Orion Kerkering Recorded his first MLB save on Monday in Miami against the Marlins and Rob Thomson Used his relievers in reverse order on Monday using Kerkering in the 9th instead of his normal 7th inning. And Orion took the opportunity he was given from Thomson and pitched a perfect inning to close out the game.

Now this isn’t the first time in Kerkering’s professional baseball career that he has been used as a closer. He had opportunities to close in Clearwater, Jersey Shore, and Reading. He pitched extraordinarily well in those closer roles.

Since coming to the major leagues and pitching in the Late inning/Setup role he has pitched to a 2.39 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, in 99 Games.

Now whether he is able to stay consistent in the closer role is the question. He is a 23 year old pitcher with very limited big league experience, And is taking on the hardest role in the bullpen.

Kerkering has a career postseason ERA of 3.00 in 11 appearances, which is a small sample size but, shows he can be a reliable pitcher in tough situations and spots.