JAKE DIEKMAN NEWS

Records first save Diekman saved Sunday's 4-3 win over the Yankees, striking out the side in the ninth inning.

Impact Diekman was tasked with facing the daunting trio of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Joey Gallo and sent all three back to the dugout. It took a workload of 19 pitches to do so, but the veteran southpaw got the job done. He was also called upon to protect a one-run lead in the 10th inning of the season-opening loss Friday but was charged with the ghost runner scoring after hitting a batter and intentionally walking another. Diekman is worth a look while Boston's closer situation remains unresolved and Matt Barnes is dealing with back issues.

APRIL 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Alex Cora Points To Reason For Concern Regarding Jake Diekman The Boston Red Sox signed reliever Jake Diekman after the lockout in hopes that he could help solidify the backend of the bullpen.

APRIL 3, 2022 • NESN.COM

How an innovator from outside baseball helped make reliever Jake Diekman a Red Sox target - The Boston Globe The lefty used a tool called a "heat map" from an independent analyst to marry his pitches to the strengths and weaknesses of hitters.

APRIL 2, 2022 • BOSTONGLOBE.COM

Red Sox add Story, hope to build on surprising run to ALCS

The Red Sox had the advantage of low expectations last season

MARCH 30, 2022 • Associated Press

Jake Diekman guaranteed $8M in 2-year deal with Red Sox

Left-hander Jake Diekman is guaranteed $8 million in his two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox

MARCH 17, 2022 • Associated Press

Analyzing Jake Diekman and Matt Strahm, the Red Sox' two new lefty relievers - The Boston Globe If Diekman's wipeout slider is working, he can be dominant. Strahm pitched just 6⅔ innings last season because of a knee injury.

MARCH 15, 2022 • BOSTONGLOBE.COM

Pens deal with Boston Diekman finalized a two-year, $7 million contract with the Red Sox on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports. The contract includes a $4 million club option f...

Impact Diekman and Matt Strahm both reported to Red Sox camp Tuesday, after the two lefty relievers came to terms with Boston on contracts over the weekend. Their additions will give manager Alex Cora some more options in the late innings, as Boston mostly got by with Josh Taylor as its main southpaw reliever in 2021 while Darwinzon Hernandez dealt with injury and ineffectiveness for much of the campaign. Diekman could also factor into Boston's closing picture, though any save chances he might receive would likely come against lefty-heavy lineups. The 35-year-old is coming off a 2021 campaign in which he posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 83:34 K:BB in 60.2 innings while converting seven saves in 14 chances and adding 14 holds.

MARCH 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Signs with Boston The Red Sox signed Diekman on Monday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Impact Diekman was one of two left-handed relievers recently signed by the Red Sox, the team's first two post-lockout moves. Addressing bullpen needs was the first item both manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom mentioned when first talking with reporters. Pitching coach David Bush said Diekman figures to be in the mix for key spots late in games. "He's had a pretty good track record in leverage innings, leverage opportunities," Bush said. "I think he can get lefties and righties out. We tend not to view guys as specialists, just the way our bullpen works and he fits that." The Red Sox have yet to declare a closer, although Matt Barnes will be prominent late in games if he can shed whatever issues caused him to blow up in the second half of 2021.

MARCH 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Expected to join Boston Diekman is expected to finalize a multi-year contract with the Red Sox during the upcoming week, pending a physical, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Impact The exact details of Diekman's deal with Boston aren't known, but he'll give the team a much-needed lefty reliever out of the bullpen. While with the Athletics in 2021, Diekman posted a 3.86 ERA, .211 batting average against and 1.34 WHIP over 60.2 innings while fanning 31.7 percent of batters faced.

MARCH 14, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Athletics relievers Andrew Chafin, Jake Diekman depart

Left-handed pitcher Andrew Chafin declined his portion of a mutual option to stay with the Oakland Athletics, instead accepting a $500,000 buyout and becoming a free agent

NOVEMBER 5, 2021 • Associated Press

In projected payroll crunch, Oakland A's let relievers Andrew Chafin and Jake Diekman walk Oakland Athletics decline Jake Diekman’s club option, Andrew Chafin declines mutual option

NOVEMBER 4, 2021 • MERCURYNEWS.COM

Heads to free agency Diekman became a free agent Thursday after the Athletics declined his team option, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Impact Diekman was unable to repeat his remarkable 0.42 ERA from 2020 in 2021, but he finished with a perfectly respectable 3.86 ERA, with his 31.7 percent strikeout rate offsetting a 13.0 percent walk rate. The Athletics apparently viewed that level of production as replaceable, but a competent lefty like Diekman shouldn't face too much trouble finding another big-league contract on the open market.

NOVEMBER 4, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Flexen expected to start for the Mariners against the Athletics

The Athletics will start Cole Irvin on Monday while the Mariners are expected to counter with Chris Flexen

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 • Associated Press

Suffers pair of recent stumbles Diekman, who saw his record drop to 3-3 by taking the loss against the Mariners on Thursday, has now allowed three earned runs apiece in two of his last five relief appearances.

Impact That tally actually bumps up to three when widening the sample out to the left-hander's last 10 trips to the mound, an unusual level of vulnerability after Diekman's dominant 2020 season. The long ball did Diekman in Thursday versus the Mariners, as he surrendered a solo home run to Mitch Haniger and a two-run pinch-hit blast to Luis Torrens to blow the 4-3 lead Oakland had begun the sixth inning with. Diekman ultimately recorded just one out in the frame before exiting while seeing his ERA bump up from 3.39 to 3.84.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Bassitt returns but Mariners beat A's 6-5 for 4-game sweep

Chris Bassitt pitched three scoreless innings less than a month after surgery to repair facial fractures, but the Seattle Mariners rallied against Oakland’s bullpen for a 6-5 victo...

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 • Associated Press

Continues strong run Sunday Diekman, who fired a scoreless eighth inning during which he allowed a walk and struck out the side in a loss to the Rangers on Sunday, hasn't allowed a run in nine of his last 10...

Impact The veteran left-hander seems to be really hitting his stride down the stretch, and he's forged an impressive 13:4 K:BB across the nine innings covering the entirety of the aforementioned sample. Diekman did stumble against the Blue Jays four appearances ago by allowing three earned runs on three hits, but he's otherwise largely invoked memories of the career-best form he exhibited in 2020.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Hernández hits 100th HR, Jays go deep 4 times, beat A's 10-8

Teoscar Hernández hit his 100th career home run, José Berríos took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and the Blue Jays survived a late scare to beat the Oakland Athletics 10-8, Tor...

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021 • Associated Press

Cabrera hits career homer No. 502, Tigers beat Athletics 8-6

Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer, No. 502 of his career, and drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the seventh inning as the Detroit Tigers snapped a four-game skid with an...

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 • Associated Press

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AUGUST 26, 2021 • Associated Press

This Date in Baseball-Week Ahead

This Date in Baseball for week: August 27-Sept. 31

AUGUST 26, 2021 • Associated Press