Perez developing into elite pitch-framer

CLEVELAND — Whit Merrifield stepped across home plate and prepared to toss his bat away. Thinking he had drawn a walk, the Royals second baseman then threw his head back and yelled in disgust after home-plate umpire Carlos Torres rung him up on a called strikeout.

“That’s not a strike,” Merrifield barked as he walked back to the dugout.

The pitch was an inside fastball from Indians reliever Andrew Miller, but it was the work of catcher Roberto Perez that led to the inning-ending punchout on Tuesday night. Perez snared the pitch and swiftly lifted his glove over the edge of the plate, convincing Torres that the pitch was a strike, ending the eighth inning and stranding a runner at third base.

Perez sold it, as the catcher has done plenty of times throughout this season. Through a combination of instincts and work behind the scenes, Perez has developed into one of baseball’s elite pitch-framers. It is an aspect of his game that Perez takes extreme pride in, citing Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina as one player he has studied in order to further hone that skill.

“It’s a game-changer,” Perez said of pitch-framing. “I just try to make everything a strike. I think stealing a strike can change the game dramatically.”

Catcher Roberto Perez, on framing: “I just try to make everything a strike. I think stealing a strike can change the game dramatically.” pic.twitter.com/Rfihg5DOIB

— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) September 21, 2016

Catcher Roberto Perez, on framing: “I just try to make everything a strike. I think stealing a strike can change the game dramatically.” pic.twitter.com/Rfihg5DOIB

Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Kansas City provided the perfect example of how framing can impact a game.

With one out and the game still caught in a 1-1 deadlock, Miller fired a wild pitch that allowed Kansas City’s Terrance Gore to advance to third base. Miller’s next offering was a 96-mph fastball low and inside to Perez, who pulled his glove up slightly after the ball popped into the leather. Torres signaled that it was a strike, while Christian Colon stayed put, staring down in disbelief with his bat on his shoulder before walking away.

Then came Merrifield, who worked the count full before being beaten by Perez’s presentation on the called third strike to end the inning. Via win probability added, it is easy to see how those calls swung the momentum in Cleveland’s favor. After Gore moved to third …

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