom of the ninth. He retired the first two batters before Ellsbury hit a game-winning homer to straightaway center field.

"I've done it in the past," said Acta. "The majority of the time I do it is when the heart of the order is coming up."

Pestano and Smith faced the bottom of the Red Sox lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"When I use the closer in that situation, I want him to face the toughest part of the lineup," said Acta. "Sometimes if you're saving your closer for just a save situation, there's a chance that if you bring another guy in from the bullpen, he might not survive that inning because you're on the road. Then what are you going to do with your closer?

"We've done it. I'm not afraid to do it. The main thing is to try and win the ballgame."

Acta said he rarely uses his closer in a tie game on the road in the ninth inning. He will wait for the right spot in extra innings.

"I'm not going to save my closer until the 14th inning, just waiting for the save," said Acta. "But in that situation Wednesday night, we'd used Tony Sipp [in the eighth], but we still had Smith."


(cleveland.com)

BRADENTON -- Tim Perez has worn the ring nearly every waking moment since the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 12 in Phoenix.

It’s a reminder of how his son made a dream come true for several generations of his family.

That son is Chris Perez, the highly touted closer for the Cleveland Indians. He was selected for his first All-Star Game this year and wanted to share the moment with the person he believes made it possible.

The 26-year-old Perez followed his dad and uncles, who were athletes at Southeast High. Tim was the quarterback for the Seminoles in their inaugural game against Manatee High and baseball for Manatee Junior College but then gave up sports for the world of work. None of his family members made it as far as Chris, but they have jumped on what seems like a magic carpet ride.

On the night the All-Star Game ended, Chris gave his All-Star ring to his dad, shocking Tim and bringing tears to his eyes.

“I couldn’t do anything else but give him the ring,” Chris said. “He taught me the game. If it wasn’t for him and all the sacrifices he made for me, I would not be where I am today. The ring is like a thank-you for everything he did for me.”

When Tim was summoned to his son’s hotel room after the game, he had no idea he would receive the gift of his life. Now, he can’t take it off -- and it’s generating questions from nearly everyone he meets.

“I wasn’t expecting it. We were in the room, and Chris just said ‘I want to give you something,’” his dad recalled. “My first reaction was, ‘Son this is your ring. And he says ‘No, dad, I wouldn’t here without you.’ I wasn’t expecting anything. I was just a dad supporting his son.”

Chris played three years for Manatee High, spent his senior season at the IMG Academies Pendleton School and finished his collegiate career at the University of Miami. He was the 42nd overall pick in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft and came up to the big leagues two years later.

It’s become more than just a ring for Tim Perez. It symbolizes more than a generation of family members who loved the game of baseball, but couldn’t reach the plateau that Chris has attained.

“I’ve been wearing the ring every day since I got it. I always wanted to play major league baseball, but I couldn’t make it. Chris made it for the both of us,” Tim said. “I am living that through him. I am proud of it and proud of my son. So many people notice it but don’t know me. They ask about it, and I tell them about Chris.”

To Chris, dad is the special person.

Tim started teaching his son the game of baseball when he was 4 years old until his senior year of high school, when he realized he had taken him as far as he could.

“I never envisioned my son playing in the major leagues,” Tim said. “My focus was one day he would get to college and play for Manatee Community College. I never thought it would be for Miami. He did it. In his mind, he knew he could play Major League Baseball.”

The best part for Tim is that the stardom has not changed his son.

“Even at the All-Star Game, he is still the same person to me. He is my kid and has not changed,” Tim said. “He gets paid well, but it’s not like he shows it. He takes care of his family and has a nice home. He is normal kid, who happens to have a gift.”

Tim saw a passion burning in his son that was something special. He could also throw a baseball more than 90 miles per hour, which made the move from catcher to pitcher seem natural.

“Chris would go to every Pirates game at McKechnie Field. Even on school days when he couldn’t get there until the fourth or fifth inning, he would go,” Tim said. “He said, ‘Dad I am going to do this someday.’ In his mind, it would always happen.”

But Chris insists it would not have happened without his father.

“He never forced me to do it. He provided the opportunity to go to IMG, and I am sure that is not cheap. He paid for everything, all my equipment and summer ball and never told me no,” Chris said. “He said play every game hard, you never know who is in the stands and respect the game. I learned my work ethic from him.”

The big moment in Chris’ career came when he switched to becoming a full-time pitcher after catching all his life through his junior year of high school.

“He sat me down and laid it all out and said if you pitch, you might be able to make it to the big leagues,” Chris said. “I loved catching and hitting but felt at the end of the day I wanted to keep playing, and if pitching is the way, I will do it.”

The rest is history. Chris has become one of the top closers in the game and is enjoying every moment. He has shown he has the right demeanor to fit his role.

“To be in my first All-Star Game felt like my major-league debut. I was like a kid again. It was tremendous and something I will always remember,” Chris said. “I remember sitting in the living room watching the game when I was a kid. You never think you would be there because the odds are so stacked against you. It’s pretty cool.”

Now Chris is helping to keep Cleveland in the thick of the American League Central Division race. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound right-hander has 22 of the team’s 24 saves, which ranks him fifth in the league.

“To be a good closer, you need to have a short memory and a lot of self-confidence. When you get the ball, you’ve got to have that killer instinct. In the end, you have to trust yourself, and you’ve got to be healthy,” he said.


(bradenton.com)

The Indians dropped a heartbreaker last night in Minnesota when closer Chris Perez surrendered two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Perez has had a problem with walks, and one of the guys to whom he issued a free pass is current Twinkie and former Indian Jim Thome.

So, the guys want to know whether you think Thome, who was a key part of the Indians' World Series runs in 1995 and 1997, is a Hall of Famer. That's today's Starting Blocks poll. Branson and Chuck both think he's not a first-ballot entrant into the shrine, but that's where they split: Branson isn't sure he's a Hall of Famer at all, and Chuck is convinced that he's earned a spot in Cooperstown.

Plain Dealer baseball writer Paul Hoynes, who covered the Tribe during the awful years before and since those Series runs, says Thome gets HIS first-round ballot.

Hoynsie also wonders why Cleveland fans are after Perez's scalp following last night's blown save. Both of the saves Perez has blown have been one-run games. Hoynsie notes that Perez isn't a 1-2-3 kind of stereotypical closer, but he pointed out that the guy is just about as lights-out as the Yankees' Mariano Rivera.

The guys also discuss the beaning of Travis Buck and the odd alignment of a universe that has the Indians AND the Pirates in first place in the dwindling days of July. Also on the docket: Hoynsie's take on what the Tribe would be willing to surrender (hint: not Drew Pomeranz) to get the pitching or a right-handed bat for a run at this year's post-season.


(cleveland.com)

MINNEAPOLIS — Chris Perez dreamed of this scenario many times while living with Danny Valencia at the University of Miami.

Bottom of the ninth. Bases loaded. Game on the line. Perez on the mound and Valencia in the box.

The outcome wasn’t quite what he had in mind.

Valencia hit a two-run single off Perez in the ninth inning, sending the Minnesota Twins to a 2-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

Perez’s pitch on the inside corner broke Valencia’s bat, but the third baseman had just enough on it to bloop it into left field, scoring Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer, and giving the Twins a much-needed bounceback victory.

“Of course,” said Perez, who lived with Valencia for two years in college and has known him since they were 17-year-old high schoolers in South Florida. “At least I got the bat. You can’t be too happy about that hit. He’s happy because they won, but I’ll take that swing every time. It just fell in there.”

The Indians were looking to take an eight-game lead over the fourth-place Twins in the AL Central when Perez (2-5), the All-Star closer with 22 saves in 23 chances, took the mound.

But the right-hander was a little off from the start, walking Mauer with one out and giving up a bloop hit that Cuddyer stretched into a double. Jim Thome was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Valencia came to the plate for the long-awaited showdown.

“I thought I made some good pitches to Mauer,” Perez said. “One of the four that he called balls, are strikes to 90 percent of the league. But that’s baseball, too. So, I didn’t make pitches when I needed to.”

Valencia was in Perez’s wedding, and said he was waiting for a slider.

“I’m sure he wants to throw a slider because he’s always said that’s what he’s going to strike me out with,” Valencia said. “Luckily enough he couldn’t get ahead and he gave me a pitch I could hit good enough to get to the outfield and it fell in there.”

It was huge emotional lift for Minnesota, which was swept in a day-night doubleheader to start the series on Monday.

“He’s a guy who’s been pretty much money for us since last year, especially in one-run situations,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “So, they just got to him with those couple of well-placed singles.”

Cleveland fell into a tie with Detroit for the division lead. The Tigers rallied to beat Oakland 8-3 at Comerica Park.

The Twins were dominated for most of Tuesday’s game by Justin Masterson, who allowed four hits and struck out six in 7 2-3 innings. With a fastball that hit 97 mph and a heavy sinker that routinely was clocked between 93 and 94, the right-hander with the big, looping delivery mowed through Minnesota’s struggling lineup.

He retired 13 straight hitters before running into trouble in the seventh when Mauer reached on an error and Cuddyer singled to put two on with nobody out. But the big righty fanned Thome and got Valencia to ground into an inning-ending double play to preserve the lead.

A scary moment happened in the fifth inning when a 91-mph fastball got away from Liriano and hit Travis Buck in the helmet. The ball smacked just above Buck’s ear flap and ricocheted into the stands as a sellout crowd held its breath.

A dazed Buck sat down in the dirt, but was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power a few moments later.

“I hope he’s OK,” Liriano said.

The Indians announced that Buck left with a head contusion and said there were no immediate signs or symptoms of a concussion.

Looking a little rattled, Liriano gave up a single to Ezequiel Carrera to load the bases with nobody out. But he wiggled out of the jam, only allowing a sacrifice fly to Asdrubal Cabrera.

Perez’s night didn’t figure to get any easier when he left the ballpark. He planned to spend the night at Valencia’s place in Minneapolis.

“I will be tweeting a picture of me and him,” Valencia said. “We’re just going to be watching the highlight over and over again.”

Perez figured he at least deserved something out of the deal.

“He’s buying dinner,” Perez said.


(washingtonpost.com)

Check out our new MLB U All Stars wallpaper featuring Gaby Sanchez, Chris Perez and Ryan Braun who all made tonight’s MLB All Star Game. Congrats to all three players on a great first half of the MLB Season. Click here to download our MLB U All Stars Wallpaper and many other ones or click above on proCanes Wallpapers. Enjoy and stay tuned to more wallpapers in the near future.

PHOENIX • If it's not the heat or humidity, the main topic of conversation on any summer day in St. Louis is the makeup and utilization of the Cardinals' erratic bullpen. In Cleveland, there is at least one other person interested in the issue.

Former Cardinals reliever Chris Perez, traded to Cleveland in 2009 in what became an unfortunate trade for utilityman Mark DeRosa, has gone from being a member of the bullpen chorus in St. Louis to the lead act with the Indians. Perez, a first-time American League All-Star with 21 saves, still pays rapt attention to what's happening in St. Louis, watching as many games as he can.

"(Ryan) Franklin obviously got off to a bad start. It just seemed like he couldn't get that last out or ran into some bad streak. But they've still got some good young arms," Perez said.

"(Eduardo) Sanchez, I like. And (Jason) Motte is still there. I think (Kyle) McClellan leaving (the bullpen) and going into the rotation had a little something to do with it. He was a pretty solid setup guy for his first two or three years. But I think they've got enough pieces. Good enough arms."

Perez, who had eight saves for the Cardinals in 2008-09 before he earned 23 last year with the Indians, said he was a little surprised that Fernando Salas ended up as the Cardinals' closer, although a successful one.

"I really didn't play with him that much in the minors," Perez said. "But from what I've seen on TV, he's got good control, he's got the right demeanor and he's got good stuff. He's been in some sticky situations and he gets out of them.

"And if Sanchez comes back from (a shoulder injury), I think they'll have enough to go. Sanchez has better stuff (than Salas)"
But Perez said, "My pick (for closer) coming into this year would have been (Mitchell) Boggs, with his mentality and the stuff he has. I guess it's just not sticking."

Boggs has been used in several roles, from middle to setup to closer, a capacity in which he had three saves before yielding to Sanchez, who then was replaced as closer by Salas.

"Sounds like my rookie year (2008)," Perez said. "It's your turn for a week. It's your turn for a month. If you ask anybody in the bullpen, they don't care who it is, just so you mentally fall in line. It's hard to stay mentally sharp for five innings. Every time that phone rings, you're like, 'Is it me?'
"In my situation, I never knew when I was going to throw. Fifth inning. Seventh inning, except for a couple of stretches in 2008, when I was closing.

"Especially for a young bullpen, it's wearing."


(stltoday.com)

Check out our new MLB U All Stars wallpaper featuring Gaby Sanchez, Chris Perez and Ryan Braun who all made tonight’s MLB All Star Game. Congrats to all three players on a great first half of the MLB Season. Click here to download our MLB U All Stars Wallpaper and many other ones or click above on proCanes Wallpapers. Enjoy and stay tuned to more wallpapers in the near future.

Check out our new MLB U All Stars wallpaper featuring Gaby Sanchez, Chris Perez and Ryan Braun who all made tonight’s MLB All Star Game. Congrats to all three players on a great first half of the MLB Season. Click here to download our MLB U All Stars Wallpaper and many other ones or click above on proCanes Wallpapers. Enjoy and stay tuned to more wallpapers in the near future.

Coral Gables, Fla. - Former University of Miami baseball player and current Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun leads three former Hurricanes on the list of Major League Baseball All-Star Game participants released Sunday, July 3. Joining Braun are Florida Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez and Cleveland Indians pitcher Chris Perez.

Ryan Braun and Gaby Sanchez will suit up for the National League All-Stars, while Chris Perez will play for the American League in the 82nd Annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 12, at Phoenix's Chase Field.

Braun, a starting outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, will start for the NL All-Stars as he totes a .320 batting average on the year - the highest for the fifth-year MLB player at this point of the season in his career. He ended the 2007 season with a .324 average on his way to being named NL Rookie of the Year. Braun also carries an on-base percentage of .402, as well as a slugging percentage of .559 on the campaign for the Brewers.

On the year, Braun leads the Brewers in batting average, hits (98) and stolen bases (19).

Gaby Sanchez, now in his fourth year as a member of the Florida Marlins, will serve as a reserve infielder for the NL All-Stars, carrying a .292 average at the dish on the year for the fish. Sanchez owns a .473 slugging percentage with a .365 on-base average. Since making his major league debut on September 17, 2008, Sanchez has batted .279 with 34 home runs and 135 RBI. The Miami native has 13 of his 34 homers this year, in addition to 40 of his 114 career runs scored.

Not only does Sanchez lead the Marlins in batting average, but he also tops the team in RBI (46) - one ahead of Mike Stanton. He also leads in hits (92), while sitting second in home runs behind Stanton (16).

Cleveland Indians pitcher Chris Perez is making his first appearance on the AL All-Star roster in what is now his fourth season in the MLB. Perez owns a 2-3 record on the hill in 2011, with an ERA of 2.37. He has appeared in 33 games for the Indians and registered a team-leading 19 saves on the campaign. His career-best is 23 saves recorded last year with the Indians.


(hurricanesports.com)

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The Indians bullpen, which has been the strength of the team this season, will be without closer Chris Perez for the next couple days.

Perez left the team following the death of his grandmother in Gainesville, Fla. He was placed on the bereavement list and is expected to miss games tonight and Saturday in Cincinnati against the Reds. The Indians hope to have him back for Sunday's series finale.

Manager Manny Acta said Vinnie Pestano and Tony Sipp will split the closer's duties until Perez returns. Perez is the only Indians pitcher with a save this year.

MLB's bereavement rules say a player must stay on the list for at least three days. Perez left the team on Thursday so he should be eligible to pitch Sunday.

Right-hander Josh Judy was recalled from Class AAA Columbus to fill the roster.

Judy is 2-2 with 12 saves and a 3.30 ERA in 27 relief appearances at Columbus and has a 1.08 ERA since May 13. He has not allowed an earned run in his last eight appearances.

This is Judy's second time with the Indians this season. He was called up May 21 and made his Major League debut against the Reds on May 22 in Progressive Field, allowing two hits in one scoreless inning. It was his only appearance before returning to Columbus.


(cleveland.com)

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chris and his family.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have mastered the art of pulling out late-inning wins at Progressive Field this season.

Thanks to Seth Smith, the Colorado Rockies turned the tables Tuesday night. Smith hit his second homer of the game off Chris Perez to snap a ninth-inning tie and give the Rockies a 4-3 win.

"It's part of the game," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "We're used to that now, especially the way we won so many games in the first month and a half of the season. They ended up scoring against our toughest guy out of the 'pen."

Smith, who hit a two-run homer off Mitch Talbot in the sixth, belted a 2-2 pitch into the right-field seats for his eighth homer of the season and fourth career multihomer game.

Perez, who has converted 17 of 18 save chances, was brought in after the Indians tied the game in the eighth on RBI singles by Travis Hafner and Travis Buck.

Perez (2-3) took full blame for the loss.

"It was a hanging slider," he said. "I just didn't come through. It happens. Home runs are part of the game. Obviously, that's why we lost tonight."

"He threw me some good fastballs," Smith said. "Then I hit a slider that I don't think is the best he's got. It wasn't where he wanted it."

(ap.com)

Chris Perez threw a scoreless inning Sunday in a non-save situation against the Pirates.

Perez walked two but allowed no hits and made it out of the frame unscathed. He earned his 17th save of the season on June 15 and is sporting a quality 2.39 ERA and 1.22 WHIP through 26 1/3 innings this year.


(rotoworld.com)

Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez is on the way to establishing himself as one of the top ninth-inning men in baseball. This season, Perez ranks among American League leaders with 15 saves and has posted a stellar 2.70 ERA in 23.1 innings pitched. In addition to his excellence on the mound, @ChrisPerez54 is also one of the most entertaining players to follow on Twitter, constantly interacting with fans. Perez recently discussed his fast start and notable Twitter experiences during an interview at the MLB Fan Cave.

MLB Fan Cave: Having come up in the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system, what’s your favorite thing about playing with the Tribe?
Perez: It’s so loose, and we’re a younger team. When I played for St. Louis, we were more of a veteran team, so it’s a different atmosphere here. You don’t really have to follow a lot of rules and do some of the old-school baseball rookie stuff. It’s a good atmosphere to come to the ballpark every day and just worry about baseball. I’m not worrying about other stuff.

MLB Fan Cave: So, you’re famous on Twitter for selecting a “Song of the Day.” How did you come up with the “Song of the Day?”
Perez: I actually stole it from Manny Acta (Indians manager). He does a song of the day, too, but his selections are terrible. So I try to help out some of the Tribe fans by giving them some better music selections. He listens to like Miley Cyrus. It’s one thing to listen to Miley, but it’s another thing to actually admit it. So, around spring training, it started from there.

MLB Fan Cave: How do you pick the songs each day?
Perez: I really don’t have a way of picking songs, actually. I just wake up in the morning and just scroll through my library. Whatever jumps out at me is what I will go with.

MLB Fan Cave: You have a pretty large Twitter following. How did it grow so fast?
Perez: I don’t know the exact date, but I started on Twitter in ’09, during the second half of the season. It was really fun doing it, but I couldn’t get any followers. Then, last April, this guy in Cleveland set up a fake Twitter account for me, and he started getting a lot of followers. The account was really funny, and he started really interacting with the people. I saw it and decided to get back on it, and I began interacting with him. It just went from there.

MLB Fan Cave: Your teammates told us that you’re the reason they’re so active on Twitter. Is that true?
Perez: Probably. I mean, it’s obviously getting more main stream and everybody is on it. Then they started seeing how many people that are following me and people I get to meet because they follow me on Twitter—just random people at the stadiums. They started to want to be a part of it, too, and now we are a mafia on there.

MLB Fan Cave: Final question here. We saw that you interviewed Jerry "The King" Lawler last week. How did that go?
Perez: That was awesome. That was probably one of the funniest interviews I have ever done. I used to be a big WWF follower. I grew up listening to The King Lawler on Monday Night Raw. And he’s a Tribe fan, which I didn’t even know. But he was there and it was awesome; he’s just a great guy and he had some really funny stories. He’s not as tall as I thought he would be, but for being 50-plus, he’s still jacked.

MLB Fan Cave: Did you body slam him?
Perez: No, it was right before the game.

MLB Fan Cave: Chris, thanks for taking the time. Good luck the rest of the way.


(mlb.com)

Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians: It doesn't seem that many people have been concerned with Perez's diminished velocity this season, this columnist included, judging by his lofty ranking all season and generous projection a week ago. But after a loss Wednesday, and another strikeout-less outing, Perez's numbers warrant further discussion. Among pitchers with 20-plus innings this season, the Indians finisher has the 14th-worst strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.08), and among closers, only the Texas Rangers' Neftali Feliz (0.86), who has battled injuries, has a lower ratio.

The drop is stark: Perez, who averaged 9.68 strikeouts per nine innings and 94.4 mph with his fastball from 2009-10, has seen those numbers slip dramatically this season, to 5.01 and 92.9. Nevertheless, his manager, Manny Acta, told the team's official website a few weeks ago that it didn't concern him.

"How hard did [ex-Indians closer] Doug Jones throw when he saved the games over here?" said Acta. "[Perez] is healthy and he's doing a nice job for us. I've seen him throw 94 or 95 [mph] in different games. As long as he gets the saves and he's healthy, I'm fine with it.”

The problem, however, is that Perez's peripherals show that he's walking a proverbial tightrope, his 3.36 FIP (fielder independent pitching score, on an ERA scale) and 4.93 xFIP (expected FIP) hinting that his current 2.70 ERA is a fluke. His line-drive rate has also soared to 24.1 percent, and he's continuing to serve up fly balls at a high rate (46.3 percent). Perez continues to get the job done -- he's 15-of-16 in save chances and 25th among relief pitcher eligibles on our Player Rater -- but the low strikeout rate is bothersome in fantasy and if you wanted to say he's been somewhat of a magician so far, you'd have a point.

Perez offered an explanation for his diminished velocity in early May: "I'm not worried about it at all. It's not far off from where I was at this same time last year. People seem to forget about the beginning of last season."

While it's true that Perez's velocity was down early in 2010 -- he averaged 93.7 mph in April of last year -- the numbers don't entirely support his claim. Through June 8 of the 2010 season, he had averaged 94.3 mph with his fastball. And if you're curious if it's improving, consider that Perez has averaged 93.8 mph with the pitch the past 30 days, but 93.4 mph in June so far. It's not a devastating drop, but it's something that bears watching, especially accounting for his peripherals.


(espn.com)

Chris Perez recorded the final two outs to earn his 15th save in Cleveland's 1-0 win against the Twins on Tuesday.

He struck out one, stranding a runner on second. Perez has converted 15 of 16 save opportunities so far this season for Cleveland. The 25-year-old has a 2.42 ERA in 22 1/3 innings this year. His weak 13/12 K/BB ratio should improve as the season presses on.


(rotoworld.com)

Chris Perez (FSY)   has been perfect in save chances in May, but not all is well with the Cleveland Indians closer. Perez has more walks than strikeouts in May, an intolerable combination for closer success. The poor skill indicators foretell a downturn. This might be the high-tide mark for Perez's value, so consider selling before his results turn for the worse.

It is not yet time to think about who is next in line, though, as Perez has earned plenty of rope with his results to date, despite the poor skill indicators.



(usatoday.com)

Chris Perez earned his 13th save retiring the Sox in the ninth after allowing a one-out single to J.D. Drew and a single to Jed Lowrie. With runners at first and third. Carl Crawford knocked into a 4-6-3 double-play to end it.




(mlb.com)

CLEVELAND -- Chris Perez knows that his troubles against left-handed hitters this season begins and ends with him. The Indians closer had a similar issue early on last season and the solution was simple.

The problem stems from where the catcher is set up behind the plate.

"It's not their fault," Perez said on Sunday. "I haven't told them to do it yet."

Last season, Perez realized that his fastball would often tail off the plate when the catcher was set up over the outside corner. When the catcher would set up down the middle, the pitcher's heater would break over the corner for a strike -- one hitters are hard-pressed to handle.

"I just need to start picking up my sights differently," Perez said. "I need the catcher to start setting up just down the middle, so when I come through and I pick up my sight, he's down the middle and I can throw it to him and let the movement take it to the corner."

In Saturday's 2-1 win over the Reds, the issue was on full display. The right-hander walked the left-handed-hitting Joey Votto -- the reigning National League Most Valuable Player -- with one out and later walked lefty-swinging Jay Bruce with two outs. Perez said those two free passes were more about the situation.

"Sometimes you live to fight another day by walking a power hitter in a one-run game," Perez said. "In that situation, we had a chance to win that series right there. It was a big game and a one-run lead with the MVP coming up and their team leader in homers coming up right after that.

"Once I fell behind, I wasn't going to give in to give them a cookie so they could tie the game up, that's for sure. So I took my chances."

It worked out. Sandwiched between the walks was a double-play groundout off the bat of Brandon Phillips. Then, with two outs, Perez struck out Scott Rolen to seal the win and his 12th save of the year. Still, the two walks were part of a larger problem.

Entering Sunday, Perez had issued 12 walks in his 19 innings pitched for Cleveland. Of those free passes, 10 came within the 44 meetings with left-handed hitters. By comparison, Perez had walked two right-handed batters in 34 meetings.

"He's struggling a little bit right to throw strikes to left-handed hitters," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "But he's pretty tough. He stays out there and works himself out of trouble. He's going to get into a groove again where he's going to be able to dot that fastball to lefties."

Perez echoed that sentiment.

"I'm not worried about it yet," Perez said. "It hasn't come back to bite me yet in the games -- knock on wood. But it is something I want to change and I'm confident I can."



(mlb.com)

What will Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez do the next time he blows a save if this is how he feels about giving up a run during a 7-3 victory?  Maybe we should just assume that Perez was embarrassed to give up a run Tuesday night to a team the Indians beat 19-1 on Monday.  Yeah, we’ll go with that.

Chris Perez pitched the ninth inning in a non-save situation Tuesday because he needed some work. Because of rainouts Saturday and Sunday, Perez, like many Indians relievers, had a lengthy rest. Perez's appearance Tuesday was his first since May 10, and the rust showed. He needed 28 pitches to get three outs, giving up a run on one hit and two walks.



(foxsportsohio.com)

Cleveland Indians RP Chris Perez said he is not worried about the drop of velocity because he went through something similar last season. "I'm not worried about it at all. It's not far off from where I was at this same time last year. People seem to forget about the beginning of last season. They only remember what happened at the end of the year, when I didn't allow any runs," Perez said. He believes that the velocity will go up when it get warmer.



(kffl.com)

Chris Perez earned his second win of the season on Tuesday night against the Rays, striking out one during a scoreless ninth inning.

He had allowed at least a run in four out of his last eight appearances, but locked the Rays down while the score was 4-4 on Tuesday and watched Kyle Farnsworth walk in a run to end the game in the bottom half of the inning. Perez is 2-1 on the year with 10 saves, a 2.81 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He's a high-end fantasy closer.



(rotoworld.com)

Relief pitchers jog in from the bullpen, but closers like the Indians' Chris Perez should ride in on a Harley.

Successful closing is 75 percent killer pitch, 25 percent attitude and image. Requires a wild hair and wild hair.

Perez takes the mound with both -- a 95-mph fastball launched from a 6-4, 230-pound body with a thick dark beard and shoulder-length mane up top.

When the Indians acquired him and minor-league pitcher Jess Todd mid-season two years ago from St. Louis for Mark DeRosa, fans groaned because DeRosa was one of the team's few live bats. One columnist scoffed that the deal marked the club's annual summer garage sale.

But after a shaky start, Perez has emerged as one of the game's dominant closers.

The two runs he allowed last Thursday, blowing a save in the cold rain of Kansas City, were the first he had given up since Aug. 6.

Before the misfire, he hadn't given up a run in 261/3 innings dating back to last season, and had converted his last 15 saves. So far this season, Perez is six for seven when brought in to seal a win.

"I just have to go out and start a new streak like I did last year," he told reporters after the loss.

If he does, the 25-year-old right-hander could become a local cult hero. He's on the verge of it already.

One fan created a tribute Twitter account with the snappy handle, "Pure Rage Perez" -- a nickname hatched from a comment former Indians catcher Chris Gimenez made to reporters after a game last season, that Perez "showed pure rage out there."

"I guess it's kind of my de facto name in Cleveland," Perez said. "It's fine. It kind of adds to the mystique when I come out there."

Off the field, friends say he's more "Pure Chill," but Perez feeds into the cocky closer's persona. The bio on his actual Twitter account (twitter.com/chrisperez54) reads: "Relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians . . . Former UM Hurricane . . . Just a normal guy with an arm like a f******* cannon."

He has surpassed 8,100 Twitter followers and is gaining about 500 a week. Fans are caught up in his success on the mound and the fact that he Tweets back to them and expresses what's on his mind, including a song of the day.

"Rough one tonight," he posted after his blown save in Kansas City. "Tomlin pitched excellent. Feel bad giving away his w. As Jay-Z says: 'On to the Next One.' "

"He's loved how the fans have rallied behind him. He loves that they call him the real Rick Vaughn [the wild child Charlie Sheen character in the film 'Major League']," said Andrew Lane, a former University of Miami teammate and his best man.

"I think he's a great fit for Cleveland," he said, "and Cleveland's a great fit for him."

It wasn't at first. His Tribe debut in 2009 was a disaster: four runs, two hits, hit two batters, threw a wild pitch, forgot to cover first on a potential double play in two-thirds of an inning.

"Not the impression I wanted to make," Perez said at the time.

His next two impressions weren't much better, but he stood in the clubhouse and faced reporters. He didn't hide, and, for better or worse, didn't filter his answers, once suggesting the catcher should have blocked a pitch in the dirt that set up the winning run.

"Well, that's from me," said his father, Tim Perez, a former junior college catcher who coached his son from age 4 through his junior year of high school. "I've always told him, 'If you believe in something, then stand behind it.' "

He started out a White Sox fan
Chris Perez grew up in Bradenton, Fla., a fan of the Chicago White Sox and their powerful first baseman Frank Thomas because they held spring training in nearby Sarasota. He put posters of "The Big Hurt" on his bedroom wall and still has his White Sox key chain.

Back then, Perez was also big and hurt the ball with his bat like his baseball idol. As a high school catcher, he once rocketed a home run off a light standard. That shot came against a team featuring Indians first baseman Matt LaPorta.

But he could throw a ball 90 mph as a freshman, and, by his senior year, was made a pitcher almost exclusively.

"He fought us for a while," his dad said, "because he wanted to hit."

At the University of Miami, Perez was in the starting rotation, but position and personality kind of clashed. He would last five innings and start to fade.

"I don't like holding anything back," he said. "I don't like having to pace yourself as a starter and having to set up guys because you might have to face them later. I like facing them with my best stuff right away."

When Miami's closer got hurt, Perez asked the coach for a shot at the position. His dad wondered whether it was a smart move, given that major-league scouts look for starting pitching, and asked if he was sure about the switch.

"He said, 'Dad, my dream is to be the last guy on the mound striking the last guy out,' " his father said.

With the Indians, Perez was Kerry Wood's set-up man initially. When Wood got hurt, then was dealt to the Yankees, Perez was given the chance to be that guy.

After the first few stumbles, Perez found a rhythm. Late in 2009, he made 20 straight appearances without allowing a run, and his 1.71 ERA was second among American League relievers and among the best in baseball last season.

In January, the Indians rewarded him with a one-year contract worth $2.23 million -- a $1.8 million raise from a salary just above the league minimum.

"When he's comfortable and feels good about what he's doing, that's what you're seeing now," said his father.

Gunslinger image left on the mound
You're also seeing a player Hollywood would have plucked in a casting call for closers.

Clean-shaven Mariano Rivera of the Yankees aside, the game's great stoppers would look right at home in the bleachers of an Oakland Raiders game.

Rollie Fingers and his handlebar mustache. The ratty look of sweaty, long-haired Dennis Eckersley. Thick-bearded Bruce Sutter, Jeff Reardon and now San Francisco's Brian Wilson, whose long jet-black beard looks like a cheap disguise.

They're burly, they're scary, they're usually a little off -- even if it's an act, like Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky, with his Fu Manchu and untamed hair, who angrily stomped to the back of the mound to psyche himself up.

Perez said he would sport the beard and long hair if he was a middle reliever, because he looks like a teenager without it.

And friends say he leaves the gunslinger image on the mound.

On road games in college, Perez and Lane would play TV "Jeopardy!" or explore the town like tourists. If Perez had any meal money left over, he would buy baseball cards.

He's into video games and old cars. At home, he prefers to barbecue, sit back and relax.

"The person he is now is the person he's always been," said Jared Powell, a friend since they were teens.

When time allows, Perez is learning to play the black Fender acoustic guitar with Hawaiian trees along the neck he had shipped to the clubhouse. He's an avid collector of baseball cards, autographs and jerseys -- many of which adorn the man cave of the Tampa, Fla., home where he, wife, Melanie, and their 6-month-old son, Maxwell, live.

The room has the required big-screen TV, a pool table and a scuffed wood floor and ceiling from a Tennessee auditorium where Elvis Presley once performed. (It was there when they bought the house. He rocks to Led Zeppelin.)

"Yeah, I think you have to be kind of a free spirit," said Hall of Fame closer Goose Gossage, who saved 310 games in 22 seasons, mostly with the White Sox, Yankees and San Diego.

To be dominant over the long haul, he said, you must have one overpowering pitch, handle the pressure of being either the hero or goat night in, night out and be able to file and forget a horrible outing.

"Willie Nelson has a song, 'Yesterday is dead and gone,' " Gossage said. "You've got to learn from the bad, build on the good and absolutely let it go."

Like a 95-mph fastball with the game on the line.



(cleveland.com)

Chris Perez notched his fifth save of the season on Sunday in a 4-2 win over the Orioles.

Perez threw seven of 10 pitches for strikes in a perfect ninth inning. He is five-for-five in save opportunities and is one of the reasons Cleveland currently sits atop the American League.



(rotoworld.com)

Chris Perez earned his first save of the season Tuesday against the Red Sox, tossing a scoreless ninth inning.

Perez allowed a hit and a walk, needing 27 pitches to record three outs, but escaped unscathed. The 25-year-old righty is a top fantasy closer despite pitching for the putrid Indians. He posted a 1.71 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 23 saves in 27 chances last season and looks primed for another big season.



(rotoworld.com)

GOODYEAR, ARIZ. -- It wasn't a meltdown or a choke job. It had nothing to do with an apparent argument between Indians closer Chris Perez and catcher Carlos Santana in the ninth inning of Monday's 4-3 Cactus League victory over the Cubs.

Perez said it was more about a hot day and an early lunch.

"I got light-headed," said Perez. "The last batter I faced [Darwin Barney], I almost passed out. I walked him and I couldn't stand up anymore."

Perez squatted on the back side of the mound and vomited before leaving the game.

"I threw up, but it was only water," he said. "I was light-headed and I was seeing stars. Just some low blood sugar. . . . My arm is OK."

He said it used to happen to him when he was growing up and playing baseball in the Florida heat.

"I just didn't have enough food in me," said Perez. "I ate lunch early. I didn't even eat a protein bar."

Perez entered the ninth with a 4-1 lead looking for an easy three-run save. He retired the first batter, but hit Tyler Colvin and walked Aramis Ramirez. When Carlos Pena doubled past first to make it 4-2, Perez did not appear happy with Santana as he gestured at him near the plate.

After Pena's double, Perez and Santana talked on the mound. Perez was screaming into his glove, Santana was talking and the crowd was screaming.

"We were just trying to get on the same page," said Perez. "He hasn't caught me all spring. It was our first time. With the game on the line, we were trying to get our pitches in the right sequences."

Perez struck out Alfonso Soriano, but threw a run-scoring wild pitch to make it 4-3 before walking Barney. Vinnie Pestano relieved and earned the save.

When asked if the discussion between Perez and Santana was about Perez not feeling well, manager Manny Acta said, "That's not what it was about." He would not elaborate, "No, gossip," he said.

Perez said he was trying to change the pitch sequence with Pena on second so he could not steal Santana's signs.

"It's hard to talk when everybody is yelling," said Perez. "It looks like we're screaming, but we're just trying to talk. . . . The language was a little different. It's fine. It shouldn't be a problem."

Perez said he talked to Santana after the game.

"It shouldn't be as problem the rest of the year," said Perez.



(cleveland.com)

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Chris Perez is a passionate guy. You can tell by the emotion in his voice, by the animated way he carries himself and by the way he explains the positives and negatives of keeping a beard.

"I started growing it last year in spring training and got off to a good start, so I kept it," said the Indians' closer. "Now, it's kind of my image. My wife doesn't mind it, if I keep it trimmed. But it's a little out of control right now.

"I'll never cut my (long) hair, but at the end of last year I kind of got tired of the beard. It really gets in the way when I eat or drink something. But the hair - it stays unless I get traded to the Yankees."

Shoulder-length hair and a scruffy beard. They are part of Perez's persona. He might look like he's about to spin out of control, but he never does. Quite the opposite. Perez has a plan, a method developed over the years, sometimes by trial and error. Like his beard.

"When I was with St. Louis, I had a goatee and was going to trim it and accidentally shredded half of it," he said. "I really screwed it up. That's originally how I got facial hair. I was 20 or 21 in an older organization and didn't want to look like a young guy."

Perez still is a young guy. At 25, he is one of the younger closers in the big leagues. He became the Tribe's full-time closer after Kerry Wood was traded midway through last season. Perez went on to save 23 games in 27 opportunities, compiling a 1.71 earned-run average.

"It's just pitching," Perez said of saving games. "That's what I do. Pitching is pitching, but obviously I realize that if you give it up in the ninth, the game is over."

Over the past 30 years, general managers, managers and the media have overhyped the job of closer into being almost too stressful and fraught with pressure for normal mortals. All of this has become a self-fulfilling prophesy to squadrons of otherwise competent pitchers, who when asked to keep a lead in the last inning were unable to retire three batters.

Successful closers know the task can be demanding, but no more so than trying to hold a lead in the seventh with runners on second and third and one out.

"For me personally, I think that's harder," Perez said. "When I come in for the eighth or ninth and the game is close, I think the pressure is on the hitters. If it's the seventh, they still have two or three innings left, and there's not so much pressure on them."

Failing to hold the lead in the ninth can be demoralizing, both for the closer and his team. That's why a pitcher who blows a save must have a short memory.

"Everyone is different," Perez said. "If a team just beats me, it rolls off my back pretty quick. If I walk guys or make bad decisions, then it takes a little longer."

But the ramifications of failing can be more complex than that for a closer.

"When I was with the Cardinals, I was shagging in the outfield when (manager Tony) La Russa came out to talk to me," Perez said. "He told me that Dennis Eckersley didn't let blown saves go that easy. Those were what drove him, because he never wanted to feel that way again.

"So as much as you want to turn the page, you also want to come into the clubhouse and be able to look at the starter who threw five or six good innings and look at the guy who got three hits and the guy who turned a double play. Those are the things that keep you going."

Like most closers, Perez has developed a routine on game day.

"I'm not one of those guys who stays in the clubhouse for five or six innings," he said. "I'm out there right away. I have to get my scouting report with my own eyes. I talk with the other guys all the way to the seventh.

"Then I start getting focused. I try to visualize who I might face. I visualize having guys on base and making pitches. I'm a guy who believes you can trick your mind into doing things."

Perez has known nothing but closing since he was drafted by the Cardinals as the 42nd overall pick in 2006. And that's the way he likes it.

"I'd rather be a closer than any other job on the staff," he said. "Starting might be fun, but I don't like sitting around for four days. If you have a bad start, you think about it for four days. I think all of last year, there were only two days that I knew I wasn't going to pitch."



(sacbee.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Have the Indians found their long-term closer in Chris Perez?

This is not to question Perez's ability -- his 95 mph fastball and slicing slider are exactly what a team wants in the guy pitching the ninth inning. Perez had some games last season where he didn't just close the door on the other team, he slammed it shut with sizzling stuff.

Consider that five different pitchers have led the Tribe in saves in each of the last five seasons. That may also be why the bullpen has often been a nightmare for fans in Wahoo red, white and blue.

Even when Bob Wickman saved games in the mid-2000s -- and he converted 88 percent -- those final three outs came with fans gobbling down packs of Tums while closing their eyes and mumbling incoherently. Wickman's last year with the Tribe was 2006 when he had 15 saves before being traded midseason.

In 2007, Joe Borowski saved 45 games with a 5.07 ERA, doing it like a man walking a tightrope while juggling meat cleavers. He had fans longing for Wickman, who seemed to walk only two guys before somehow saving the game.

Borowski's arm went bad in 2008, and that led to a horrible bullpen where the saves leader was Jensen Lewis with 13.

In 2009, the Indians signed Kerry Wood to a two-year, $20 million deal.

It seemed Wood never understood that Progressive Field was not Wrigley Field, as he sort of moped about not being in Chicago while dealing with some minor physical problems. He had 20 saves.

In 2010, Wood was traded in July, Perez took over and saved 23 of 27 save opportunities.

So there you are: Wickman, Borowski, Lewis, Wood and Perez.

Five seasons, five closers.

Perez dominated
Now, for some good news. Perez is 25. He won't be a free agent until 2015. Of all the recent Tribe closers, none had a better year than Perez in 2010.

His 1.71 ERA was the second best of any American League reliever with at least 60 innings. He was 10-of-11 in one-run saves, the most demanding challenge for a closer. He also had five saves where he pitched more than one inning. He was a rarity in this age of specialization where a closer is typically asked to record just three outs.

The more Perez pitched, the better the result. He finished the season converting 18-of-19 saves.

"I always knew I could do this," Perez said. "I've been a closer most of my life."

He is 6-4, 230 pounds with long, wild black hair and fiery eyes. He doesn't just stare down a hitter, he glares at him as if the batter wants to kill his best friend.

"I'm a little wired out there," Perez said. "Sometimes, I want to throw 100. That's not good, because I'll start walking guys. I can get them out at 95."

Perez said in his early days at the University of Miami (Fla.), he started a few games.

"But I'm so keyed up, by the fifth inning, I was exhausted," he said.

Perez can light up the radar gun at 98 mph in nearly every outing. His average fastball is about 95. His slider is more of a 90-mph sizzler.

He became the big, intimidating power reliever the Tribe hoped to have when throwing cash at Wood before the 2009 season. Perez arrived quietly that same summer. The Indians were on their way to 96 losses. Veterans such as Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez were being traded. They also sent Mark DeRosa to St. Louis for Jess Todd and Perez.

In 70 games with the Cardinals (2008-09), Perez had a 4-4 record with a 3.72 ERA and was 7-of-11 in save situations. The Cardinals believed Perez had the physical ability to close, but wondered if he had the temperament to handle the pressure of the job.

So, that deal looks more like a steal for the Tribe, a good move to counter some of the other trades where Tribe fans are still awaiting the payoff for having their stars traded for prospects.

Dealing with failure
Early last season, Perez blew a save and hinted that the catcher should have blocked one of his pitches in the dirt that set up the winning run. It's not what a closer does. He is like a quarterback. No matter what goes wrong -- it's your fault. Just stand up and take the blame.

Perez figured that out, making sure his emotions were under control when speaking to the media on those few occasions when he didn't save a game.

"The job gives you more chances to fail," he said. "You can lose a game in the seventh inning, but when you blow a lead in the ninth -- everyone knows you did it. You feel you let the team down."

Perez has had a tremendous spring (1.23 ERA) and manager Manny Acta has praised his conditioning and determination.

"I think he's in better physical shape than last year," Acta said. "Just as important, his confidence has grown. He has done the [closer's] job. Now, I want him to take another step forward and be one of the leaders in the bullpen in terms of helping the other guys out there."

"I want to do that," Perez said. "I'll do what they ask. Like there were times when they had me pitch more than one inning. I can do that. In some ways, closers have gone soft. They don't always have to just pitch the ninth."

It was Tony La Russa -- when he managed Oakland -- who decided the best way to handle a closer was to have him open the ninth inning with only one job in mind -- get the last three outs and preserve the lead. Bring him in with no runners on base, and ask him to pitch only one inning.
It was supposed to increase the odds of success for a reliever, and it turned Dennis Eckersley into a superstar. Soon, other managers followed that formula.

The Indians have a rule that no one appears in more than three games in three days. They want to limit the multi-inning work for Perez, but Acta said he still will ask Perez to do it on occasion.

"I'm open to it," said Perez. "Really, I just want to pitch. It's so much fun."



(cleveland.com)

You might have seen the headline when Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez signed a one-year deal with the Tribe in January.

But you probably never heard about one of the first things he decided so spend some of that $2.2 million on.

He bought a baseball card.

Now, it's not just any card, either. Perez purchased a one-of-a-kind Topps card, a fold-out booklet with the signatures of nine 1927 New York Yankees attached. The two biggies? Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, while the seven other autographs are the rest of the starters in the legendary lineup known as "Murderers' Row."

The cost? A mere $20,000.

"This is definitely a nice little gift I'm giving myself for my new contract," Perez said from spring training in Goodyear, Ariz. "Some people buy cars, jewelry, houses. I wanted to buy something a little different. I could barely talk my wife into letting me bid the initial $20,000 let alone get in a bidding war."

In an interview about the card and his collecting habits appearing in the latest issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly, Perez admits that he does chase his own cards -- though they're not quite as expensive. He appears on just 235 cards, according to the Beckett.com database, and they're worth an average of just $3.51 apiece.

"I own every one of my own cards, except the 1/1s [where only one copy is made]," he said. "But I do check out eBay to see if there are any printing plates or other 1/1s."

Perez, who made his big-league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008, said his biggest previous card purchase was an autographed 2001 Bowman Chrome Albert Pujols rookie card -- a card that typically fetches about $4,000.

"I have made some big purchases before," he said, "but nothing of this magnitude."



(espn.com)

Stan McNeal of the Sporting News noted that last season, Indians closer Chris Perez had a 1.71 ERA, compared to the 1.80 of the Yankees' Mariano Rivera, whose inclusion into the Hall of Fame is only delayed by every year he returns.

Perez will be an All-Star this year, McNeal predicted in his preseason preview.

Good thing, right?



(cleveland.com)

Chris Perez runs his fingers through the thickening facial growth and tugs at one of baseball's best beards.

"It's just a look," he says, explaining his bushy cheeks that haven't crossed paths with a razor for more than a year. "It doesn't have to be a closer's look, but I do get to have a little more liberties. I guess it's my calling card. I have to have it."

The closer.

Not only does Perez look the part, he seems to have been born to play it.

Free-spirited and easily approachable, Perez isn't intimidating — except when he's perched atop the mound and staring down a hitter digging in at the plate. With a God-given, lively arm and a beat-me-if-you-can attitude, Perez emerged last season as one of the majors' top relievers.

He converted 23 saves and posted a 1.71 ERA, the league's second-lowest mark. At 25, Perez became the youngest pitcher in club history to notch 20 saves. The Indians may have had a rotten season, losing 93 games amid a lengthy roll call of key injuries. But Perez's 2010 couldn't have gone any better.

"It was a tremendous year for me personally," he said after making his spring exhibition debut. "Obviously, I was able to finally achieve what I always wanted to do in this game, which is to be a closer. I had a really good second half and that kind of validates all the hard work and years that it took to get to this point."

Perez has the ideal temperament to close. He's cocky, but cool. He's got a fearsome fastball that he'll throw anytime to anyone.

Perhaps his bio on Twitter sums him up best: "Chris Perez, relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, former UM Hurricane. Just a normal guy with an arm like a (blanking) cannon."

He's always had the physical gifts, well, at least one notable gift. His right arm.

From the time he started playing T-ball as a kid, Perez, whose dad got as far as the lower minor leagues as a catcher, played behind the plate. Through the bars of a catcher's mask he learned about pitch counts, location, cutoffs and defense.

"I loved it," Perez said, recalling those days wearing the gear. "I loved blocking balls, throwing guys out at second. You're a part of every play. It's fun."

Never once did he consider pitching. It didn't have any appeal and Perez certainly never thought about it as a possible career. That all changed during his junior year at Pendleton (Fla.) High School, when his team ran out of pitchers during a tournament.

His coach asked for volunteers to take the ball, and Perez offered his services. He had no concept of mechanics and only hoped to embarrass himself. He was as raw as it gets.

Then one pitch changed everything.

"I hit 93 (mph)," he said. "It was the first time I was ever clocked. I didn't know what I was doing. I was just throwing.

"From that time on, my dad's like, 'You are not catching anymore.'"

Perez initially resisted a move to the mound. He didn't see any future as a pitcher and couldn't understand why everyone was insisting he make the switch. Eventually, he caved, and after a brief stint as a starter in college at Miami, he's been a reliever ever since.

Drafted as a closer by St. Louis in 2006, Perez studied some of the game's top closers, hoping to pick up tips on how to get those precious, final three outs. He had seven saves for the Cardinals in '08 and one more in '09 before being dealt to the Indians for infielder Mark DeRosa.

He was tabbed to be Cleveland's set-up man before last season, but when Kerry Wood was injured during training camp, Perez temporarily inherited the closer's job. It became his permanent role when the Indians shipped Wood and his $10 million contract to the Yankees before the deadline.

Perez didn't just take the job. He ran with it.

In 32 games from June 28 until the end of the season, he posted a 0.53 ERA, a startling number that would fog up any stat geek's glasses.

Perez loves the pressure, he thrives on it. While others may buckle under the tense, stomach-churning final innings, Perez relishes the chance to lock up a 'W' for his team. Once he gets manager Manny Acta's call and exits the bullpen, Perez loves the spotlight at the center of the diamond.

It's what he lives for.

"It's you and everybody knows it's you," Perez said. "Nobody's coming in after you. That's probably what I enjoy the most about the job. But the best part is getting that last out, stranding that winning run on second or third. And preferably striking out their biggest hitter."

Perez doesn't want to be a one-hit wonder as a closer. One great season won't suffice. He wants many more.

"The history of baseball is that there are a whole bunch of guys that had one of two good years," he said. "I don't want to be that. I want to be here for the long haul and have a great career."

The beard's staying. In fact, facial hair — loads of it — seems to be baseball's newest trend.

It sure worked for San Francisco's Brian Wilson, last year's saves leader, who won a World Series title looking like a grizzly bear.
Perez won't take it that far.

"His is a little overplayed," Perez joked. "I'm not going to use any dye or anything like that. He's got Just For Men up there for sure. Nothing's that black."



(sfexaminer.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Indians closer Chris Perez took his new toy out for a test drive during his Cactus League debut.

Perez has been fine-tuning a changeup that he plans on adding to his pitch arsenal this season. In his one-inning appearance against the Reds on Sunday, the right-hander threw mostly fastballs, but mixed in his new offspeed offering.

"I started working on it and playing catch with it last year," Perez said earlier this spring. "I threw it in a couple games towards the end, but it's something I'm working on. It gives hitters another look."

Perez, who posted a 1.71 ERA and chalked up 23 saves for Cleveland last year, also throws a slider, though he did not use any in his spring debut against Cincinnati. Perez said that he used a three-finger grip for his changeup, which breaks straight down when it is working properly.

"Some days it tails in," Perez said. "It changes day to day until I master it."



(mlb.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- If not for the small matter of the title being copyrighted, and perhaps for the larger issue of clean-cut Robert Redford playing the leading man, "The Natural" might be the appropriate name for the making of Chris Perez as a major-league closer.

He always had the arm and a love for the high wire. Now he has an inaugural season of success behind him and a looks-the-part beard to go with long locks and the attitude best captured in his Twitter bio:

"Chris Perez, relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, former UM Hurricane. Just a normal guy with an arm like a ******* cannon."

A year ago in spring training, when Perez was the closer in waiting behind Kerry Wood, pitching coach Tim Belcher shared a scouting report about a young aggressive Reds' player Perez would face the next inning. Belcher said the kid was a dead fastball hitter. Came word from Perez, "He ain't seen mine yet."

Perez, 25, backed up the bravado in 2010. His 1.71 ERA was the second-lowest among AL relievers. Opponents hit .182 of him, the fifth-lowest. With runners in scoring position, hitters batted .133. His 23 saves in 27 chances made him the youngest reliever in Indians history to record 20 saves.

"It was a tremendous year for me personally," Perez said. "Obviously I was able to finally achieve what I always wanted to do in this game, which is to be a closer. I had a really good second half and that kind of validates all the hard work and years that it took to get to this point."

Wood's injury last spring cleared the path. But whatever angst the Indians felt about Perez moving into the closer role was mitigated somewhat by the second half of 2009 -- which was particularly impressive considering how his Indians career began after the June 27 trade from St. Louis for Mark DeRosa.

Perez lasted two-thirds of an inning in his debut against the White Sox, allowing two hits and four runs. He hit two batters, walked one, threw a wild pitch, allowed a stolen base and failed to cover first. A week later, Chicago's Paul Konerko hit a grand slam off him.

Not the best way to make friends and influence a new fan base. Soon after, though, Perez put together a consecutive scoreless streak of 20.2 innings. Perez and the Indians gained confidence. Both knew coming into 2010 that if the Indians fell flat, Wood would likely be traded to a contender.

"It was a perfect season all the way around," Perez said of his development. "Even -- you don't want anybody getting hurt -- but even Woody going down in spring training made it so much easier knowing that I was the guy out of spring training."

Indians' manager Manny Acta called Perez becoming the closer "a matter of time." Perez's success means one less concern for Acta coming into 2011. For Perez, the concern is doing it all over again.

"The history of baseball is that there are a whole bunch of guys that had one of two good years," Perez said. "I don't want to be that. I want to be here for the long haul and have a great career."

Some big-league closers come to the job out of failure. They flop as a starting pitcher first. Or injuries dictate it. Perez never got attached to that idea of starting pitcher celebrity. Not in high school -- where he dedicated himself to catching and found the mound almost by accident.

His junior year at Pendleton (Fla.) high school, his team played seven tournament games in three days and exhausted its supply of pitchers. Perez volunteered. He had no idea about mechanics or direction but was clocked at 93.

"From that time on, my dad's like, 'You are not catching anymore,'" Perez said.

Except for a brief experiment as a starter at Miami, he moved directly to the bullpen and told to forget his change-up. Getting on the reliever track early and staying there speeded his development when St. Louis drafted him.

"He definitely had the stuff," said pitcher Anthony Reyes, who was with the Cardinals at the same time. "He's refined his pitches. That's allowed him to take the next step."

Perez thrives on the action. In college, he fell in love with the idea of pitching with the game on the line. He also watched relievers like Houston Street get drafted and make a quick impact. Now he's done the same.

In 2011, the idea is to make it a lasting one.



(cleveland.com)

Chris Perez: OK, so Perez isn't exactly a nobody in Fantasy. He'll get drafted in every league, in fact. But most Fantasy owners don't seem to grasp just how impressive his breakthrough 2010 season was. From June 28 on, he posted a 0.53 ERA, striking out 37 batters in 34 innings. He allowed less than a hit every two innings during that stretch. A pitcher can't get any more effective than that. True, he pitches for a bad team, but that hasn't stopped Joakim Soria from earning elite status in Fantasy. At a time when so many big-name closers have so many concerns, Perez is more valuable than anyone gives him credit for. He's a late-rounder who's almost sure to perform like a middle-rounder, if not better.



(cbssports.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Indians closer Chris Perez placed one foot on the chair in front of his locker, rested an arm on his knee and stared off, trying for the life of him to remember the first time he notched a save as a professional pitcher.

"Quad Cities," Perez said after a long pause. "It would've been July."

So far, so good.

It was July 10, 2006, and Perez was on the mound for the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits, facing the Dayton Dragons. A 16-mph wind was blowing out to right field at Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio, and Perez -- a Cardinals farmhand at the time -- was asked to work the 10th and final frame.

Did any of that ring a bell?

"I don't remember that at all," Perez said with a laugh. "I do remember the stadium. They've got a big dragon out there that shoots out flames. It was pretty cool."

Having a short memory is an important trait for any closer, so perhaps it is fitting that Perez does not recall all the details of that brief appearance. He got three outs and, in the end, that is all that really matters. In the years since, Perez has solidified himself as one of baseball's top young stoppers.

Closing out games in the big leagues was always Perez's dream, too.

Well, at least it has been his dream ever since he realized he was not going to cut it as a starter at the University of Miami. When he figured out he was not going to be the ace of the Hurricanes' staff, or even a member of the rotation, Perez decided there was only one thing left for him to do.

"I wanted to be the best guy out of the bullpen," he said. "That's the closer."

Perez is coming off a spectacular season as the Tribe's ninth-inning man, giving him a firm hold on the same role this year. Last summer, all the 6-foot-4 righty did was fashion a 1.71 ERA (second lowest among American League relievers) while saving 23 of the Indians' 69 victories.

Perez also struck out 61 hitters in 63 innings and held batters to a .182 average. From June 28 through the end of the year, the righty posted a 0.53 ERA. With runners on base, he limited hitters to a .133 batting average.

Perez made manager Manny Acta's life a little easier in the process.

"It's a nice thing to have as a manager," Acta said. "Chris Perez gives us that sense of security. He's our security blanket back there."

Perez certainly looks the part, sporting a beard and long brown hair that darts out from under his cap to give him an intimidating presence on the mound. He also allows himself to have fun along the way -- plenty of evidence can be found in that regard by following his Twitter account (@ChrisPerez54).

His overwhelming success of late in the ninth inning has earned Perez the nickname "Pure Rage" and that -- the adrenaline rush that comes with taking the mound in the final frame -- is what has always made closing out games his ultimate goal.

Perez has always had a personality suited for working late innings. He knows that is a main reason why he was not going to make it as a starting pitcher.

"I'm not one to hold back stuff on my pitches," Perez said. "The way I throw, the way my arm is, I throw 100 percent every time. I did that as a starter, too, and the fifth inning would come around and I'd be dead. I never learned how to pace myself.

"There's nothing like coming in in a close game after your team has battled back, or held on to a lead the whole game, and you come in and it's just on you. If you have a good day, you win. If you have a bad day, it's on you and you lose."

Perez has certainly experienced the latter.

In 2008 as a rookie, Perez suffered a handful of blown saves for the Cardinals when St. Louis was in the hunt for a playoff spot. Two came in back-to-back outings in September and Perez cringes at the memory of the postgame walk to the clubhouse.

"It's hard. It's on you," Perez said. "You have to walk in the room and see 24 other veterans who are busting their butts. You come in and one swing and it's done. It is tough, but I learned how to get over that."

Early in his career, it was not so easy.

Perez said he would worry too much about trying not to blow a save rather than concentrating on attacking the hitter. Or, Perez would look ahead to see who was due up in the opposing lineup, taking himself out of the game mentally before he even took the mound.

Perez said the biggest difference he experienced last season with the Indians, who acquired him in a trade with St. Louis in 2009, was on the mental front. He stopped caring about who was in the batter's box. He stopped worrying about what he did -- good or bad -- in his previous appearance.

Perez began taking the mound with supreme confidence. And it worked.

"As a closer you have to have that self confidence," Perez said. "You have to have that confidence of, 'I don't care what the situation is, I know I can get out of it. I know I can strike out these next three guys if I need to.' I know I can do that. That's what I believe.

"So whatever the situation is, I always believe I can strike my way out of it. Sometimes I don't, but most of the time I do."

Perez is even working on a new weapon.

He already featured a hard fastball and a strong slider, but now Perez is using this spring to add a changeup to the mix. When it works correctly, the pitch has a sinking action. He began toying with it while playing catch last year and he tested it out in a few late-season games.

Other than the new pitch, Perez said his goal for this season is simple.

"I'm going to try to get ahead of the hitters," he said. "When I do? I'll just do my thing."



(mlb.com)

(CLEVELAND) -- The pattern of players avoiding arbitration is continuing for the Cleveland Indians.

Just one day after Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera signed a one-year $2.025 million deal helping avoid arbitration, Tribe closer Chris Perez did the same. Although Perez' new contract has not been released yet, it is expected to be more than the $423,800 that he made last year.

Perez, 25, finished last season with 23 saves and an ERA of 1.71. The former St. Louis Cardinals right-hander began the season as the Indians closer after Kerry Wood was injured near the end of spring training. Once Wood returned Perez continued his original role as set-up man until the Tribe's full-time closer was dealt to the New York Yankees on July 31.

Perez appeared in 63 games for the Indians in 2010 and recorded 61 strikeouts.

Two Indians remain in arbitration: relief pitcher Rafael Perez and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. If they don't settle, they will exchange proposed arbitration figures with the team on Tuesday. Choo is the only player expected to receive consideration for a multiyear deal.



(WTAM.com)

In a Tweet by Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer, he reports that closer Chris Perez and the Cleveland Indians are talking. Perez is eligible for salary arbitration for the first time this winter and is under team control through the 2014 season.

Perez, 25, was 2-2 with 23 saves and a 1.71 ERA in 63 relief appearances for the Indians in 2010.



(prorumors.com)

The Indians certainly have some questions heading in to the 2011 season, but one thing they know for sure is they've found their closer in right-hander Chris Perez.

Acquired from St. Louis in the summer of 2009, Perez went 2-2 last season with a 1.71 ERA and 23 saves in 27 opportunities. That includes a post All-Star break record of 2-0 with 16 saves in 17 opportunities to go with a 0.63 ERA. Opponents hit just .158 off Perez following the All-Star break last season.

Now's your chance to ask Chris Perez about what it's like to be a closer in Major League Baseball. He'll take your questions on cleveland.com beginning Wednesday at noon. Simply type your questions in the player below. Chris will get to as many as he can.

Please note: This is a moderated chat. All questions must be approved and not all questions will be answered.



(cleveland.com)